LATEST NEWS

SSE, ASN, ESEB, and SSB are teaming up with The Story Collider for a science storytelling show on July 28th as part of the in-person portion of the 2024 Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology (Evolution 2024)! The theme for this event is “Throughout the Distribution," and it will feature 5 stories from 5 different viewpoints that represent the diversity of experiences in evolutionary biology.

Requirements:

The only requirement is that the story must be about you. We’re seeking true stories about your personal experiences with science to be included in the show. These must be stories—not lectures—with a beginning, middle, and end in which you undergo a change. 

All you need at this point is the seed of an idea for your story. It can be about almost anything:

- Perseverance and obstacles overcome (whether professional or scientific)
- Expectations upended
- Finding community, belonging, or acceptance in biology
- Adventure and danger
- Having your perspective changed 
- Being in over your head or a rough day in the field
- Conquering fears
- Finding work/life balance
- Being inspired
- Standing up for yourself
- An important experiment
- Misadventure, love, or loss
- How you first fell in love with science
- How your work has affected your personal life 

The Story Collider producers will help you develop this idea into an eight-to ten-minute-long story. For further inspiration, you can listen to examples of our last Story Collider Event in 2019 on SoundCloud. 

How to apply:

If you’re interested, please email the Story Collider producers at stories@storycollider.org by May 17th, 2024 and include a short (1-2 paragraphs) summary of your story and “Evolution 2024" in the subject line. 

Deadline: May 17th, 2024

Primarily, the producers will look for a strong story arc – a change that takes place in the storyteller from beginning to the end. If selected, storytellers will work with our producers to develop their stories in the weeks leading up to the show. The storytellers will perform their stories at the Story Collider event at 7:00 pm on July 28th at the in-person portion of the Evolution 2024 meeting in Montreal.

This event is organized by the SSE Diversity Committee, the ESEB Equal Opportunities Committee, the ASN Diversity Committee, and the SSB DEI Committee. Email the SSE Diversity Committee (diversity [at] evolutionsociety.org) or Misha Gajewski, Story Collider Managing Producer (mishagajewski [at] storycollider.org) with any questions. We look forward to hearing your stories at Evolution 2024!

The SSE Nominating Committee invites nominations for five Council positions beginning January 2025: President Elect, North American Vice President, and three Councilors. Nominations are accepted throughout the year, but only nominations submitted by April 15 will be considered for the 2025 ballot. We welcome self nominations. Continue reading for descriptions of each position.

We are pleased to offer free registration for the virtual portion of the Evolution 2024 meeting (June 27-28) to SSE members from 152 countries and territories around the world. All members who joined through the Global Membership Assistance Program are eligible. Meeting registration codes will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more and apply here.

Congratulations to our 2024 T. H. Huxley Award winner, Tim Hartelt! This award provides funding for an SSE member to present evolution education resources at an education-focused session or conference.

Tim Hartelt is a PhD student advised by Dr. Helge Martens in the Department of Biology Education at the University of Kassel in Germany. Hartelt was selected for his educational resource, "Metaconceptual Learning Activities for Promoting Metacognitive Awareness and Self-Regulation of Intuitive Thinking in Evolution Education." In the activities, students actively engage with their intuitive thinking to develop an appropriate understanding of evolution. Learn more about the activity here, and read a recent paper by Hartelt and colleagues here. As part of the award, Hartelt will receive funding to present his work at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) conference in November.

Hear from 11 recipients of our R. C. Lewontin Early Awards in this weekly virtual seminar series organized by the Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC). Student speakers present their research in a seminar-style format on Mondays from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern via Zoom. Our first speaker on March 4 will be Robin Waterman of Michigan State University. Join the seminar here. We hope to see you there!

Congratulations to the recipient of the 2023 IDEA Award, Dr. Corey Welch! 

Dr. Welch was selected for his wide range of work to broaden participation of students and professionals from diverse backgrounds in all areas of STEM. Using the latest research on student success and his training in vertebrate ecology and evolution, he established and now directs an award-winning undergraduate training program, the STEM Scholars Program at Iowa State University. During his work with the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), where he served on the board of directors for six years, Dr. Welch launched an ongoing mentoring program at the society’s annual meeting and has served as a facilitator for the Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institutes. In addition to this work, Dr. Welch has led more than 40 seminars and presentations, mainly at biology and EEB departments, on how to improve DEI in STEM. Most recently, Dr. Welch founded the Sharon Farr Welch Northern Cheyenne Tribal Scholarship program for students from his own Northern Cheyenne community to pursue higher education. 

Dr. Corey Welch will present his work during the IDEA Award Plenary at the in-person portion of the Evolution 2024 meeting in Montreal this July. This event will also be live-streamed for all meeting registrants.

The SSE Caregiver Award is meant to assist members who have additional needs and responsibilities that can inhibit participation at the annual Evolution meeting. This award provides up to $500 to SSE members that need assistance in covering caregiver costs while attending the annual Evolution meeting (in person or virtually).

A "caregiver" is broadly defined and includes people caring for children or dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives), and people in need of personal assistance; this award can be spent as the awardee wishes to facilitate attendance. For example, this award can be used (but is not limited) to:

- bring someone that is in your care to the Evolution meeting
- cover the cost of dependent care at home while you travel
- bring someone that is helping to care for you to the Evolution meeting
- cover the cost of dependent care while you attend virtually
- cover any extra accessibility costs associated with attending

Awardees can spend this money in whatever way will help alleviate the cost of caregiving. We anticipate up to 20 awards will be made available, depending on the number of applicants.

Deadline: March 15, 2024

The SSE Public Policy Committee will fund a limited number of SSE members to attend the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) 2024 Congressional Visits Day, which will take place in Washington, DC and includes a free half-day training session on April 16 and meetings with lawmakers on April 17. There is also the option to also attend the Communications Boot Camp for Scientists on April 15-16. 

SSE members at all career stages who are interested in communicating the importance of federal investments in scientific research and education to lawmakers are encouraged to apply. Funding can be used to cover the cost of the Communications Boot Camp and contribute toward travel and lodging. 

SSE members interested in using these funds for other advocacy opportunities are also welcome to apply. Email policy@evolutionsociety.org for more information.

Learn more about SSE membership and how to join, or check your current SSE membership status.   

Deadline: February 19, 2024

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is now accepting proposals for the Small Grants Program for Local and Regional Outreach Promoting the Understanding of Evolutionary Biology. 

These grants provide support for local and regional educational outreach activities to take place during 2023. Examples of past outreach activities have included public lectures, exhibits, student competitions, and professional development events for teachers.

Grants of up to $1000 USD will be awarded. Applicants must be members of SSE. 

Learn more and apply by March 1, 2024.

Applications are now open for the Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution program, which sends undergraduates interested in ecology, evolutionary biology, and related fields to the annual Evolution meeting. At the meeting, selected students will present a poster, receive mentoring, and participate in a career-oriented discussion panel. Awardees receive conference registration, round-trip airfare, accommodations, a meal stipend, and a ticket to the Super Social. 

Learn more and apply by January 29, 2024.