Skip to main content
University of Washington

ECE Student DEI Conference Travel Awards

The ECE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Conference Travel Awards Fund serves as an avenue for some financial support for ECE students to attend a conference with scheduled and published Diversity, Equity and Inclusion content. As we have limited funds, we encourage students to ensure they have additional funding to pay for the conference in its entirety. If awarded, the student receives the funds by submitting a short report and a reimbursement request within weeks of returning from the Conference. 

Eligibility Requirements

  • Must be a student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
  • Must be a registered student during the quarter of travel.
  • Each eligible student will only be granted one award per academic year (July 1 – June 30).
  • Submissions must be in by the deadline.

Guidelines

  • Awards will be processed as reimbursements for actual expenses incurred and will be made in accordance with UW’s policies on travel and reimbursement. 
  • Travel expenses that can be reimbursed include registration fees, airfare, ground transportation, parking, and lodging. 
  • Receipt requirements are outlined here, some of which need itineraries. Venmo, PayPal and ApplePay are examples of payments we CANNOT accept for reimbursement.
  • Reimbursement for travel expenses must be requested within 60 days of travel or by the end of the fiscal year (June 30) whichever comes first. Additional instructions will be provided to award recipients. 
  • The conference must contain Diversity, Equity and/or Inclusion content. Examples include a special session on inclusive teaching, a panel on being an ally to marginalized groups, a workshop on how to reduce barriers within Engineering for marginalized students, or other topics related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 
  • Students who receive an award must submit, within two weeks of returning from the conference, a short 250-500 word report describing their experience at the conference. The report should include whom you met, what you learned and specifically how your attendance increased their investment or enhanced their understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion in engineering. Photos from the conference are also appreciated. 
  • Photos and report should be combined in a single .pdf document and submitted to the chair_dei@ece.uw.edu with a copy to stepswan@uw.edu. 

Request Amounts

  • The Department has a limited amount of funds available each academic year on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Travel awards are not intended to cover all expenses associated with the conference and applicants must find other funding to pay for their conference expenses in their entirety. 
  • Up to $400 towards registration fee.
  • Up to $800 towards domestic travel and registration fee.
  • Up to $1200 towards International travel and registration fee.

Deadlines

  • At least 4 weeks before the conference to allow up to 2 weeks for review and a decision to be communicated. 
  • It is possible for a request to be denied if it does not meet eligibility or guideline requirements. Therefore, if you incur costs towards your conference such as registration or travel expenses before submitting your ECE DEI Conference Travel application and receiving the decision, be prepared for the possibility it may not be reimbursed. 
  • We recommend planning ahead and submitting early. 

How to Apply:

Fill out the following application form  to provide the following information:

  • Full Name
  • Student ID Number
  • Student Email Address
  • ECE Academic Program
  • Full name, location, dates and URL of conference
  • Conference Registration Fee
  • Amount Requested
  • What funds are applied to (airfare, lodging, transportation, registration, etc.)
  • Your participation in the conference (attendee, presenter, panelist, etc.)

How to apply for reimbursement

1. Log into UW Connect (upper right)

2. If you are not a UW employee, select the Non-Employee Payment Request link. 

    1. Fill out the Payee Info section
      1. Under Payee Category select “student” from the drop down menu
      2. Under Business Purpose, type in “To attend the __ Conference for Professional Development and networking opportunities in a DEI space”
    2. Fill out the Payment Detail section
      1. Under Request Category select “non-Employee Travel”
    3. Fill out the Funding Source Detail section
      1. Under Company, type in “UW” and select “UW1861 University of Washington”
      2. Under Driver Worktag Type select “Gift”
      3. Under Gift refer to your reimbursement process document for the information
    4. In the Optional Worktags section
      1. You only need to input the Adhoc Program information
      2. Refer to your reimbursement process document for the information
    5. Select the “Add Attachments” button and upload the receipts and your award letter
    6. Click on Submit

3. If you are a student employee, select the Travel Spend Authorization & Reimbursement Request link (or non-travel reimbursement if registration only!) 

    1. Fill out the Payee Info section
      1. Under Payee Category select “student” from the drop down menu
      2. Under Business Purpose, type in “To attend the __ Conference for Professional Development and networking opportunities in a DEI space”
    2. Fill out the Payment Detail section
      1. Under Request Category select “non-Employee Travel”
    3. Fill out the Funding Source Detail section
      1. Under Company, type in “UW” and select “UW1861 University of Washington”
      2. Under Driver Worktag Type select “Gift”
      3. Under Gift refer to your reimbursement process document for the information
    4. In the Optional Worktags section
      1. You only need to input the Adhoc Program information
      2. Refer to your reimbursement process document for the information
    5. Select the “Add Attachments” button and upload the receipts and your award letter
    6. Click on Submit

If you have reimbursement questions, please submit them via the General Finance Help Request form. 

Other Sources of Funding 

Students are encouraged to apply for additional sources of funding at UW to support their conference attendance. 

Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS)

GPSS provides travel funding to eligible graduate students. For more information, please review the GPSS Travel Grants information. 

Graduate School 

You may also be eligible for the Graduate Student Conference Presentation Awards through the Graduate School.