Agouron Institute Funding for Regional Geobiology Meetings
The Agouron Institute provides funding through the GSA Geobiology & Geomicrobiology Division (GBGM) to support established regional geobiology meetings across the United States. This is not an open grant call—funding is designated for the network of regional meetings listed below.
Eligible Meetings
- So Cal Geobio
- Nor Cal Geobio
- Midwest Geobio
- Rocky Mountain Geobiology Symposium
- Great Northern Geobio
- Northeast Geobio
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Geobiology
- Southeast Biogeochemistry Symposium
- Southern Geobio
- Geobiology Gordon Research Conference
About the Meetings
Regional geobiology meetings are student- and postdoc-organized and run. Faculty PIs serve as mentors, with one PI at the host institution accepting the funding on behalf of the organizers. These meetings provide early-career researchers with the opportunity to plan and execute a scientific conference, present their research, and build regional networks.
Meeting formats vary by region. Some begin on a Friday evening with a reception or opening talk by a keynote speaker, followed by an all-day session on Saturday ending with dinner. Others start later on Saturday to allow travel time, and some extend into Sunday morning. Meetings typically include oral and poster sessions, and some offer prizes for outstanding student presentations.
Funding Details
- Budget range: $3,000–$8,000 from Agouron (varies by meeting)
- Eligible expenses: Facility rental, food & beverage, poster boards, printing, talk/poster prizes, meeting souvenirs, and student/postdoc travel fellowships
- Indirect costs are not provided and may not be deducted from the award
- All funds must be used for direct meeting expenses
- Organizers should submit their proposal after other sources of support are confirmed
Proposal Guidelines
Proposals should be submitted by the student/postdoc organizing committee (not the faculty PI) and should include:
- Names of student/postdoc organizers and the faculty PI mentor
- Meeting goals and history
- Expected attendance (who and how many)
- Location and dates
- Format and schedule
- Poster session details
- Talk and poster prizes (if any)
- Meeting website (if applicable)
- Budget with total costs, other funding sources, and amount requested from GBGM
The proposal should provide 1-2 paragraphs of justification for each item listed in 2-8 above followed by the budget as an itemized list. Please use the proposal template below and review the provided example prior to filling it out.
Documents
How to Submit
Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis—there is no fixed deadline, as meetings occur at various times throughout the year.
Please upload your completed proposal using the GBGM Agouron Proposals Google Form, and send an email to Ana Gonzalez-Nayeck (ana.gonzaleznayeck@baruch.cuny.edu) Trinity Hamilton (trinityh@umn.edu), and David Gold (dgold@ucdavis.edu) indicating you have submitted the proposal so we know to review it.
Upon approval, organizers will receive a form that must be completed by an authorized departmental or grants officer at the host institution, accepting the funds and agreeing to the GSA award and grant policy: GSA requires that no award funds be used for institutional overhead or other 'indirect' costs. Payment information (ACH or check) can be provided at that time.
Either before or after the meeting, organizers should send a final schedule of events (and abstract booklet, if available) to GBGM.
Contact
Questions? Contact Trinity Hamilton (trinityh@umn.edu) and David Gold (dgold@ucdavis.edu).