Student Travel

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  • Student Travel

    • GENERAL TRAVEL POLICIES

    Any student going on University Travel (conferences, invited lectured, seminars, etc.) must complete a BME Travel Request Form.

    PRIOR TO TRAVEL:

    1)   Students should email grad@bme.ufl.edu at least five weeks prior to travel advising the Graduate Academic Office that he/she intends to travel.

    Students should include their name, Title of Conference he/she is traveling to, type of presentation he/she is completing, expected travel dates, and any questions he/she may have.

    2)   Complete BME Travel Request Form per Directives and Information listed therein.

    3)  Please attach the following to your Travel Request Form or send to the BME Fiscal Team via email.

    • Conference Itinerary (if applicable)
    • Flight Itinerary (if applicable)
    • All other prepaid travel expenses purchased with a UF PCard (Ex. Hotel, Rental Car, Shuttles, etc.).
    • Proof of funding from other resources external to BME (Ex: matching funds from the Office of Research or Student  Government)

    UPON RETURN FROM TRAVEL:

    • At the conclusion, of your travel a Travel Expense Reimbursement Request and all travel related receipts must be submitted to the BME Fiscal Team within 45 days to ensure your reimbursement is not subject to annual W-2 taxable income per IRS Publication 463.
      • Reimbursements submitted more than 60 days after the conclusion of your travel will not be processed.
      • An email will be sent to your UFL email once the reimbursement has been processed. The funds will be direct deposited if you are on UF payroll, otherwise, a check will be mailed to your current local address.

    GRADUATE STUDENT TRAVEL SUPPORT

    Biomedical Engineering graduate students are encouraged to travel to conferences, symposia and special research opportunities. Support for such travel ordinarily must be provided by the student’s advisor. Additionally, students may apply for support through travel awards made by the UF Office of Research or by the Graduate Student Council Travel Grant. More information on applying for graduate student travel support can be found here: http://graduateschool.ufl.edu/prospective-students/funding/travel/. Both of these programs require matching funds, which ordinarily must be provided by the student’s advisor.

    In an effort to support student travel to conferences and symposia, the department may be able to match funds provided through university travel awards. To be eligible, they must be BME Ph.D. students in good standing. Support will be provided for students attending a conference or symposium to present original research conducted under the supervision of BME faculty, at a meeting that is clearly recognizable as related to Biomedical Engineering. Examples of such meetings include the BMES and EMBS annual meetings. Support for attendance to other meetings related to Biomedical Engineering will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Students are eligible for departmental matching funds once per 12 month period. The process of applying for departmental matching funds is different for each source of support and requires that you apply at least one month in advance. Securing a travel award from the UF Office of Research or from the Graduate Student Council does not guarantee that departmental funds will be provided to match the award. The student’s advisor is ultimately responsible for supporting a student’s travel to present their research.

    GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL (GSC) TRAVEL GRANT:

    1)     Print SAR Approval email and submit to the BME Graduate Student Advising Office

    UF Office of Research Travel Funds:

    1)     Bring completed Office of Research Travel Application to the BME Graduate Student Advising Office

    • Include meeting acceptance letter/email
    • Faculty advisor signature must be on the last page

    2)     An email will be sent to the student when the letter of matching funds and the travel application with the Department Chair’s signature is ready for pickup.  The student will be responsible for obtaining a signature from the College of Engineering Dean’s Office.

    TRAVEL AWARD POLICY:

    1) Students may receive one Department Travel Award per fiscal year. However, if a student receives an award to attend BMES or AIMBE, this award will not count towards the one Department Travel Award given per fiscal year.

    2) Students who are awarded Department Travel Awards for both BMES and AIMBE will no longer be eligible to receive additional Department Travel Award funds.

    3) It is imperative that students understand, they can only receive one department award per conference. [i.e. a student receives BMES travel funds and applies for GSC Travel Funds. The student would receive one department award ($350-$400) to match the Funds award by GSC. Students will not receive the department award, plus additional department matching funds and the GSC award].