The Committee on Diversity Initiatives (CDI) welcomes all Annual Meeting attendees to drop by the Phoenix Convention Center Room 105 West at 7:00 pm on Saturday, March 22, for the CDI Reunion. At this event, the Committee will recognize those who have been involved in the Undergraduate Education Program for Minority Students in the last 25 years. Program founder Marion F. Ehrich will speak as well as Marquea D. King, a long-time volunteer. Special guests include those who first came to a Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting as undergraduates through this program and now are toxicologists and program volunteers. CDI Chair Ofelia A. Olivero notes the tremendous effort of all the volunteers who make the Undergraduate Education Program possible every year—CDI chairs, committee members, presenters, toxicologist host mentors, student/postdoctoral peer mentors, faculty and research mentors, and others who give their time so generously to support the program and encourage promising young scientists in toxicology.
The Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Travel Award recipient, Pamella B. Tijerina of New York University School of Medicine, also will be recognized during this event. This Endowment Fund Award provides special recognition and travel support for an undergraduate or a graduate student who participated in the SOT Undergraduate Minority Program within the last four years and is presenting an abstract at the meeting. Ms. Tijerina participated in the 2011 Undergraduate Education Program. Receiving Honorable Mention is Zuleirys Santana-Rodriguez from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, who attended the 2013 program.
The CDI Reunion will cap the first of a 3-day Undergraduate Education Program, Saturday, March 22, through Monday March 24. The program is designed to encourage gifted science students to pursue graduate studies and careers in toxicology. This year, the CDI has selected twenty-four students from ethnic groups underrepresented in the sciences and three advisors from minority institutions to attend the meeting. They also invited nine students from schools receiving low levels of federal funding in science, math, and engineering. Travel funding for minority students and their advisors is partially supported by a grant from National Institute of General Medical Sciences and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number 1R13 GM108246-010. SOT funding supports students from underserved institutions.
During the program, students get an overview of toxicology, take part in a hands-on interactive session, and learn about graduate school and careers in toxicology. In addition, students have a session with more than thirty academic and internship program directors offering opportunities in toxicology. This year the students will participate in the meeting all day Monday, allowing more time in scientific and poster sessions than in previous years. Attending the SOT Annual Meeting is a tremendous opportunity for an undergraduate to learn about educational and career opportunities in toxicology.