ABRCMS 2009: Charting the Path to Careers in the Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences

When physician scientist and first African- American woman astronaut Mae C. Jemison took the stage at the ninth Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Phoenix, Ariz., thunderous applause broke out before she uttered a word. Excitement was palpable at the conference, held on 4-7 November 2009, when Jemison encouraged students toward boundless achievement, both in academics and in life. "Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations," she told the audience in her conference message, "Find Where the Wind Goes." "You can hear other people's wisdom," Jemison said, "but you've got to evaluate the world for yourself." She also urged the ABRCMS attendees, who numbered nearly 3,000, to be well-rounded scientists and world-class citizens. "A love for science doesn't get rid of all the other areas of life," said Jemison. "Someone interested in science is interested in understanding what's going on in the world. That means understanding social science, art, and politics."

With degrees in chemical engineering, Afro-American Studies, and medicine and as a Peace Corps medical officer, founder of two technology companies, and a dancer, Jemison epitomizes not only all that she urged the students to strive for but also the mindset that ABRCMS inspires in students. The goal of ABRCMS is to (i) encourage undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, and graduate students to pursue advanced education and training in the biomedical or behavioral sciences, including mathematics, and (ii) help faculty mentors and advisors facilitate student success. The conference offers its student attendees exceptional opportunities to learn from and network with the best thinkers and practitioners in the sciences. In 2009, these included Jemison and several other renowned scientists: translational drug discovery scientist Milton Brown, renowned sickle cell anemia researcher Griffin Rodgers, robotics engineer Cynthia Breazeal, biologist and herpetologist Tyrone Hayes, and motor skill learning and procedural memory researcher Robert Duke all participated in the conference.

Other conference offerings included scientific sessions, research skills training, professional development workshops, networking meals, exhibit booths with information on graduate schools and research programs, and student poster and oral presentations.

In a survey of 2009 ABRCMS undergraduate participants, 97% rated the conference as "good" or "excellent." To continue meeting the needs of its participants, ABRCMS is always fine-tuning and enhancing its programs. The latest enhancements include (i) a mentor/mentee program in which postdoctoral scientists and early-career faculty members mentor students who are attending the conference for the first time, (ii) a "Networking with Professional Societies" forum where students learn about the benefits of joining disciplinary organizations, (iii) a career-coaching corner where students receive one-on-one advice on succeeding in the sciences, (iv) a Twitter hashtag that attendees use to share experiences from the meeting, and (iv) a postdoctoral fellowship recruitment program that gives doctoral-level graduate students their own forum to present research, explore postdoctoral fellowship opportunities, and network with senior scientists (it also provides a recruiting opportunity for researchers).

As always, ABRCMS concluded with a student presentation awards program. In 2009, 15 organizations contributed to awards of $250 each to 140 students for outstanding research in their disciplines. Awards in the microbiological discipline included one to ASM Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellow Oanh Nguyen of the University of California, San Diego. ABRCMS is managed by ASM and supported by a grant from the Minority Opportunities in Research Division of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. The 2010 conference will be held 10-13 November in Charlotte, N.C. ABRCMS will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary, so be sure to register. For more information, please visit www .abrcms.org.

ASM's Biology Scholars Program Identified as a Resource at National Higher Education Conferences

POD Network. The NSF-funded ASM Biology Scholars Program (BSP; www.biologyscholars. org), which promotes science education reform through the scholarship of teaching and learning, was represented at the annual meeting of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education. The POD Network is devoted to improving teaching and learning in postsecondary education. Nearly 800 attendees were present at the 34th annual meeting, held on 28 October-1 November 2010 in Houston, Tex. The BSP was one of several programs featured at the resource fair. Kathy Takayama, Brown University, and Alix Darden, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, BSP codevelopers and cofacilitators, were on hand to discuss the program. Additionally, BSP Scholar Carol Hurney of James Madison University presented her work in the session "Creating a Generation of Learners: Visions from Learner-Centered Classrooms."

ISSOTL. Heidi Elmendorf (2008 BSP facilitator), Conrad Toepfer (2009 BSP Scholar), and Mary Pat Wenderoth (2008 BSP Scholar) attended the 2009 annual meeting of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) held 22-25 October 2010 in Bloomington, Ind. The meeting, which hosted nearly 650 higher education faculty, administrators, and graduate students, is a venue for sharing evidence-based insights and theoretical frameworks for improving student learning. There are numerous opportunities to network with colleagues from around the globe and presentations ranging from two large poster sessions to 30-minute talks to panels and workshops. Talks at ISSOTL focus on three different areas: (i) promoting and supporting SOTL in higher education, (ii) assessment at the department and institution levels, and (iii) results of SOTL research. Wenderoth gave a talk on her BSP project (assessing metacognition in science classes), and Elmendorf and Randy Bass of Georgetown University gave a talk on "Social Pedagogies: Exploring a Design Framework Through the Evidence of Learning."

NABT. On 13 November 2009, the ASM Committee on K-12 Education presented the workshop "Our Planet/Their Planet: A Bioinformatic View of the Microbial Inhabitants of Our World" at the 2009 National Biology Teachers Association (NABT) annual meeting in Denver, Colo. Along with guest speakers Jennifer Taylor, Colorado State University, and Rob Knight, University of Colorado-Boulder, Committee members Mark Gallo (chair), Priya DasSarma, Liliana Rodriguez, and Stephen Wagner shared new and emerging research highlighting the use of bioinformatic tools and educational resources to over 35 educators. The talks included an introduction to ASM's Microbial Discovery Activities and curriculum resources for K-12 teachers. The Committee also sponsored an outreach booth at the conference to promote the newly published "Look at Our Microscopic World" poster and the redesign of www.asm.org /educators, a Web portal that provides information to educators wishing to increase awareness of microbiology.

NSDL. Education Department staff members Amy Chang, Kelly Gull, KaRyn Daley, and Michelle Slone represented ASM at the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Annual Meeting, held 17-19 November 2009 in Washington, D.C. The NSDL program, established in 2000, fosters the creation and development of Internet-based learning in STEM disciplines. The annual meeting brought together 200 attendees affiliated with various NSDL projects, including ASM's MicrobeLibrary (www.microbelibrary. org). Chang et al. presented "A Journey into Open Access Publishing Utilizing Open Source Software," highlighting the transformation of the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (JMBE) from a subscription-based model to an open access journal using the open source publishing system (Microbe, December 2009, p. 568). The presentation provided the audience with the "pros and cons" of decoupling the journal from MicrobeLibrary and the future goals of the journal.