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  WINTER 2014

   Society for Developmental Biology

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SDB 73rd Annual Meeting in Seattle

Registration and abstract submission will open in March for the  73rd Annual SDB Meeting to be held July 17-21, 2014 at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA. The 5th SDB Boot Camp for New Faculty will be held July 16-17, 2014.  Renew your membership today for reduced registration rates, eligibility for consideration for a short talk, and application for travel awards! The abstract submission deadline is April 18 and the early-discounted meeting registration deadline is May 5. Latin American-Caribbean Student and Faculty Scholarship applications are due April 18. Student, postdoc, and teaching faculty travel award applications are due May 5


New SDB Website

The Society for Developmental Biology website has a new look.  Check it out at www.sdbonline.org.   Let us know what you think.  Feel free to send comments and suggestions to Marsha Lucas at [email protected].


2014 SDB Award Winners

The SDB Board of Directors selected the following recipients for the 2014 SDB Awards. The presentations and award lectures will take place at the 73rd Annual SDB Meeting in Seattle, WA.

Edwin G. Conklin Medal: Richard Harland, University of California, Berkeley

Developmental Biology-SDB Lifetime Achievement Award: Christopher Wylie and Janet Heasman, Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize:
Larry Bock, Founder, USA Science & Engineering Festival


The Secret to Getting the Postdoc You Want

I think that one of the scariest parts of being President of SDB is coming up with topics for these editorials in the Newsletter. This time, however, I want to write about an issue that has bothered me for many years: how people apply for postdoctoral positions. In my experience most people (around 99%) apply incorrectly for their postdocs, and I suspect that many people do not get the postdoc that they want because of their applications. I’d like to change that situation. ...

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Choose Development! Summer Research Program Seeks Fellows and Mentors

The NSF–funded Choose Development! summer research training program is seeking mentors committed to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities  and persons with disabilities entering doctoral programs in pursuit of research careers in developmental biology.  Apply to be an SDB Academic Mentor and host an SDB Fellow in your lab.  Encourage eligible undergraduates to apply.  Deadline for Mentor and Fellow applications is February 14.  Learn more here.


Volunteer at the 2014 USA Science & Engineering Festival

The Society for Developmental Biology will participate in the 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo to be held April 26-27 in Washington, DC with a special sneak peak event on Friday, April 25. Volunteers are need for our "Developmental Changes Form All Creatures" exhibit which will feature developing fish and frog embryos, and an exercise on plant evolution.  Visit the SDB website or contact Marsha Lucas at [email protected] for more information on this outreach opportunity for sharing developmental biology with the masses.


Upcoming SDB Regional Meetings

Seven SDB regional meetings will be held throughout the US this year (six this spring and one in the fall).  Regional meetings are an excellent opportunity for students and postdocs to present their research and give short talks.  See upcoming events below for meeting dates and locations.


Call for Nominations for 2014 SDB Elections

SDB is now accepting nominations for President-elect, Treasurer, and Representatives for the Northeast, Midwest, and Southwest regions.  Go here for nomination details.  Deadline is February 28, 2014


MBL Embryology Course

Applications are being accepted for the 2014 Embryology Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.  The 6-week course accepts 24 students from around the world. Course directors Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado and Richard Behringer strongly encourage outstanding graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to apply.  Deadline is February 7, 2014.  Learn more here.


Upcoming events

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Did you know?

  • SDB members can apply for non-SDB meeting grants to fund member-organized conferences central to developmental biology.  Deadline: May 31, 2014.
  • SDB members are eligible for travel awards through the FASEB MARC Program
  • SDB will provide travel assistance for Latin American investigators to visit a host lab in the US or Canada to learn new techniques or approaches in developmental biology with the SDB Latin American Short Visit Grant.  Proposal deadline: May 31, 2014.