GSA’s Starter Culture Microgrant Program provides up to $2,000 in funding to GSA members to support  new, impactful initiatives that will benefit the genetics community. This volunteer-driven program includes a quarterly proposal review process by the Microgrant Review Committee. 

What is the committee looking for? 

We fund small projects that can make a big difference to the genetics community. We get particularly excited by applications that come up with new ideas for community outreach. 

A variety of projects can be funded, including summer camps, virtual presentations, and scientific workshops. However, a key aspect to consider is their impact: We look for evidence that the initiative will be transformative at some level, be it by engaging with broad and diverse audiences or underrepresented groups in science, or by fulfilling an unmet need in the community. 

We also like to ensure that, regardless of the applicant’s career stage, there is a solid connection between their background and the initiative they propose, such as a bioinformatics professor proposing a bioinformatics bootcamp. It is also important that we are convinced that the microgrant budget is both adequate and needed to deliver the initiative.

What type of projects are we looking for?

We do not want to limit your creativity, so we encourage you to apply with any amazing ideas you have! Just remember: Your project should clearly respond to a community need, have a broad and far-reaching impact, and benefit as many scientists and communities as possible. 

One of the main criteria we evaluate is the impact your initiative will have on your community and assurance the audience covers a breadth of research areas, geographic regions, institution types, and other elements that foster a wide range of knowledge and expertise.  . We want to see projects that fulfill a need in your community or benefit the community at large, such as genetics-focused STEM fairs or similar events that help expand access to genetics knowledge, or seminar series open to all early career scientists at your institution and across several institutions. 

We are also eager to fund projects in areas with limited access to science resources and communication. Seminar series, lecture workshops, hands-on training workshops in developing fields such as bioinformatics, and science communication initiatives are great ideas for your project, especially if these activities would not occur without  funding from this program.

What details are needed?

When preparing your Starter Culture Microgrant proposal it is essential that you include detailed, precise, and relevant information to effectively communicate the merits and feasibility of your project. Here’s a breakdown of what to include to make your proposal stand out:

1. Clear and specific objectives:

Begin with a well-defined statement of your project’s goals. Clarify what the project aims to achieve, the expected impact, and ensure these objectives are measurable, achievable, and relevant – this helps the committee understand your vision and the structured planning behind it.

2. Detailed project plan:

Provide an in-depth description of the activities and methodologies your project will employ and include a timeline with key milestones and phases. For example, if you’re proposing a symposium, list the topics to be covered, types of sessions (e.g., workshops, keynote speeches), and the format of each session. Describe the selection criteria for speakers and how the event will offer novel insights compared to existing symposia. For another example, if your project is about providing education or training to your community, explain the curriculum or content and teaching methods to be used.

3. Rationale and need:

Explain the significance of your project by highlighting the specific issues or gaps your project addresses and why it is timely. Your rationale should connect with the broader goals of the Starter Culture Microgrant Program, demonstrating alignment with program objectives.

4. Target audience and beneficiaries: 

Identify the direct beneficiaries of your project, provide detailed demographic information, and describe how the project meets their needs. Discuss the expected changes or benefits for this group, emphasizing the direct impact of your initiative.

5. Outcomes, impact measurement, and evaluation plan:

Detail expected outcomes and how you will measure the project’s impact. Include specific metrics or indicators, such as participant feedback, post-event surveys, or measurable changes in participant knowledge. This section demonstrates your commitment and the anticipated impact of your project.

6. Support and collaboration:

Mention any additional support, such as co-sponsorships, partnerships, or endorsements from relevant organizations. If you have received or are seeking other grants, specify how these support your current proposal and demonstrate broader validation of your project, and why this particular grant is also needed for your initiative.

7. Detailed budget justification:

Provide a line-item budget where every expense is justified in relation to project activities. If you’re requesting funds for materials, specify quantities, costs per unit, and total cost. For example, if updating educational materials, provide a breakdown of costs involved in updating each set of slides or resources. If the budget includes stipends or honoraria, explain the rationale behind the amount and the responsibilities covered by these payments. This transparency enhances your proposal’s credibility.

