# Developmental Biology New York (DBNY) Conference

> **NIH NIH R13** · ITHACA COLLEGE · 2021 · $6,000

## Abstract

Project Abstract/Summary
 Undergraduate research is a key component of experiential STEM education. The most
substantial research experiences culminate in communication of results to the larger scientific
and public communities. The timing and intimidating scale of large scientific conferences,
however, often hinder full undergraduate participation. We propose a new conference that will
enable undergraduates to present their work in a welcoming inclusive setting, while maintaining
the resources for networking, mentorship, and career development found at larger conferences.
 Numerous colleges in our region are committed to undergraduate research, and often
integrate research as a required component of their STEM curricula. Several conferences
during Spring semester are appropriate for undergraduates to fully participate, including the
regional zebrafish and C. elegans community meetings. Despite research being a year-round
activity, there are no undergraduate-friendly conferences in our region during the Fall semester.
To fill this need, we launched DBNY (Developmental Biology New York) in 2019, and had more
than 100 attendees from 20 institutions. Our focus on Developmental Biology (broadly defined
as “the biology of change”) allowed us to attract a diverse pool of participants, while keeping the
conference thematically focused and at a size to maximize undergraduate participation.
 DBNY also offers several features designed to enhance the training of the next generation
of scientists. First, DBNY is cost-free, eliminating one of the key barriers that prevent students
from attending conferences. Second, DBNY has a strong focus on career preparation in STEM.
Accordingly, one of the best-reviewed aspects of our 2019 conference was our career panel, in
which recent graduates from our region discussed the trajectories of their diverse careers. We
will feature the career panel in future conferences and will add additional formalized mentoring
activities. Third, DBNY has a strong focus on accessible networking opportunities. Our keynote
speaker is a current graduate student, which allows undergraduate students a role model for
their near future. The poster and talk judges are drawn from faculty with strong interests and
experiences in undergraduate education. Moreover, we enlist logistical help from numerous
local graduate students, and encourage these graduate students to engage the undergraduates
by asking questions during their talks and poster presentations. Finally, one of our guiding
principles in creating this conference is to enhance diversity and inclusion in STEM education;
accordingly, our keynote speaker and most of our career panel in 2019 were from
underrepresented groups in STEM, and we will continue this practice in future conferences.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242211
- **Project number:** 5R13HD103329-02
- **Recipient organization:** ITHACA COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Te-Wen Lo
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $6,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-19 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242211

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242211, Developmental Biology New York (DBNY) Conference (5R13HD103329-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242211. Licensed CC0.

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