#ESA2018: Mentoring Opportunities & Travel Awards

Looking forward to ESA 2018, there are two mentoring opportunities, as well as a travel award! Note that the travel award for those looking for support for invited speakers (not for your own individual travel). Read on for details about:

1. SEEDS program seeks mentors (commitment just during #ESA2018)
2. Early Career mentorship program seeks mentors (during #ESA2018)
3. New travel award: Annual Meeting Diversity and Inclusion Travel Award

1. SEEDS MENTORS WANTED

Become a SEEDS Mentor* at the ESA Annual Meeting! (Sign up by May 30)

The Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) Program of the Ecological Society of America seeks ESA Members to serve as SEEDS Meeting Mentors for undergraduate students during the 2018 ESA Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This year, the SEEDS Program will sponsor nearly 50 students from diverse backgrounds with a demonstrated commitment to the program’s mission. The mentoring program is integral in helping SEEDS nurture student interest in ecology, and to diversify and advance our science.

*This would be a great opportunity to share your scicomm knowledge, engagement experience, and network with someone who is interested in communication and engagement. Be sure to specify you are willing to mentor in these areas when you sign up.

2. EARLY CAREER MENTORS WANTED

Ecological Society of America Early Career Mentorship* Program

If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in New Orleans, would you be willing to join the mentor pool to be paired with an early career scientist? The program has been a huge success, connecting over 50 mentors-mentees pairs to date. Check out the link above for more information.

*Consider this as an opportunity to provide mentoring support to folks interested in enhancing their skills and/or transitioning to a SciComm and Engagement career. Please specify you’re volunteering in a SciComm capacity, so they know to pair you with someone looking for that kind of support.

3. ANNUAL MEETING TRAVEL AWARD

Annual Meeting Diversity and Inclusion Travel Award* (Nominations due June 8)

The 2018 ESA Annual Meeting Diversity and Inclusion Travel Award was created to support speakers who bring diverse perspectives to the ESA annual meeting at the interface of science, education, communication, policy and community. They will conduct workshops, trainings, or talks. Awardees must be new to ESA and who might not otherwise attend on their own resources. The ESA Governing Board has committed $4,000 for these travel awards.

Award
The Travel Award is intended to cover: 1) the ESA Annual Meeting one day or full conference registration fee; 2) a complimentary 2018 membership for those who have not previously been an ESA member; and 3) a ticket to the Diversity Luncheon on Thursday if the nominee is able to attend. Nominees are strongly encouraged to attend the Diversity Luncheon. Participants from the New Orleans area are especially welcome to be nominated.

Criteria
Nominees for the award may come from any sector related to science, communication and education: academia, non-government organizations, industries, or other independent entities, are not previously ESA members and who would not attend the ESA meeting without this support. The award recognizes significant contributions by individuals who work in the field to generate a broader appreciation of ecology as a science and who can enrich the exchange of ideas and perspectives at the ESA meeting. The award will be granted to engender diversity of race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, presence of disabilities, and educational background.

Nomination Statement (750 words or less)
Nominations must be submitted by an active ESA member affiliated with a Section, Chapter, Committee committed to attending the 2018 ESA Annual Meeting or the Lead Organizer of a Meeting symposium, OOS, Inspire, Special Session or Workshop. Nominators should be committed to enhancing the participation of the nominee during the meeting.

The statement should describe the nominee’s work, the significance (scientific or otherwise) of this effort, how it is aligned with the purpose, eligibility, and/or criteria of the Award and the benefits of the nominee’s participation at the ESA annual meeting. Please include:
1) Name, Position, Affiliation of Nominator
2) Name of Nominator’s Section, Chapter or Committee if applicable
3) Name, Position, Affiliation of Nominee and a description of the Nominee’s work
4) The proposed title and description of the talk by the nominee and the significance of this talk to the ESA
5) How the nominee would participate in the Annual Meeting beyond the individual talk (e.g., will the nominee participate in other meeting activities?)
6) How the nominee might benefit from participating at ESA
7) Any planned or potential follow up by the nominator after the meeting; and
8) The nominator’s role in facilitating any of the above.

Submissions
To be considered, please submit nominations via email WITH THE SUBJECT LINE: DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION TRAVEL AWARD to Teresa Mourad, Director of Education and Diversity Programs, teresa@nullesa.org.

Award Chair: Nalini Nadkarni, VP of Education and Human Resources, nalini.nadkarni@nullutah.edu

*Your Comm & Engagement Section Chairperson sits on the ESA’s Governance-level Committee on Diversity and Education. At last year’s annual planning retreat in September 2017, the idea of this award was raised and developed. The current nature of the award, including the deadline, was finalized by ESA. We did not have input on the timing, etc. If you would like to share your thoughts about any aspect of the award with your Section Chair, Bethann Garramon Merkle, we will absolutely pass them on to the CDE Committee and ESA. Contact us with your feedback. Our comment form accepts anonymous submissions.