What do I have to do to become a conference volunteer?

Each student conference volunteer is asked to register as an volunteer prior to the conference. Upon arrival at the conference site, you must check in at the Student Conference volunteer Office to receive your registration packet and work schedule (with a list of times, locations, and duties). It is your obligation is to work the scheduled hours.

Who is eligible to be a student conference volunteer?

Any full time student may become a conference volunteer. Both undergraduate and graduate students are welcome. You specify your school affiliation when you register as an volunteer. Students attending the conference for the Young Researcher Track are welcome and encouraged to become conference volunteers.

What do I get in return for being a student conference volunteer?

In exchange for 5 hours of conference service, you will receive:

• Refunded registration fee.
• A conference volunteer shirt, which you will wear while "on duty" at the conference and is yours to keep
• A chance to meet and work with students from other schools.
• A chance to meet and greet many conference attendees.
• Our gratitude!.

Note that in addition to these benefits, since you are a registered student attendee, you have all the rights of the non-volunteer student attendees:

• Access to all sessions, papers, and posters.
• All conference "coffee" breaks and any provided meals.
• The main conference reception
• Possible other goods, such as proceedings and t-shirts, if available.

What kinds of work will I do as a conference volunteer?

It varies. You might work at the registration booth to help organize the packets that we give out to attendees. You might be at the door of the exhibits to verify that the people entering have a conference badge. You might count the participants at various sessions. You might hang out at certain sessions to assist the speakers with handouts or equipment.

Do I have a say in what work I do as a conference volunteer?

Not much, but we'll do what we can. There are often fewer volunteers than we have jobs, so we have to prioritize.

When during the conference will I do my conference volunteer work?

This issue is driven by conference needs. Some time periods are busier than others. We'll take your preferences into account whenever possible. When you register as a student conference volunteer, you'll specify when you plan to arrive and leave the conference. Within those constraints, we'll make some initial plans. We realize that things may come up and will try to make dynamic changes as needed. In turn we ask that you be as flexible as possible. Your duties may be broken into separate time periods and even across separate days, but we'll try not to make it too wide spread.

Do I have to be there for the whole conference to be a volunteer?

No. We realize that travel plans and other commitments exist. We hope that students local to the Cincinnati area will be flexible. In particular, there is always a need for volunteers on Wednesday, which is before most of the conference activities begin and before many of the traveling student volunteers have arrived. We encourage local student volunteers to be available on Wednesday.

Can I get funding for travel or hotel expenses?

The conference itself does not provide funding for student conference volunteers, but you may be able to get some support through your department or through another source at your university. You should print your registration acknowledgement to show to potential funding sources.

How do I become a student conference volunteer?

NOTE: If conference registration is not yet open, you can still indicate your intention to be a conference volunteer by emailing the student volunteer coordinator. We will send you a reminder when conference registration opens so you can complete the registration process.

Questions?