Student Travel Grants

Student travel grants for DFRWS USA 2024 are available to support full-time students in US universities to participate in the 24th Annual Digital Forensic Research Conference (aka., DFRWS) held in Baton Rouge, LA, in July 2024.

If your institute is outside the US, please visit this webpage for relevant information: https://dfrws.org/about-us/student-scholarships/.

Update: Deadlines have been extended for a week.

Eligibility

All full-time undergraduate and graduate students at universities in the United States can apply for the travel grant. There are no citizenship requirements, but students must be 18 or older. Postdocs, faculty, or senior research personnel are not eligible to apply for the award.

Award Criteria

After the application deadline, the committee of volunteers in the DFRWS organizing committee will review the applicant pool. The initial scrutiny will filter applicants who are not eligible, such as those under 18. The eligible applicants will be given consideration based on a number of criteria, including first-time attendees, women and underrepresented minorities, active participation (i.e., presentation, poster, and demo) at the conference, and demonstrated interest in cybersecurity and digital forensics (e.g., participation in CTF competitions, industry internships, and involvement in student cyber club), and an applicant’s faculty advisor letter stating the need for travel funds to attend the conference.

Award Description

The grant will reimburse up to $1300 for travel to the conference, including the workshop day. The expenses include shared accommodation and discounted student conference registration. If an applicant is selected for the “Women in Forensic Computing Workshop,” the reimbursement amount will be $1500.

The grant recipients will be responsible for covering additional travel costs that exceed the award amount.

Conference Participation

The funded students are required to participate in the conference actively, including the following:

  • The students must sign in at the check-in desk daily in the morning during the conference.
  • They will be assigned daily volunteer tasks to ensure attendance.
  • After the conference, they will submit a short written report (one-page maximum) outlining their experiences at the conference. It is required to reimburse the travel cost.

Important Dates:

  • Travel Grant Application Deadline: May 10, 2024
  • Notification: May 15, 2024

How to Apply

To apply for the travel grant, please submit this Google Form: https://forms.gle/W3gHYJH4okoJMgADA

The form will inquire about an applicant’s relevant information to identify their interest in cybersecurity and digital forensics, first-time attendance to the conference, underrepresented/minority group, current enrollment in undergraduate or graduate programs, age, gender, GPA, participation in their cybersecurity student clubs and CTF competitions, etc.

As part of the application submission process, the applicants will be asked to upload the following documents:

  • Faculty advisor letter stating the need for travel funds to attend DFRWS. The letter should also mention whether their university can provide additional funds to the applicants if the travel costs exceed the award amount;
  • Resume or curriculum vitae (i.e., CV)
  • Unofficial transcript of their currently enrolled program, showing their current GPA and list of courses.