Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD Travel Fellowship: Promoting diversity in STEM

Studies by organizations including the National Science Foundation have confirmed an underrepresentation of African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Native Alaskans in the field of Science Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The Society For Biomaterials recognizes that this uneven representation hinders success in the biomaterials field, and believes this barrier can be broken through mentorship and increased opportunities for minorities.

To promote diversity, inclusion and success within STEM fields, the Society For Biomaterials has created the Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travel Fellowship .The fellowship was named in honor of Dr. Cato Laurencin, Founding Director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering, and the Founding Director of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical, and Engineering Sciences at the University of Connecticut. A recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Engineering and Math Mentoring from President Barack Obama, Dr. Laurencin has served as an exemplary leader in the field of biomaterials and a supporter of diversity among those in this field to promote its success.

To encourage minority representation in the field, the travel fellowship provides undergraduate students with the resources needed to become a member of the Society For Biomaterials and attend the annual meeting. Fellows are paired with a mentor to serve as a guide as well as to advise them in pursuing advanced degrees and their career goals.

Three undergraduate students were awarded the travel fellowship based on their academic performance and career and research goals: Robert De Loera of the University of Chicago, Julian Rose of the University of Connecticut and Dwight Meggie of the University of Connecticut.

According to De Loera, receiving the fellowship solidified his interest in biomaterials and his desire to make a meaningful contribution in the field. Attending the World Biomaterials Congress enabled him to meet other undergraduates, graduate students and post-docs and learn about a variety of research areas. Most importantly, De Loera said the fellowship validated that all of his hard work paid off.

“Most importantly, [the award] served as a source of inspiration for me,” said De Loera. “Watching Doctors Cato Laurencin, Molly Stevens and Rocky Tuan present their research during the SFB awards ceremony must have been the highlight of the Congress for me, their research is so amazing and revolutionary. It was an absolute honor being there.”

One of Dr. Laurencin’s mentees, Meggie said the fellowship means most to him of all of the awards he has received, as the accolade has provided him the opportunity to join the largest and oldest scientific organization in the field of biomaterials.

“This advantage has not only allowed me to meet a few of the many great scientists, who are pioneers in the field of biomaterials, but also has allowed me to stay current about the research in progress,” said Meggie. “This award has opened such a tremendous door for me and is named after a distinguished member of the Society For Biomaterials, Dr. Cato T. Laurencin. I am proud to say that Dr. Laurencin is my mentor and it is such an honor to receive an award in his name.”

For more information about the Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travel Fellowship or an application, click here.

To make a donation to the fellowship in honor of Dr. Laurencin, please contact the Society For Biomaterials headquarters directly at 856-439-0826 or info@biomaterials.org, or click here. As a 501(c)(3) organization, all donations are tax deductible.