Sample budget:

Let’s say your project is a hybrid genome engineering symposia. Your budget should include a breakdown of supplies needed, speaker travel reimbursements, printed marketing materials, and other costs you might incur: 

• $500 – Snacks and refreshments for 100 in-person participants 
• $280 – Invited speaker’s travel reimbursement  
• $200 – Print cost of posters, banners, and fliers  
• $980 – Total requested funding

8. Sustainability or future directions:

If your project is part of a larger initiative, describe how it will have an impact beyond the funding period. Discuss plans for scaling, potential future funding, or integration into broader practices, showing the long-term vision beyond the grant period.

Once you’re ready, use the Starter Culture Microgrant Application checklist to develop your application for submission. We’re excited to see the innovative ideas you’ll bring to the genetics community. Submit your proposal today! 

GSA announces a new funding opportunity for members. 

In the ever-evolving landscape of scientific research, access to funding is often a significant hurdle for scientists and researchers. Recognizing our membership’s potential to create change and the need for funding, GSA has developed a new initiative: the Starter Culture Microgrant Program.

Use funds to design your own project

This new initiative funds up to $2000 for a single project that will benefit the genetics community and gives GSA members of any career stage the opportunity to:

• Respond to your community’s needs by providing small starter funding for localized projects.
• Benefit students and faculty with projects that are organized by and/or target scientists in need of funding.
• Have broad and far-reaching intellectual, practical, and geographic impacts which are not limited to institutional events in a single location.

The project idea

GSA wants to provide funding opportunities to our members for projects that benefit the community. Proposed initiatives can include any type of event or project that responds to the needs of scientists at any career stage.

Projects you might consider include: 

• Organizing a workshop within a local primary school 
• Contributing to an extant program in your local community
• 3D printing equipment for labs that otherwise don’t have funding 
• Reaching out to underrepresented international communities in low or middle income countries
• Creating scientific programs for a summer camp

All applications should include details about the need for the proposed initiative, potential benefits to your research community, equity and inclusion considerations in organizing and offering the program to your local community, and the anticipated geographic reach and the career stage of participants. 

Application

Starter Culture Microgrant Program applications will remain open year round. The Microgrant Review Committee will meet once every quarter to determine the awardees, and up to $2,500 will be funded per quarter across successful projects. Awardees will be announced each quarter, and GSA will market supported initiatives year-round. The principal applicant or at least one corresponding applicant must be a current GSA member at the time of application submission.

Start planning now! 

The Starter Culture Microgrant Program launches today! The Microgrant Review Committee has developed an application checklist to help you develop a successful application. If you have questions about the program, a potential proposed activity, or the application, please reach out to engagement@genetics-gsa.org. 

NSF Program Officer Chinonye Nnakwe Whitley combines her skills in business, academia and entrepreneurship to empower underrepresented scientists. In addition to her work on the  NSF EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) team, she leads innovation training workshops for early career scientists.

In the Decoding Life series, we talk to geneticists with diverse career paths, tracing the many directions possible after research training. This series is brought to you by the GSA Early Career Scientist Career Development Subcommittee.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Chinonye Nnakwe Whitley empowers scientists from underrepresented groups and works as a Program Officer for the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), where she oversees funding opportunities for researchers and educators. Chinonye also developed skillsets in entrepreneurship, a design thinking mindset, and served as an entrepreneurship ecosystem resource to scientists and engineers during her time as a Science and Technology Policy fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which she used to guide her career decisions.

How have your life experiences influenced your career?

Chinonye Nnakwe Whitley

I didn’t come into science at an early age; in fact, I started my undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a general major. I was selected as a McNair scholar my sophomore year, which introduced me to basic science research in physiology and an incredible community of researchers who, like me, were also from underrepresented groups. I hadn’t known that this group of scholars existed! I realized a passion for basic science research and I pursued a PhD at the University of Chicago on DNA repair in mammalian cell systems and DNA damage signaling in baker’s yeast.  

As an African American woman, I’ve faced a number of micro- and macro- aggressions throughout my career; however, my support network encouraged me to succeed. Mid-way through my PhD, my interests changed from running a lab to exploring the business side of science and science policy. After working at a management consulting firm that focused on biotech and pharma companies, I became the Director of Graduate Diversity Initiatives, within the Provost’s Office at the University of Chicago, where I focused on attracting students from URM backgrounds to graduate education. My work included traveling the country to demystify the graduate application process for students and their mentors, and to recruit applicants. I worked across all PhD programs to build infrastructure, ran a summer research program and created a multi-institutional network that offered mentor training to faculty as well as grantsmanship skills to post-doctoral scholars. This experience led me to realize that the ability to positively impact scientists and engineers through my work is what speaks to my heart. Now, as a Program Officer for the EPSCoR program at the NSF, I am a public servant and work to build better research infrastructure and graduate training.

