• Domestic: No less than 30 days prior to scheduled departure date OR your internal campus deadline for domestic travel, whichever is earlier.
• Please note: As of September 2023, the state travel ban is no longer in effect after Newsom signed California's Senate Bill 447, which repealed the state travel ban law.
• International: No less than 60 days prior to scheduled departure date OR your internal campus deadline for international travel, whichever is earlier.
• U.S. Territories are considered international for this purpose.
• Remote: No less than 30 days prior to remote conference commencement.
  

• $1,000 for domestic travel within the continental US (lower 48 states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii).
• $1,500 for travel outside of the continental US (Alaska, Hawaii, US territories and international destinations).
  
• $500 for remote conference registration fees.
  

• The open and coastal ocean;
  
• Coastal zones (bays, estuaries, beaches); 
• Coastal watersheds: the organism, material or process being studied in the watershed must have a clear and direct impact on the downstream marine environment (e.g., anadromous fish, surface and groundwater flow, water quality).

• Applicants must be full or part-time CSU students in good standing. 
• Awardees must be enrolled CSU students or continuing CSU students during the conference.
• There are no citizenship requirements.
• Student travel awards are limited to one award per student per academic year (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025).
• Previous COAST Student Travel Award recipients are eligible to apply provided they have met the obligations of their previous award; however, preference will be given to new applicants.
• Applicants must be presenting the results of original ocean and coastal research.​​
  
• Applicants must provide evidence of an accepted abstract. 
• You may apply for an award once you have submitted an abstract and are awaiting notification of acceptance. 
• Please note in your application that abstract acceptance is pending. Your application will be held in the queue. Once you receive notification of abstract acceptance, please forward that to COAST.
• Applicants must identify a CSU faculty mentor. 
• Faculty mentors include tenured/tenure track faculty, adjunct faculty, lecturers and research faculty. 
• Applicant must be the presenting author. COAST will only provide funding for one presenting author per presentation. 
• Travel to meetings convened by other CSU affinity groups is not eligible for funding.
• COAST reserves the right to limit the amount of funding awarded to any one scientific conference.
• COAST reserves the right to award an amount different than that requested and to make final decisions regarding all applications.
• Please note: As of September 2023, the state travel ban is no longer in effect after Newsom signed California’s Senate Bill 447, which repealed the state travel ban law.

Application Materials and Instructions

APPLICATION FORM | DEPARTMENT COMMITMENT FORM (DCF)

NOTICE: Applications will NOT be accepted between November 8 - December 2, 2024!​​

1. An application must be submitted using the Application Form linked above. The Application Form must be completed and emailed as an attachment to COAST at [email protected].
• Applicants must provide a budget of their anticipated conference expenses and a description of matching funds or other resources that will make travel feasible if the COAST award will not cover the entire anticipated expense. The budget must include estimated costs for all transportation, lodging, meals, conference registration fees and incidentals. Please also include all secured and pending support (source and amount). If the conference is remote, please indicate that in the Budget section, and note that a detailed budget is not necessary.
• Within one hour of application submission, you will receive a confirmation email from COAST with an application ID number. Please save this email for future reference. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact COAST ([email protected]) immediately to ensure your application was received. This is your responsibility-COAST is not responsible for applications that were not successfully submitted if applicants cannot provide a copy of the email confirming successful submission.
  
2. The applicant’s CSU faculty mentor must sign the last page of the Application Form indicating that 1) the faculty mentor supports the student’s planned conference presentation and the student’s application to COAST for funding and 2) the applicant will be an enrolled CSU student or continuing CSU student during the conference. Applications will not be considered unless the last page of the Application Form is signed by their CSU faculty mentor. 
• Faculty mentors may support more than one student. However, COAST reserves the right to limit the amount of funding provided to students mentored by an individual faculty member for an individual conference.
3. The student must complete and submit the Departmental Commitment Form (DCF) linked above, which confirms that the student’s Department will help them process all required paperwork prior to commencement of the conference and reimburse the student for personal expenses up to the amount of the COAST award following the conference. THIS FORM MUST BE SIGNED BY THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR AND THE DEPARTMENT FISCAL CONTACT (electronic/digital signatures are acceptable). Applications will not be considered until the form is received. 
• The Departmental Commitment Form must be scanned and emailed as a pdf attachment to COAST at [email protected]. 
  
4. All application materials must be received by COAST
1. No less than 30 days prior to scheduled departure date for domestic travel OR your internal campus deadline for domestic travel, whichever is earlier. 
2. No less than 60 days prior to scheduled departure date for international travel OR your internal campus deadline for international travel, whichever is earlier. 
• U.S. Territories are considered international for this purpose.
  
3. No less than 30 days prior to the commencement of a remote meeting. 

• Awardees planning to travel internationally will be responsible for obtaining all required approvals at their home campus prior to traveling. This may include securing international travel insurance, which requires significant lead-time for processing. Each campus has unique requirements for international travel approval and insurance and awardees must initiate and complete this process themselves. Applicants should engage the assistance of their CSU faculty mentors.
• Proof of campus approval and international travel insurance must be submitted to COAST prior to travel.
• Travel to “high risk” countries may require additional lead time and approval depending on the policies at your campus. Consult with the Risk Management department at your campus and the U.S. State Department Travel Warnings website (http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html) for more information.
  

• Conferences must commence between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
• Awardees must be enrolled or continuing students in the CSU at the time of the conference.
• Awardees must present the results of original ocean and coastal research; either oral or poster presentations are acceptable. 
• For coastal watershed-related research, the organism, material or process being studied in a coastal watershed must have a clear and direct impact on the downstream marine environment (e.g., anadromous fish, surface and groundwater flow, water quality).
  
• Awardees are required to acknowledge COAST support for their travel to the meeting in their presentation. COAST should be referred to as the CSU Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology (COAST). If COAST supported any of the research presented, COAST should be acknowledged as a funder of the project as well.
• Awardees must follow all relevant procedures, policies and requirements of their home campus.
• Awardees are required to provide COAST with a one-page summary of the impact of this award on their undergraduate or graduate experience and professional goals within 30 days of the conference. The reporting form is available linked above.
  
• Awardees' name, campus and award information will be included on our website, in annual reports and may be posted on social media. To opt out, please email [email protected]​.