The Committees of the Membership, along with the International and Diversity Officers, are at the core of the NPA. They work to develop events and resources that support the postdoctoral community, and their work would not be possible without volunteers. Volunteering with an NPA committee is a great way to gain professional experience at the national level, while giving back to the postdoctoral community. Here are some highlights of what committees and officers have been up to and how you can get involved.

The 2018 Annual Conference is right around the corner, April 6-8 in Cleveland, OH! Registration is open until March 23 and we look forward to seeing everyone there! The Meetings Committee would like to remind you that when registering, you will also want to sign up for the Friday night featured social event - a night at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Tickets are $50 thanks to Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute and Garnet Powers who are sponsoring this great event. Come mingle and network among an amazing collection of iconic rock n roll memorabilia!

The NPA Garnett-Powers & Associates, Inc. Mentor Award recipient for 2018 has been announced as Leanne Redman, PhD, FTOS, Associate Professor, Clinical Sciences Division, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University. The award recognizes a faculty member who has engaged in exceptional mentoring of postdocs. The award will be presented at the Annual Conference in Cleveland.

The NPA Distinguished Service Award recipient for 2018 has also been announced. Sam Castañeda, Director, Visiting Scholar and Postdoc Affairs Program, University of California, Berkeley, was selected to be awarded during the Annual Conference in Cleveland. The award represents appreciation for an individual or entity that has demonstrated either a profound, sustained, or leadership contribution to improving the postdoctoral experience.

The Advocacy Committee (Adcomm) writing team is looking for writing volunteers for pieces on topics of interest and info sheets for the Outreach Committee. Contact Bethany Veo (bethany.veo@gmail.com) and Jared Tur (jtur@health.usf.edu) if you are interested in writing. If you have a particular topic you want to write about, let us know as well. The Advocacy Committee is also working on a piece on diversity in STEM with the Diversity Officers. In addition, the updates team is seeking volunteers to keep the NPA and postdocs current on policies affecting postdocs. Contact Rachel Mulheren (rmulher1@jhmi.edu). Joining the team is a great way to keep up to date on policies relevant to postdocs.

With a focus on volunteers, Adcomm is working on an automated volunteer form that could rolled out for other NPA committees.

AdComm wants to hear from postdocs about what issues you think AdComm should be following and responding to. Contact advocacy@nationalpostdoc.org.

The Diversity Officers are looking to tell the stories of postdoctoral scholars. They are currently gathering virtual interviews from the postdoc community through their google form. The goal is for the NPA to spotlight the diverse journeys of postdocs. We invite you to share your voice and part of your story using our platform, helping create community and amplify individual voices.

The NPA Board of Directors has appointed an new Editor in Chief, Simone Otto, Ph.D. and a new Deputy Editor, Ian Street, Ph.D. for The POSTDOCket. The NPA thanks Melissa Vaught, Ph.D., the former Editor in Chief, who has led The POSTDOCket for several years of service and who guided the transition from a quarterly publication to an online monthly publication. She has also helped with the transition to new leaders and is now moving on to a new position. The POSTDOCket also welcomed a new associate editor, Lina Cheuy, into its ranks. Working as an associate editor or an author is a great way to gain experience in communicating with a broad audience about a range of topics while meeting strict deadlines, providing evidence of skills that can be used when transitioning out of a postdoctoral position. The POSTDOCket continues to seek new ideas of interest to the postdoctoral community. postdoctoral association and postdoctoral organizations for publication. In addition, The POSTDOCket staff are interested in adding more visual content to its publication will be seeking a volunteer for this purpose in the coming months. Contact The POSTDOCket committee at postdocket@nationalpostdoc.org with ideas or to become involved.

The NPA Board of Directors has appointed officers for the Executive Committee and chairs for the Governance Committee and Development Committee for 2018.

NPA in the community

The NPA has released Supporting the Needs of Postdocs: 2017 National Postdoctoral Association Institutional Policy Report. This report provides data to support key recommendations for improving the postdoctoral experience. Sustaining members, Sigma Xi, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and Elsevier all contributed to this vital report. Results from this report will be published as a supplement to the January/February 2018 issue of Sigma Xi’s magazine, American Scientist, and has been posted online on the NPA’s website.

The NPA committees and officers have many great projects underway and more to come. But we need your ideas and your help! Are you ready to get involved? Contact a committee leader or fill out the NPA volunteer form today.