Hosted by UC Davis graduate students, our mission is to increase access and transparency of ecology and evolution programs with the purpose of increasing diversity within these fields.

Motivation

Women, people of color, and other minoritized groups have historically been underrepresented in the fields of ecology and evolution as a whole (Beck et al., 2014; Wilga et al., 2017; Graves, 2019). This pattern is also present within the Population Biology Graduate Group at the University of California, Davis. There have been successful attempts to remedy this issue by preemptively exposing students to graduate level opportunities within the College of Biological Sciences. However, the majority of students invited to participate in such events have biomedical, molecular, chemical, or other interests that fall outside of Population Biology’s areas of specialization. While we commend such initiatives, we believe that recruitment efforts specifically focused on students interested in ecology and evolution would be mutually beneficial to both the Population Biology Graduate Group and potential graduate students. Our activities provide students with critical information, advice, and mentorship in order to increase the accessibility of and matriculation of students from all backgrounds into ecology and evolution graduate programs. Our long-term goal is to increase the diversity of people collaborating to push the boundaries of ecology and evolution.

Program Overview

First started in 2020 by students in the Population Biology Graduate Group Student Diversity Committee, our goal is to increase access to and transparency of ecology and evolutionary biology graduate programs. The virtual program spans three weeks and includes six virtual sessions covering topics related to graduate school, including the admissions process and the graduate student experience. Through information sessions, skill-building activities, workshops, panels, and peer mentorship, we help program participants gain the knowledge and confidence they need to apply to graduate school. 

In 2024, our FREE program will occur from August 5th - August 22nd, 2024. We will hold synchronous sessions at 5PM Pacific on Mondays and Thursdays. Selected program participants should check their email for details. Program material, including recorded sessions from previous years, remains freely accessible on our website, regardless of ability to participate in the synchronous program.