Role Of Professional Societies Research Articles

Property and Construction Professions: The Views of Industry Leaders

The role of professionals has changed significantly, and sotoo should the role of professional societies. The future isvery unclear, and it is likely that professional societies willcontinue to change and adapt. But what is their role today;is it to provide leadership, serve their members, or promotetheir professions? These questions were put to a numberof construction industry leaders to seek their views. Thepresidents of three professional institutes and a governmentregulator for the construction industry were approachedand their opinions recorded. Each interviewee was chosenbecause of their leadership role within the property andconstruction industries. Using an informal exploratoryinterview approach each respondent discussed issuesfacing their professional society. The results show thatindemnity insurance, continuing professional development,and public recognition were key concerns.

Time for Homework on Vision & Change

With conference at the end of the month, I can feel the excitement building. Conference is a time for professional development with a personal touch – we have the opportunity to visit face-to-face with colleagues whom we have known for years or have just met in an environment rich in new ideas about the theory and practice of biology education. Through both formal and informal discussions inspired by presentations and workshops, we exchange and challenge ideas, build networks, formulate new questions, and acquire some tentative answers. We receive reinforcement for our ideas, are bolstered by the knowledge that colleagues in similar situations face similar challenges, and gain new perspectives as we learn about the challenges and solutions faced by those who teach in environments very different from ours. We learn about students from those who taught them before us and from those who may teach them after us, and we adjust our expectations and reflect on our expected outcomes. We learn about instructional techniques, assessment techniques, curricula, content, research, and policy. We also learn firsthand about our association and, finally, we build our networks (and, sadly, sometimes learn that we have to prune them). Last summer, I expanded my network …

Role of Professional Societies in Career Development

Professional medical societies serve several functions that may benefit society, the sponsoring medical profession, and individual members. Several professional societies are available for colorectal surgeons to join and participate in. Reasons to join include service, educational offerings, networking, and companionship. Participation can vary from membership to leadership. The advantages and costs of participation and how this may enhance a surgeon's career are described in this article.

The role of citizen science in ornithology

ORNITHOLOGY AND CITIZEN SCIENCE For many reasons, the study of wild birds has played a pioneering role in the development of modern biology. Although birds were included as examples in the major syntheses before the 20th century (including the theory of natural selection), their special position strengthened along with the broad change of biology from describing patterns towards explaining processes. In the first half of the 20th century, it was recognized that the bird is a well-suited subject for studies into the problems of functional morphology, physiology, behaviour, and orientation of animals (Haffer, 2007). Since then, birds have provided some of the most significant model systems for testing general hypotheses regarding speciation and in the diverse fields of ecology, including population and community ecology, evolutionary and behavioural ecology (Gill, 2007). Another distinct feature of ornithology is that, because of the attractiveness of birds, amateurs have always assisted (and outnumbered) professional ornithologists (Greenwood, 2007). In the modern world, such 'citizen science' (the involvement of volunteers in research) provides two great opportunities. First, it enables to widen both the spatial and the temporal scale of field studies beyond the limited reach of individual researchers and short-term project funding. A respectable part of current ornithology--bird surveys involving broad public participation--thus provides pivotal data for developing conservation science and macroecology, and for detecting long-term changes in wild populations, communities, and the wider environment (Greenwood, 2007; Dickinson et al., 2010; Magurran et al., 2010). Secondly, public participation and direct contact with researchers serve as an educational tool for raising awareness about environmental issues and the scientific method (Brossard et al., 2005; Bonney et al., 2009; Devictor et al., 2010). By that, and by increasing public support, the citizen-science part of ornithology is useful for clever applications of ecological knowledge, particularly in conflict situations of biodiversity conservation. THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES Together with its opportunities, a reliable and self-sustaining citizen-science system presents special challenges. One is that managing the contact with the public requires administering capacity and special skills, such as extensive communication and the development of online data storage systems (Bell et al., 2008). Other challenges are methodological: a prerequisite for the inclusion of a large number of volunteers is a clear and simple protocol of data recording, while the data collected will nevertheless be heterogeneous and probably biased for several reasons. Therefore, proper management and analysis of volunteer-collected data typically require professional statisticians to handle the complex sampling designs, error sources, and data structure (Dickinson et al., 2010). These challenges are best addressed by large non-governmental organizations governed by their (amateur) members but employing professional staff to organize the work; and there are many advantages to having a single national organization at least in the case of ornithology (Greenwood, 2007). As exemplified by the European experience, organized citizen-science approaches can greatly increase study effort and reduce the costs of biodiversity monitoring projects (Schmeller et al., 2009). In Estonia, citizen ornithology started to organize on 1 May 1921, when 15 persons, led by Professors Johannes Piiper and Henrik Koppel (Rector of the University of Tartu), formed the Estonian Ornithological Society (EOS). Despite being re-organized several times, the society soon became the centre of volunteer-assisted ornithological projects in Estonia with distinct peaks of its activity in the 1930s, 1950s, and 1970s (Kumari, 1976; Mand, 1992; Leibak et al., 1994). The two last peaks are largely related to the activity of Professor Eerik Kumari, who organized professional teams, published the first field identification guides in Estonian and, in particular, prepared a so far unsurpassed textbook for amateur researchers (Kumari, 1963). …

