Student Support

SIGAI supports student members through many of its activities. If you are a student, consider the opportunities below. Please take a look at the testimonials from students who have been supported by SIGAI in the past.

Conference Attendance Support

SIGAI provides scholarships to many students to participate in conferences held in cooperation or sponsored by SIGAI (you can find an up-to-date list of these conferences here). In exceptional cases, we also provide support for participation in events not directly associated with SIGAI. We specifically encourage students to apply who come from geographical regions where generally fewer resources for student travel are available, and will generally prioritise students from disadvantaged or minority backgrounds in allocating funds.

If you are a student member of SIGAI and are interested in a scholarship to attend a conference, you should complete a Travel Grant Application using the online form after reading the ACM SIGAI Student Travel Support Policy and notify the ACM Conference Coordination Officer by email that you have submitted an application. Please note that it is essential you contact us also by email so we can verify your identity.

AAAI/SIGAI Doctoral Consortium

AAAI and ACM/SIGAI co-organize annually the AAAI/SIGAI Doctoral Consortium. The Doctoral Consortium (DC) provides an opportunity for a group of Ph.D. students to discuss and explore their research interests and career objectives with a panel of established researchers in artificial intelligence. The consortium has the following objectives: (1) to provide a setting for feedback on participants' current research and guidance on future research directions; (2) support the next generation of researchers with information and advice on academic, research, industrial, and non-traditional career paths; (3) encourage a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of collaborative research; and (4) support students in contributing to the conference goals through interaction with other researchers and participation in conference events. The Doctoral Consortium is held as a workshop immediately before the start of the main AAAI conference. Student participants in the Doctoral Consortium receive complimentary conference registration and a fixed allowance for travel/housing.

You must submit an application to participate in the Doctoral Consortium.

ACM-W Student Scholarships

If you are a woman undergraduate or graduate student, you can apply for ACM-W Student Scholarships for Attendance at Research Conferences. See http://women.acm.org/scholarship for details and application form. There are up to 12 scholarships/year available of up to $500 each.

E-mentoring Opportunity - Just 20 Minutes Per Week

The MentorNet One-on-One Mentoring Programs are a chance to make a big difference in the life of a student in as little as 20 minutes a week.

ACM is now partnering with MentorNet, an organization that promotes e-mentoring relationships between students (proteges) and professionals (mentors). Mentors and students communicate entirely by email, wherever and whenever they choose. The programs have proven effective by providing "real world" information, encouragement, advice, and access to networks for students, and particularly for those underrepresented in engineering and science fields.

MentorNet seeks science and engineering professionals to mentor engineering and science community college, undergraduate, and graduate students, who are interested in pursuing a professional future in the fields of engineering and science.

Since 1998, MentorNet has matched more than 20,000 pairs of proteges and mentors. Over 90% of participants would recommend MentorNet's e-mentoring programs to a friend or colleague. Here is what one ACM mentor says about the program: "I have been a mentor with MentorNet for almost five years now. I have had a variety of mentees from graduate students who are struggling to decide if the PhD is the right thing for them to faculty members wanting to determine if moving up into administrative positions is the right thing for their career. Each of these mentees has brought a fresh set of questions and backgrounds that are unique to them. Each has had different issues that need to be dealt with and challenges that they face. Each of these mentees has challenged me to think about my career path and what things were important for me along the way. I enjoy immensely the feeling that I am providing a sounding board for young professionals as they advance their careers. It is very rewarding to have these mentees come back and say that you have helped them to learn about themselves and their career interests. It is a relatively small time investment for a huge personal reward."

Donna Reese, Associate Dean for Academics and Administration James Worth Bagley College of Engineering, Mississippi State University.

To learn more, go to: MentorNet.