Friday, November 11th, 2011
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Registration Open
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Networking Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Professional Development Sessions
Session 1
Changes in the GRE and MCAT
(Recommended for undergraduate students)
Several changes have been implemented in the GRE
and MCAT exams recently. Representatives from the
Educational Testing Services and the Association of
American Medical Colleges will discuss changes in the
format for the GRE and MCAT exams. Attend this
session as well as the session on Friday to increase your
probability of scoring well on the tests!
Speakers
To Be Determined
Session 2
Getting Published: Advice for Graduate Students
and Postdoctoral Scientists
(Recommended for graduate students and postdoctoral
scientists)
Publishing your work is the key to expanding your
success and influence. This session will help you
choose a journal, prepare and submit your manuscript,
and suggest ways to (i) deal with requests for revision,
and (ii) cope with occasional rejection. It will also
explain the ethics of scholarly publishing, including
authorship, multiple submissions, and redundant
publication. The session ends with a Q&A period.
Speaker
Alison O’Brien, Ph.D., Uniformed Services University
of the Health Sciences,Bethesda,MD
Session 3
Peer-Led Team Learning: A Faculty-Student
Partnership for Educational Reform in the Sciences
(Recommended for faculty, program directors, and
exhibitors)
This workshop will introduce the theoretical and
practical elements of the peer-led team learning(PLTL) model of teaching, which actively engages
students in the learning process by having them
solve carefully structured problems in small groups
under the direction of a trained peer leader. Peerled
workshops are an effective way to engage large
numbers of students with course material and
each other. Improved performance and retention,
development of communication and team skills,
higher motivation and course satisfaction, and
increased interest in pursuing further study in science
are among the benefits of the PLTL approach.
Speaker
Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry, Executive Director, Center for
Teaching and Learning, Indiana University Purdue
University, Indianapolis
9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
PLENARY SCIENTIFIC SESSION
Is Our Reality In ‘The Matrix?’
Following a review of what science has discovered
about the largest structures and the most fundamental
structures in the universe, this presentation will discuss
some surprising recently uncovered hints that our
universe may not be what it seems.
Speaker
Sylvester James Gates, Jr., Ph.D.
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Exhibits Open
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
POSTER SESSION 3
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Networking Lunch
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
PLENARY SCIENTIFIC SESSION
Using Simple Cells to Model Complex Diseases
It is now clear that many human neurodegenerative
diseases result from basic problems in protein folding
and homeostasis. One feature that these disorders
share is the occurrence of complexes of misfolded,
aggregated proteins in affected neurons. The Lindquist
lab has developed yeast models overexpressing human
disease-associated proteins, with each model exhibiting
cellular toxicity by a different mechanism. The lab’s
yeast model overexpressing human α-syn recapitulates
the individual cellular pathology and toxicity seen
in Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies.
The lab used this model to screen the entire yeast
genome and found dozens of genes that enhance or
suppress toxicity due to α-syn. The lab also used a
chemical screen to identify compounds that rescue
yeast cells from α-syn toxicity. Importantly, both the
genes and compounds isolated from these screens
rescued dopaminergic neurons in nematode, fruit fly,
and rat primary midbrain culture models of α-syn
toxicity, and the small molecules rescued cultured
rat dopaminergic neurons from toxicity induced by
rotenone, validating the yeast-screening approach.
Speaker
Susan Lindquist, Ph.D., Whitehead Institute for
Biomedical Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
MA
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS
Session 1
Mentoring: an Enabling Relationship that Fosters
Professional Growth and Development
(Mandatory for undergraduate, community college, and
master’s-level students)
This session, presented by past recipients of the
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science,
Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, introduces
mentoring as a strategy for enhancing academic,
career, personal, and professional development. It
explores success stories in mentoring undergraduate
and graduate students and describes mentorship
models. It is structured to provide participants with
(i) the philosophy and terminology of mentoring,
(ii) the rationale for mentoring, (iii) mentoring roles
and responsibilities, (iv) tips for forming an effective
mentoring alliance, and (v) ways to use mentoring as a
strategy for developing people. The session highlights
the graduate advisor’s roles and the warning signs of
unethical relationships. Case studies and participant
experiences will be used as tools to delve into the
intersection of mentoring.
Moderator
Howard G. Adams, Ph.D., H.G. Adams and
Associates, Norfolk, VA
Speakers
Additional Speakers to Be Determined
Session 2
Achieving Your Goals: Goal Setting Strategies for
Scientific and Career Success
Do you ever promise yourself that you’ll finish that
paper, or improve your presentation skills, then don’t
quite get around to it? Do you have trouble setting
goals…and sticking to them? Survey data has shown
that trainees in the biomedical sciences who create
and follow a written plan are more likely to reach
their research and career goals. In this hands-on
workshop we’ll get you started on creating your annual
Individual Development Plan (IDP) for completing
projects and developing professional skills that you’ll
need for success. Through this process, you will
learn principles for how to set achievable goals, and
strategies for ensuring that you’ll follow through to
success.
