Enrollment Period: January 15- February 12, 2024
The Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA), housed at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), is pleased to announce two Travel Awards for research at the ASM Archives in the area of the history of microbiology.
Grant
Up to two cash grants of $1500 each per year will be awarded. Awardees may be invited to present their research at the annual ASM Microbe Meeting and/or prepare an article for other ASM media outlets.
Research Areas
The grants are to support research of the awardees’ choosing, in areas that have relevant materials in the CHOMA collection. The CHOMA collection includes 9,000 volumes on microbiology and related topics, photographs of scientists and microbes, topical files on various aspects of microbiology, biographical materials, instructional materials (including slides and motion pictures), records of the Society (including journals and proceedings of meetings) from its founding in 1899 to the present, and several collections of personal papers. For additional information on the collection, go to the CHOMA home page at https://lib.guides.umbc.edu/c.php?g=836720&p=5975476.
Time Frame and Location of Research
Application Procedures
Applicants for the History of Microbiology Research Travel Awards must submit the following via e-mail to the ASM Archivist at archives@asmusa.org
An effective history of microbiology research question may:
Questions? Contact ASM Archivist, Colleen Puterbaugh at cputerbaugh@asmusa.org or archives@asmusa.org.
Submission Deadline: All applications and letters of recommendation must be submitted no later than February 6, 2023, to the ASM Archivist, Colleen Puterbaugh, at cputerbaugh@asmusa.org or archives@asmusa.org.
Selection Committee
All applications will be reviewed by a working group of the Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA) Subcommittee. Decisions on individual applications will be announced within 4-6 weeks of the application deadline date. Decisions of the selection committee are final.
Award Announcement
Awards will be announced within 4-6 weeks of application deadline date.
All candidates will receive an e-mail notification of the status of their applications after the selection committee makes its decisions.
Acknowledgment of Funding
In any publication or presentation of your research, please acknowledge funding as follows:
"Funding for this research was provided by the Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA)."
Additional Information
For additional information on the award and award guidelines, contact Colleen Puterbaugh at cputerbaugh@asmusa.org or archives@asmusa.org.
Submission Deadline: February 12, 2024
The History of Microbiology Research Travel Award program was initiated in 2012 by the Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA). The awards were given to support historical research of the awardees' choosing, in areas that could be supported by materials in the CHOMA collections. The CHOMA collections, located at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, include 9,000 volumes on microbiology and related topics, photographs, biographical materials, topical files on various aspects of microbiology, records of the Society from its founding in 1899 to the present, and several collections of personal papers.
To see profiles of past awardees, click on years listed below:
2019 History of Microbiology Research Travel Award Recipients
2015 History of Microbiology Research Travel Award Recipient
2013 History of Microbiology Research Travel Award Recipient
2012 History of Microbiology Research Travel Award Recipients
Any Questions? Contact ASM Archivist at archives@asmusa.org
The Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 History of Microbiology Research Travel Award:
Dr. Tara Smith, Ph.D.
Tara Smith, Kent State University, College of Public Health, used the award to conduct research at CHOMA fully exploring the story of pertussis vaccine development to include the contributions of Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering. Through the course of her research, she also uncovered information on Dr. Alice Evans' own struggles with long term brucellosis and Dr. Smith published a paper exploring the connections to long COVID and chronic diseases, which was published here: Long COVID: Alice Evans, Brucellosis, and Reflections on Infections Causes of Chronic Disease.
Dr. Catherine Vrentas, Ph.D.
Cathy Vrentas, PPD ThermoFisher Scientific, used the award to conduct research at CHOMA exploring the impact of ASM outreach activities changed over the course of the last century as well as the perception about the role of outreach by the ASM community in order to track trends in outreach practice and to address the current conception that historical involvement in microbiological outreach was limited.
The History of Microbiology Research Travel Awards are given to support historical research of the awardees' choosing, in areas that can be supported by materials in the CHOMA collections. The CHOMA collections, located at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, include 9,000 volumes on microbiology and related topics, photographs, biographical materials, topical files on various aspects of microbiology, records of the Society from its founding in 1899 to the present, and several collections of personal papers.
The Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA) is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2015 History of Microbiology Research Travel Award:
Lauren N. Ross, M.D.
Lauren Ross, University of Pittsburgh, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, used the award to conduct research at CHOMA on early American bacteriologists' understanding of Koch's postulates and more generally their ideas about disease causation as reflected in textbooks, lab manuals, and other materials.
The History of Microbiology Research Travel Awards are given to support historical research of the awardees' choosing, in areas that can be supported by materials in the CHOMA collections. The CHOMA collections, located at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, include 9,000 volumes on microbiology and related topics, photographs, biographical materials, topical files on various aspects of microbiology, records of the Society from its founding in 1899 to the present, and several collections of personal papers.
The Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA) is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2013 History of Microbiology Research Travel Award:
Sharon Bertsch McGrayne
McGrayne, a free-lance writer and editor in Seattle, Washington, will use the award to conduct research at CHOMA for her book, Woman in Science (working title). The research will focus on Dr. Rita Colwell, and her extensive service to ASM.
The History of Microbiology Research Travel Awards are given to support historical research of the awardees' choosing, in areas that can be supported by materials in the CHOMA collections. The CHOMA collections, located at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, include 9,000 volumes on microbiology and related topics, photographs, biographical materials, topical files on various aspects of microbiology, records of the Society from its founding in 1899 to the present, and several collections of personal papers.
The Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA) is pleased to announce the 2012 History of Microbiology Research Travel Award winners:
Melanie Armstrong, Mellon Visiting Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis, and Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Berkeley. Armstrong will use the award to study the history of high-security, infectious disease laboratories, exploring how technologies have been implemented to contain microscopic organisms and how the conceptions of microbial risk along with understandings of the microbes themselves have changed over time. She will also explore how environmental impact statements and other forms of public communication are used to articulate the threats of microbes to particular populations.
Sarah Wiley, Masters of Science student in Journalism with an emphasis on science communication and international media, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Wiley will use the grant to research and trace the scientific discourse of leprosy transmission from the late nineteenth century to the present. She will concentrate on the role of scientific researchers and their work in discerning the reservoirs and route of transmission, an area less explored in leprosy research, which has traditionally been dominated by research on the social/cultural implications of the disease.
The History of Microbiology Research Travel awards are given to support historical research of the awardees' choosing, in areas that can be supported by materials in the CHOMA collections. The CHOMA collections, located at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, include 9,000 volumes on microbiology and related topics, photographs, biographical materials, topical files on various aspects of microbiology, records of the Society from its founding in 1899 to the present, and several collections of personal papers.