Calendar of events, awards and opportunities

Every week, we update this list with new meetings, awards, scholarships and events to help you advance your career. If you’d like us to feature something that you’re offering to the bioscience community, email us with the subject line “For calendar.” ASBMB members’ offerings take priority, and we do not promote products/services. Learn how to advertise in ASBMB Today.

Sept. 7: Interest group proposals due for #DiscoverBMB

For Discover BMB, the ASBMB's annual meeting in March in Seattle, we're seeking proposals for interest group sessions for the purpose of presenting new findings and building community. (We wrote about how this program got started and how it has worked in the past in this article.) At #DiscoverBMB, interest groups will be scheduled on the first day of the meeting, March 25. Organizers of interest groups will get free registration for the meeting. Submit an interest group proposal. 

Sept. 7: Removing contaminants from genome assemblies

The National Center for Biotechnology Information is hosting a live virtual event titled "Using NCBI Foreign Contamination Screen to Remove Contaminants from Genome Assemblies" at noon Eastern on Sept. 7. Here's how the event is described: "Join us to learn how to use the new NCBI Foreign Contamination Screen (FCS) tool suite to identify and remove contaminants from your genome assemblies. FCS has two components: FCS-adaptor searches for adaptors commonly used in genome sequencing methods and FCS-GX searches for sequences corresponding to foreign organisms. You will see examples of how to run FCS in the cloud." Register.

ASBMB fellows nominations open soon

It's not too early to start thinking about who among your colleagues deserves recognition as an ASBMB fellow. Fellows are recognized for their contributions to the society and their contributions advancing the molecular life sciences, whether that's through research, education and mentorship, or other forms of service to the scientific community. Learn more.

Sept. 14: Webinar for MOSAIC applicants

The National Institutes of Health is hosting a webinar at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 14 for prospective applicants to the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) K99/R00 or UE5 programs. (The ASBMB is a part of the MOSAIC program. Read about our newest MOSAIC scholars.) Register.

Sept. 14: Webinar on androgens and cardiovascular disease

The American Physiological Society is hosting a free webinar that will cover polycystic ovary syndrome, an endocrine disorder associated with modestly elevated androgens, and hormone therapy for transmen, which elevates androgens greatly to achieve levels similar to those in cisgender men. The event announcement says: "The role that these two different concentrations play in cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology remains unclear. Gaps and opportunities in basic research and clinical practice will be highlighted." The speaker will be Licy Yanes Cardozo, a physician-scientist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Learn more and register.

Sept. 19–23: #ASBMBLovesPostdocs activities

National Postdoc Appreciation Week is Sept. 19–23 — a time to celebrate postdocs and their immeasurable contributions to the scientific community. Here’s what we have planned at the ASBMB:

• Sept. 19–23 — Daily coffee breaks: Join us on Twitter at 1:30 p.m. for the chance to win a cup of coffee on us!
• Sept. 19–23 — Thank-you shout-outs: Email us a video tribute or a a photo of and a message for your postdoc(s) by Sept. 14. We’ll share it on social media. (Feel free to shoot your tribute on your cell phone.)
• Sept. 20 — Interactive workshop about writing an effective teaching statement. Register.
• Sept. 21 — Town hall on work–life balance. Register.
• Sept. 22 — Webinar on National Science Foundation funding for postdocs. Register.
• Sept. 23 — Twitter chat: Use #ASBMBLovesPostdocs to chime in.

Sept. 28: HHMI Hrabowski applications due

In May, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute launched a roughly $1.5 billion program to "help build a scientific workforce that more fully reflects our increasingly diverse country." The Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program will fund 30 scholars every other year, and each appointment can last up to 10 years. That represents up to $8.6 million in total support per scholar. HHMI is accepting applications from researchers "who are strongly committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science." Learn more.

Oct. 3: Nominations for NAS awards due

The National Academy of Sciences offers more than a dozen annual awards, and the nomination deadline for all of them is Oct. 3. You can see the full list here, but we want to draw your attention to the NAS Award in Molecular Biology (for a young investigator).

Oct. 5: Deadline for DOE undergrad intern applications

Undergraduate students interested in interning at a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory in the spring must apply by Oct. 5. There are two programs to be aware of: the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships program and the Community College Internships program. In both cases, students work at national laboratories on research or technology projects supporting the agency's mission. All full-time students or recent grads are eligible for the first program, and community college students are eligible for the other. These are paid positions. Learn more.

Oct. 5: Deadline for DOE visiting faculty applications

The U.S. Department of Energy has expanded its opportunities for faculty members from historically underrepresented groups to engage in research at national labs. The Visiting Faculty Program is intended to create partnerships between national labs and two-year colleges, minority-serving institutions and other colleges and universities nationwide. About 50% of participants are from MSI, and one-third of those are from historically Black colleges and universities. The deadline to apply is Oct. 5. Learn more.