What are your responsibilities as Program Officer for EPSCoR?

EPSCoR’s goal is to enhance research competitiveness of targeted jurisdictions (states, territories, commonwealth) by strengthening STEM capacity and capability. As part of the team, I am a responsible steward of EPSCoR investments that develop the scientific workforce, increase inclusion of underrepresented individuals in STEM, and promote economic development from funded research. That is a big task! I am part of the team that manages awards for early career non-tenure track faculty to provide the opportunity to conduct research that could transform their careers and research trajectory.

My position also affords me the opportunity to have an independent research and development plan where I can pursue my own interests. My research centers around understanding how broadening participation in STEM intersects with entrepreneurship—especially for women of color.  During my AAAS fellowship, I met my mentor Anita La Salle, who runs the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. Through her work, I watched shy individuals transform into entrepreneurs who confidently presented their business and research ideas. With I-Corps, I saw how entrepreneurial frameworks could be very effective in teaching skills to empower scientists—especially students from URM backgrounds. Separate from my work at NSF, I lead innovation workshops for scientists and engineers.

Why is entrepreneurship important to you, and how can learning about it help scientists?

Nnakwe Whitley at a workshop to expose first-generation college students to entrepreneurship, which originated from an NSF initiative she helped design as a AAAS fellow.

I was always interested in how my expertise was relevant to the greater community, and I found that innovation training provides the mindset and the communication skills to find ways to positively impact your community, whether it is academic or business. That’s the aspect of entrepreneurship that draws me—it’s a way to empower people.

Look at leading entrepreneurs; they are trying to change the world by meeting the needs of their customers. Entrepreneurship is the practice of solving a problem by building something new, then commercializing it. In my workshops, I train participants on how to be more flexible and creative with their ideas, to better collaborate with others, and to receive input from different types of people. These are skills you need whether you are building a company or a research project. Training in this space ultimately makes you a better scientist.

What skills have you learned from your different positions that are useful for readers to know about?

There are so many different things! For example, business email etiquette was something I did not know about until I was a consultant after graduate school. When you set up a meeting, you send a calendar invitation, and you send follow up emails. When I returned to working with academics after being a consultant, I ran meetings very differently. I prepared written agendas with planned topics that started with introductions and ended with action items.  Agendas make meetings guided discussions with specific direction and endings. I also learned organizational management etiquette and practices. When I came back to academia and sent calendar invitations, many academics gave me the side eye; I had to remind them that these are practices that I learned in order to better communicate and manage my time—and respect their time, as well.

What advice do you have for trainees who are having a difficult time with their career path?

Nnakwe Whitley and Dr. Barbara Natalizo giving the Innovation workshop at the 2018 National Postdoctoral Association’s Annual Conference.

People often think there’s only one perfect job for them, but the reality is that there are many wonderful options for you at any given time. Having to decide what you’re going to do for the rest of your life can feel impossible. Instead, it’s a great asset to have multidimensional mentorship and networking opportunities at professional, technical, and social levels. You may not know everything, but you can seek mentorship and learn from those mentors. When you learn about your options, your career decisions become an informed choice that you make. That way, if you realize that what you’re doing isn’t working for you, you can brainstorm and network your way into another wonderful choice.

Here’s a secret: some scientists may act like they know what they are doing in their careers all the time—they don’t. This is a dysfunctional belief that the culture of science imposes on us. What they don’t tell you is that it is key to seek advice and sponsorship from mentors and your peers to get through the ambiguous parts of your career journey.  You will eventually figure it out so be sure to ask for help! I envision my life in five-year chunks and I think about the steps that can get me there. I can only tell you where I want to be in five years; the choices are all pretty amazing, but I always leave room for serendipity to happen.

About the author:

Didem Sarikaya is the Co-Chair of the Early Career Scientist Career Development Committee and an FRSQ Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California Davis. She is committed to bringing forward stories and tools for trainees to learn more about career options so they can develop personally meaningful career trajectories.

