The American Physiological Society (APS), with the support of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health, will award a total of $90,000 to 52 fellows to attend APS scientific conferences, including Experimental Biology 2006 (EB) in San Francisco April 1-5.

The program is designed to encourage more minorities to become scientists and remain in the field. African-American, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students and faculty are eligible for the fellowships.

The APS has awarded travel fellowships to more than 500 minority students and faculty since 1987, when the program began.

In addition to paying transportation, registration and other costs, each fellow is paired with an established researcher, an APS member who is usually in the same research area as the student. More than 60 APS members volunteer each year to be mentors. A number of former minority travel fellows -- now established researchers with their own graduate students -- serve as mentors themselves.

The program provides many career networking opportunities. The mentor introduces the fellow to other established scientists at conferences, and the fellows meet other minority students at an orientation and reception for current and past travel fellows. APS also invites fellows to career workshops, sessions on special skills development, and other special sessions during the conference.

Past fellows have praised the program, saying:

• "I received advice from several scientists concerning my research and the ins and
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