Undergraduate Students

Undergraduates and SOT

For undergraduate students, SOT offers special status as an Undergraduate Student Affiliate, specific activities at the SOT Annual Meeting, and awards, including the Undergraduate Diversity Program Student Travel Award and the SOT Undergraduate Student Research Award. Other resources include career information, internship listings, opportunities to participate in Regional Chapter meetings, and connections to other ways to investigate exciting opportunities in biomedical graduate school and toxicology careers.

Undergraduate Student Affiliates

SOT has established a special category for undergraduate students to participate in the activities of the Society. There is no fee for the affiliate status and undergraduates retain this status until their graduation. Undergraduate Student Affiliate applications are accepted at any time.

Undergraduate Student Affiliate Eligibility

To qualify for Undergraduate Student Affiliate status, you must:

Be enrolled in an academic program leading to a bachelor’s degree or in the first year of a formal postbaccalaureate research position
Have an interest in toxicology or related biomedical sciences
Submit the required information that is part of the application

Undergraduate Student Affiliate Benefits

Here is an overview of benefits that you will experience as an SOT Undergraduate Student Affiliate:

Distinction among your peers
Special status with SOT
Participation in the SOT Undergraduate Affiliate ToXchange Community
Access to information, such as community discussions, undergraduate awards, undergraduate Annual Meeting activities, summer research programs, toxicology-related activities, and free access to the SOT CEd-Tox online Continuing Education courses
Delivery of SOT publications, such as those connected with the Annual Meeting and the SOT Weekly Update delivered every Thursday

Apply to Become an Undergraduate Affiliate

In focus in the center of the image is a young person who is smiling while seated at a table. Surrounding this individual are other seated individuals who are out of focus.

Undergraduates at the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

Undergraduate students can attend the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo for free!

The image depicts a room full of young people. They are seated in chairs with a large aisleway between them. Individuals on one side of the aisle are passing different kinds of balls to individuals on the other side of the aisle.

Undergraduate students may request an SOT Annual Meeting and Tox Expo registration fee waiver by completing a meeting Registration Form and emailing it with a copy of their student ID to the attention of the Meeting Registration Team.

Undergraduate Education Program at the SOT Annual Meeting

This program for undergraduates, held in conjunction with the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo, includes introductory toxicology lectures, special sessions to learn more about applying for graduate school and being successful in graduate school, the opportunity to meet one-on-one with directors of academic toxicology programs and internship hosts, and career roundtables with toxicologists from different employment sectors.

All undergraduate students registering for the SOT Annual Meeting can sign up for the Undergraduate Education Program, which will take place on Sunday, March 10, by checking the box for the “Undergraduate Education Program” in the “Student and Postdoctoral Functions” section of the Annual Meeting Registration Form.

The program schedule and other details related to the 2024 Undergraduate Education Program will be available on the SOT Annual Meeting website.

Undergraduate Awards

SOT supports multiple awards focused on providing undergraduate students with research experiences, learning opportunities, and professional development training.

Undergraduate Student Research Award

Undergraduate students who have research abstracts selected for the SOT Annual Meeting are eligible for this award which is administered by the SOT Faculty United for Toxicology Undergraduate Recruitment and Education (FUTURE) Committee. Students receive travel funding to attend the meeting, national recognition, a mentor, and participate in special undergraduate activities during the SOT Annual Meeting.

Apply Now

Application Deadline: October 16
Abstract Submission Deadline: October 16

(note this deadline is earlier than the standard abstract submission deadline)

Undergraduate Diversity Program and Awards

The Undergraduate Diversity Program takes place during the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo. This three-day program includes introductory toxicology lectures,participation in mentoring groups, opportunities to meet with academic program directors and toxicologists from different employment sectors, and participation in Annual Meeting sessions.

Apply Now

Application Deadline: October 16

View blogs by past program participants

View Historical Listing of Award Recipients

Diversity Initiatives Career Development Award

Undergraduate and graduate students of US accredited institutions from racial/ethnic groups who are underrepresented in the sciences are eligible to apply for an activity or event that will enhance their personal career development. Applicant must be an SOT Undergraduate Student Affiliate or Graduate Student member. Recipients are chosen based on criteria that include quality of proposed experience, relevance to the proposed professional activity to a career involving the science of toxicology, academic achievement, and recommendation by an academic advisor. This award is funded by the SOT Endowment Diversity Initiatives Fund.

Apply Now

Application Deadline: April 15

View blogs by past award recipients

Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Travel Award

Undergraduate and graduate students from racial/ethnic groups who are underrepresented in the sciences, were selected for the Undergraduate Diversity Program in the previous four years and have an abstract accepted for the SOT Annual Meeting can apply for the Perry J. Gehring Student Diversity Award. This award is funded by the SOT Endowment Perry J. Gehring Fund.

Apply Now

Application Deadline: October 16
Abstract Submission Deadline: October 16

(note this deadline is earlier than the standard abstract submission deadline)

Resources, Flyers, and Shareable Items

Informational postcards on SOT programs and tox careers Postcard l Postcard ll

“A Journey into the World of Cancer: From Student to College Professor and Researcher”

Tips for application to and success in graduate school

Undergraduate research resources

Diversity in toxicology discussion

In Their Words

In these videos, undergraduate students describe their toxicology-related research projects.

Five individuals are standing in a group facing the camera. All are wearing white full-body contamination-prevention suits. All also are wearing clear hair nets and safety goggles. Only three faces are fully visible and those individuals are smiling at the camera with the two in the front showing thumbs up.

Darren Boydston

A black woman holding an award plaque stands between two men. All three individuals are posed together, looking at the camera, and smiling.

Krystal Santiago-Colón

Two woman stand next to each other and are looking at the camera and smiling. The woman on the left is displaying an award certificate in a blue presentation folder as she presents it to the young woman next to her.

Madeline Hlobik

Three young women are sitting at a table, looking at the camera, and smiling. The one in the middle is holding a sign that reads Course Materials Pick-Up.

Lucie Ford

A black man sits at a table. He appears to be in conversation with unseen individuals at his table. Overlaid on the photo is a graphic of a orange and blue shield/badge that reads MENTOR.

Macarena Martín Mayor

Kelly Rivenbark

Toxicology Mentoring and Skills Development Training Program

A large group of individuals representing varied ages, genders, and ethnicities, stands posing together. Other individuals are milling in the background.

The Toxicology Mentoring and Skills Development Training Program (ToxMSDT) is a year-long program for undergraduate students.

Funded by an NIH grant and organized by a partnership of institutions, including SOT, the goal of this program is to attract diverse, high achieving undergraduate students from around the United States to pursue careers in biomedical research, especially in the field of toxicology. Successful applicants will be teamed with a mentor and visit the mentor work site, attend three conferences, engage in online learning modules, and interact with the other students and program leaders. There is travel support for participation in all program activities.

Questions? Contact the ToxMSDT administrator.

Eligibility Requirements

A STEM major
Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
At least a second-year undergraduate student
Completion of at least one semester of general biology and general chemistry
Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate institution and continuing enrollment for the 2023–2024 academic year
Member of a group underserved in the biomedical sciences (for example, underrepresented racial/ethnic groups; those from disadvantaged backgrounds such as low socioeconomic status, or grew up in a rural or inner-city setting; NIH notice)
US citizen or US permanent resident

Apply Here

SOT-Hosted Events

2024 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduates and SOT

Undergraduate Student Affiliates

Undergraduate Student Affiliate Eligibility

Undergraduate Student Affiliate Benefits

Undergraduates at the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

Undergraduate Education Program at the SOT Annual Meeting