Learn more about the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Leadership Program.

Are you a postdoc looking for hands-on education experience and mentoring? Or a faculty member interested in bringing evidence-based, effective active learning strategies into your classroom? The PALM (Promoting Active Learning and Mentoring) network helps faculty and postdoctoral fellows gain hands-on experience and long-term mentorship in putting active learning strategies into practice.

GSA is proud to partner with the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) and the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) in the development of the PALM network. In addition to resources and support, the program provides up to $2000 mentoring visit expenses per fellow, $500 mentor stipend, and $1000 meeting travel each for both fellow and mentor.

We spoke to one of the first PALM fellows, Christopher Baker, and his PALM mentor Michelle Smith to learn about what makes this experience so valuable for both the mentors and mentees.

Christopher Baker

Baker is an Assistant Professor at the Jackson Laboratories (JAX). He was a PALM fellow during his postdoctoral training (also at JAX), working with Smith to design and teach classes at the University of Maine. He investigates the genetic and molecular regulatory system that controls the location and rate of meiotic recombination.

Michelle Smith

Smith is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Maine. She is a science education researcher whose work focuses on how to help students learn biology and how to help faculty adopt promising educational practices in their classrooms.

Why were you interested in the PALM program?

CB: At JAX, we don’t have as many teaching opportunities as at a university, although we do have a few options, including graduate classes and a college-level genetics course for JAX employees. I had interacted with Michelle a little in courses at JAX, including one for grad students and postdocs called “The Whole Scientist” that filled out training on the non-research aspects of being a scientist. Michelle talked to us about teaching and introduced the concept of active learning methods. I realized that meeting Michelle was a great opportunity, and she was someone who could help me get into the classroom and get some more experience. I observed her in the classroom and had asked about the possibility of teaching a few classes at U Maine. When we heard about the PALM fellowship, we thought it was the perfect chance to do just that.

MS: I knew about the PALM program through my involvement with the GSA [Smith serves on the GSA Education Committee]. I think instructional coaching opportunities are really valuable, and I was interested in providing that mentorship. Chris and I were thinking about doing something like this anyway, but we realized the PALM program would provide us with extra support and opportunities. It would allow us to see the project all the way through, from having an idea, collecting student learning data, and analyzing the data, to revising the classroom materials.

Why do you think the PALM program is important?

MS: It’s the next step in getting people into active learning 2.0. It’s been shown that active learning methods are more effective for students, but how do we actually get instructors to use them effectively in the classroom? Many instructors first become interested in active learning through a workshop or seminar, but when they try using the methods in their classes, they can get really bogged down in the logistics—like, how do I ask a clicker question? How long do I give them for discussion? PALM gives postdocs a chance to practice in an environment with someone there who’s got your back and can help out.

Chris, what teaching experience did you have before applying?

CB: I had never taught a course or given a lecture in a large-enrollment undergraduate setting, although I had helped teach some study sections. I had enjoyed giving public lectures and talking about my research at local middle schools, so even though I didn’t have formal experience, I did like the idea of teaching.

What was your goal?

CB: I wanted to get some first-hand experience of some of the active learning concepts that Michelle has helped pioneer, particularly the use of in-class clicker content questions that are accompanied by peer discussion. Basically, that’s giving the students a question and getting them to answer it, then getting them to talk among themselves in small groups and then answer again. That peer instruction gives them a chance to think through the question and to have to explain their reasoning aloud. I thought that interaction, and what it takes to facilitate it, was really interesting. I also generally wanted experience with putting together class activities that encourage students to interact with one another.

How did you work together?

CB: Michelle had a large-enrollment course in genetics with several classes on meiosis and recombination, which is what I was studying. So, we came up with concepts that we could build the classes around and made an outline. I spent some time putting together potential genetics problems that could be incorporated into clicker questions and reviewing and editing Michelle’s current lectures on the topics. Then we met over two full days to review my material, which was super helpful. We also used the time to flesh out the mechanics of what was going to happen in the classroom, how to manage technology and, hopefully, the class. I taught my lessons over two class periods in the same week. Having two classes was very helpful, as it allowed us to review how things went during the first class. It also gave me more confidence to relax into the role.

