Built upon a culture of inclusiveness, Choose Development is a three-year project through which the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) aims to augment the diversity of undergraduate students that enter doctoral (PhD) programs in their pursuit of research careers in fields related to developmental biology. This pioneering program emphasizes professional development and research training under long-term and continuing supervision by expert developmental biology research faculty. Undergraduates with disabilities and those belonging to under-represented minority (URM) groups will be selected from a national applicant pool and matched to research laboratories with trained faculty mentors committed to enhancing their preparation to enter graduate programs. Students will be recognized as an elite group of SDB Fellows who will spend two summers (and possibly an academic year as well) carrying out independent research in the mentor's laboratory. The Society will ensure dissemination of their research accomplishments through the students' participation in SDB regional and/or national meetings, complemented by strong support and encouragement from members of this scientific community. It is expected that most, if not all of these SDB Fellows will choose and be accepted into graduate programs on developmental biology or related areas. This project will have important implications toward enhancing training strategies that aim to diversify the population of investigators in the discipline of developmental biology, as well as that of our future scientific workforce to coincide with the expected demographic changes in the United States. SDB will also develop and implement resources to assist other scientific and disciplinary societies that plan to adopt similar approaches.
