6S Annual Meeting Activities
Invitation to the SHOT Graduate Student Breakfast in Cleveland
SHOT prides itself on being open and welcoming to graduate students. On Friday, 4 November from 7 to 8.30am, currently-enrolled graduate students are cordially invited to breakfast and to meet the Society's officers. Students from all three societies--SHOT, HSS, and 4S--are welcome to attend this free event. This continental breakfast will offer graduate students a chance to meet each other, learn about SHOT programs (including prizes and fellowships), and find out about SHOT's journal, Technology and Culture. This breakfast is free, but you must register in advance in order to attend. If you wish to attend, please visit
http://www.historyoftechnology.org/cleveland/cleveland_registration.html
to download a SHOT registration form and fax it to 434.975.2190. You do not need to pay any registration fee, but we would appreciate it if you would fill out the form.
For further questions, please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Mission
The student section exists within 4S to facilitate interactions among students and junior scholars of social aspects of science and technology, and to promote the interests of students within the 4S organization.
The student section aims to make 4S more relevant for students through representation on the 4S council and by organizing specific activities for students and junior scholars. The student section can make 4S more relevant and useful for students, and in doing so, the student section will contribute to the development of 4S as a whole.
Activities:
The student section will achieve its mission through activities designed to facilitate interaction among students and junior scholars of social aspects of science and technology.
Examples of current and prospective activities include:
- Email (STSGRAD-L) listserv - a widely used means of exchanging news on conferences, workshop, jobs, fellowships, and the like.
- Student section website that includes an archive of e-mails from the STSGRAD listserv, a link to other relevant STS discussion lists, contact information, and a database of students' research interests.
- Student interest panels at 4S conferences - topics such as job searches and journal publication.
- Organizing social gatherings at 4S conferences.
- A mentoring program to help guide new students not only through the PhD, but also the career development process. The program will link new students with more experienced scholars (i.e. upper-level students and postdocs ).
Governance:
i) The 4S student section meets its objectives of developing student community within 4S through informal activities many of which do not require official organisation.
ii) Student representatives to the 4S Council are elected annually at the student section meeting held during 4S conference. Student representatives each serve a two year overlapping term so that at any time there are two student representatives. Written nominations for the post of student representative must be received by either of the current representatives before the annual meeting; election platforms will be distributed via STSGRAD-L in advance of the annual meeting. Elections will be held by single transferable vote open to any student member of 4S attending the meeting.
iii) A committee of student members of 4S will help develop activities of the student section. This committee shall be made up of the two student representatives and student members elected at the student business meeting. The student committee will not only help to plan activities, but also serve as a sounding board for the two 4S student representatives. Written nominations for the student committee members must be received by either of the current representatives before the annual meeting; election platforms will be distributed via STSGRAD-L in advance of the annual meeting. Elections will be held by single transferable vote open to any student member of 4S attending the meeting.
iv) This charter will be put to a vote, to be approved by a two thirds majority of the student section meeting 2003. Future changes to the student section charter require agreement of two thirds of the student section meeting.
6S Annual reports are archived on the 4S Minutes page.
Listserv
The STS Grad Listserv is managed through Google groups. To subscribe, go here: http://groups.google.com/group/STSGRAD
STS Grad Listserv Information
The listserv, STSGRAD, is intended to faciliate the formation of an international network of junior scholars (eg., graduate students, postdocs, junior scholars) who are interested in the field of Science and Technology Studies. This listserv will have three purposes: 1) to circulate information about upcoming conferences, opportunities to present or publish papers, and job postings; 2) help establish linkages among scholars with similar theoretical and empirical interests; and 3) provide a forum to generate broad discussion about issues important to young scholars across the world engaged with the field of Science and Technology Studies.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind with regard to the listserv. First, if you have any friends or colleagues who might be interested in subscribing, please forward them this message and information about subscribing to the list. This network is not intended to be restrictive to any particular organization, institution, or theoretical perspective. The more the merrier! Second, this listserv is intended to be a collective effort. If you see any interesting job or conference postings, opportunities for publication or presention, or are seeking expertise in a particular area, please take advantage of this great resource.
If you are on facebook, join the 4S group. Just search "4S" to join up.Mentorship Program Overview
The student section is involved in ongoing efforts to mentor new faculty and students through the 4S Mentorship Program. The Mentorship Program is initiated each year at the Annual Meeting (the 4S Conference).
The goal of the project is to facilitate mentoring of individuals who are new to the Annual Meeting and/or to the Society. A mentoring relationship assumes a minimum of one conversation at the annual meeting. We hope that mentoring relationships will also continue with at least two follow-up phone calls or emails during the following 12 months.
If you are interested in taking part in the mentor program, you must register for the Annual Meeting first. Once you are registered, fill out the application to express your interest in being either a mentor or mentee.
We will match less experienced scholars with more experienced scholars and make an effort to assign mentors outside of one's university but within one's country/region to make telephone contact easier.
You will receive an email with your 'match' approximately two weeks before the Annual Meeting. You can then arrange a time to meet during the meeting. One suggestion would be to meet at the reception which is usually scheduled for the first night of the conference (please check the conference program to confirm the time of the reception event). The email stating your match will also have an attachment with a list of optional questions that you can use to structure the conversation with your mentor/mentee.
We hope that the mentorship program will allow new scholars to feel more at home in the 4S community.
Please direct any questions about the program to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), 4S Mentorship Program Coordinator.