Hello ASP members!
My name is Haley Dutton, and I am the 2022-23 ASP Student Representative to ASP Council. I am originally from southeast Nebraska and currently a PhD student in the School of Fisheries and laboratory manager of the Southeastern Cooperative Fish Parasite and Disease Laboratory (SCFPDL) at Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama). I am a taxonomist and enjoy looking for parasites, describing them, and studying their life cycles.
Please consider attending your regional society meeting as well as the annual meeting of the ASP. I have been part of the society since my undergraduate research program with Dr. Mike Barger at Peru State College. I have fond memories of attending my first regional meeting at SWAP in 2012 and feeling overwhelmed at my first ASP meeting in New Orleans in 2014. I have attended every SSP meeting since 2018 and every ASP meeting since 2019. These societies are important for students and their careers. Working hard on a project, seeing it through, and then communicating it to colleagues is a rewarding and inspiring experience. Getting feedback from, meeting with, and getting to know seasoned parasitologists also is invaluable. These societies are part of the foundation for teaching new students and having them learn how to present their findings as well as getting to see friends and colleagues and thinking about fun new ideas or debate old ones. So, I hope to see you all at the upcoming meetings!
The ASP Student Representative to ASP Council should be an active and familiar member of our society. The previous 2 student representatives had never attended an ASP meeting. I think that it should be required that anyone being nominated for this Council position must have attended at least 1 ASP meeting before being elected. I understand we are all busy, we all have job duties and projects that come first, but I encourage you all to participate when asked to be nominated, and to attend and present at your regional/national meetings, and to publish in the Journal of Parasitology. I have learned these relationships follow you and can help your career in presently unforeseen ways.
The student symposium this year will focus on the diversity of non-academic job titles that one can apply for as a parasitologist. As parasitologists, we are capable of applying for a diversity of positions that may not seem directly related to the study of parasites. This will give a platform for you to talk with individuals and say “I want your job. How do I get it?”. Please plan on attending the ASP Student Symposium in Denver at the 2024 ASP meeting!
Thank you for electing me as student rep for 2023-24. I look forward to seeing you all at 99th ASP meeting in Denver – 100 (or nearly 100!) years of ASP!