HiPC 2004 Announces Travel Scholarships for Students and India Based Scholars

We are pleased to announce the HiPC 2004 Travel Scholarships to promote research in HiPC areas in India. This year's offer has several details so prospective applicants are requested to read carefully. Please note that the number of scholarships is limited and the award of the scholarship is subject to compliance to terms and conditions as described below.

Eligibility
Students studying at engineering colleges and other educational institutions of repute in India are encouraged to attend the conference through travel scholarships provided on a merit basis. The conference will provide students an exposure to the research going on at various places worldwide, as well as an opportunity to meet a number of leading researchers in the computing area. We hope this will help those students who desire to continue their post-graduate education, as well as those who are studying at a post-graduate/research level.

Although the scholarship is primarily meant for full time students, a limited number of scholarships will be made available under special circumstances for faculty members from Indian educational institutions. Those faculty members who do not have any financial support from their institution may also apply. Those applicants who are very serious in pursuing HiPC research shall be preferred.

Scholarship Details
Scholarship will be offered to a limited number of participants. Selected scholars will be reimbursed travel and accommodation expense to an extent. Note that all selected scholars would have to register using the special registration fee for students. Please visit the "Information for India-based Participants" page on www.hipc.org for the form.

In particular, the scholarship will include:

1. Two-way second/sleeper class train fare between your college or home and the venue of the conference, i.e., Bangalore.
2. A daily allowance of Rs. 300/- (Rupees Three Hundred only, per day for each person) for up to 4 days to attend the conference.

These amounts shall be given subject to the students agreeing to the conditions as described below.

Registration and What It Provides
As stated before, selected students/scholars will have to pay their registration fee for the conference, though at a highly reduced rate. The reduced registration rates for India based faculty and students has been made possible by a sponsorship from India-based IT companies.

The student registration at the conference includes:

• Participation in workshops on December 22
• Participation in all technical sessions on December 19-21
• Participation in ONE tutorial on December 22
• Conference meals and refreshments
• Conference banquet and cultural event

Selection Criteria
The following shall be considered (in no specific order) for the award of the scholarship:

• Authorship of a paper/poster at HiPC 2004.
• Academic Record.
• Prior exposure to research.

Conditions for Disbursement of Scholarship
To prevent misuse and undesirable behavior certain conditions have been kept for the disbursement of scholarship:

• Scholars will be required to sign an attendance sheet available in each session. At the end of the day they are to give a one page report of the sessions attended by them. The report shall list the talks attended by the students in each session, and they shall write about the highlights of what they have gained from that session, list any questions or interaction they had with speakers etc. This daily report is to be handed in at the registration desk at the end of each day.
• Scholars shall be reimbursed the travel expenses on the last day of the conference. Scholars will be required to complete the travel reimbursement form available at the registration desk during the conference. They will need to provide the original ticket for the inward journey and also have a photocopy of the ticket for the outward journey. Scholars are requested not to surrender their ticket at the railway station.
• All scholars should also carry a photo-identity card issued by their institution.
• In case scholars need to cut short their attendance to the conference they need to contact the Scholarships Chair and explain with valid reason.
• Although we do not expect it to happen, in case of violation of these conditions or misuse/abuse or bad behavior from any person they will not be paid their daily allowance or reimbursed their travel. Further action as deemed necessary also shall be taken, such as debarring them from future HiPC conferences, reporting the incident to the head of their institution, blacklisting of the department or institution etc.

Choice of Tutorial
When applying, applicants will need to indicate their choice of tutorial, in the order of preference, that they like to attend. Please note that first preference in tutorials will be given to those who are paying full registration charges. Tutorial attendance will be subject to capacity in the assigned rooms.

Scholarship Application
To apply for the scholarship, please use the scholarship application form available at the HiPC website. Please remember NOT to write anything extra in the form. Please write short and to-the-point answers to the questions asked in the form.

We will keep accepting applications till October 10 and announce the first batch of awardees by October 15. However, depending on the acceptance/rejection of the offer by this first batch, more scholarships may be awarded until November 1. In case you are selected, you will be required to do advance registration within two weeks of your selection. Please note that the scholarships are very competitive, and will be awarded on the basis of merit. However your grades/marks will not be the only criterion for deciding.

Atul Negi,
HiPC Scholarships Chair