Speaker Funding

EDO may provide grants to bring exceptional speakers to campus that further EDO’s mission of uniting the UA’s internationally renowned programs in planetary, Earth, engineering, and optical sciences in partnership with NASA, industrial partners, and other universities to build a sustained center of excellence in Earth remote sensing research, education, and outreach. Speakers should clearly help advance UA’s efforts to develop new research programs and collaborations targeted towards potential funding opportunities. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis each fiscal year for as long as budget for this line remains.

Terms and Conditions

  • Amounts from $100 to $2,000 will be awarded to cover the speaker’s travel and campus visit expenses. Allowable expenses include:

    • Airfare (economy class)

    • Airport parking in speaker’s home town (economy rate) and transportatio to/from TIA to campus

    • Mileage, if speaker drives to Tucson ($0.44/mile)

    • Hotel/B&B accommodations near campus

    • Per diem ($51/day excluding any meals bought for visitor)

    • Speaker honorarium

    • One meal with speaker, excluding alcohol (limit of guest plus 4 EDO researchers at a moderately priced restaurant)

    • Refreshments during one public event, as appropriate

  • The speaker’s topic and/or affiliation should clearly relate to a program or project in development at UA and further its competitiveness for funding

  •  While on campus, the visiting speaker must:

    • Give one all-EDO-invited lecture (can be part of a larger event)

    • Be available for private or small-group meetings with EDO researchers

  • EDO staff can assist with some event logistics such as finding meeting space, but the requesting party and/or his/her department is responsible for organizing the speaker’s schedule and various meetings during the visit

  • The business office of the primary host’s department will be responsible for processing all reimbursements to the visitor; EDO will set up a sub-account that can be used

  • EDO must receive the speaker details (talk title, date/time, and location) at least two weeks prior to the visit to ensure adequate time to advertise the event

  • EDO funding must be acknowledged at the event

  • If the hosting department is benefitting significantly from separate department-focused activities involving the speaker, that department is expected to share some of the costs and support for this visit

Eligibility

  • Requests for funding may be made EDO affiliates

  • No more than one request per person will be funded per year

Evaluation criteria (used by the EDO executive committee or a subset)

  • Relevance of the speaker and proposed topic to EDO’s goals and objectives

  • Potential of the speaker to attract a broad EDO audience as opposed to a specialized group from a single department

  • Potential for direct speaker interaction with EDO researchers to develop future collaborations

  • Relationship of speaker to specific EDO programs/projects in development at UA, and potential for the visit to strengthen the competitiveness for funding

  • Indication of additional support and/or funding for hosting this speaker (especially if other groups will be benefiting significantly from this visit via separate seminars or other activities)

  • Partial awards may be made based on available funding and how well the request meets the above criteria

Deadlines

  • Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted

  • Applications must be submitted at least two weeks before a funding determination is needed, to allow review by the EDO executive committee (or a subset), and at least four weeks before the visit would take place

  • Expenses must be processed within 14 days after the speaker visit concludes

  • Reporting is due 30 days after the speaker visit

To Apply

Prepare the following:

  • Person making the request (name, department, and contact info)

  • Guest speaker: Name, title, affiliation

  • Description of speaker and topic, including why this speaker is relevant to a broad cross-section of EDO, and how (s)he could help us advance specific initiatives through this visit

  • Planned seminar format(s) and approximate date (also specify if part of a department colloquium or a separate event)

  • Any additional events would be planned that could include EDO faculty/students

  • Budget: provide an itemized budget specifying the funding you are requesting, the total expected cost of hosting this speaker, as well as any additional funding available from other sources. If a separate department seminar and other department activities are planned, the host department is expected to provide some level of matching and/or logistical support

Reporting requirements

Within 30 days of the event, a post-event summary of the attendees (number), speaker activities on campus, and any noteworthy outcomes and planned follow-up must be submitted via the Speaker Funding Reporting Form. EDO appreciates your cooperation in reporting on your activities; this information will be used to demonstrate the successes of the program (and will prevent us from hunting you down at the end of the year). Failure to report may impact future funding decisions.