Conference: ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators

The American Society for Microbiology Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE) will be held November 17-19, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. ASMCUE is an annual 3-day gathering of biology and microbiology educators, representing all types of institutions of higher education. More than 300 biologists, of whom 95% reside in the United States, attend each year to access sessions on teaching, learning and assessment, student advising, student research, mentoring, and professional skills development.

An exhibit hall features public and private organizations showcasing faculty resources and tools. ASMCUE has been a signature program for building capacity for evidence-based microbiology teaching and mentoring, generating new ideas for advancing the profession of STEM education, and launching new initiatives for ASM-sponsored teaching resources.

This award to ASM will support first time attendee faculty from community colleges and minority serving institutions to experience ASMCUE and engage with other faculty to share tips and tools on pedagogy and teaching strategies. Programming will include a peer mentoring program featuring organized structured activities for first time participants. In addition, NSF representatives will have a platform to present in a session focused on NSF grant opportunities and provide information on the NSF grant application process and merit review system.

Following the NSF scheduled session, a forum will be provided to host small group and one on one consultations during the exhibit hall hours. An evaluation of the ASMCUE experience will be done through a survey. This award is supported by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) and the Division for Undergraduate Education (DUE) in the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.