MS: One of the nice things was that, because there were times when the students were discussing clicker questions with each other, we could communicate while Chris was teaching—in real time. For example, after he’d asked a question, I could come up and say: “OK, here’s what we can do next”, or “maybe you could try this”, or “remind them about that”. Often when you try active learning for the first time, it can be really daunting to let the students talk to each other and volunteer their answers because you don’t know what to expect. It helps to have someone else there to say, “It’s OK, I’ve seen this before,” or “you’re probably going to get this answer.”

CB: That was really useful. I almost wish we could have the same thing for presenting at a research conference! Someone to say, “OK, let’s all take a break now.”

MS: The other thing that was important was involving the students in the process. There’s a lot involved in turning over your class to somebody new. At this point, it was midway through the semester, and active learning involves building a lot of trust with the students. To help with this, I talked to them about why Chris was coming, and told them about his expertise, and then at the end I asked the students to give him feedback. That was nice—he did a recombination demonstration with pool noodles, and they wrote about how that really helped them visualize the process. But it also helped the students to see Chris’ involvement as part of a larger plan and see themselves as partners in helping Chris out.

CB: One of the goals of the PALM fellowship is also to disseminate our experiences to the wider community. In part through support of the PALM program, Michelle and I attended The Allied Genetic Conference in 2016, which had a significant education component. We presented a poster incorporating analysis of the students’ and instructors’ time spent engaged in active versus passive learning, as well as student assessment and feedback.

How was this experience useful for your careers?

CB: When I was on the job market and interviewing at universities, I was often asked about the program. I think people were interested, particularly at places where active learning techniques hadn’t been promoted much in the past. It certainly caught people’s eye, and it was helpful. I ended up at an institute that’s primarily focused on research, and I don’t have an undergrad classroom, but I try hard to incorporate peer discussion into my graduate teaching. 

MS: A lot of times people focus on the benefits of these programs to the mentee, but there were a lot of benefits to me as well! For example, Chris taught about meiosis and recombination, which is his research area. I had been teaching meiosis and recombination for many years, but for me it had become a bit predictable, and I was using the same types of problems every time. It was great not only that he provided new content, but also that he helped me step back a bit and think about why we have students learn about this topic.

The experience also helped me think through what I actually do in the classroom. For example, there are things I do to get ready that are important to me—like making sure the slides are posted ahead of time or making sure I run through the clicker questions—but I hadn’t verbalized those aspects. I promote active learning, but what are the steps that are actually involved when you put it into practice? Having to reflect on that has really helped me with the education workshops I give.

For mentees, I’d also point out this program can open doors to publishing education research. For example, there are places like CourseSource where you can publish the activities you develop.

Do you have advice for people thinking of applying?

MS: My advice is if you’re at all interested, to go for it. If you’re concerned about finding a mentor, or don’t know where to start, I would encourage you to reach out to Sue Wick at the ASCB. She will help answer your questions, assist in finding a mentor, and help you solve problems. Don’t let anything on the application intimidate you.

CB: If you have any interest in teaching, it’s a really valuable experience to be involved in a program like this. Get involved and have fun; it will be worth it!

Learn more about the PALM network here!

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a Dear Colleague Letter inviting those with current research support to request supplemental funding to enhance the training experience of graduate students.

Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO)

PIs supported by NSF’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) may request additional support for their PhD students in ways that enhance their professional development without negatively impacting dissertation research or increasing the time to degree.

Funding is available to support two types of activities. First, funding may be requested to support student participation in experiences that extend beyond their discipline and/or broaden their career options. For example, funds may be used to support the student for a brief internship period in the private, non-profit or academic arena, or to obtain specialized skills in a cross-disciplinary setting. Second, funds may be requested to compensate trainees to attend professional development courses (not formal degree programs) that enhance skills needed to be competitive in the job market. Courses with special emphasis on training in quantitative biology and/or acquiring skills that improve broader impacts (e.g., communicating science to the public) will be considered a priority.

MCB expects to make no more than 15 awards per year of $6,000–12,000 each, and requests will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact one of the cognizant program directors for more information as soon as possible. All requests must be received by May 20, 2016.

Other programs within the BIO Directorate are not participating at this time.

Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR)

Grantees from EHR—as well as other Directorates—may apply for supplemental funding to support doctoral student participation in “education-related training experiences that broaden their skill sets and their career options, preparing them for a variety of STEM-related careers.” Specifically, EHR will support three types of activities:

• Participation in internships, training experiences, or collaborative research with private, non-profit, government, or academic organizations that promote informal STEM learning (e.g., museums; film, broadcast media, and science journalism; digital media and gaming; citizen science; school and community programs). Opportunities can include, but are not limited to, communication and media training programs that prepare students to be effective communicators to public audiences, internships focused on informal STEM learning research and evaluation, and training in exhibit and program design and delivery.

• Participation in internships, training experiences, or research and development activities in collaboration with education researchers and/or social science learning scholars to acquire new teaching skills and competencies, to gain exposure to new STEM educational research areas, or to test novel approaches for improving the engagement of K-12 or undergraduate students in authentic, career-relevant experiences. For example, doctoral students might spend a visiting term with a discipline-based education research group to learn about its research foci and relevant methodologies.

• Development and piloting of new and innovative programs for groups of graduate students focusing on (a) specific transferable professional skills or (b) career development and preparation for a variety of STEM career pathways. For this activity, projects must include active NSF Graduate Research Fellowship awardees and Honorable Mentions from a single campus or from several institutions within a region, including minority-serving institutions. Programs should include a plan to ensure participation by Fellows and Honorable Mention recipients who are women, members of underrepresented minority groups, persons with disabilities, and veterans. (This opportunity is limited to lead investigators of Graduate Research Fellowship Program institutional awards.)

The first two opportunities noted above should benefit individual students but may be requested by PIs on any active NSF award.

Requests will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact the cognizant program director for more information as soon as possible. All requests must be received by May 31, 2016.

Other Directorates

Information about opportunities from other NSF directorates may be found in the Dear Colleague Letter.

Additional Information:

• “Dear Colleague Letter: Improving Graduate Student Preparedness for Entering the Workforce, Opportunities for Supplemental Support” (NSF 16-067), April 15, 2016.
• “New Funding Opportunity,” MCB Blog, April 22, 2016.

The White House National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) has developed a pair of portals to connect undergraduates and graduate students to Federally-sponsored opportunities. These resources compile programs across federal agencies, which may be searched or browsed by discipline, location, and more.

• STEMUndergrads.science.gov includes listings for undergraduate fellowships, scholarships, courses, internships, prize, and institution-based awards for undergraduate programs.

• STEMGradStudents.science.gov includes listings for graduate fellowships, scholarships, traineeships, internships, and collaborations; scientific meeting support; thesis research; prizes; and institution-based awards for graduate programs.

Among the agencies who are included in the new portals are the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation (NSF), Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Geological Survey.

CoSTEM was established in 2011 to coordinate Federal programs and activities in support of STEM education. Its co-chairs are France Córdova, Director of NSF, and Jo Handelsman, Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

GSA member Erin K. O’Shea has been selected by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as its sixth president and will assume the top position on September 1, 2016. O’Shea has served as HHMI’S vice president and chief scientific officer since 2013. She is also a professor at Harvard University.

With a background in yeast research, O’Shea’s lab has focused on the ways cells sense changes in their environment and respond appropriately. This includes research to understand how gene regulatory networks encode and decode information to control gene expression—and investigating the function and mechanism of oscillation of a three-protein circadian clock.

Erin O’Shea (Credit: James Kegley/HHMI)

Erin K. O’Shea, PhD
Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer
Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and
Paul C. Mangelsdorf Professor of Molecular & Cellular Biology
Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Harvard University

GENETICS Author, 2005, 2002, 2001, 2001, 1998
G3 Author, 2012

She also previously served as director of the Harvard Faculty of Arts & Sciences Center for Systems Biology and as professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

O’Shea will succeed Robert Tjian, who has served as HHMI president since 2009 but announced last year that he would be stepping down to return to his position at the University of California, Berkeley. HHMI is the largest private funder of academic biomedical research in the U.S. with an endowment of $18.2 billion; in 2015, the institute invested $666 million in research and an additional $85 million in science education.

Additional Information:

• “Erin O’Shea Named New HHMI President,” February 3, 2016.
• Jocelyn Kaiser, “Biochemist tapped as first woman to lead one of world’ largest private biomedical Funders,” Science, February 3, 2016.

