This proposal seeks funding to support travel for students, postdoctoral fellows, early career faculty and professionals, inclusive of underrepresented groups and accessible to persons with disabilities, to participate in the 2014 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting. The 2014 BMES Annual Meeting will be held in San Antonio, Texas, from October 23-25, 2014, and it will feature 19 parallel technical Program Tracks focused on the overall theme of "Bioengineering Innovations to Catalyze Affordable Health Care." The BMES Annual Meeting serves as a primary vehicle for scientific sharing and dissemination of the latest advances in biomedical engineering, as well as a facilitator of important cross-fertilizations between the life sciences and engineering technologies, which foster a multi-disciplinary approach in the practice of Biomedical Engineering. The travel awards will afford the opportunity for young investigators and investigators from underrepresented groups to attend the Annual Meeting, be informed on the latest scientific and technological advances in Biomedical Engineering, and participate in programs and special sessions focused on health disparities and promoting and sustaining innovative research in biomedical engineering and grant writing.
The requested funds will specifically be used to offset travel costs and registration fees for students, early career professionals and session participants and to support the Students Research and Design Awards and the Student Travel Awards, which will enable undergraduate and graduate students to actively participate in the Annual Meeting and be recognized for their outstanding contributions to biomedical research. The requested funds will also support the Biomedical Innovation and Career Development Travel Awards to provide broad participation of those involved in minority health in the Health Disparities Session. Overall, the requested funding will contribute towards the development of a diverse, well-educated, technically competent, and internationally competitive biomedical engineering workforce.
