PROmoting the next GENeration of Researchers (PROGENY)

Purpose

The purpose of PROGENY is to encourage the development of young scientists in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) and to highlight undergraduate research efforts. PROGENY pairs faculty researchers with undergraduate students who are eligible authors on poster presentations at the annual ASHA Convention. PROGENY highlights and supports the work of these undergraduates by providing them with an opportunity to talk with experienced scientists about their research and about pursuing an academic-research career.

In addition, of all the eligible undergraduate authors, the 10 who receive the highest scores from the Convention Program Committee will also receive a waiver of their Convention registration fee.

PROGENY is part of ASHA's Academic & Research Mentoring (ARM) Network. The ARM Network offers programs for those who are considering, launching, and advancing academic-research careers in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). ASHA measures the impact of these programs by collecting participant outcomes data.

Eligibility

PROGENY is open to all undergraduates who are either

  1. a first author on an in-person, live poster presentation at the ASHA Convention or
  2. a co-author of an in-person, live poster presentation that is first-authored by another undergraduate

Current undergraduates, as well as those who were undergraduates at the time of submission, are eligible.

Authors must attend and present at the 2024 ASHA Convention in Seattle, Washington to participate. Authors of virtual-only posters are not eligible to participate in 2024. See Convention Session Formats for details.

View past participants

Format

Participating authors will be paired with faculty researchers who have relevant expertise. These established scientists visit each student's poster during its regularly scheduled poster presentation session. Each student should be prepared to discuss their poster with the faculty researcher (e.g., describe the experimental question, the research design, implications of the findings, and future research directions). The scientist paired with the student is asked to engage in discussions about the student's research project and to provide information about academic-research career options in the CSD discipline.

How to Participate

  • Submit an in-person, live poster proposal through the usual online Call for Papers for the ASHA Convention. The first author of the proposal must be an undergraduate student and must indicate this undergraduate student status in the author information section. The undergraduate student status of any co-authors should also be indicated in the author information section.
  • In early August, all eligible undergraduate authors whose in-person, live posters are accepted for presentation are invited to participate. Prior to Convention, enrolled participants will be paired with a faculty researcher who has similar and relevant expertise and who will visit the poster.
  • Participants will receive an e-mail in early November with more information and the name and contact information for the faculty researcher with whom that participant is paired. Participants are expected to reach out to their faculty researcher partner ahead of Convention to introduce themselves.

Questions? Contact ASHA's Academic Affairs and Research Education Team at research@asha.org.

Interested in serving as a faculty researcher for PROGENY? At a minimum, faculty researchers must hold a PhD degree and have a faculty appointment. Additional requirements may apply. Contact research@asha.org.

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