Byline: Wilson Rumbeiha and La Cole Blackshire
Our recruitment for mentors and mentees for 2024–2025 is entering its peak, and we are taking this opportunity to remind potential mentees and mentors to send in your applications. The goal of the Toxicology Mentoring and Skills Development Training (ToxMSDT) program is to mentor underrepresented undergraduate students in STEM fields and increase their chances of success in entering toxicology graduate training programs. Ultimately, this will diversify the toxicology workforce. Applications for mentees for the 2024–2025 cohort are due April 26, 2024.
Potential applicants interested in getting a flavor of the program are invited to listen to any of this year’s capstone student presentations on April 19, 2024. Connect anytime between 11:00 am (US CDT, UTC -5) and 5:00 pm (US CDT, UTC -5) to hear what the participants found meaningful. The capstone can be accessed via Zoom (Meeting ID: 966 6222 5090, Passcode: 832646). These capstone presentations are being hosted by Tuskegee University.
We are also inviting toxicologists who are Full members of SOT who have not mentored in this program before to send in Mentor Applications. The benefits of serving as a mentor include career advancement and networking opportunities with other mentors.
ToxMSDT provides year-long, mostly remote, toxicology training and mentoring and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. The project is centered at the University of California Davis and partners with three other institutions, including SOT.
Successful applicants will be paired with a mentor in an area of potential career interest in the toxicology field. Mentees will meet with their mentor remotely throughout the year. Activities include the initial virtual workshop at the University of California Davis, a visit to the mentor’s work site, the in-person SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo, and the virtual capstone celebration of program successes hosted by Tuskegee University in Alabama. Travel costs for mentees are supported by ToxMSDT. During the year, mentees review online learning modules/case studies and participate in study sessions to gain a foundation in toxicology. This program supplements the regular academic pursuits of the ToxMSDT students and will run from August 16, 2024, to May 31, 2025.
Eligibility Requirements
- STEM major
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
- At least a second-year undergraduate student
- Completion of at least one semester of general biology and general chemistry
- Enrolled in an accredited undergraduate institution at the time of application, with continuing enrollment for the next academic year concurrent with the ToxMSDT program
- Member of a group underserved in the biomedical sciences (see NIH notice).
- US citizen or US permanent resident
Inquiries can be directed to La Cole Blackshire.
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