With so many people forced to stay at home a lot of the time, how are our members occupying themselves? Why not help to support the noble aims of the Science Society by offering a little time to help run the Society?
Perhaps you are concerned that it will be a heavy workload, or that committee members have to be career scientists with an academic background - I can assure you that neither of those is the case! The committee meets every couple of months (currently by virtual meeting) to review the position and plan for the future - and to catch up with each other's news!
The covid crisis has brought out the best in so many people, giving time and effort to keep people safe and ensure organisations continue to function. That same energy and social involvement is what we need now to ensure the continuation of the CSTS.
So here I'm listing all the roles, so you can see which the CSTS currently desperately needs to fill, with a description of what they involve and how little time they occupy. According to the Constitution the committee roles are for three years, after which the holder should stand down, although they can offer themselves for re-election. If you think you might be able to help with any of the roles, please get in touch with John by going to the Society > Contacts page.
| Title | Current Holder/Status | What it entails |
| Chair | Daniel Key |
3 hours a month, plus chairing committee meetings (every two months) and the AGM. Normally this role is filled from among the committee, to ensure that the new Chair is familiar with the Society. |
| Vice-chair | vacant |
This is a supporting role for the Chair, organising and chairing meetings in the Chair's absence. |
| Programme Secretary Team | Pat Pearson, Barbara Brockway, Michael McEllin, John Mulligan |
The PS team plans and fills the lecture programme, finding and contacting speakers, agreeing dates and booking the venues (at the RAU). Speakers are identified from the PS team's own background and searches, or from suggestions by members. A guide document is provided to simplify the induction of a new PS, and help keep the high quality of the lecture programme. |
| Treasurer | Jim Thomson |
This is the usual role for a society treasurer, keeping track of financial transactions, administering the bank accounts, and reporting to the AGM. The Society has sufficient funds, so fundraising is not needed. |
| Meetings Secretary | Chris Wise |
Minutes of meetings are kept and circulated to the committee. |
| Visits Organiser | Chris Stevens |
This has been on pause during Covid,but now it's picking up speed. It involves finding places to visit and organising the group and the transportation bookings. Chris is looking for at least one more person to help her organise this. Can take about 3 hours per visit, plus the day of the trip. |
| Membership Secretary | Andy Raggett |
Keeps track of members joining and (rarely!) leaving, and queries about e-mail addresses. A large part of this is related to the members logins on the website, so it helps to have the confidence to use new software, although the IT officer is available to help. |
| Hosts Coordinator | vacant |
Meets and greets the speakers or any other special visitors, and works with the Programme Secretary to ensure the speakers know how to get to the venue. |
| Newsletter Editor | vacant |
Keeps up to date with Society and scientific news, and keeps the members informed and involved by producing a redular newsletter. |
| Publicity Officer | vacant |
Produces flyers, posters and leaflets for the lecture programme and any special events, arranges with local newspapers and publications to include articles and posters about the CSTS events. Ideally is able to keep the CSTS social media content up to date. |
| Archivist | vacant |
This is the job of keeping and organising the records of the Society, and so is about as broad as you want to make it. In its few decades the Society has generated some fascinating documents, now generally in electronic form. |
| IT Officer | Richard Gunner, a backup IT Officer would be welcome! |
Sets up the equipment for lectures either online or at the RAU. Maintains the website, with the support of the professional web design specialist. |