The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is a leader in developing and supporting professional development opportunities for members at all career stages and who are at different types of institutions. To help boost research engagement at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) for current and prospective faculty, ASPB is offering a PUI workshop on the morning of August 3, 2019, just prior to start of the Plant Biology 2019 conference in San Jose, CA. The workshop’s theme is “from project planning to publication,” and it will focus on (1) designing undergraduate research projects with a goal of successful publication and (2) navigating the writing and publishing process. The proposed schedule for the workshop includes breakfast, a discussion with a panel of journal editors, presentations by current PUI faculty, and small- and large-group discussions. The workshop is designed for current PUI faculty, graduate students, and postdocs who are considering pursuing a faculty position at a PUI, and others interested in undergraduate student research mentoring.
To promote participation in this workshop and attendance at Plant Biology 2019, the PUI section is applying for funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) so that it may offer travel awards for PUI faculty to help defray some costs of travel. Individuals are invited to apply for one of these awards by completing the application. We plan to offer both “standard” travel awards ($750 each) as well as a small number of “enhanced” travel awards ($2,000) to individuals for whom the larger grant is critical for their attendance.
Although we do not have a funding decision from NSF, we are accepting applications now so that, in the event our proposal is funded, travel award decisions can be made quickly and awardees informed in time to make plans for travel to the conference. Deadline for submission of the application is Monday, January 7, 2019. Award decisions will be made by February 1. (To have your abstract considered for presentation during a concurrent symposium at Plant Biology 2019, you must submit your abstract through the regular meeting abstract system before March 7, 2019). Should our grant application be denied, we will inform all applicants as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, please email Derek Gingerich at gingerdj@uwec.edu.
Workshop Organizing Committee
Maryann Herman, Associate Professor of Biology, St. John Fisher College
Derek Gingerich, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Grace Miller, Dean of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Taylor University
