Volunteering at the ASPRS 2010 Annual conference in San Diego, CA

Eighteen students from many different universities and backgrounds were selected to volunteer at the ASPRS annual conference at San Diego, CA. The volunteering tasks ranged from assisting at the registration desk to helping session moderators. However, the benefits of volunteering far outweighed the time spent doing these tasks. First, the registration fees were waived for each volunteer and student assistants were given lodging and a small stipend. Second, it was a great opportunity for volunteers to learn about the geospatial field, network and showcase themselves to their potential employers, and meet and catch-up with new and old friends ;)

The Volunteering team: Can we have a little warmer San Diego ?

Finally and most importantly, volunteers had a great time sightseeing and eating at some hand selected San Diego attractions led by Boris Skopljak (Networking Councilor for the Student Advisory Council) and his team.

Young-Jin, PhD Student, Ohio State University: Can I fly back to Columbus?

Khae and Laura: we need101 on flying old helicopters..

Also, Rose Kearney (Chair), Meghan Graham (Deputy Chair), and Lisa Wedding (Educational Development Councilor) organized sessions specifically designed for student learning needs such as: Student and Employer “Meet and Greet”, Speed Networking, Exhibit Hall Guided Tour, and Academic Publishing. Other student sessions were organized to get feedback on how Student Advisory Council (SAC) and ASPRS can best help the student community.

This post would be incomplete without talking about the venue. The Town and Country resort and convention center offered a great place for the ASPRS conference. Different session halls were spread across the property, which meant attendees had to walk a little bit between sessions, but wait, it was great strolling across the paths with beautiful roses of different colors/varieties growing everywhere around the center.

Many individuals worked in the background to ensure that the volunteers were organized and had a fun experience. It would be hard to name everyone in this blog post, so a big THANK YOU to all. Special “thumbs up” to Dr. Rakesh Malhotra (Student Volunteer Coordinator) and Dr. Doug Stow (Conference Co-chair) for keeping volunteers on track for their duties and arranging for breakfasts :). Kim Tilley (Associate Executive Director) ensured that we kept our balance between fun and performing volunteering duties (for which we were there!) : )

ASPRS student members are encouraged to apply for volunteer positions at future ASPRS conferences after reading this post.