Student & Postdoc
Student/Postdoctoral Fellow Information
Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Activities
The Student Affairs Committee of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention is coordinating several networking activities during the meeting. Please plan to take advantage of these opportunities.
Saturday Mixer
Get acquainted or reacquainted with your fellow student and postdoctoral attendees before the start of the meeting. Students and postdoctoral attendees are encouraged to meet at 5:30 pm on Saturday, June 23 in the Tiki Bar.
Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Treasure Hunt
All graduate student and postdoctoral registrants are invited to participate in the Treasure Hunt. The objective of this activity is to facilitate student and postdoc interaction and networking with Society members at the Annual Meeting. With each member, you are encouraged to discuss your research project as well as the research interests/career of the member (i.e., it is not a sign and run!!). We hope through this activity you will develop relationships that you will “treasure” throughout your career. Each participant can receive up to three chances to win a $100 cash prize.
Storm Board
Through a joint effort between the Membership and Study Affairs Committees, the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention will be incorporating a feedback board into the meeting for spontaneous, rapid response to specific questions that will be posed throughout the meeting. Adding content to a board will be very simple to do. Each participant can use post-its or cards to jot down responses, to allow for easier clustering and processing of the responses. The assumption is that the greater the number of responses generated, the greater the chance of producing a novel and effective solution to the specific question that is posed. Free association and building on the responses of others are encouraged; criticism and censorship should be avoided.
Student/Postdoctoral Fellow Platform Session
Discover more about the research of other students and postdoctoral fellows. Support your colleagues at the platform session on Sunday, June 24 from 9:05 am–12:05 pm. The two best presentations in this session will be selected to receive a Wilson Presentation Award of $500.
Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Career Event
Take advantage of this great networking opportunity. Join MARTA and the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention for dinner, conversation, and networking at a Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Career Event on Monday, June 25 from 7:00 pm–9:30 pm. This popular annual event is for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows attending the joint meetings of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention and DNTS. As you prepare for the next phase in your professional career, we offer you this opportunity to meet your fellow students and postdoctoral fellows and to interact with scientists from academia, government, and industry. This is also an opportunity for you to discuss your future and the various career paths available to you.
James C. Bradford Memorial Student Poster Award
The James C. Bradford Memorial Student Poster Award is jointly sponsored by the Middle Atlantic Reproduction and Teratology Association (MARTA) and Sanofi. This award recognizes the best poster presentation by a student or postdoctoral fellow at the annual meetings of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention and Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS). Students and postdoctoral fellows whose abstracts are submitted by the February 15, 2018 deadline and are accepted for poster presentation are automatically considered for this award.
Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention 37th Annual Volleyball Game
Whether you want to join the game or cheer on your colleagues, don’t miss this lively event! For the past 37 years the attendees of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention meeting have gathered on a local volleyball court and enjoyed a friendly, albeit competitive, game of volleyball. Those who want to participate should meet in the hotel lobby at 6:00 AM on Wednesday, June 27.
Breakfast with the Teratology Mentors
Organized by the Student Affairs Committee, this event brings students, postdoctoral fellows, and seasoned Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention members together for a networking breakfast. If you have questions about potential career paths or how it is to work in the government, academia, or industry this is an opportunity for you. This event will take place on Monday, June 26 at 7:00 am and is open to all Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention student and postdoctoral fellow attendees, however advance registration is required. Please complete the Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Questionnaire and return it to bdrp@birthdefectsresearch.org no later than May 15, 2018.
Become More Involved
The Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention encourages students and postdoctoral fellows to become more involved by participating in the Society by becoming members of a committee. If you are interested in being part of a committee, please contact the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention Headquarters office.