Raymond N. Hiramoto Endowment

An endowment fund has been established to honor the memory of Dr. Ray Hiramoto, a noted immunologist and faculty member in the Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham until his death on June 14, 2002.

Hiramoto Travel Award Details

Interest income from this endowment will be used to support travel awards for Microbiology graduate students to attend meetings, workshops, and advanced courses offered by scientific societies and other organizations such as the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. We anticipate awarding a minimum of eight stipends annually of up to $1,000 each to help defray the cost of attending these events.

Eligibility

All Microbiology graduate students in good standing are eligible to apply for a Hiramoto travel award.

Application Procedure

There are four application deadlines each year, March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1. The application form can be completed online.

All application materials must be submitted in electronic format to Debbie Sirles (sirles@uab.edu) no later than midnight of the deadline date. The application packet will consist of: curriculum vitae, recommendation/approval from your mentor, a meeting abstract or a brief justification for attending the meeting/course (if attending a course, please submit a description of the course and how it would benefit your research), and the completed application form.

Award Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the Program Director and, if necessary, an ad hoc committee. Awards will be based on the student's research accomplishments or the documented value of a course for ongoing research. First priority will be given to students with oral or poster presentations at meetings. Award recipients will be announced within three weeks of the deadline dates. Students not funded will be allowed to reapply for the next award cycle. Awardees are eligible to reapply after two years of receipt of an award.