Membership: What’s your story?

This column invites ASA, CSSA, and SSSA members to talk about their personal experiences with the Societies. Every member has a story. What’s yours? We’d love to hear from you. Email Send Message.

Thea Whitman

I have been a member of SSSA since 2012 when I joined as a graduate student and attended my first meeting in Cincinnati, OH. I remember being struck by the diversity of science topics that were being discussed at the meeting as I walked through the poster hall. Since then, I have continued to learn a lot from my colleagues at the Annual Meeting, have enjoyed perusing CSA News magazine, and in general staying connected with colleagues throughout the Society. I have felt honored to have been selected for a couple of awards—the Clark Soil Biology Graduate Student Scholarship and the S.A. Wilde Early Career Achievement Award—and am sure these have helped advance my career.

I love attending the Annual Meeting. I especially appreciate the increased opportunities for students to give oral presentations compared with some other meetings I attend. Each time I attend, I get to see academic friends, meet researchers whose work I’ve read about, get to know new colleagues, and hear about the latest research. I remember many of the invited award lectures that I have heard at the meetings as they often stand out as very thoughtful and interesting talks for me.