Undergraduate Diversity at the Society for the Study of Evolution and the Society of Systematic Biologists

进化论研究学会(SSE)和系统生物学家学会(SSB)是美国讨论和传播有关进化论思想的主要专业学会。这项奖励将为这些学会2008-2011年年会的大约15名本科生提供旅费、注册费和住宿费，这些本科生来自科学代表性较低的群体。该奖项是一个非常成功的项目的延续，该项目始于2001年的会议，并在会议上提高了人们对扩大本科生基础的必要性的认识和热情。在会议期间，本科生将得到研究生和教师导师的指导，他们将在会议上帮助本科生网络，帮助揭开本科生演讲的神秘面纱，并总体上让学生在会议上感到更受欢迎。还将为本科生举办一个正式的辅导会议，包括一个研讨会，帮助鼓励学生为进军进化和环境生物学的职业和/或研究生院做准备。除了这些活动外，还将开展不属于这项补助金的社会活动，以及两个学会为鼓励本科生参与而做出的进一步努力，例如降低注册费、学生在主办地点参加的每日费用以及本科生海报会议。这些活动将有助于增加代表不足的群体在进化会议上的参与，并最终应对全国参与进化生物学产生积极影响。

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) and the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB) are the premier professional societies in the US for discussion and dissemination of ideas relating to evolution. This award will provide travel, registration, and lodging costs for approximately 15 undergraduates from groups underrepresented in science for the annual meetings of these societies for the years 2008 - 2011. This award is a continuation of a very successful program that began with the 2001 meetings and has raised awareness and enthusiasm for the need to broaden the undergraduate base at the meetings. During the meetings the undergraduates will be mentored by graduate student and faculty mentors, who will help the undergraduate network at the meetings, help demystify talks for the undergraduates, and generally make the students feel more welcome at the meetings. There will also be an official mentoring session for undergraduates, consisting of a seminar that will help encourage the students to prepare for careers and/or graduate school in evolutionary and environmental biology. These activities will be supplemented by social activities not covered by this grant, as well as further efforts on the part of both societies for encouraging undergraduate participation, such as reduced registration fees, daily fees for attendance by students at the host site, and an undergraduate poster session. These activities will help increase participation by underrepresented groups at the Evolution meetings, and ultimately should have a positive effect on participation in evolutionary biology nationally.