IES Annual Conference Young Professionals Scholarship

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IES Sections and Corporate Sponsors Investing in Tomorrow’s Leaders

February 8, 2023

The IES Young Professionals (YP) Scholarship Fund supports the attendance of Students—at the IES Annual Conference.

The IES Annual Conference (AC) provides a range of educational programming—including workshops, seminars, immersive experiences, tours, networking, and paper and poster presentations—on the art, design, science, and research of lighting relevant to lighting professionals, educators, and related design disciplines. As always, professional education is paramount, with a broad selection of CEU credits available through participation at the conference.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Qualified individuals must submit the following materials to the Scholarship Committee to be considered:

  • A formal letter of request, which includes a description of any special circumstances that might support or augment the application.
  • A one-page essay describing why the applicant feels he or she should be awarded the scholarship. This essay should include:
    • How attending the conference relates to the applicant’s future as an active IES member?
    • Specific ways in which the applicant will share the experience and acquired knowledge from the conference with others.
    • What are the applicant’s career objectives? How will this scholarship help the applicant achieve his or her goals?
    • What does the applicant expect to gain from the IES Conference?
  • A letter of recommendation from a professor from whom the applicant has taken at least one lighting course in his or her current program or a professional member of the IES.
  • Written acknowledgment and agreement that if selected for the scholarship, the applicant shall write a summary of no less than 500 words of his or her experiences at the conference, and submit it to LD+A for publication no later than 60 days after the end of the conference.

Application pages to be in the above order and compiled into a single PDF.

All questions must be answered in order to be considered.

JUDGING CRITERIA

  1. Relevance – Will attending the IES conference help the applicant achieve his or her specific educational and/or career goals?
  2. Initiative – Has the applicant demonstrated continued dedication to the lighting profession?
  3. Communication – Are the ideas expressed in the essays communicated effectively and efficiently?
  4. Bonus – Overall, does it seem like this applicant would be fun and interesting to have at the conference?

SELECTION PROCESS

  • Scholarships will be awarded to student applicants who show evidence of a commitment to the lighting profession, leadership abilities, and potential for future involvement in the IES.
  • Submission deadline: March 24, 2023
  • Recipient Notification: April 10, 2023
  • All questions must be answered in order to be considered.
  • All applicants will be informed of their application status in a timely fashion prior to the conference for adequate preparation.

AWARD

  • A maximum of four awards will be granted each year to students in their junior or senior year of undergraduate studies or enrolled in a graduate program.
  • All awardees must be a member of the IES
  • The IES will reimburse scholarship recipients for (4) nights at the IES rate at the conference host hotel, coach airfare in North America (must be purchased at least 21 days in advance), and transportation between the airport and the hotel. The IES Annual Conference registration cost is covered as part of your scholarship.
  • IES will reimburse expenses not to exceed $2,000 after the conference. Reimbursement receipts must be submitted no later than 30 days after the event.
  • The number of awards will vary each year, depending on available sponsorships.

Applications should be sent to:

Michael Austerlitz
mausterlitz@ies.org

For more information

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