Student Travel Fellowships

Please Note: Students and residents are only eligible to receive Student Travel Fellowships if they have been accepted as a presenter of a paper or poster.

In an effort to promote its research aims and to infuse an appropriate mix of young members into the Academy, the Academy provides student travel fellowships. These fellowships are designed to encourage optometry students, optometric residents, and students in eye and vision related graduate programs to attend key national meetings and exchange scientific ideas on research. Eligible students are those who are currently enrolled full-time or have graduated/completed residency within a year of the meeting they wish to attend.

Each year the Academy offers a number of travel fellowships of $750 each for students to attend the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). Fellowships are awarded primarily for accomplishment and potential in optometric research and education. Academic abilities, including clinical abilities if relevant, are considered. Being the presenter of a paper or poster is required. Award winners will be given one of the following awards based on availability.

  • Frank W. Weymouth Student Travel Fellowship
  • Irvin M. and Beatrice Borish Student Travel Fellowship
  • Brazelton Low Vision Student Travel Fellowship
  • Academy Student Travel Fellowship
  • New Jersey Chapter Student Travel Fellowship (must provide proof of residency)
  • Florida Chapter Student Travel Fellowship

Only applications submitted online will be accepted. The Academy’s Research Committee evaluates all completed Academy travel fellowship applications. Along with the application section, the student must submit a one-page statement, and a copy of the abstract of paper or poster that has been accepted for the meeting they are attending. Once the applicant submits their application, an email will be generated to their recommender; their recommender can use this link to upload the applicant's recommendation.

Materials MUST be submitted online by the deadline date using the online submission tool. Applications that remain incomplete after the deadline date will not be evaluated. 

Although students can apply to attend a meeting for which they have previously been awarded a travel fellowship, priority may be given to first-time awardees. However, previous winners for travel to one meeting (either AAO or ARVO) are encouraged to apply for the other. Other criteria used by the reviewers include the applicant’s one page statement, the faculty evaluation, and the quality of the abstract. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision prior to the meeting the applicant wishes to attend. The award checks will be presented to the awardees during the meeting they have been awarded a Fellowship to attend. Winners of the student travel fellowship to the ARVO meeting must attend the Monday evening AAO/AOA Reception to receive their award check. Award winners to the American Academy of Optometry’s Annual Meeting must attend the Hirsch Memorial Research Symposium to receive their award check.

2012 Submission Deadlines:

ARVO Annual Meeting Travel Fellowships: The 2013 deadline has passed

AAO Annual Meeting Travel Fellowships: The application window will be open from July 1 through August 6, 2013.

Please direct all questions regarding the AAO & ARVO Student Travel Fellowships to: Melissa Leuschel at melissal@aaoptom.org.