64 SEPTEMBER 2024 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG USAS Student Subunits: History and Impact J. Grenn, M. Walsh, K. Hartman, C. Engle, A. Kelly, D. Cline, R. Lochmann and D. Straus As a new generation of students and members of the United States Aquaculture Society (USAS – a Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society) comes along, we want to share the long history of USAS Student Subunits as a follow-up to the article entitled “Student Sub-Units: The Future of USAS” in the previous issue of World Aquaculture Magazine. The article referenced above was intended to promote USAS Student Subunits by highlighting the benefits of their organized events at Aquaculture America 2024 to encourage further Subunit development within USAS. We hope this article provides a more in-depth historical account of the formation of the Student Subunits as well as promotes the benefits of having them. Student Subunits have significantly impacted USAS, and we hope their presence might encourage other Chapters of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) to consider the formation of their own Student Subunits. Since the creation of USAS in 1990, student involvement has consistently been an important and significant part of USAS operations and motivations. The USAS Board of Directors has always sought to engage students interested in aquaculture, and worked to create opportunities and activities to encourage students to participate in the Society and aquaculture in general. As early as June 2002, interest, support, and promotion of student activities by past USAS Boards are evident as seen in the USAS President’s Columns of the World Aquaculture Magazine archives (https://was.org/Magazine/Archive). We are confident this support existed well before 2002, but unfortunately, no archived issues prior to 2002 are currently available online. (We hope these editions will be added to the WAS website in the future, as these archives provide a glimpse into the long history of USAS and WAS.) In the June 2003 issue, there is a column by the then USAS Student Liaison, Kristie Vanpatten, from the University of Arizona stating, “Currently, the USAS and Student Activities Committee are in the process of establishing the opportunity for student sub-chapters of the USAS to be formed at universities. This will allow even more students to benefit from and get involved in USAS student activities and programs.” This entry documents the beginning of USAS Student Subunits, which were formally started in 2003. The first Student Subunit was founded at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2004. A second Subunit quickly followed at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. In the March 2005 USAS President’s Column, Jeff Hinshaw congratulates “our student members for initiating the first two USAS student subunits.” Some USAS Student Subunits co-exist with American Fisheries Society (AFS) student groups, providing even more interactions and opportunities to expose students to the diversity of aquaculture. USAS and AFS subunits are located at Auburn University, Lake Superior State University, Ohio State University, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and University of Florida. Student Subunits take the mission of USAS and WAS to the undergraduate and graduate academic communities. USAS and WAS benefit from a large and diverse student membership.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjExNDY=