PCSA Delegates are required to serve on one of the five committees shown below for a period of one year, beginning at the annual business meeting.
Conference Programming and Competitions
The Conference Programming and Competitions Committee holds in-person activities at ACerS-affiliated conferences to attract and maintain student interest in our community. These events include engineering competitions, career panels, and more.
Main duties of delegates:
- Help plan and run conference events for students such as factory tours and engineering challenges (Ex: Shot Glass; SIFT; Humanitarian Pitch Competitions)
- Organize and host career panels for students at conferences
- Advertise these efforts online, and support online competitions for students throughout the year
For further information about the Programming Committee, check out the video interview with the 2019-2020 Programming Chair.
Communications
The Communications Committee manages the PCSA social media presence by generating outreach content and advertising the other PCSA committees' activities. In addition, it is responsible for arranging the student-written article in the ACerS Bulletin monthly publication.
Main duties of delegates:
- Run PCSA social media accounts
- Help other PCSA committees advertise their events
- Organize authors for the Deciphering the Discipline column in the ACerS Bulletin
For further information about the Communications Committee, check out the video interview with the 2019-2020 Communications Chair.
Recruitment and Retention
The Recruitment and Retention Committee runs the PCSA application process for all returning and future delegates to encourage a productive ACerS membership throughout their career. An additional focus is the creation of a strong sense of belonging within the PCSA that extends beyond their time as a delegate in order to create a sustainable network.
Main duties of delegates:
- Responsible for recruiting new members to PCSA
- Continuous improvement of the application process (surveys, interviews, reviews)
- Maintain a diverse and up to date list of potential academic and industrial contacts to be used during the recruitment period
For further information about the Recruitment Committee, check out the video interview with the 2019-2020 Recruitment Chair.
Education
The Education Committee's mission statement for the 2022-2023 year is "Building content systems for materials science students and educators to enable seamless STEM outreach across all educational levels."
Main duties of delegates:
- Contribute to the creation of templates for STEM outreach for four educational levels
- Support individuals who wish to conduct STEM outreach and need assistance/support
- Conduct forms of personal STEM outreach (video creation, classroom visit, event volunteering, etc.)
- Support CGIF Science Kits and incorporate them into the templates for STEM outreach
For further information about the Outreach Committee, check out the video interview with the 2019-2020 Outreach Chair.
Professional Development
To Nurture scientific passion, Navigate the professional landscape, and provide Networking opportunities for students in ACerS.
The Professional Development Committee will be working on developing groundwork for active engagement of graduate students and professionals at all levels in the community. Our goal is to work on a roadmap to integrate professional development events with ACerS conferences to provide benefits to the attendees seeking opportunities and resources for developing soft-skills and successfully navigate the competitive job-market.
Main duties of delegates:
- Conduct professional development webinars
- Design surveys for both students and professionals to ensure continuous improvement of professional development offerings
- Organize flagship professional development symposium at MS&T 2023
- Continue to grow the ACerS Student Mentor Program
For further information about the External Partnerships Committee, check out the video interview with the 2019-2020 External Partnerships Chair.
Find out more about PCSA
For more information on PCSA activities and/or becoming a PCSA delegate, contact us today!