Helping Your Employer Understand the Value of Your Participation in a SETAC Meeting

Jane Stavley, Exponent; Mason King, Simon Fraser University; and Tristan Smythe, Carleton University

To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a global tragedy and disruptive to early career professionals would be an understatement; yet, it has not been without some silver linings. The forced adoption of virtual meetings has come with improvements to accessibility, for one. Moving forward, the hybrid event being planned for the SETAC North America 42nd Annual Meeting will allow for the in-person attendance of those able to safely join us, while others unable to attend in-person may join virtually. Prior to the global pandemic, Jane Stavely penned the following essay with advice for early career professionals on securing support for SETAC meeting participation from employers. Of course, in-person attendance may not be a possibility or the best option for everyone this year. Virtual participation is a great alternative, and Stavely’s advice holds relevance for making a pitch for meeting participation to employers, whether virtual or in-person. We hope the suggestions are useful and look forward to seeing you virtually or in-person at the annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, this year.

Early in your career, it is important to build your expertise and your network. One of the key ways to do this is to participate in SETAC North America annual meeting. You probably don’t need any convincing of the value of attendance. You already know that you’re going to hear and see the latest about research and regulatory developments in environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, risk assessment and a host of other topics. You know you’ll have great opportunities to network with representatives from academia, government and business. You know you’ll be able to participate in training courses, topical mixers and other professional development activities. And, to top it off, you know you’ll have a good time.

Now, you just need to convince your supervisor that you should participate. Maybe your boss is thinking about your organization’s budget, or they’re concerned about the work that won’t get done during the meeting. Maybe your boss isn’t very familiar with this organization called SETAC. Maybe your boss isn’t so sure about giving you “time-off” for this “junket.” After all, you are not one of the senior members of the organization. So really, now, why should your organization support your participation? What can you do to demonstrate that their investment is warranted? Below are some tips that I have learned over the years which, judging by the fact that I have been able to participate in every SETAC North America annual meeting ever (except one), have apparently been at least somewhat successful.

Start your “meeting campaign” early by investigating the list of proposed sessions to see what piques your interest and aligns with your organization’s interests. Of course, if your organization is willing to support your attendance on the condition that you are giving a presentation, by all means get working on that abstract! Late-breaking science abstracts open on 4 August this year. Whether or not you have a presentation planned, increase your campaign when the preliminary program is posted and make a case that there are some key topics you need to hear. Don’t forget about training courses! Employers are often willing to allow you to participate in defined “training” when they may be reluctant to let you participate a conference otherwise. Plan ahead to address any issues with your workload by arranging for a colleague to cover critical needs and by committing to putting in some extra time of your own either before or after the meeting. I don’t advise trying to do your normal job during the meeting as you will miss out on the benefits of being fully present at the meeting. Plan to check email daily and respond to emergencies only and leave it at that. But be prepared to put in some extra effort to catch up when you are back at work.

The real work for you will come after the meeting, to set the stage for getting approval for the next time. After the meeting, consider writing up a short memo for your supervisor and co-workers describing the highlights of the meeting relevant to the work of your organization. I did this after one of the very first SETAC North America annual meetings I attended. At the time, I wasn’t consciously trying to promote the value of the meeting. I was just so excited about hearing so many talks that directly related to my projects, I felt like I just had to write it down and pass it along. In that same vein, share copies of posters that you’ve picked up, or forward abstracts to colleagues that would benefit from seeing the information. Maybe you can pass along something important to a research partner or client. If you took a training course, consider presenting the key points in a webinar or lunchtime seminar to your co-workers. What a great value for expenditure of your organization’s dollars! And, if you don’t want to prepare something on your own, look for one of the recorded sessions and “host” a viewing of it, along with your own commentary and insight. If you did give a presentation, be sure to follow up with people that had questions or left you their business cards. This is a great way to get more “mileage” out of your presentation.

These efforts will demonstrate that you were fully engaged and not indulging yourself with time off. When it comes time to register for the next annual meeting, management will remember that your participation not only enhanced your own professional development but gave something back to the rest of the organization. Your boss will recognize the value, and when your co-workers pout and ask you why you always get to go to the SETAC North America meeting, you can pull out plenty of reasons to show them.

One more tip: If you think it will be challenging to get approval to attend the SETAC North America annual meeting, start off by participating in your regional chapter meeting. This usually involves less time and expenses. Use the same tips discussed above to demonstrate that your time was well-spent and use this as a springboard for your request to attend the North America meeting.

Authors’ contact information: [email protected]