Join the ECPN Committee

EXTENDED SUBMISSION DEADLINE, please see details below...

The Emerging Conservation Professionals Network seeks three new committee members:

Chair, Vice-Chair, and Outreach Coordinator

The Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) works with various AIC committees to address the needs of conservation professionals with fewer than 7 years of experience. This includes pre-program students, graduate students, and recent graduates. The committee seeks to increase participation in AIC amongst emerging conservators.

The chair position coordinates monthly conference calls, writes agendas for these calls, oversees projects like: the mentoring program, the student research repository, and is responsible for editing all published material about the group. The chair represents the committee to the board of directors and at the Internal Advisory Group meeting, and collaborates on projects with other AIC committees and with representatives from conservation graduate programs. This position holds a term of two years.

The vice-chair is a new position that will oversee all of the ECPN activities at the AIC annual meeting (ECPN informational meeting, happy hour, portfolio session, and any new activities) and the yearly ANAGPIC meeting (there is a speaker each year from the ECPN who attends the ANAGPIC meeting). The vice-chair will also be a logical candidate for taking over the chair position after their one-year term.

The outreach coordinator is in charge of all social media communication including the ECPN blog, Facebook page, Flickr site, and other projects that involve outreach and communications. The outreach coordinator works closely with the communications coordinator, currently Amy Brost. The outreach coordinator may also take over the chair position after completion of a one-year term.

The ECPN communicates primarily via email correspondence and monthly conference calls. The committee meets in-person annually at the AIC meeting.

Please submit a brief statement of interest and your resume to Rose Cull, Chair, AIC-ECPN, (roseemilycull@gmail.com) by September 1, 2011.

Questions about committee activities can be directed to Rose, or ECPN’s current outreach coordinator: Heather Brown (hnmbrown@yahoo.com)

For more information about the ECPN see: www.conservation-us.org/emerging.

Northern California ECPN Meet & Mingle

When I first emailed Melissa asking if she was interested in meeting up to talk shop about being a pre-program student I was excited to talk with one person. Little did I know, once we both put the word out we would have a group of thirteen!

Our group was so well diversified that all curious questions were answered and if no one knew the answer then there was someone they knew who could help. We made introductions and expressed what we were most interested in. It was amazing to hear the wide variety of backgrounds that brought us all to this career choice. The most important part was that all different levels of interest attended. From the just curious about what this whole art conservation thing is to third year students at Buffalo in their internships and a graduate of the NYU program. We had several who just finished chemistry requirements and are prepping to apply this upcoming winter to others who are working at obtaining lab hours. It was great to meet so many new people and to learn about different programs and internships.

We really encourage others to put the word out in your area and see who responds. It was a great learning experience and a way to meet others who are in the same boat as you. You get to hear stories of others and form a group of associates to reach out to if you ever have questions. We are definitely planning more meetings in the future. In fact, as a result of this meeting many professional conservators have expressed interest in getting to know the emerging conservators of the Bay Area. We will be coordinating a meeting where emerging and professionals can come together in the future.

- Melissa Stone & Jennifer Martinez