Training for Change: The SACNAS Plan for Broadening Participation in Research

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal will support an inclusive multidisciplinary national conference featuring distinguished keynote speakers, student presenters, scientific/professional symposia, and underrepresented minority (URM) role models and mentors totaling close to 4,000 participants per year (2013-2018). SACNAS will increase the number of competitively prepared biomedical and behavioral scientists from URM communities. Strategies will include engaging and supporting individuals at all stages of the postsecondary pipeline/pathway in ancillary training programs designed to advance participants to their next academic or career stage. Over the last six years, the SACNAS conference attendance has grown 12% per year resulting in a need for larger venues and additional resources. More importantly, the growth in participation underlines the crucial services that the SACNAS National Conference provides to these increasing populations. SACNAS is a broadly inclusive organization with a focus on Hispanic and Native American advancement, but is open to all. Furthermore, SACNAS has a nearly 40-year history delivering ancillary training services and has a well-developed infrastructure including expert staff, volunteers, and conference management capabilities to execute this proposal. Recent efforts include year-round support to participants through the rapidly increasing SACNAS student chapters and the SACNAS Summer Leadership Institute; these efforts produce powerful and often life-changing experiences for the participants that support science retention and completion. Moreover, in partnership with AAAS, SACNAS will deliver the leadership development program per year to 30 participants at postdoctoral, early career and midcareer levels. At each conference, an additional 40 postdocs will receive the necessary training and coaching to be competitive for academic and nonacademic positions. And a select group of 30 Native American undergraduates will participate in pre- and post-conference activities that will prepare and focus their participation at the conference. Maintaining cohorts will foster group learning in a traditioal and supportive environment. Furthermore, per year 400 URM undergraduate travel awardees will be provided the opportunity to present their research to supportive mentors at the National Conference. On-line interactive tools and abstract review processes will also ensure high quality preparation. Lastly, graduate student programs will be designed specifically to assist 100 graduate students per year in achieving research independence, completing a dissertation, and securing an appropriate postdoc position. Effective evaluation has become increasingly central to SACNAS' ancillary training; therefore, with this proposal, SACNAS will shift the focus of its measured success from activity-based to outcome-based evaluation. Continuation of the ever improving conference activities built over the past decades will sustain the momentum of this highly effective conference and ensure the number of competitive URM scientists increases.