The goal is to host the annual Hinman Student Research Symposium, co-sponsored by the Hinman Dental Society and the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry, with the support of NIDCR, Procter & Gamble, and Viral Antigens, Inc. The overall objective of the Hinman Student Research Symposium is to help raise and maintain the quality of dental research and education in the U.S. by encouraging participation of dental students, graduate trainees, and dental school faculty in research to improve public health. The Symposium has been held for ten years in 1995 through 2004, and support is requested to partially underwrite the Symposium for years 11through 15. The Symposium will be held in Memphis, Tennessee, on the last weekend in October and will feature oral and poster presentations of research studies by dental students and graduate trainees. The program will consist of scientific sessions with awards for the best presentations, a welcoming banquet with a nationally known speaker, exhibits, and opportunities for getting acquainted and touring the host city. The goal each year will be to obtain participation by at least one student from each of the U.S. dental schools with active dental research programs. Tofacilitate student participation, one travel award will be made to a student from each institution to partially defray costs of attending the Symposium. Additional students from each institution will be invited to attend with travel support from their institution. Upto ten research mentors will also be invited. Food, housing, and entertainment will be provided at no cost to all participants. Outcomes assessment will include on-line surveys of student participants, mentors, and research administrators and tracking of current educational and research activities of former participants and will be reported to a NationalAdvisoryCouncil to help maintain the quality of the Symposium and guide its future development.
Aims ofthe Symposium areto: Recognize, encourage,and rewardstudent achievements indental research; Provide students with the educational experience of preparing a research presentation and presenting to an audience of their peers; Promote interactions among outstanding students from across North America; Facilitate learning about new directions in dental research and the many different areas of current research interest; Inform students about opportunities for advanced training in research and programs to support training; Encourage outstanding students to considercareers in dental research and education; Increase the awareness of students entering the dental profession of the methods, scope, and importance of dental and craniofacial research.
