Nineteen students were identified as ISSOTL Emerging Scholars Fund recipients in September. The award supported their attendance at the Society’s 2016 conference in October.

The 2016 recipients were:

• Ashley Akenson, Tennessee Tech (USA), Ph.D. student
• Renate Marie Alling, University of Oslo (Norway), B.A. student
• Olga Blomgren, SUNY – Binghamton (USA), Ph.D. student
• Rena Bokosmaty, University of Sydney (Australia), Ph.D. student
• Peter Carrillo, University of Kansas (USA), M.A. student
• Alonzo Cee, Elon University (USA), B.S. student
• Mousumi De, Indiana University (USA), Ph.D. student
• Lucie Sam Dvorakova, University of Queensland (Australia), B.H.S. student
• Mary Frances Foster, Elon University (USA), B.A. student
• Marie Hauso, University of Bergen (Norway), B.S. student
• Katelyn Johnstone, McMaster University (Canada), B.A. student
• Aakriti Kapoor, University of Toronto (Canada), M.Ed. student
• Gail Katznelson, McMaster University (Canada), B.A. student
• Angela Kehler, University of Northern BC (Canada), B.A. student
• Lucy Mercer-Mapstone, University of Queensland (Australia), Ph.D. student
• Varun Puri, McMaster University (Canada), B.A. student
• Kirk Robinson, Miami University (USA), Ph.D. student
• Nathan Romond, Western Washington University (USA), B.S. student
• Autumn Simmons, Western Washington University (USA), B.A./B.S. student

ISSOTL’s goal is to “foster inquiry and disseminate findings about what improves and articulates post-secondary learning and teaching.” To support this goal, ISSOTL recognizes the importance of engaging emerging scholars who are interested in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

The purpose of this disbursement is to support new talent and encourage engagement of students in ISSOTL. The ISSOTL conference is a useful venue for encouraging engagement of students through the sharing of ideas, networking, and learning. The fund facilitated this engagement by inviting currently registered post-secondary students to apply for a complimentary 2016-2017 ISSOTL student membership and a conference fee waiver to attend the ISSOTL 2016 conference in Los Angeles, California.

Applications were evaluated by members of the ISSOTL Students & SoTL Committee. Although priority goes to students presenting at the conference, decisions also were based on the applicant’s commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning and the relevance of the conference/ISSOTL membership to the applicant’s professional development and career plans. The committee also sought to make disbursements to students from a diverse set of higher education institutions; geographic locations; and academic programs, departments, and faculties; acknowledging that there can be significant expenses associated with international travel. As such, the ISSOTL Emerging Scholars Fund is both needs-based and merit-based.