Eleven of these founding members flew to the recent national SACNAS meeting in Tampa, Florida. There, they they attended seminars on "how to inquire, apply, interview and enroll in graduate school." These students also recieved individual mentoring from established scientists in their field, presented posters on their research and were inspired by keynote minority speakers on topics such as the genetics of bipolar disease.
One student, Sarah Meece, a biology major, recieved one of only around 3 dozen "best poster" awards for her work on "The role of the chiton, Mopalia ciliata, on the creation and maintenance of free space in a marine fouling community."
All 11 of these attendees were funded in full by the national SACNAS organization.
Students interested in joining the local SACNAS chapter, and perhaps attending future SACNAS national conferences, should contact the local SACNAS president Jessica Pimentel Cruz at: jpimentelcruz@hotmail.com