UMEB: Increasing Diversity at the Annual Botanical Society of America Meetings

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DEB-0227696RenzagliaThis UMEB award will provide financial support and professional assistance for 10 or more undergraduate students, from groups traditionally underrepresented in science, to attend the annual conference of the Botanical Society of America (BSA) from 2002 through 2006. A mentoring network of undergraduates, graduates and faculty will provide support for career development and will foster socialization of students. Mentors will help integrate students into conference activities through a series of pre-, during-, and post-meeting activities. At the conference, mentors will show students around the meeting site, introduce them to professionals, and accompany them to scientific sessions, field trips, workshops, and other events. Multiple assessments will be conducted to determine if program goals/objectives are being achieved. A robust plan for recruiting students and mentors will be employed, and it will canvass the entire BSA membership, as well as take advantage of existing professional networks of BSA members and other external professional societies and consortia. This project represents a significant step by the BSA to attract and retain minority undergraduates to plant biology. It will help foster the professional growth of minority students, provide a solid mentoring network for students to participate fully in the conferences, and draw more underrepresented minorities into environmental biology disciplines. This program is an important step towards meeting a national need to strengthen the scientific workforce and to draw upon the full range of intellectual talent from diverse ethnic and minority populations.