Speaker
Bill Lindstaedt, MS
University of California at San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Session 3
MARC T34/NIGMS T32 Program Directors Meet
and Greet
(Recommended for MARC U-STAR students, MARC
U-STAR program directors, and NIGMS T32 program
directors)
Staff of the National Institute of General Medical
Sciences/Minority Opportunities in Research
(NIGMS/MORE) Division invite Minority Access
to Research Careers (MARC) T34 and NIGMS
predoctoral T32 program directors to attend an
ABRCMS meet-and-greet session designed to promote
stronger interactions between MARC undergraduate
research training programs and NIGMS predoctoral
T32 research training programs.
Speakers
Shawn Drew, Ph.D., MARC Branch, MORE Division,
NIGHMS, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Adolphus Toliver, Ph.D., MARC Branch, MORE
Division, NIGMS, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Session 4
Teaching and Learning 101: Interdisciplinary
Learning
(Recommended for program directors, faculty, and
administrators)
In January 2008, the W.M. Keck Foundation awarded
Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) a grant to implement a
three-year project focused on the goal of facilitating
interdisciplinary learning in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) within the
undergraduate learning environment. The aim of the
project is to advance the efforts of campuses to build a
curriculum and culture supportive of interdisciplinary
sciences. This session will present lessons learned
and best practices from a subset of the 28 campuses
participating in the program.
Speakers
To Be Determined
3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Exhibits Open
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
POSTER SESSION 4
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Career Coaching Corner Open/Meet and Greet
Speakers
5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
POSTER SESSION 5
6:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Small Group Discussion Sessions
(four session options)
These sessions are wonderful opportunities for
students to meet in a smaller group setting to discuss
issues and seek one-on-one advice.
Session 1
Strategies for Taking Standardized Admissions
Tests: Preparing for the GRE and MCAT Exams
This session focuses on test-taking strategies and
provides valuable information about resources forpreparing for standardized admissions tests, particularly
the GRE and MCAT. It is important to note that this
session is not intended to take the place of formal
comprehensive workshops, such as courses offered by
your institution and/or independent test preparation
agencies.
Speaker
Gayle Slaughter, Ph.D., Baylor School of Medicine,
Houston, TX
Session 2
Graduate School Application Process
(Recommended for undergraduate and master’s-level
students)
This three-part session provides potential graduate
students with the information necessary to (i) prepare
and plan for the graduate school admissions process
and (ii) subsequently create and submit a competitive
application packet. Part one briefly covers the
undergraduate years — coursework, internships, and
standardized tests. The process of selecting schools
for application and subsequent matriculation will be
discussed as well as the application process, with a focus
on the admissions file. There will be a discussion of
the application form and supporting documentation,
with a special focus on the personal statement. Also
covered are the interview process and how to succeed in
graduate school. The personal statement introduces the
applicant to the school and its admissions committee;
therefore, part two provides tips and strategies on
writing a powerful personal statement for applications
for graduate school and/or summer internships. In part
three, strategies for financing graduate education will be
discussed.
Speaker
To Be Determined
Session 3
The Ins and Outs of Time between College and
Graduate School — the Postbaccalaureate Experience
(Recommended for postbaccalaureates and for
undergraduates considering postbaccalaureate training)
Many students decide to pursue postbaccalaureate
training before moving on to graduate studies. This
session addresses (i) courses and training to focus on
during a postbaccalaureate experience and (ii) tips on
how to present a strong graduate school application.
Speaker
To Be Determined
Session 4
Interviewing for Graduate School Admissions: Dos
and Don’ts
This informal session discusses tips and strategies for
a successful graduate school interview. It reveals some
interview pitfalls and how to overcome them and
discusses how to make the most of visits to the schools
in the context of selecting a school for matriculation.
Speaker
To Be Determined
Session 5
Time Management and Work/Life Balance
This session will provide you with strategies to manage
their personal and professional aspects of your life
so that you work smarter, not harder. The session
discusses creating and managing a time management
plan, setting goals and establishing priorities, and
identifying and overcoming time management traps
and time bandits.
Speaker
To Be Determined
6:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
RECEPTION FOR EXHIBITORS, SPEAKERS,
PROGRAM DIRECTORS, AND JUDGES
This event is NOT open to undergraduates,
postbaccalaureates, graduate students, or
postdoctoral scientists.
8:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
MARC/MBRS/RISE/SCORE Program Director
Meeting
9:15 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
BRIDGES Program Director Meeting
|
2011 Program
Highlights