The goal of the proposal is to provide an opportunity for undergraduates interested in ecology and evolutionary biology to present their work at a special Undergraduate Poster Session that will be held annually at the Ecological Society of America (ESA) meetings (2005-07). Funds will be provided to help undergraduates, especially those from under-represented minority groups, travel to the Conference and engage in conference activities including networking, attendance at talks and lectures, and presentation of their own work at a special session for undergraduates. This Conference grant will provide a stipend to help defray the costs of travel, any required registration fees, hotel costs, plus daily meals for each of 20 competitively selected students each year. At least 50% of participants are expected to be from groups under-represented in science. An ad hoc Selection Committee will choose the 20 selected students, most of whom will be recruited from the existing NSF's REU and UMEB network. An evaluation component is planned which will seek written input from both the student participants and their faculty mentors, and will also track the students into the future to assess the impact that ESA participation has had on their educational and career decisions.
