ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-mail cogs@umn.edu

COGS Awards

Congratulations to our 2008-09 Award Winners!

Travel Awards

John Ballard - Electrical Engineering
Viveca Braganza - Education Psychology/ Special Education
Brandon Breen - Conservation Biology
Fernando Calderon - History
Yi-Wen Chiu - Water Resource Science
Jill Flynn - Curriculum & Instruction (Literacy Education)
Tom Giarla - Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
Yiu-Kang Hsu - Anthropology
Amanda Kueper- Conservation Biology
Oksana Laleko - Linguistics
Hiroki Nomoto - Linguistics
SooJin Pate - American Studies
Uttam Sharma - Applied Economics
Elizabeth Wallace - Conservation Biology
Brian Walseth - Bioproducts & Biosystems Engineering
Lucia Zacchi - MICAB

Leadership Awards

Apeckchya Karki, Urban & Regional Planning
Greg Sschneider, Rhetoric, Honorable Mention

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Travel Awards
Leadership Awards

There are two kinds of COGS awards for graduate students, Travel & Education Awards and the Leadership Awards. Last spring there were over 120 applications for the travel awards. Awards are for travel between September 1, 2008-August 31, 2009 only. For travel before the applications are due, save your expense receipts and apply for the Travel Award as a reimbursement in the spring. The travel award application is due on Friday, February 27, 2009. The travel award recipients will be announced to the applicant by Wedneesday, April 1, 2008 and will be presented at the COGS General Assembly meeting in April.

The leadership award applications are also due Friday, February 27, 2009. The Leadership Award Winner will be presented at the COGS General Assembly meeting in April.

Travel & Education Awards

Applications due date: 5:00 pm, Friday, February 27, 2009
Travel Grant Application (pfd) (Word)
Click here for Application Instructions.

COGS gives Travel & Education awards every year to graduate students at the University of Minnesota. In order to qualify, an applicant must satisfy the following requirements:

• Students must be enrolled in a Ph.D. or Masters program and be registered for at least one (1) credit at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus
• Students must be in good standing with their university department at the time of application
• For travel, students must travel a minimum of 1.5 hours and a minimum of one night's stay at their destination.
• Conference travel assistance: student must have a signed letter from their advisor or DGS stating that they will be participating in the meeting/workshop* via submission of a poster, or oral presentation, or present their work in any form acceptable by their department.
• Educational programs: These programs may include field research sites, language or artifact/archival research, or any research or education courses not offered at the twin cities campus required for their degree program. Student must have a signed letter from their advisor or DGS stating that their research requires them to travel* to the location and will be participating in research applicable to their degree program.
• Applications and all supporting documents, including the letter from your advisor/DGS, must be submitted together as a single packet to the COGS email or office. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Awards are for travel between September 1, 2008 - August 31, 2009 only.
• Applications are generally judged by the persuasiveness of the writing (emphasis on writing, consideration of additional supporting documents), impact of the trip on their personal goals, preparation for the experience, uniqueness and importance of this particular experience, and a reasonable justification of expenses, including an effort to obtain other funding. Click here for a sample rubric.

Any questions or comments about the awards can be emailed to cogs@umn.edu.

Nominees will receive consideration without discrimination of race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, public assistance status, or sexual orientation.

Leadership Awards

Nominations due date: 5:00 pm, Friday, February 27, 2009.
Click here for the Leadership Award Nomination Cover Page.

Since 1996, COGS has presented an annual student leadership award recognizing the recipient's leadership and service on behalf of their fellow graduate students, the University and broader communities. Students may (and are encouraged to) nominate themselves. The recipient receives a $250 award check, a COGS water bottle, and Certificate of Award. These items of recognition will be presented to the award recipients at the COGS General Assembly meeting in April.

Eligibility Requirements

• Candidates must be graduate students at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Campus and be in good standing in their program.
• Candidates cannot be current COGS Executive Officers; including the immediate Past President.

Evaluation of Nominees

• Nominees will be judged on the quality of their leadership and the extent to which they have made significant contributions to the University Community in the current academic year, 2008-2009. This information must be identified and explained in the nomination letter. Consideration of personal knowledge of the nominee's contributions is permitted in deliberations of the selection committee.
• All nomination letters must conform to the Nomination Letter Rules (see below) or they will be returned to the nominator.
• The selection committee shall consist of no less than three current COGS Executive Officers.

Nomination Letter Rules

• To be considered, the nomination letter must be received by the COGS Office, by 5:00 pm, Friday, February 27, 2009.
• Nomination letters may be submitted via email, campus mail, US mail, or in person (see address below).
• The nomination letter must not exceed three (3) single spaced pages.
• All nomination letters must be type written. No hand written nominations will be accepted.
• The name of the nominee and nominator must appear on every page of the letter.
• Students may (and are encouraged to) nominate themselves.
• If a nominator submits more than one nomination letter, each nomination letter must be unique to the individual nominee.

Due date for 2008-09 school year:
Friday, February 27, 2009, 5:00 pm

Nomination letters are to be sent to:

Council of Graduate Students
Attention: Leadership Award
405 Johnston Hall
101 Pleasant Street SE
Minneapolis, MN. 55455
Phone: 612-626-1612
Or Email: cogs@umn.edu

Any questions or comments about the awards can be emailed to cogs@umn.edu.

Nominees will receive consideration without discrimination of race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, public assistance status, or sexual orientation.

Page updated 12-19-08.