USAP Professional Interests Groups
2011 saw the first meeting of the professional interest groups. The main aim of these groups is to bring together students and professionals who have similar academic and professional interests. Once these people are connected they can share employment or research opportunities, ideas and advice. The four groups that met are listed below. All the professionla interests groups are going to have blogs on this website where they can share with the world their activities. Group members may be asked to join a private listserv where they can keep in touch with each other outside of the public forums.
- Finance/Business Group
- Biology/Biomedical Group
- Science and Engineering Group
- Development and Social Change Group
The Business and Finance group drew USAP students with an interest in all things financial. The discussions centered on formulating ways in which USAP students already working in the industry can support and assist students who want to get into the industry. The support would involve interviewing tips from the type of questions to expect to the standard type of dress that is required. This support will also extend to the type of working environment to anticipate at particular firms. The rapport for this type of support will be established through a Facebook group. Members will be able to get in touch with individuals or ask general questions of the whole group.
This group brought together people with an interest in Biology and the Biomedical Science. Their discussion focused on networking and information. A big challenge to networking among USAP students in this field was the scarcity of information on the projects that individuals are working on. With this in mind members of the group, particularly those at postgraduate level will provide profiles detailing the projects that they are currently working on. This will allow undergraduates looking for research opportunities or advice to be more effectively matched with their USAP siblings.
This group brought together USAP students with a broader interest in science. Like the Biology and Biomedical Group, a barrier to networking was identified as the lack of information on who was doing what and where. To overcome this, members of the group will share information on the projects that they are working on and research opportunities via a secure website. This group has a Facebook page that they use to communicate and share ideas.
This group discussed the need to link academic discussions with social change and action. This group recognized that the dialogue on bringing social change is what embodies the core goals of USAP and is a dialogue that all the professional groups can benefit from. The members of this group focused on the need to build a community in which each person has an equal chance to develop and grow economically, socially and politically. Ideas raised in the discussion were centered on solving traditional problems using unconventional methods. These unconventional methods would arise from skills, networks and knowledge acquired from a liberal arts education. The conversation also delved into ways to get into the career track with tips being offered on how to network and get the most out of networking. An action plan was developed in the meeting to trigger communication and interaction within the group after the conference. A password protected blog will be set up on the USAP website on which each member will post an article or blog about a socially relevant topic. Another plan of action conceived during this discussion was using social networks as a platform to discuss larger social concerns among colleagues and friends before bringing them to a larger, global platform.