Taking part in societies is one of the most important and fun things you can do at uni. Sure, you’ll hear everyone saying, ‘Get involved’ or ‘Make the most of it while you can’ and the short response is: it’s true. I’m in my third year now and can confidently say that being an active member of any society is an amazing way to meet people, gain new skills, and feel like you’re actually making a difference within the university itself. I knew from my first year that I wanted to leave after my degree with something I was proud of and something that would ultimately benefit me after graduation…so I joined SATNAV.
SATNAV stands for ‘Science and Technology News and Views’ and is the University of Birmingham’s only science magazine (plus it’s run entirely by students). I am now the current Chair of the magazine which has been honestly one of the most rewarding and stressful experiences. Our magazine is a platform for students to publish their articles, photography or more that are related to science and the scientific community. We publish biannually and usually have around 20 articles per issue. The themes of the issues range from ‘Science of Film and TV’ to ‘Myths and Legends’ to ‘Science in Nature’ or ‘Time’.
SATNAV is a very significant society within EPS as every year we are lucky enough to interview many different scientists who visit the university, many are the professionals who take part in the EPS Distinguished Lecture series (a brilliant and thoroughly fascinating annual lecture lead by world leading researchers). For example, last year I had a wonderful time meeting and interviewing Professor David Phillips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_uTb72gUzs
As Chair and also Copy-Editor of the magazine, it is my responsibility to organise and write agendas for all our meetings, to make sure everyone is meeting deadlines, to reach out to potential sponsors or collaborators and of course my copy-editing duties include checking the overall grammar and flow of the articles. You can find out more about us here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/eps/eps-community/Students/Student-societies/EPS-Student-Societies/satnav.aspx
Or want to read one of our previous issues?
However, SATNAV is just one of many, many societies you can get involved with in the EPS community. In fact, there are currently 32 different societies within the college so there is definitely something everyone could get involved with. Along side SATNAV, I love to take part in any events run by ChemSoc whether it be a quiz, a bake sale, a pub crawl or career workshop they run. However, by far my favourite event run by ChemSoc, is of course the Chem Ball! An evening extravaganza where we all dress up very fancy and basically have an excuse to drink prosecco with our lecturers! It’s an awesome night every year and I am very much looking forward to the next (and my final) one in March.
The final event in the EPS calendar is the EPS Awards ceremony. This is a night to honour all of the hard work and effort that everyone within the college does for our community and highlight some of the people who go the extra mile. There are various categories which you can win, from ‘Outreach Award’ to ‘Diversity and Inclusion Award’ to more specific accolades like ‘Member of the Year’ and the coveted ‘Society of the Year’. Although SATNAV did not win one last year, we are determined to come out with a trophy or two at this year’s event. However, I am so proud to be part of such a diverse, broad, gifted and inspirational college and really encourage any of you (prospective or current student) to find your place in EPS.
