PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Botanical Society of America (BSA) is pleased to announce a program entitled “Increasing diversity at the annual Botanical Society of America meeting.” This program is supported in part by the National Science Foundation’s Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) Program and will provide financial and professional assistance for 10 minority (African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Native Americans/Alaskan Natives and persons with disabilities) undergraduate students to attend the annual BSA meeting each year from 2003-2006.

Eligible Student Participants: Undergraduate student participants supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An undergraduate student is a student who is enrolled in a degree program (parttime or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associates degree. Students who are transferring from one institution to another and are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer may participate. High school graduates who have not yet enrolled and students who have received their bachelor's degrees and are no longer enrolled as undergraduates generally are not eligible.

Botany 2004 Students

This Call for Applicants seeks to identify eligible students to attend the BOTANY 2005 conference, which will be held in Austin, Texas from August 13-17, 2005. The application deadline is June 1, 2005.

Students will be integrated into professional and social activities of the conference through a supportive mentoring network of peers, graduate students and professors. Funds will be provided for travel, housing, registration, and for participation in workshops and field trips. Each student participant will also receive free student membership in the BSA, including an electronic subscription to the American Journal of Botany, for up to seven years while they continue their undergraduate and graduate education. The following are several of the many exciting activities that students will engage in during the conference:

• GATHERINGS of all participants and mentors for orientation, luncheons and simply to plan and share experiences.

• FIELD TRIPS AND WORKSHOPS before the conference that will be selected based on each student’s interests. Field trips focus on particular groups of plants or ecosystems and workshops cover a variety of topics related to research and teaching strategies.

• SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS – With guidance from their mentors, student participants will select and attend presentations of their choice. These include contributed paper sessions, topical symposia and colloquia, a conference-wide poster session, and special lectures.

• MIXERS, BANQUETS AND OTHER SOCIAL EVENTS will enable students to interact in an informal setting with professionals and students in their discipline(s) of interest.

• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS will be conducted to explore career and graduate school options. Topics to be addressed in these interactive sessions will include getting involved in undergraduate research, resume/Curriculum Vitae development, and choosing a graduate or professional school.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS (DEADLINE: June 1, 2005)

To apply for support to attend BOTANY 2005 from the Minority Undergraduate Participation Grant Program, interested and eligible undergraduate students should submit the materials listed below by June 1, 2005.

1) Cover Page - (pdf) - Complete and sign the attached Cover Page.

2) Personal Statement: In a one- to two-page statement, please describe your a) interest/reasons for wanting to participate in this program, b) career goals, and c) summary of any research experiences to date.

3) Two Letters of Recommendation: Letters should be solicited from faculty members who have knowledge of your academic performance, research experiences, and/or professional goals. Recommendation letters should be enclosed individually in a sealed and signed envelope.

4) Transcript: Enclose an official transcript(s) in your application packet.

5) Curriculum Vitae/Resume: Enclose a current Curriculum Vitae, or Resume, in the packet.

DEADLINE: Applications should be postmarked no later than June 1, 2005 and sent to the following address:

UMEB Review Committee
Botanical Society of America
P.O. Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299
Tele: 314.577.9566
Fax: 314.577.9515
E-mail: bsa-manager@botany.org

QUESTIONS

Questions about the Minority Undergraduate Participation Grants Program should be directed to:

Dr. Karen Renzaglia
Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6509.
Tele: 618.453.3229, Fax: 618.453.3441, E-mail: renzaglia@plant.siu.edu

Dr. Jeffrey M. Osborn
Division of Science, Truman State University, 100 E. Normal Street, Kirksville, Missouri 63501-4221.
Tele: 660.785.4017, Fax: 660. 785.4045, E-mail: josborn@truman.edu

 

Call for Applications - pdf
Call for Applications - doc
Cover Page - pdf