4 Reasons Undergraduate Students Should Volunteer at Academic Meetings

Hello. This time, I participated as a volunteer for the academic society. It was a very meaningful and fulfilling experience. I encourage all undergraduates to participate in a place called an academic conference. This is because universities are institutions of higher education and research institutions. What universities are good at is their research and presentations, and the place where they can do that is called an academic conference. Both undergraduate and high school students can participate as academic volunteers.

An academic society means an academic gathering of professionals (in this case, related to industrial hygiene) like the Japan Society for Occupational Health. It has nothing to do with Japan’s emerging religions, but it is easy to misunderstand in Japan, so I will make a note of it.

Treatment and Salary of Society Volunteers

In many cases, the pay is not very high for the amount of time it takes, and in many cases it is unpaid. In most cases, travel expenses are not paid. The operation of the society depends on the society fee (money paid by members on a yearly basis) and participation fee (the cost of attending once. Even members need to pay, but it is cheaper than non-members) and donations from corporations. It is funded, but it cannot be said that there is enough money. As a result, volunteers are treated poorly.
In Japan, if you work part-time at a restaurant, you can get an hourly wage of 1000 yen/8 euros per hour, but the salary for academic conference volunteers is often less than this amount.
Conference venues are often located a little far from the city center, so it’s basically difficult to eat. Therefore, lunch boxes are often distributed free of charge.
At the academic conference, I attended this time, there were no benefits (salaries, etc.) other than lunch boxes. Still, I was honored to be able to participate and I’m glad I did.

The reason why undergraduate students should participate in the management of academic societies as volunteers 1: Because they understand the sensation and enjoyment of doing research

Research is a lot of fun. However, there are few opportunities to touch the research. An academic conference is a place where you can come into contact with the front lines of research. An academic conference is a place where the latest findings, education, and knowledge are discussed, and the greatest merit of participating in an academic conference is being able to grasp the fragments.

The reason why undergraduate students should participate in administrative volunteers of academic societies 2: Because they can get an image of their future research career

Undergraduate students who want to become researchers are especially encouraged to participate in academic conferences and make presentations. This is because it is important to have a track record of submitting papers to become a researcher. However, since undergraduates are at the stage of grasping the basics, there is no need to rush even if you cannot make a presentation at an academic conference while you are an undergraduate. An acquaintance of mine is a researcher who is active on the front lines as a leading figure in her field, but she made her first academic presentation when she was a graduate student (master’s course). However, participating in academic conferences while still an undergraduate student will surely provide a great stimulus to your life as a researcher in the future.

Why undergraduate students should participate in academic conference management volunteers 3: Because it makes university classes more fun

University classes are taught by university faculty members who are researchers. By coming into contact with what they are researching every day, even if you don’t follow the path of a researcher, you should be able to feel that there is such a job and that there is such a reward. Japanese universities carefully support students in finding employment, but they do not teach how to pursue a career as a researcher. If you want to know such things, you have no choice but to participate in academic societies and knock on the doors of these worlds yourself.

Why undergraduate students should participate in academic conference management volunteers 4: Because they can participate in academic conferences for free

Volunteers can attend conferences for free and attend lectures in their spare time. Attending academic conferences, which generally cost thousands of yen/dozens of euros for students, is a huge advantage, and it is very helpful for students who are short on money.