Committee Email: bpc@sicb.org

The goal of the BP committee is to increase the diversity of SICB and the field of integrative biology at all career stages, in terms of gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, ability/disability, and socioeconomic background. The BP committee works to increase the diversity of SICB by providing travel awards to help underrepresented attendees defray the costs of attending the annual meeting, hosting a workshop and an evening social at the meeting, and organizing a one-on-one meeting mentorship program. These events and programs are open to all SICB members.

• SICB BP Professional Development Travel Award
• SICB DEIJ Service Award

BP Mentoring Resources

These resources are based on a recent interactive SICB workshop  “Beyond Traditional Mentors: Mentoring Moments and Networks.” This interactive workshop was led by Dr. Claire Horner-Devine, a consultant and workshop leader who focuses on professional development programs for early career scientists from underrepresented groups in STEM. Participants completed mentoring maps and assessed areas where they are receiving the mentoring they need and areas in which they need to develop more mentoring relationships. They developed a set of tools to pursue mentoring in areas where they want support and a plan to develop their mentoring networks, with concrete steps to take in the weeks following the workshop. 86% of those who attended the workshop said they would recommend it to others, and many commented that they would like to see mentoring become a topic that is more consistently addressed by SICB. For those who were unable to attend the workshop, we have posted presentation materials, mentoring worksheets, and other references here: (thank you to Claire Horner-Devine for providing these materials!)

• Slides and mentoring roadmap from Dr. Horner-Devine’s BP mentoring workshop
• Two resources about the importance of multiple mentors and mentoring moments:
  • When it come to mentoring, the more the merrier, by Kerry Ann Rockquemore
  • Kitchen Cabinet of Mentors, by Owen Sutkowski
• Three resources about Power of Peers (POP) Circles:
  • • A blog post about POP Circles in a range of programs
    • A piece about another peer mentoring group
    • You can also read chapter 16 of Every Other Thursday for details on setting up your own group.
• Articles based on Dr. Horner-Devine’s research on professional development for early career researchers from groups underrepresented in STEM:
  • Beyond Traditional Scientific Training: The Importance of Community and Empowerment for Women in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • The BRAINS Program: Transforming Career Development to Advance Diversity and Equity in Neuroscience
  • Learning to Thrive: Building Diverse Scientists’ Access to Community and Resources through the BRAINS Program

Additional references about diversity and inclusion in science:

• A recent piece about the importance of inclusion in science
• A great recent piece on the importance of counterspaces and intentional community for minority scholars.

BP Professional Development Awards

Broadening Participation Professional Development Awards are intended to allow students, post-docs, and faculty members who are underrepresented and/or who enhance the diversity of experiences and perspectives within their field, geographic region, or institution to attend the SICB annual meeting, by helping to defray the costs of travel, lodging, and registration. Awards are typically capped at $500. Applicants will be asked to submit an on-line application (available HERE starting in early fall) . Please note that the application process for the BP award is separate from other SICB awards such as the Charlotte Magnum Student Support Program. In addition, BP professional development awards are not restricted to students, and we are especially interested in ensuring that post-doctoral and junior faculty members have the support they need to attend the SICB meeting.

The Broadening Participation Professional Development Award is funded, in part, by donations from the Gans Collections and Charitable Funds, Inc.  To learn more about the foundation and view additional opportunities for funding, please visit http://carlgans.org.

Meeting Mentorship Program

The Broadening Participation Committee coordinates a meeting mentorship program for the annual SICB meetings, in which junior SICB attendees are matched to experienced student, post-doc or faculty mentors who can provide networking opportunities, tips for getting the most out of the meeting, and general career advice. Mentors and mentees will be asked to contact each other before the meeting, to attend several talk/poster sessions or social events together during the meeting, and to contact each other after the meeting. Guidelines and applications for the Meeting Mentorship Program will be posted online ahead of the annual meeting registration deadline.