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Looking for additional educational programs and opportunities in toxicology for undergraduate students? The Committee on Diversity Initiatives (CDI) is welcoming applications for several awards pertaining to undergraduates and undergraduate faculty; these award applications are due October 17.

Undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for the valuable opportunities featured in this blog. We also urge faculty to share these opportunities with their students and apply themselves.

Undergraduate Diversity Program Student and Advisor Travel Awards

The Undergraduate Diversity Program Student Travel Awards and the Undergraduate Diversity Program Advisor Travel Awards offer recognition and travel and lodging support to attend the three-day Undergraduate Diversity Program, taking place March 18–20, 2023, during the 2023 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo (March 19–23) in Nashville, Tennessee. Sophomore and junior applicants are preferred for the Undergraduate Diversity Program Student Travel Awards. Eligibility requires at least one of three criteria:

• The student is from a diverse background, including groups underrepresented in the sciences
• The student is a first-generation college attendee
• The student attends a primarily undergraduate institution that does not award graduate degrees in biomedical disciplines.

For the full list of eligibility criteria, please visit the SOT website.

Faculty who are not SOT members but serve as advisors for eligible students may apply for the Undergraduate Diversity Program Advisor Travel Awards. Each year, a limited number of advisors are selected with hopes they will become more familiar with advising students on toxicology as a career option; please note that an individual may only receive this award once.

For those unfamiliar with the Undergraduate Diversity Program, it is an exciting in-person program during which students learn more about toxicology and discuss career opportunities with mentors and toxicology leaders from academia, industry, government, and other employment sectors. Awardees participate in breakout sessions that cover strategies for effective graduate school applications and succeeding in graduate school, explore various career paths in toxicology and biomedical research, and receive more information on graduate academic programs in toxicology. Students also attend Scientific Sessions and various events during the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo.

Student awardees are assigned Host and Peer Mentors, who are SOT members that engage with the awardees before, during, and after the Annual Meeting. These mentors help the students understand the program content and participate in discussions on career pathways, advanced degrees, and graduate school applications. Host and Peer Mentors also serve as a resource during students’ academic and professional progression and connect them with SOT opportunities and resources.

More details on the various program activities can be found on the “Undergraduate Diversity Program” web page on the SOT Annual Meeting website.

Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Travel Award

This award, funded through the SOT Endowment Fund, provides travel support and recognition for an undergraduate or graduate student from an underrepresented group who was selected for the SOT Undergraduate Diversity Program between 2019 and 2022. To be eligible, these students also must have an abstract accepted for the 2023 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo. To apply or to learn more, visit the “Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Travel Award” web page on the SOT website. More information on submitting an abstract is available on the 2023 Annual Meeting website. Abstracts must be submitted by October 17 for the applicant to be eligible for the Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Travel Award.

Other Awards for Undergraduates

Additional awards for undergraduates are offered by other SOT Committees and groups.

The SOT Undergraduate Research Award recognizes outstanding undergraduates whose abstracts have been accepted for the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo. The award includes travel and lodging support for the meeting and is coordinated by the Faculty United for Toxicology Undergraduate Recruitment and Education (FUTURE) Committee. The deadline to apply for this award is October 17, 2022; an abstract also must be submitted by October 17 for the applicant to be eligible.

The SOT Regional Chapter Communication and Collaboration Group (RC4) provides an award to recognize undergraduates who conduct research in the laboratory of an SOT Regional Chapter member, while many of the individual Regional Chapters, Specialty Sections, and Special Interest Groups also have awards recognizing undergraduate research. A comprehensive list of undergraduate awards and their deadlines can be found in the SOT Awards section of the SOT website.

All undergraduate students interested in toxicology are encouraged to join SOT as Undergraduate Student Affiliates to receive early notice of undergraduate awards, graduate school opportunities, summer internships, and more!

Please apply for any relevant opportunities and share this information with others. Remember that the application deadline for these awards is October 17, 2022. Please contact SOT Headquarters with any inquiries regarding any of the opportunities mentioned herein.