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    March 26, 2021 Columns

    Get the Scitech Edge: Membership and Diversity Committee News

    By Laura Possessky and Charlene C. Goldfield

    SciTech is committed to making connections with each other more available and accessible. As we approach the one-year mark of living and working in a socially distanced world, we are all connected online more than ever. Still, in the myriad video conferences, e-mail, texts, social media posts, and LinkedIn invitations, our connections through bits and bytes can feel transactional and unsatisfying. For some of us, the thought of adding one more video meeting to our day may bring us to the brink. Finding and making meaningful connections is challenging.

    Section membership offers tremendous opportunity beyond resume value and professional development. With many committee meetings and informal programs now online, we can all connect from the comfort of our own homes. This expanded online experience offers opportunities to meet peers from across the globe and explore ideas.

    The biggest barrier to taking full advantage of membership is not knowing how to get started. To help our members, the Membership and Diversity Committee will be starting periodic email announcements with summaries of Section-wide activities and programs through ABA Connect. Members can also choose from over twenty-five ABA Connect groups on topics ranging from Big Data to Science for Social Good. While you need to log into the ABA website and set up your groups to get started, you can select email preferences so that group posts are sent directly to your inbox. If you hate getting multiple emails, you can set it for daily digests or compilations of multiple groups in one email message. Next time you log on to register for a program, take an extra moment to check that your ABA Connect profile is up to date.

    Building a community through online resources also means creating your own networks. When you ask people how they became involved in SciTech, many will tell you that an existing member invited them to join. Others will tell you that they had an idea for a project or program and sought out peers in the Section to help them create it. Many members find value in collaborating with colleagues. It builds relationships and exposes you to new concepts and different ways of problem solving. If you do not see these opportunities, we encourage you to reach out and explore possibilities. Invite friends and colleagues to be involved.

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    By Laura Possessky and Charlene C. Goldfield

    Laura Possessky ([email protected]) is a co-chair of SciTech’s Membership and Diversity Committee and assistant general counsel and vice president of Business Affairs at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C. Charlene C. Goldfield ([email protected]) is a co-chair of SciTech’s Membership and Diversity Committee and Young Lawyer Division’s Liaison for the Cybersecurity Task Force. Charlene currently works as a federal government attorney. Reach out to Laura, Charlene, or staff Section Program Specialist Barbara Mitchell ([email protected]) for more information or with questions.