Specialty groups

Scientists and students of Nepali origin

By Upendra Sainju

March 14, 2022

Members of the Specialty Group of Students and Scientists of Nepali Origin at a get-together dinner after the group meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, 2021.

The specialty group of Scientists and Students of Nepali Origin (SGSSNO) was created in 2018 following a call from ASA, CSSA, and SSSA to address the needs of specialty groups, expand the activities of the Societies, and enhance the social connections of members. The group is a part of the Societies’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. The group has been meeting every year during the Annual Meeting to discuss the progress, needs, and advancement of the group, which currently consists of 75 members.

The objectives of SGSSNO are varied, but the mission is similar to that of the Societies. The group aims to address the needs of Nepali scientists and students active in the Societies and collaborate with other communities/specialty groups to support the goals of DEI.

After the establishment, the mission, goals, and objectives of SGSSNO have gone through several iterations of reviews as the group is accepting/inviting new members and soliciting ideas/needs. The 2020 meeting of the SGSSNO was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic. The group met during the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Societies in the Salt Lake City, which produced very encouraging and fruitful ideas.

Addressing Member Needs

A total of 37 scientists and students participated in the meeting and discussed some of the pressing needs of the group members. These were:

Mentoring students by subject matter specialists.
Training/assisting young scholars on writing manuscripts for publications in referred journals and preparing research proposals for funding from organizations.
Celebrating the success of the scientists and students receiving awards from Societies and providing certificates of appreciation to those volunteering in Society groups and activities.
Inviting prominent scientists to give lectures on novel findings and pressing issues in developing and developed countries.
Encouraging scientists and students of Nepali origin and others to join the specialty group while registering or renewing the Society membership.
Developing and advancing collaborations with other specialty groups and ASA, CSSA, and SSSA members.
Facilitating involvement of group members Society activities: Serving on committees, presenting papers at the meetings, moderating sessions, judging papers for awards, submitting papers to journals, reviewing papers for journals, and joining editorial boards.
Serving the needs of newly joined members to advance their career.
Having a get-together dinner after the meeting in a designated location for better networking and collaboration opportunities.
Raising funds for the group and other charity organizations.

The group is still gathering input from members about what their needs are and how the group should advance in the future to effectively serve its members. To expand its network, the group is also developing a database for SGSSNO members who are currently in the U.S. or abroad. It plans to communicate to members via the Societies’ discussion boards.

Join Us

To join this group, visit www.agronomy.org/my-account/specialty-and-working-groups, www.crops.org/my-account/specialty-and-working-groups, or www.soils.org/my-account/specialty-and-working-groups.

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