ABOUT | HOW TO APPLY | SELECTION CRITERIA | UDE EVENTS | BE A MENTOR
The Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution (UDE) program sends undergraduate students to the annual Evolution meeting, the joint meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB), and the American Society of Naturalists (ASN). The program is co-sponsored by the participating societies. This year, the three societies will meet with the European Society for Evolutionary Biology for the 3rd Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology in Montreal, Canada.
At the meeting, students will (i) present a poster, (ii) receive mentoring from graduate students, postdocs, and faculty, and (iii) participate in a career-oriented 'Undergraduate Futures in Evolutionary Biology' panel and discussion. Each selected awardee receives:
*Note: The meal stipend will be provided as a reimbursement after the meeting.
The application deadline is January 29, 2024 and decisions will be announced in February. Applications are welcomed from all undergraduates, and the admissions goal is to create a diverse pool of students.
Applications consist of:
Submit the application using this form. The letter of recommendation must be submitted in PDF format via email to Dr. Richard Kliman (education@evolutionsociety.org).
Deadline: Monday, January 29, 2024
All awardees will be required to attend the entire meeting to maximize their participation.
Previous award recipients are not eligible to receive the award again.
An awardee who requires a visa to travel to the meeting location (Montréal, Canada) may be unable to obtain one in time for the 2024 meeting. If this appears likely at the time of award notification, the awardee will be given the option to defer their participation to the 2025 meeting.
Awardees will make travel arrangements as communicated to them by email from the Education and Outreach Committee, and they will be expected to attend all UDE events (see below).
The Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution program will host three conference events that all UDE recipients will be expected to attend. More information will be available during conference registration.
*The Professional Development event is open to ANY attending undergraduates or post-baccalaureates, regardless of award status/eligibility, but we kindly request you sign up in advance.
We are also looking for graduate students, postdocs and faculty members who would like to serve as mentors to the undergraduate awardees during the meeting. Mentors meet with pairs of students and attend talks with them, introduce them to colleagues, network and generally make the meeting a welcoming place for them. Mentoring is available to non-awardee students as well, depending on how many mentors sign up. Although costs are not covered for mentors, it is a rewarding experience. Those interested in serving as a mentor can indicate this during meeting registration. Questions may be directed to Dr. Richard Kliman (education@evolutionsociety.org). NOTE: Mentors need to be available to have lunch with their mentees on either the first or second full day of the meeting.