Participating Actively in Professional Community
Definition
My definition for participating in professional community is engaging with the community and organizations related to your discipline. It is also contributing to those spaces and interacting with your peers to further understand other occurring work. This is important because it is an additional way that we can effectively communicate. Networking with one another brings about perspectives that may not have been expressed before. Also, by connecting with peers we expand our social circle and can encourage them to continue doing the work that they conduct. I am a fan of the phrase "Each One, Teach One" and participating in professional communities gives us the opportunity to inform the generations of researchers that will come after us, advancing the field and world we know now.
Prior/Current Work
I am still very passionate about my participation in organizations such as SHPE, NSBE, and the Engineering Student Council (ESC) at Iowa State University. Although most of my work for SHPE and ESC were confined to campus, I was able to participate in outreach and SHPE Jr. events that made people aware of diversity within the engineering program and what engineering consists of in general. I was able to do similar things for NSBE but on a larger scale. I was able to serve in Chapter Administrative Roles and Regional Positions and attend several conferences that contained workshops and volunteer services for K-12 groups. For example, A Walk for Education consisted of us showing pride in our identity as engineers, giving examples of all the things create, and explaining our organization to those interested. In a program called Engineering the Future, our chapter members led workshops and hands on activities with middle school students that introduced engineering in an exciting manner to them.
I have served on the Purdue NSBE chapter executive board as the graduate committee membership chair.
I have served on the Purdue NSBE chapter executive board as the graduate committee membership chair.
Future Work
I plan on getting heavily involved in professional organizations again once my time management skills have fully adjusted to the graduate school experience. I am going to serve on the graduate executive committee for the National Society of Black Engineers chapter here at Purdue next semester to resume combining my passion for leadership and education. I hope by 2022 I am comfortable enough to serve on a regional or national level again while pursuing my PhD. I also hope to get involved with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers to an extent as I have never been engaged in a professional society based on my particular engineering discipline. I believe this will assist me in understanding their code of ethics and the education style that individuals in this organization were faced with. Proof of attendance at conferences or leading workshops would serve as my artifacts for this competency.
Timeline
Spring 2022