Fund Drive
“The benefit of my student travel grant accrues to me even today. A contact I made at that meeting helped me find a terrific position for my postdoctoral work. I am indebted to AGU.”
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—Deepak Ray
2002 Student Travel Grantee
AGU's Fund Drive always focus on the future: the future of Earth and space science, of individual scientists, and of the Union.
The current Fund Drive focuses exclusively on the future of young scientists. More and more qualified students want to become involved in the scientific excitement and opportunity represented by every AGU meeting, and Union resources to support that demand have not kept pace. Additional travel funding for students—so crucial to the future of Earth and space sciences—is needed now and in the future. The Fund Drive seeks to meet this objective through gifts to AGU's endowment.
The Student Travel Grant initiative began in 2005 with a challenge gift of $50,000 from Development Board Chair James A. Austin, Jr. Over the past three years the goal was increased to $400,000. To date, more than $200,000 has been raised. AGU has now received a second Austin challenge gift of $50,000. Our challenge is to raise $3 for every dollar donated by Dr. Austin.