This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a restorative holiday break. I spent nearly two weeks with family and friends and it was glorious. I capped off the break attending the annual meeting Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. I attended talks and networked.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
The highlight of the meeting was meeting undergraduate researchers during the poster session. I was fortunate that a few of them were excited about sharing their research experiences with me via video interview. Each of these students completed an REU - Research Experiences for Undergraduates Internship program. Students apply for summer research opportunities at their own, affiliated or other institution to work along side graduate student and principal investigator (professors) researchers. Many programs are funded and pay students a stipend and the cost of travel plus room and board for required research travel. All of them offer hands-on research experiences that set students up for great opportunities beyond the undergraduate degree.
I know these students will have so in store for science in the future. I can't wait to see how their scholarship evolves.
Enioy!
Tiffany Richardson of Princeton University
Carissa Gomez of Skyline College
Jenniffer Riley of Winston Salem State University
Taylor Jones of Salem College
Amazing, right?!
I'll have data to present by next year's meeting --Portland, Oregon. Yes, for those that have been wanting me to visit Portland. I plan to attend. Jan 3-8, 2016. Mark your calendars.