Dr. Terry Cluck and Dr. Charles Biles, professors of biology at East Central University, were among 52 active researcher-educators who judged student presentations in microbiology recently at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in St. Louis, Mo.
The ABRCMS is one of the largest professional conferences for biomedical and behavioral students and is designed to encourage underrepresented minority students to pursue advanced training in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, including mathematics. It also provides faculty with resources for facilitating these students’ success.
The conference drew more participants ever before. More than 3,300 people attended, including approximately 2,100 students, 750 faculty and program directors and 500 recruiters for graduate and summer research programs.
Nearly 1,500 of the attending students participated in poster and oral presentations in 12 subdisciplines of the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Each undergraduate or postbaccalaureate presentation was judged by three scientists, and 215 students with the highest scores in each scientific discipline and for each educational level received cash awards.