Oct. 17–21: NASA bridge program workshop

The NASA Science Mission Directorate Bridge Program is intended to improve diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility at NASA and in the broader STEM community. The agency seeks to partner with minority-serving institutions, primarily undergraduate institutions and Ph.D.-granting universities and provide paid research student positions "to transition science and engineering students from undergraduate studies into graduate schools and employment by NASA," according to the announcement. A virtual workshop will be held from Oct. 17 through Oct. 21. You have to formally express interest in attending. Learn more.

Oct. 26: Webinar about women’s dead-end work

Across industries, jobs and levels of seniority, women carry a heavier load of tasks that support the organization but do not advance careers. In this discussion, we’ll explore why this happens and what you can do to manage your nonpromotable tasks. The first 20 people who register for the webinar will receive the book "The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work." One of the authors, Laurie Weingart, will be a speaker. Register.

Nov. 2: ASBMB Virtual Career Expo

Save the date for the ASBMB Career Expo. This virtual event aims to highlight the diversity of career choices available to modern biomedical researchers. No matter your career stage, this expo will provide a plethora of career options for you to explore while simultaneously connecting you with knowledgeable professionals in these careers. Each 60-minute session will focus on a different career path and will feature breakout rooms with professionals in those paths. Attendees can choose to meet in a small group with a single professional for the entire session or move freely between breakout rooms to sample advice from multiple professionals. Sessions will feature the following five sectors: industry, government, science communication, science policy and other. The expo will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 2. Stay tuned for a link to register!

Nov. 6: Deadline for policy-related papers

The Journal of Science Policy & Governance and the National Science Policy Network issued a call for papers for an issue containing policy ideas from the next generation of scientists. The submission deadline is Nov. 6. They encourage submissions "that highlight policy opportunities and audiences related to the 2022 U.S. midterm elections at the local, state or national level as well as related foreign policy issues." Read the press release.  

Nov. 9: Applications due for DOE grad student awards

The Department of Energy is accepting applications through Nov. 9 for its Office of Science Graduate Student Research Awards program, which places grad students doing thesis research at national labs or other host site in collaboration with agency scientists. Application assistance workshops are scheduled for Sept. 19 and Oct. 20. Learn more.

FASEB family care awards

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology has launched the Career Advancement and Research Excellence Support (CARES) Program, which provides financial support for caregiving, enabling FASEB society members to continue their scientific training, professional development and career progression. Read the eligibility criteria and apply.

IUBMB relocation support for displaced trainees

The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is offering $2,000 to graduate students and postdocs displaced from their labs as a result of natural disaster, war or "other events beyond their control that interrupt their training." The money is for travel and settling in. Learn more and spread the word to those who could use assistance.

On-demand webinar on getting, gaining influence

The American Association for Anatomy has a free on-demand webinar titled "The power of suggestion: How to get and gain influence." It features Adele Cehrs, CEO of the When and How Agency, who explains "when the power of suggestion is most likely to work for individuals and how to use it to your advantage through traditional media and social media channels." As we understand it, AAA membership is not required (but you will have to create an account) to view the webinar. Here's a list of all of AAA's open-access webinars.

Call for virtual scientific event proposals

The ASBMB provides members with a virtual platform to share scientific research and accomplishments and to discuss emerging topics and technologies with the BMB community.

The ASBMB will manage the technical aspects, market the event to tens of thousands of contacts and present the digital event live to a remote audience. Additional tools such as polling, Q&A, breakout rooms and post event Twitter chats may be used to facilitate maximum engagement.

Seminars are typically one to two hours long. A workshop or conference might be longer and even span several days.

Prospective organizers may submit proposals at any time. Decisions are usually made within four to six weeks.

Propose an event.

Take over the JLR Twitter account

If you are a graduate student, postdoc or early-career investigator interested in hosting a #LipidTakeover, fill out this application. You can spend a day tweeting from the Journal of Lipid Research's account (@JLipidRes) about your favorite lipids and your work.

March 7–10: Save the date for Deuel

The ASBMB Deuel conference is a must-attend event for leading lipids investigators — and for scientists who’ve just begun to explore the role of lipids in their research programs. This event will bring together a diverse array of people, including those who have not attended Deuel or perhaps any lipid meeting before. The conference is a forum for the presentation of new and unpublished data, and attendees enjoy the informal atmosphere that encourages free and open discussion. Interested scientists are invited to attend and encourage trainees to submit abstracts. Learn more.

March 25–27: Save the date for #DiscoverBMB

#DiscoverBMB is the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

With a mission to share the latest, most impactful research findings in the molecular life sciences, #DiscoverBMB offers an exciting agenda that includes in-person and virtual sessions, talks by the field's foremost experts, interactive workshops on the latest trends, technologies and techniques, and an invigorating exhibition of posters, services and products.

The meeting attracts researchers in academia and industry, educators, trainees and students from across the globe. It offers unparalleled opportunities for collaborating, networking and recruiting.

Learn more.