2026 Travel Award Application Process

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The 2026 Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on March 19th – 21st, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta (265 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30303). The conference begins with the opening plenary session at 6:00 PM on Thursday, March 19, and concludes at 9:00 PM on Saturday, March 21.

The portal for student abstract submissions and travel award applications opened on Monday, August 18th at 2:00pm EST. The deadline has been extended to 11:59pm EST on Friday, September 19th, 2025. Decisions will now sent to applicants on October 27th, 2025.

Click here to visit the ERN Conference student portal. 

The ERN Conference student travel award covers the conference registration fee, housing, airfare, and ground transportation.

***For travel award recipients, AAAS staff will process the conference registration and make the hotel arrangements.***

A limited number of travel awards are available for students who are selected for poster or oral presentations at the ERN Conference. (Please check with your advisor to determine if you should apply for a travel award.)

All applications will be reviewed and evaluated by the following criteria: (1) academic achievement and (2) STEM career interest. For award finalists, we will contact faculty mentors to verify student GPAs and for an explanation of why travel support cannot be paid from their NSF grant or other sources.

Eligibility for ERN Travel Award

ERN Travel Award applicants:

(A) Must be undergraduate or graduate students who participate in research or education projects funded by one of the following NSF programs or other research programs around the country*:

  • Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP);
  • Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions (ADVANCE)
  • Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST);
  • Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI-REM) Scholars;
  • EntryPoint!
  • Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI);
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP);
  • Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and LSAMP Bridges to the Doctorate;
  • Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs);
  • Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM)
  • Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP)
  • Other Research Program

(B) Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.

(C) Must be accepted to present a poster or oral presentation at the current ERN Conference in STEM.  *Note – Students who identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or have a disability may be considered for a travel award even if they are not doing research, do not submit an abstract or their abstract is not accepted.  A completed travel award application will still be required.