PS Student Representative Position Available [Unpublished]
The Paleontological Society is soliciting nominations for the 2021–2023 Student Representative! The new representative will serve a two year terms that overlaps with our current Student Rep Jeanette Pirlo.
What do the Student Representatives do?
Student Representatives serve as voices for student needs in the Society and play leading roles in student activities including organizing student events at the Geological Society of America Conference. Student Representatives are further encouraged to develop and lead new student initiatives. In this role, students gain knowledge of the inner-workings of an international organization and experience in professional service.
The selected Student Representative (who will start their role in the fall) will join current Student Representative Jeanette Pirlo and serve a two-year term (Fall 2021–Fall 2023). Student Representatives attend two Council meetings per year (one during fall at the Geological Society of America Conference and the other during spring virtually or in McLean, VA circumstances permitting).
Who is eligible to apply?
We encourage nominations from paleontology graduate students who are early-mid stage in their graduate programs from all backgrounds and institutions, particularly those that have historically been under-represented on the Paleontological Society Council. Nominations may come from a faculty advisor or be a self-nomination.
How to apply:
Application Requirements:
- A cover sheet listing your name, degree (MS, MA, PhD, etc.), expected graduation year, and email address.
- A concise essay (of no more than 500 words) written by the student detailing their interest in the role, previous experience with professional service (if any), and what the student hopes to accomplish through their service.
- A short letter of nomination from the student’s academic mentor or other faculty member at the student’s home institution or a letter of support from the same for self-nominations.
https://forms.gle/eWJNy8woxLnHwcW88
When you complete the form, please provide the email address of your nominator or letter writer, and an invitation to submit their letter (part 3 of the application) will automatically be sent. Please confirm with your letter writer that they have received confirmation of submission by the deadline below.
The Deadline for consideration is February 28, 2021.
The new Student Representative will be selected in March. Please feel free to contact the current Student Representatives, Jeanette Pirlo and Annaka Clement, at [email protected] with additional questions or if you experience any difficulty with the submission forms.
From your current Student Reps:
Annaka Clement (2019–2021)
I am truly honored to be serving as student rep for 2019–2021. My goals coming into this position were to increase the networking ability and communication among student members. The global pandemic has really underscored this need for connection and demonstrated virtual avenues that we can use to benefit students year-round. I want students to think of the Paleontological Society as a resource throughout their student careers, not just for grants and during GSA events. 2020 was a big year for student affairs with changing from normal GSA Paleo Society functions to online platforms and a lot of laying the groundwork for more student opportunities in 2021. Bridget Kelly, the outgoing student rep, and I worked with the Diversity & Inclusion Committee to produce the first of our webinar series that will continue in 2021. We also worked with other members to facilitate the creation of a student-led networking initiative, PaleoConnect, that will be starting this year (keep an eye out for information really soon!). In addition to working with Jeanette to bring more professional development opportunities for students, I aim to use my last year as Student Rep to develop a framework where more students can volunteer and get involved with the Society to help sustain programs like the webinar series, new professional development opportunities, and PaleoConnect. I hope there are a number of you that will apply for the Student Representative position, and please feel free to reach out anytime with your concerns or if you would like to become more involved.
Jeanette Pirlo (2020–2022)
I am excited to serve as your student representative for 2020–2022! As I approach the end of my graduate student career, I have learned many lessons that I feel are applicable to other students of paleontology, as well as the importance of being a life-long learner. With this in mind, my goal as a student rep is to create and facilitate professional developments (PD) for graduate students in the form of webinars. These PDs will consists of topics like "Careers Outside of Academia”, “The Importance of Broader Impacts in Research Design”, “Effective Science Communication”, among other topics. These PDs will work to fulfill my ultimate goal as a student rep, and that’s to increase representation in the Geo Sciences. As a first generation student from an underserved community, it is important to me to make space for students like myself, in a field that continues to be difficult to succeed in for minoritized groups. I strive to become a resource for students in the Society as well as an advocate for those of us who, traditionally, have not had a voice. I look forward to serving the Society through input from our student-base. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, suggestions, or just wanna chat!