Biophysical Society Summer Research Program Alumni Development Workshop

Biophysical Society, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Funds are requested to support a Biophysical Society sponsored ?Summer Research Program Alumni Development Workshop.? The National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences both include within their strategic plans a commitment to supporting a diverse biomedical research workforce. With an increasingly diverse population in the United States, it is critical that the NIH?s recruitment and retention efforts include support for individuals from underrepresented groups in the biomedical research workforce in order to ensure that the best and brightest are part of that workforce. The goal of this meeting is to provide support to alumni of the summer program in biophysics in order to increase retention of these individuals, all from underrepresented minorities, in the biomedical research workforce pipeline. These individuals have spent 11 weeks participating in a graduate level biophysics class as well as a mentored lab experience and are now pursuing advanced degrees and biomedical research- related careers at institutions across the United States. To allow attendees to connect with past mentors, the workshop will be held at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where the students participated in the summer biophysics program. Participants will be housed at a hotel within walking distance of campus, which will provide them with easy access to the campus and opportunities to meet with past mentors, advisors, and colleagues. The participants will have their meals together during the conference to ensure that they have time to network informally. The formal training during the workshop is intended to strengthen the attendees? personal networks in science, to provide them with career support, and to further their scientific knowledge. The two-day program will include 1) a microscopy workshop that will teach the students technique, as well as introduce the issues and importance of replication of experiments and reproducibility in science, 2) a session focused on communicating their science effectively, 3) a session on career pathways for individuals with biomedical research training, 4) flash talks given by attendees on their current research, and 5) a session on biomedical research discovery pipeline.