Award Details

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Deborah L. Nichols Meeting Access Grants

Nomination/Submission Deadline: 15 Nov 2024

Award Description

The application link is available under Nomination/Submission Materials Required.

The Deborah L. Nichols Meeting Access Grant (MAG) was established by the generosity of her family to support the participation of members in the Annual Meeting who might not otherwise be able to attend. The MAG committee will award funds up $500 to support access and travel to the in-person Annual Meeting in the following categories: 

  • Travel (airfare, car rental, gas, etc.) 
  • Lodging (hotel within SAA room block)
  • Food (meals during the meeting and while traveling to/from it)
  • Incidentals (public and private transportation, including but not limited to train, subway, bus, taxi, Uber/Lyft, etc.; visa application costs and travel costs associated with obtaining a visa; poster printing fees)
  • Childcare
  • Meeting registration fees 

Who Is Eligible to Submit Nominations or Apply for the Award

To apply for a Deborah L. Nichols Meeting Access Grant (DNMAG), applicants must be current SAA members who fulfill at least one of the following criteria:
  • student (undergraduate or graduate);
  • first-generation college student;
  • international member*;
  • Indigenous, Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations person;
  • first-time presenter at the SAA Annual Meeting.

Application deadlines occur annually twice a year. One round each in the summer and fall prior to the annual meeting. Applicants for the summer round will receive notification in September. Funds will be distributed to successful applicants by February 15 annually.

Applicants awarded a DNMAG during the first round of awards may not apply for another DNMAG until the following calendar year (successful applicants for the 2024 Annual Meeting may not apply again until 2025 for the 2026 annual meeting). The SAA will ask grant recipients unable to follow through with their intended participation in the in-person annual meeting to refund the funds awarded. Recipients failing to return the unused funds will be ineligible to apply for other future SAA support, including but not limited to the meeting access grants.

Members who applied unsuccessfully for a grant during the summer round of awards will have their application rolled over to the fall deadline and automatically included in the second award round.

* Following SAA Membership categories (https://www.saa.org/membership/member-categories-rates), international membership is afforded to persons living in Latin America and countries not listed below: Australia, Bahrain, Bermuda, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Libya, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Singapore, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United States, or Western Europe. 

Nomination/Submission Materials Required

The application for the fall round of the 2025 meeting access grants is now available here: https://forms.gle/Yaumw1NeeZLVTS2m8 

All applicants will receive an email confirmation that their application was received. 

Other Special Requirements

N/A

Nature of Award (e.g. monetary, medal, symposium)

Recipients receive up to $500 to support access and travel to the annual meeting. Recipients of meeting access grants are not recognized at the SAA Business Meeting and Award Ceremony or in the awards issue of the SAA Archaeological Record

Current Committee Charge

The Deborah L. Nichols Meeting Access Grants Committee is responsible for promoting meeting access grants, selecting the recipients, monitoring the guidelines, and recommending changes to the guidelines as needed. 

Committee Composition

The committee is composed of a chair and at least four members.

Term Length

Term length is three years. Individuals ending their terms cycle off the committee at the close of the Business Meeting held during the annual SAA Meeting, and new appointees begin their terms at this time.

Award Cycle

Application deadlines occur annually twice a year. One round in the summer prior to the annual meeting and one round in the fall prior to the annual meeting. The fall round will open on October 15, 2024. 

Committee Chair and End of Term

Erik R. Otárola-Castillo [2025]

Committee Chair Contact Information

Committee Members and Ends of Terms

Selection or Evaluation Criteria

To apply for a Deborah L. Nichols Meeting Access Grant, applicants must be current SAA members who fulfill at least one of the following criteria:
  • student (undergraduate or graduate);
  • first-generation college student;
  • international member*;
  • Indigenous, Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations person;
  • first-time presenter at the SAA Annual Meeting.

Committee Deliberation Process (e.g. dates, venue)

N/A

88th Annual Meeting (Portland 2023)

Michael D’Aprix
Tara Skipton
Sandra Lorena López Varela
Angela J. Neller
Ricardo Rodolfo Antorcha Pedemonte
Thiago Kater Pinto
Nora Viviana Franco
Suzan Granados
Andrea Shiverdecker
Alicia Fritz
Jordi A. Rivera Prince
Cuauhtémoc Vidal Guzmán
Christopher Wai
María Fernanda Martínez Polanco
Jennifer Chen
James William-Robert Moore
Jordan Thompson
Matthew Podolinsky
Carlos Antonio Flores Manzano
Patrick Druggan