Volunteer
SC is created by our community, for our community.
Interested in being a part of the SC team?
Presenting our annual SC Conference requires hundreds of volunteers working in many different areas. We seek new volunteers to provide fresh perspectives and gain experience, and we are grateful for our long-time volunteers who bring much “institutional knowledge” to their role for conference continuity.
Serving on an SC planning committee can be a very rewarding way to give back. It’s also a great way to get involved and grow your professional network. See SC Planning Committee.
What to Expect
If you’re thinking about getting involved in SC, it’s good to have realistic expectations. This advice applies to the role you would like to pursue, the time you have available to commit, and the opportunity to serve in multiple conference years.
If you have not previously worked on a planning committee, for SC or a similar conference, expect to start in an “entry-level” role. From there you may work your way up to a position with greater visibility and responsibility in future years.
Committees which welcome entry-level participants are:
- Communications
- Exhibits
- Infrastructure
- SCinet
- Students@SC (Non-Student Volunteers)
- Technical Program
Your Availability
Be realistic about how much time you truly have to volunteer – and when. There are roles for people who can work only during the conference week, for those who have time only evenings or weekends, and for those who need to schedule around the academic year.
It is vital that you be responsive when needed. Because SC is a high-profile conference, there can be significant consequences if something doesn’t work out as planned. People who are reliable, timely, and easy to work with are most likely to advance to higher-level positions.
Getting Involved
So how do you express interest in a particular role? Here are a few suggestions.
- Contact us via the SC Volunteer form below. Select your area of interest and upload your CV/résumé. Express your interest at least 12–18 months before the work would begin. The members of most SC committees (not just their leadership) are selected and announced at least a year before the conference.
- Serve in similar volunteer roles for smaller, well-regarded conferences. When looking for committee members, an SC chair may look at the program committees of other conferences for potential committee members.
- Build a history of submitting your own work to SC. A program chair may look for potential committee members among the authors of recent years’ accepted submissions. These people are attractive because they have shown themselves to be active in their research areas and familiar with the submitter’s perspective of the reviewing process.
- Networking can be useful, just like in other aspects of professional life. Making a good impression on the people in your corner of the community can only improve your chances when they, or one of their colleagues, are looking for members for their committees.
We welcome you to make your interests known and get involved!
Student Volunteers
If you’re interested in serving on the SC Planning Committee as a chair, vice-chair, or member of the Students@SC program, please use the form below. SC also has a program for students to attend and volunteer to support the conference. If you’re a student interested in this opportunity and will NOT graduate by this year’s conference, please apply here to the Student Volunteers program.