At TAS, we pride ourselves in student involvement.  We routinely have just as many, if not more, students (undergraduate and graduate) attending meetings than professionals and educators.  We offer annual student awards for posters, presentations, as well as research awards to fund student research.  One of our goals is to promote student interest in the sciences, and foster students as they develop into tomorrow's scientists.

TAS ACADEMIES (High School, Undergraduate, and Graduate Students)

  * The Texas Junior Academy of Science (High School Students)

The Junior Academy promotes interest in the pursuit of scientific inquiry among high school students through an annual meeting and research paper competition. All Texas students in grades 9-12 are eligible and encouraged to present the results of their original research in both written and oral form. Top winners qualify for presenting at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  * The Texas Collegiate Academy of Science (Undergraduate Students)

The Collegiate Academy promotes scientific interest among the colleges and universities of the State of Texas, supports undergraduate research, and enhances the professional development of its members. 

  * The Texas Graduate Academy of Science (Master's and Doctoral Students)

The Graduate Academy promote scientific interests among the colleges and universities of the State of Texas that support graduate research to enhance the professional development of Master's and Doctoral students.

Local Chapters

Any science club or equivalent organization for undergraduate students in the colleges and universities of the State of Texas, having a membership of ten (10) or more student members, at least five (5) of whom are Student Members of the Texas Academy of Science, and a faculty sponsor (counselor) who is a member of the Texas Academy of Science shall be eligible for a chapter. 

How to establish a Collegiate Academy chapter at your institution:

Any science club or equivalent organization for undergraduate students in the college and universities of Texas is eligible for affiliation with the TAS Collegiate Academy by meeting the following requirements:

  • having a membership of ten (10) or more student members, at least five (5) of whom are Student Members of TAS;
  • having a faculty sponsor who is a member of TAS. 

To become affiliated, the organization should send a request for affiliation to the Collegiate Academy Counselor (see below) along with a copy of the bylaws or constitution of the organization and a membership roster which indicates that five or more members are Student Members of TAS. The Collegiate Academy Counselor will then verify eligibility and issue a charter to the new Chapter.

Annual renewal is required. The Annual Chapter Affiliation Renewal Form will easily allow each Chapter to submit the current year's membership roster and update contact information for the Chapter Sponsor.

Student Awards

TAS activities are supported by membership dues, donations, and meeting registration fees. The TAS Board historically has placed a high priority on supporting the research of future scientists. TAS appreciates and acknowledges the dedication of Ned Strenth and Don Harper in developing these research awards. Since 1998, TAS has awarded $88,500 to support the research of nearly 100 students across all educational areas (Collegiate Academy to M.S. and Ph.D. students). Some of our early student award winners now hold faculty positions at institutions in Texas. All can describe how even a small grant award made a difference in their lives as scientists.

Research Awards

In the annual budget, we allocate $13, 500 to provide support to ongoing research, with equal shares going to Doctoral students, MS students and undergraduate students We award funds to applicants who submit the top three proposals(1st = $2000, 2nd = $1500, 3rd = $1000).  Proposal deadlines occur in mid- January and the proposals then get sent out for peer review by the coordinator of the program.  The proposal instructions include the criteria for evaluation.  A committee then synthesizes the reviews and determines the ranking of proposals.  We take every opportunity to ensure that the expertise of the reviewers matches the specializations represented by the applicants. Students accepting awards must present their resulting research at the next annual meeting and provide a short research update and reflection to the TAS Board.

Sample general guidelines and judging criteria can be viewed here.  (Please see the front page if a call for proposals is available for the current meeting)

Best Presentation Awards

Judging of graduate and undergraduate student presentations occurs at each annual meeting.  For undergraduates, the best oral presentations and the best poster presentations receive a monetary award as means of recognizing the students’ accomplishments.  Graduate students currently only compete with oral presentations.  Presentation judging criteria and poster judging criteria can be viewed by clicking on the appropriate link.

Travel Awards

Institutions with active student chapters can submit receipts documenting the costs of their members’ participation in and attendance at the annual meeting. Each chapter can receive up to $400 each year.