The year 2003 marked the 11th annual Graduate Scholars meeting. This year, the Packard Foundation chose to cohost the event with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), another organization devoted to increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in science education. The meeting proved to be both educational and inspirational. Along with bringing together new Scholars, current Scholars, graduating Scholars, and past Scholars, this year's meeting also demonstrated the focused collaboration between the Foundation and AAAS to strengthen and enhance the Graduate Scholars Program.

The meeting took place on July 17 and 18, and, following tradition, was held at the beautiful Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California. Attendees included 62 graduate Scholars, including 15 new Scholars and 7 graduating Scholars, as well as the entire HBCU Advisory Panel and staff from both the Packard Foundation and AAAS. The meeting was launched on Thursday, July 17 with opening remarks from Cole Wilbur, current Board member and former president of the Packard Foundation. Mr. Wilbur's remarks touched on the history of the Graduate Scholars program, portraying how the program and its participants contribute to the Foundation's ongoing legacy.

This year's meeting also included a lively roundtable discussion focused on the individual undergraduate and graduate school experiences of five former Scholars: Erik Handy, Patrick Hines, James McGee, Shona Morgan, and Sonya Snedecor. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Shirley Malcom, a member of the HBCU Advisory Panel and Head, Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs at AAAS. Also participating in the roundtable discussion where two other members of the Advisory Panel, Dr. Walter Massey, President of Morehouse College, and Dr. Norman Francis, President of Xavier University.

The research presentations given by graduating Scholars Claude A. Bailey, C. Marcelle Buford, and Desiree Jangha proved outstanding. The poster session was also a great success and displayed the work of Azzari Caillier, Marcus Jones, Ronald Copeland, Michael Duncan, Afia Karikari, Kendra Taylor, Terrell Neal, Victor Clark, Manu Platt, Cyntrica Eaton, Kara Jackson, Ishara Mills, and Clayton Simien.

The 11th annual meeting also welcomed two inspiring keynote speakers: Dr. Yolanda L. Comedy and Dr. Marian Johnson-Thompson. Dr. Comedy, currently a Senior Program Manager for IBM, gave an insightful talk about her chosen career path, which is focused on the role that industry, universities, and government play in formulating, implementing, and evaluating strategies that further advance global societies and the human condition. Dr. Johnson-Thompson, the Director of Education and Biomedical Research Development at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, closed the meeting with an inspirational address that touched upon the role of HBCUs in the advancement of education.

Together, the participating Scholars, speakers, and staff members worked to make the 2003 annual Graduate Scholars meeting an enormous success. For a copy of the meeting guide or any other information pertaining to this year's meeting, please contact David Neale at dneale@aaas.org.

We look forward to seeing you again next year!