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2009 Porter Physiology Development Committee Report
The goal of the Porter Physiology Development Program is to encourage
diversity among students pursuing full-time studies toward the PhD (or DSc)
in the physiological sciences and to encourage their participation in the
American Physiological Society. The program provides one to two year
full-time graduate fellowships. The program is open to underrepresented
ethnic minority applicants who are citizens or permanent residents of the
United States or its territories.
2008-2009 Porter Physiology Fellowship Program: In 2008-2009, the
program provided funding for six fellows. Nearly all of the 2008-2009 Porter
Fellows presented a poster at EB 2009, 83% have completed at least one of
the APS Professional Skills Training Courses, and two participated in K-12
outreach activities through PhUn Week.
2009-2010 Porter Fellowships-New and Renewal Applications: The number
of new applications received for Porter Fellowships declined this year. A
total of 10 new and three renewal applications were submitted for the
January 15 deadline. The Committee noted the increase in quality of
applications being received, but was disappointed that the number of
applications did not increase this year.
Stipend Amount: Over the past few years a number of students who were
selected as Porter Fellows declined the fellowship due to receipt of other
awards. In many cases, the stipend for the Porter Fellowship was less than
that of other fellowships. The Committee researched graduate stipends and
benefits at various academic institutions and found that a least 30% of the
institutions provided some benefits in addition to the stipend (tuition,
fees, and/or health insurance). At many institutions, stipends increased as
students progressed in their programs. In terms of stipend, the starting
stipend at all of the respondents’ institutions was more than that provided
by the Porter Fellowship. However, several respondents noted that their
institutions provided additional stipend funds to students to receive
outside funding for fellowships. The stipend paid to the Porter Fellows for
2009-2010 will be $23,500, consistent with the NIH scale.
Minority Travel Fellows Program: Four travel fellows received funding to
attend the APS conference, “2008 APS Intersociety Meeting: The Integrative
Biology of Exercise V,” Hilton Head, SC, September 2008. In January 2009,
the Committee selected 40 travel fellows to attend EB 2009 in New Orleans,
LA. Again this year, the Committee was pleased that former Porter Fellows
and past Travel Fellows volunteered to be mentors for the younger Travel
Fellows.
Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)
Awards: The APS exhibited at the 2008 meeting in Lake Buena Vista, FL,
promoting graduate study in physiology and the APS programs for minority
students. The APS provided $2,000 for cash awards for the most outstanding
undergraduate presentations in physiology research.
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
National Conference: In 2008, SACNAS celebrated its 35th anniversary
with a conference focused on International Polar Year & Global Change,
especially climate change & the peoples it most directly affects. The
conference attracted 2,500 conference attendees (44% professionals, 36%
undergraduates, 17% graduates, 3% postdocs, special guests, and local
community participants). The SACNAS exhibit hall hosted approximately 300
exhibiting organizations, 600 registered exhibitors and showcased 600
student research poster presentations over a two-day period. The APS was an
exhibitor during the national conference in Salt Lake City from October
9-12, 2008.
The K-12 Minority Outreach Fellows Program: In its third year, the
program supported two fellows, TanYa Gwathmey, Hypertention/Vascular
Research Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Keisa
Mathis, Department of Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center. During their
fellowship they attended the 2008 Experimental Biology meeting at served as
a Physiologists-in-Residence at the APS Science Teaching Forum (July 20-27,
2008, Warrenton, VA); participated in 2008 PhUn (Physiology Understanding)
Week activities; Gwathmey represented APS at the 2008 SACNAS National
Conference; Mathis represented APS at the 2008 ABRCMS meeting; both Fellows
attended the 2009 Experimental Biology meeting at the end of their
fellowship year to help conduct outreach activities for teachers and
students; and both presented posters on their physiology research and were
Minority Travel Fellows.
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