Best Benefit Ever: Travel Discounts for Early-Career Scientists

What’s the benefit? One of the best ways for associations to appeal to industry newcomers is with the promise of career-development opportunities. And the European Association of Geochemistry  (opens in a new tab) takes this benefit to the next level with the lure of networking on a global scale. EAG’s Early Career Science Ambassador program  (opens in a new tab) gives rookie geochemists based in Europe the chance to attend conferences outside of the Continent by covering up to 50 percent of their expenses. In return, the ambassadors attend conferences as EAG representatives, which means they must display the association’s support on presentation materials and write about their experiences for the EAG blog  (opens in a new tab).

Missed our latest news? Find it all at http://t.co/CGKm3Dcc1q  (opens in a new tab), including our new membership benefit for Early Career Scientists

— EAG (@EAG_) October 20, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

Why it works for members: It’s tough for scientists to justify the costs of venturing to international conferences when they are just beginning to establish their careers and they are still financially insecure. But EAG’s program eases that burden, providing an opportunity for fledging geochemists to meet other professionals in their field, learn from industry leaders, and be exposed to new cultures. And, given that many associations struggle to entice young workers, EAG’s program provides an example of how to provide a benefit finely tuned for junior members.

Other benefits: In the spirit of helping emerging scientists establish themselves in the field, EAG also sponsors students to attend short courses  (opens in a new tab), conferences, workshops, and summer schools  (opens in a new tab). The association’s networking platform also provides the means for new and senior scientists to connect through a blog  (opens in a new tab), monthly newsletters  (opens in a new tab), job listings  (opens in a new tab), and more. And if young members find themselves wooed by the world of conferences, their membership grants them discounted entrée to the Goldschmidt Conference  (opens in a new tab), a premier event for geochemists.