Campus Travel and Virgin Australia Launch Travel Grant for Women in STEM

Female academics and university employees working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are being recognised as part of a new travel grant initiative.

Campus Travel, the university travel management business of Flight Centre Travel Group, has partnered with Virgin Australia to reward and recognise the contribution Australian women are making to STEM fields by offering a travel grant to assist their STEM work.

The successful applicant will receive a $6,000 travel grant with $5,000 to put towards airfares with Virgin Australia and $1,000 for accommodation, transportation, tours or other travel arrangements.

The successful applicant must specify how they would use the funds for future travel that will further or enhance their work in STEM.

Campus Travel General Manager Cathryn Cole said, “This travel grant follows a number of initiatives in this space including the inaugural International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which was launched by the United Nations earlier this year and the Women in STEM competition that was launched by the Queensland Government this year. We look after the travel programs of many Australian universities. We know how important travel is for academics and those working in the research and education sectors to connect with their academic peers, collaborate with other universities and share their research findings. Much of the academic travel we book is for academics and educational leaders to hear about the latest techniques in their fields.”

Virgin Australia Acting General Manager Corporate and Government Sales, Ann Elliot said, “We are delighted to be able to support women who are making important headways in STEM. Virgin Australia has strong female representation across our company and given our business is driven by engineering and technology, we are proud to help foster the future of these areas. We look forward to the successful applicant travelling with Virgin Australia as they further enhance their work in STEM.”

Mrs Cole said the travel grant was just one of the ways that Campus Travel - with the help of its travel partners such as Virgin Australia - could support and thank their customers.

“Research indicates there has been a consistent imbalance of women to men in STEM fields from school through to the workforce. This gender bias is slowly changing with more women following through professionally with their interest in these fields. However it is important there is active encouragement and engagement from outside of the academic sector also, to help re-balance the status quo in STEM field employment,” Mrs Cole said.

Females working in the university sector in any of the STEM fields are being invited to submit an application that details a STEM- related project or activity they have been working on or have completed within the past six months.

Applicants’ projects, research or activities can relate to any of the STEM fields, as long as the work supports the further development of STEM learning, development or outcomes. The submission needs to explain how their work supports the ‘development of a high-quality STEM project, enterprise or initiative and what the outcomes are or are expected to be’.

Applications for the grant open today, 21 August 2017 and close 20 October 2017.

See latest HD Video Interviews, Podcasts and other news regarding: STEM, Flight Centre, Virgin Australia, Women.