COMP IDEA Student Travel Awards

The COMP Student Council (SC) is committed to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in medical physics. We believe that EDI is vital for delivering high-quality, patient-centered cancer care, nurturing innovation, and advancing research and academic excellence. We recognize that equity-seeking groups face unique challenges in succeeding within medical physics and we are devoted to introducing EDI initiatives that promote the representation and inclusion of these groups and individuals.

We are excited to announce the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Travel Award to provide financial assistance for students who are members of equity-seeking groups and that demonstrate financial need to attend the COMP Annual Scientific Meeting.

The IDEA Student Travel Award aims to inspire the next generation of medical physicists by providing the opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students the chance to gain valuable exposure, experience, and mentorship from medical physicists and other established professionals in medical physics.

In this context, equity-seeking groups refer to individuals who have been historically disadvantaged and underrepresented. These groups include but are not limited to the following designated groups in Canada: women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, and people in the LGBTQ2+ community or with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. First-generation students and trainees are also eligible.

IDEA Student Travel Award Structure

The award offers two travel scholarships of $1,000 CAD each, one for an undergraduate student and one for a graduate student, selected by the award adjudication committee based on application materials and criteria. If no suitable applicants from either category meet the award criteria, the award(s) will be offered to an eligible applicant from the other applicant category.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Students at the undergraduate or graduate level with an interest in medical physics or those enrolled in physics focused or equivalent programs (i.e. medical physics, biomedical physics, medical biophysics, biomedical engineering, etc.)
  • Identifies as a member of an equity-deserving group (as defined above) and demonstrates financial need.
  • Current COMP Student Member at the time of application

Application Requirements

  • Application Form
  • Self-identification information and statement of financial need or financial burden (self-declaration checkbox only)
  • Personal statement (one-page maximum)
  • Letter of Support (submitted directly from your referee)
  • CV

Submission Instructions

  1. Submit the IDEA Application Form and application materials as a SINGLE PDF file to COMP IDEA DropBox saved as LastName_FistName_Application
  2. Submit Letter of Support directly to the COMP IDEA DropBox saved as ApplicantLastName_FistName_Letter before the deadline.

Award Adjudication

The IDEA Award adjudication committee will select two recipients based on the application materials and in accordance with the following criteria:

  • Motivation for attending the CARO-COMP JSM and/or how participating will contribute to your own career aspirations, goals, or trajectory in medical physics
  • Non-academic contributions and accomplishments, such as relevant experiences, leadership roles, and community involvement, as highlighted in the personal statement and recommendation letter
  • Academic merit, research capabilities, and potential for growth.

We recognize that equity-seeking groups often encounter complex challenges to achieving academic success. Academic merit and research ability will be evaluated as a secondary criterion with primary emphasis on the personal statement and letter of support that detail the applicant’s capabilities and potential. We also understand that these barriers also apply to non-academic contributions. For instance, community involvement often demands volunteer hours, which may not be feasible for students from low-income backgrounds, and leadership experience can often be inhibited due to systemic barriers. We encourage you to use your personal statement to share your story. The award adjudication will keep an open mind throughout the evaluation process.

Timeline

Applications Open - First Week of June 2023
Applications Close - Friday, July 7th, 2023
Awardees Notified - First Week of August 2023
CARO-COMP Annual Scientific Meeting - September 20-23, 2023

Questions can be sent directly to COMP by email at info@comp-ocpm.ca or the COMP Student Council at compstudentcouncil.comp@gmail.com. If you have specific questions about the IDEA Travel Award or your application, please contact Aly Khalifa at aly.khalifa@mail.utoronto.ca or Claire Park cpark223@uwo.ca.