Conferences & Travel

About

• Members of the lab will often travel to workshops or conferences as part of their training and research dissemination.
• Information on this page is meant to provide resources and guidance on the many aspects of lab-associated travel.
• In all cases, Dalhousie's Travel Policies supersedes any information on this page.
• If any information below is not clear, then please ask questions (and then edit this page to make it better)!

Who decides when/where I travel?

• Usually, Morgan will bring up travel opportunities to members of the lab.
• Travel is always optional and any concerns with suggested travel should be clearly addressed to Morgan.
• For new members of the lab, travel usually coincides with having research results or if deemed a good learning opportunity.
• If you are interested in attending a particular conference or workshop, you can bring it to Morgan's attention. Be sure to have a brief rationale of why you think is a good opportunity for training and/or research dissemination.

Abstract Submission & Registration

• If attending a conference, then it is expected that you would be presenting an "abstract". Accepted abstracts usually result in a poster presentation (but sometimes will result in a short-talk).
• Abstracts need to be reviewed by all co-authors including Morgan before being submitted by the conference deadline. You can also optionally post the abstract to the Slack #conferences channel for feedback from others in the lab.
• Registration is often at the same time as the abstract submission or soon afterwards. If possible be sure to register early enough to be eligible for any "early-bird" deadlines.
• Registration and any abstract fees can be charged to the lab "p-card".

Posters

• Scientific posters are important and time-consuming presentations to prepare
• Drafts of posters require review by Morgan and optionally by other lab members before printing. This will be done via a set presentation time and/or via Slack (#conferences channel).
• You should allow at least 3 business days for posters to be printed
• Posters can be printed at any of the following locations:
  • Dal Killam Library (you can use p-card or personal credit card followed by reimbursement)
  • Cellular & Molecular Digital Imaging Facility (located in LSRI, they will direct bill Morgan)
  • ImageHouse (you can use p-card or personal credit card followed by reimbursement)
  • Staples

Travel Awards

• Any eligible travel awards should be applied for to help offset travel costs to the lab.
• Travel awards can sometimes be offered via:
  • the conference itself (take a look while registering)
  • Faculty of Graduate Studies Travel Grant

Travel Expenses

• Each of the following are typical (and often used) expenses that are reimbursed through the lab:
  • Conference registration and associated fees
  • Travel to/from airports (e.g. taxi, bus, or personal car kms)
  • Car Rental (Ask Morgan for special Dal Enterprise corporate discount code before booking)
  • Accommodations
    • Generally, up to one day before and one day after the scheduled conference/workshop is allowed.
  • Airfare (economy class only)
    • Airfares range tremendously so try to find reasonable flight costs. However, the cheapest flight isn't always necessary (e.g. direct flights over multiple stops should be preferred, and unreliable budget airlines can be avoided).
  • Food (no alcohol)
    • Meals can be reimbursed via receipts or simply claimed "per diem" (i.e. set amount is provided per meal without receipts). Dal Per Diem Rates

Reimbursement

• Most travel expenses require the use of a personal credit card and then the requesting of reimbursement from Dalhousie.
• All expense reimbursement is done via Dal's Chrome River
• Proof of purchase is required for most expenses. Take special note of the following items:
  • Boarding passes are required for all flights (this is in addition to the flight receipts)
  • If in different currency you may want to provide your credit card statement which shows the actual amount paid as Dal's exchange rate is not always accurate.