Graduate students, are you interested in adding experiences outside the training available in your graduate program to help prepare for future career opportunities in toxicology? SOT provides support for PhD candidates to pursue that special professional development experience. The next deadline to submit applications for the Supplemental Training for Education Program (STEP) is May 1.
Graduate students are encouraged to be creative and deliberate in proposing an activity to pursue training in an identified area of professional/scientific development that is important to achieve career goals, but outside the immediate scope of their graduate training and research program. This funding mechanism does not support activities to refine a dissertation project-specific technique or attendance at a professional society conference. Successful applicants will make a strong case that the proposed activity will build their skill portfolio for a specific career track in toxicology.
The award reimburses expenses of up to $1,000. The Graduate Subcommittee of the Education Committee administers this award in recognition of the diversity in preparation required for graduate students to enter the shifting workforce. Awardees will provide brief follow-up communication on the funded experience, which will help highlight their receipt of the award and benefits of the experience to their graduate education.
Some of the previous awards have involved:
- Risk Assessment Training
- Topological Quantum Field Theories Master Class
- Woods Hole Frontiers in Reproduction Short Course
- PK Modeling
- Bioinformatics and Advanced Sequencing
- Scientists Teaching Scientists
- Mass Spectrometry Training
For the application and more examples of previous awards, visit the STEP web page.
In the words of recent recipients of the STEP award:
Laila Al-Eryani–attended a 5-day course in Molecular Prevention at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland. "I am very grateful for the award and I highly recommend graduate students members of SOT to take advantage of such a fabulous opportunity."
Matt Wolter–attended a short course at the Harvard School of Public Health on providing techniques for effective risk 
communication. "I interviewed at a local company here in Wisconsin and I mentioned the short course I took, and they seemed excited that I pushed my limits for additional professional development."
Members of the Graduate Subcommittee will be at the SOT Annual Meeting in San Antonio to answer questions about the STEP program. Contact us via the meeting app and/or look for us around the meeting wearing lapel pins with the STEP logo (below), including at the Student/Postdoc mixer, Career Explorations Through Speed Informational Interviews, Specialty Section receptions, and other events.