# Choose Development! to broaden participation of underrepresented undergraduates in developmental biology research

> **NIH NIH R25** · SOCIETY FOR DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY · 2021 · $151,456

## Abstract

Unguez, G
PROJECT ABSTRACT
The Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) is diversifying the community of developmental
biologists by supporting undergraduate students who are members of groups underrepresented
in basic/biomedical developmental biology and related research fields. SDB is able to achieve
this goal because of the Society’s unique infrastructure already in place by the Choose
Development! (CD) Program (2013-present), which provides a research-intensive undergraduate
training experience to undergraduate students at a lab of an established developmental biologist,
a multi-level mentoring plan for each student, society-wide recognition and enculturation activities
at national meetings and continued support in years after participation in the Choose
Development! Program. Key outcomes of the introductory Choose Development! Program
include: (1) Of a total of 33 undergraduate Fellows, 63% of Fellows that have graduated (27) have
entered a graduate program in developmental biology or closely related field (including one
MD/PhD), 11% have entered medical school, and 11% have taken gap years in preparation
towards submitting a more competitive application to graduate schools while working in their
previous mentors’ lab; (2) to date, a total of 10 publications have involved the research of CD
Fellows, with 8 manuscripts having a Fellow as a co-author and 2 crediting Fellows in the
acknowledgements; (3) increased awareness and appreciation across the entire SDB led to
proactive actions aimed at diversifying committees, Board of Directors, increased representation
from non-R1 institutions, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students on the Board and active
searches of underrepresented speakers at annual meetings. These cumulative outcomes of the
CD Program have provided these Fellows an atmosphere of inclusiveness within the entire SDB
and has impacted their continuation in the field. Proposed educational and mentoring activities
enhance the two-summer immersion requirement of each participant in the research laboratory of
an established SDB member anywhere in the USA. Summer hands-on research experiences by
trainees will take place in laboratories that study the development of multicellular organisms at
the molecule, cell, tissue, organ and whole organism levels and cover topics ranging from stem
cells and nuclear reprogramming to evolutionary developmental and systems biology, and from
computational analysis to identify gene regulatory networks involved in morphogenesis and
organogenesis to the etiology of disease - all topics of great relevance to the National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10270461
- **Project number:** 1R25HD105600-01
- **Recipient organization:** SOCIETY FOR DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Graciela Alexandra Unguez
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $151,456
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10270461

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10270461, Choose Development! to broaden participation of underrepresented undergraduates in developmental biology research (1R25HD105600-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10270461. Licensed CC0.

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