AIBS Diversity Scholars Program

AIBS is no longer accepting applications for 2008 Diversity Scholars Program. Please visit in the fall for information about the 2009 Diversity Scholars Program.

Purpose

The AIBS Diversity Scholars Program recognizes and promotes the achievements of underrepresented minorities, including persons with disabilities, in the biological sciences. Students are competitively selected to be part of the AIBS Diversity Scholars program. The goals of the program are to:

1. Increase the participation of persons with disabilities and underrepresented minorities in AIBS programs and activities,

2. Encourage and support the careers of participation persons with disabilities and underrepresented minority students in biology, and

3. Provide a welcoming atmosphere for participation for persons with disabilities and underrepresented minority students at the AIBS annual meeting and other AIBS events.

Program Benefits

Diversity Scholars will:

• Receive support to present their scientific research at a meeting of their choice. Diversity Scholars will each receive $1000 to cover expenses to present their research at a meeting of one of the AIBS member societies.
• Participate in the AIBS Annual Meeting. Diversity Scholars will be honored at the AIBS Annual Meeting. Registration fees will be waived and travel expenses will be paid by AIBS. Students will be recognized at an annual lunch with AIBS Board members and other mentors.
• Become members of AIBS. Diversity Scholars receive a full one-year AIBS membership, which includes a subscription to BioScience. Diversity Scholars are encouraged to participate in AIBS programs and activities.

Eligibility

Graduate and undergraduate students who are a member of an underrepresented minority group in the biological sciences and have conducted biological research are eligible to apply. Underrepresented minorities in the biological sciences include African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. In addition, AIBS welcomes applications from students with ADA-recognized disabilities. Students are not required to be affiliated with a member society.

Expectations

Diversity Scholars are asked to:

• Provide written feedback to the AIBS Education Office to share their experiences as Diversity Scholars and contribute ideas for ongoing and future diversity programs and activities.
• Contribute to the AIBS diversity website.
• Participate in the AIBS Annual Meeting.

Application Process

Students may be nominated by a member society or apply directly to AIBS without a nomination. AIBS encourages member societies to nominate graduate students or undergraduate students who wish to present research at their annual meeting.

Students must complete the Diversity Scholars Application Form. The completed application form must be accompanied by 1) 2 written statements, 2) current resume, 3) research abstract, and 4) most recent transcripts. The application form will include the names of two people who will be writing your letters of recommendation; one from a mentor who guided research and is the current mentor/advisor. Letters of recommendation must be sent directly to AIBS. Applications must be received by midnight EST on the deadline dates; applications received after these dates will not be reviewed.

See the Diversity Scholars Application Form (36 KB PDF) for complete details.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be judged using the following criteria:

• Research experience and plans
• Career interests and goals
• Academic credentials (as reflected in the resume and transcripts)
• Letters of recommendations

Questions?

Contact Brian Stagg, Education and Outreach Program Associate, , 202-628-1500 x 249.

AIBS Diversity Scholars, 2001-Present

(Names link to profiles, where available)

2007

• Daphne Gehringer, Graduate Student, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, Moss Landing, CA
• Jennifer Honda, Doctoral Student, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO
• Tomás Martinez Trinidad, Doctoral Student Texas A&M University. College Station, TX
• Nhu-An Nguyen, Undergraduate Student, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
• Sandra Woolfolk, Doctoral Student, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS

2006

• Christopher Himes, Doctoral Student, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
• Daniel Howard, Doctoral Student, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
• Tsitsi McPherson, Doctoral Student, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• Andrea Rivera, Undergraduate Student, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI

2004

• Christina Romagosa, Graduate Student, Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
• Andrea Davalos, Graduate Student, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• Carla Cortes Baez, Student, Life University, Marietta, GA

2003

• Emilio M. Bruna, Assistant Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, The Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• Pamela Clarke, Graduate Student, Biology Department, Howard University, Washington, DC
• Michael W. Perkins, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Radiation Casualty Management Team, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, MD
• Allana Roach, PhD. Student, Department of Genetics & Human Genetics, Howard University, Washington, DC
• (DeAlma) Nicole Yarbrough-Worsham, Research Assistant, Experimental Hematology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
• Alicia Young-Williams, Biological Technician, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Fish & Invertebrate Ecology, Edgewater, MD

2002

• Sebastian Velez, Doctoral Graduate Student, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
• Shercoda Smaw, Doctoral Student, Biology Department, Howard University, Washington, DC

2001

• Tish Robertson, Senior Biologist, Florida International University, Miami, FL
• Jeneen Stewart, Biology Teacher, Paint Branch High School, Silver Spring, MD
• Joel Abraham, Pre-Doctoral Student, University of California, Department of Integrative Biology, Berkeley, CA
• Tara Collins, Medical Student, Emory University School of Medicine, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Atlanta, GA
• Jose V. Lopez, Assistant Scientist, Division of Biomedical Marine Research, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft. Pierce, FL
• Ninh Vu, Graduate Student, University of Idaho, Department of Forest Resources, Moscow, ID
• Colin Young, NEBHE Doctoral Scholar, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• Kumo Lartevi, Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellow, APHL-NCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Atlanta, GA