2022-2023 Zone Meetings

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Zone meetings bring together students from SPS chapters within geographical zones. They are a fun and effective way for undergraduates to meet other students, present their research, and interact with practicing scientists. Zone meetings in 2022 & 2023 will continue to serve these purposes, but how we hold them may be a little different from usual. SPS National recommends that all zone meetings should be held according to national and local safety recommendations and guidance with respect to COVID-19.

If Zone Meetings will be held virtually:

  • The Associate Zone Councilor and Zone Councilor will chair the virtual zone meetings
  • An SPS Chapter will continue to host part or all of the zone meeting
    • It is recommended that a chapter of which the AZC or ZC is not a member host each part of the meeting.
    • The dates for all zone meetings are set and available here.
    • Ask SPS National for a zoom meeting with breakout rooms sps [at] aip.org

Resources provided by SPS National:

  1. Apply for funding. Examples include: trivia prizes, competition awards, materials to be mailed to chapters
  2. Request a speaker through the Alumni Engagement Program.
  3. Ask for someone from SPS national to join the meeting or record a greeting: sps [at] aip.org

Resources to try out:

  1. gather.town - you can make a virtual space to meet and chat with people - good for ice breakers
  2. Miro.com - a place to make a virtual white board and sticky note space for many people - good for group work
  3. SPS Virtual Lounge on Discord -  Plan out the zone meeting and connect to people

Template schedule:

6:00 – 6:10 PM  Welcome and opening remarks by AZC and ZC

                         -Share information about yourselves and how you can help

6:10 – 6:30 PM  Icebreaker games in small breakout rooms

  •  We recommend that each room contain at most 6 people and be randomly assigned

6:30 – 7:00 PM  Plenary speaker from the Alumni Engagement Program

  • 20-minute talk
  • 10 minutes of questions
  • Remind the speaker to share information about their personal career path

7:00 – 7:15 PM Small group puzzle

  • Zoom room escape room, fermi problem, or some other task that is fun

7:15 – 8:00 PM Student Presentations – Pop talks

  • Recommended: Each presenter has no more than 4 slides and 3 minutes to present
  • Each presenter has 2 minutes of questions

8:00 – 8:10 PM  Break

8:10 – 8:30 PM  Group sharing of what chapters are doing to maintain community within their chapters

8:30 – 8:45 PM Virtual Laboratory Tour

  • Share virtual tour of a national lab or observatory. Resources available here.

8:45 – 10:00 PM  Game night and/or and/or Demo competition

     Suggestions: Trivia, Pictionary, Jackbox games, or Physics Jeopardy