The National Science Foundation has funded a new mentoring initiative jointly organized by the GSA, American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), and American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB). The Promoting Active Learning & Mentoring (PALM) Network was established to spark sustained biology education reform at diverse institutions through one-on-one long-term mentorships for faculty new to approaches based on recommendations from the Vision and Change report.

PALM provides faculty and postdoctoral scholars with resources that allow them to gain hands-on experience and long-term mentorship support to bring evidence-based, active learning strategies into their own classrooms. The longer term goal is to lead enduring change that will positively influence the teaching culture at each PALM Fellow’s institution.

PALM offers up to $2,000 per Fellow; a $500 mentor stipend; and up to $1,000 for network meeting travel (for each Fellow and mentor). The 2016 application deadlines are January 15 and June 15. The application site will open on January 1, 2016 at www.ascb.org/PALM; more details are available on the site now.

PALM Fellows will:

• Identify and secure partnership with experienced mentors who have already reformed their classrooms. A successful application will define how Fellows will visit the mentor’s site to observe and participate in teaching redesigned classes. This will allow Fellows to experience first-hand—and begin to put into practice—the full scope of pedagogical and cultural shifts needed to achieve effective change.
• Submit a complete proposal.
• Schedule dates to complete the identified work within six months of receiving the award notification.
• Develop an active learning-based module for one of their classes with guidance from their mentors and implement it, thus demonstrating how they have incorporated active learning approaches.
• Submit videos of their teaching before and after their mentoring experience for analysis.
• Consider best options and timing for disseminating their materials to others in their institutions and in the greater scientific community, including publication (e.g., CourseSource or GSA PREP).
• Report on their activities to colleagues at the year-end gathering of the PALM Network, as well as at a national, regional, or sectional meeting of their respective scientific societies.
• Participate in surveys over several years so the PALM Network can assess the extent and persistence of change in classroom practice.

Applicants must:

• Be or become members of organizations that belong to the PALM Network.
• Demonstrate an abiding/sustainable interest in undergraduate biology education.
• Establish a mentor relationship before formally applying.
  • Mentors must be skilled in active learning strategies and evidence-based teaching that align with Vision and Change principles. See http://www.visionandchange.org.
  • Mentors must belong to (or join) one of the PALM Network organizations.
  • Assistance with mentor matching is available (PALM Steering Committee can make recommendations based on geography and specific teaching interests).
• Explain alternatives if they have no immediate access to their own teaching setting.

Networking Works

The PALM Network is designed to combine the shared educational interests of scientific organizations working to promote the objectives of Vision and Change. PALM founders will expand the network by bringing in other organizations seeking collaborations based on reform efforts as they work hard to promote the principles of Vision and Change. The PALM Network Steering Committee contains members representing three professional societies, minority-serving institutions, and community colleges; this is an intentional combination aimed at ensuring diversity in program management and participation.

The PALM Steering Committee’s links to minority- and tribal-serving institutions and community colleges will support this grant’s goals for broadening participation in active learning reform. These organizations educate over half the underrepresented minorities in the U.S., so PALM is primed to bring Vision and Change reforms to populations of faculty and students who have not factored prominently into past pedagogical reform plans.

Questions? Please email grant PI Sue Wick at swick@umn.edu or Beth Ruedi at eruedi@genetics-gsa.org.

Funded by NSF Research Coordination Network in Undergraduate Biology Education grant #1539870

The folks behind the Cards Against Humanity party game have established the Science Ambassador Scholarship, which offers a full tuition scholarship of up to four years for a woman seeking an undergraduate degree in science, engineering, or math. They are looking for individuals who are passionate about discovery and able to share that excitement with others.

Applications include a video of three minutes or less where you explain a scientific topic you are passionate about. Just record and upload a public video to YouTube and fill our a very brief application by December 1, 2015. Videos will be reviewed by a board of 50 judges (including GSA members Joyce Kao and Renee Robbins and former GSA member Mónica Feliú-Mójer) who all work in science and engineering. Ten finalists will be asked to submit additional materials early next year.

Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who will be full-time college students in the 2016–2017 academic year seeking a STEM undergraduate degree.

The scholarship is supported by proceeds from the game’s Science Pack.