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​Graduate Student Research Competition

Eligible graduate students (see requirements below) are invited to participate in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition. Students who do not wish to participate in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition or who are not able to be included in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition may choose to present their abstract as a non-competitive oral presentation or non-competitive or competitive poster presentation.  Abstracts should provide background information to clearly understand research needs, clear objectives, sufficient methods, results, and conclusions.

 
In order to give a presentation at the 2025 SD-APS virtual meeting, abstracts must be submitted and the abstract submission fee paid through the online abstract submission form by the abstract submission deadline (January 10, 2025). If you want to participate in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition, you must indicate on the submission form that you are submitting an abstract for an oral presentation and that you intend to participate in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition.  IN ADDITION, you must email a copy of your abstract, including the title, authors, and affiliations, as a single PDF to SD-APS Vice President, Rebecca Melanson (rebecca.melanson@msstate.edu), by January 10, 2025, and you must register for the meeting by February 20, 2025.  Only one abstract per presenter will be considered for the Graduate Student Research Award Competition. Students participating in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition may not participate in the Graduate Student Poster Competition. Students will be notified by February 10, 2025, if their abstract will be included in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition.

 
Awards for the first, second, and third place speakers will be presented. Honorable mention awards may also be given. In addition, the 1st place winner is eligible for additional travel funds to represent the Southern Division at the upcoming annual APS Meeting. (The Southern Division reserves the right to modify the travel award to attend and represent the Southern Division at the 2025 meeting if the meeting is not held in-person.)

Eligibility Requirements:  Students competing in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition must (1) either be enrolled as a regular student in a graduate program in the Southern Division or have been an enrolled student in a graduate program in the Southern Division within six months of the abstract submission deadline; (2) be a member in good standing of the Southern Division at the time of the presentation; (3) be sole or senior author of the research; and (4) present the research at a meeting of the Southern Division, APS.  The presentation must include research in plant pathology that has been performed while in pursuit of a degree at a college or university in the Southern Division.

Presentations of abstracts accepted for the Graduate Student Research Competition will be judged according to a ​ rubric.  ​

​Award Winners

Click here for a list of Graduate Student Presentation Awardees 1967 to present.