Addressing malnutrition through profesional and inter agency networking: The Uganda Action for Nutrition Society.

This paper considers the role of professional societies and networks in building capacity for improved nutrition through cohesion with relevant national institutions and development partners on issues of food and nutrition policy development, implementation, and monitoring. It draws heavily on practical experience and capacity of professional members of the Uganda Action for Nutrition (UGAN), a corporate agency and society that advocates for adequate nutrition for all in Uganda. UGAN evolved from a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) effort, to a Ugandan owned and managed initiative that provides a forum to advocate for adequate nutrition for all through all channels of policy and leadership. In effect, UGAN activities are geared towards improved productivity and realisation of high quality nutrition advocacy messages and actions to influence positive development outcomes. The outputs provide options for improving the food and nutrition security and livelihoods of vulnerable groups in Africa and other parts of the world through its membership and participation in the activities of the International Union of Nutrition Sciences (IUNS), and partnerships with other development actors. With a membership of diverse professional levels and disciplines, UGAN provides a diversity of well tailored nutrition strategies through multidisciplinary channels that directly and positively affect vulnerable populations, and lead to demand-led development initiatives. This initiative can assist the achievement of a technical–social empowerment balance in alleviating malnutrition. Lessons learned from the transparent and participatory leadership, are pulled out to provide recommendations for achieving positive and sustainable development outcomes through food and nutrition security interventions.

The WPA Regional Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, 22-24 October 2009.

The WPA Regional Meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria on 22–24 October 2009 attracted 309 delegates from 19 countries. Held in collaboration with the African Association of Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals (AAPAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and hosted by the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), the theme of the meeting, “Scaling up and reaching down — addressing unmet need for service”, was chosen to reflect a major focus of current attention among stakeholders in global mental health, including both the WHO and the WPA. The meeting was declared open by the Nigerian President, who was represented by the Minister of Health, Prof. B. Osotimehin. In his opening address, the President informed the audience that a revised mental health policy and draft mental health legislation for Nigeria were going through a process of stakeholder consultations and was hopeful that these documents would soon begin to receive official attention. The WPA President, Prof. M. Maj, highlighted the items in the WPA triennium plan with salience for the region. These included the focus on policy engagement to extend mental health service, development of educational programmes for young psychiatrists, and attention to populations with special needs, including those with recent experience of disaster. Dr. S. Saxena, from the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse of the WHO, assured the audience of the importance attached to service scale-up in the region, as attested to by the identification of several countries in need of focused support in the Organization's mhGAP document. O. Gureje, the meeting convener, set the meeting in the context of several decades of growth of academic psychiatry in Nigeria. He reminded participants that the first formal meeting of psychiatrists from across the world to be held in sub-Saharan Africa was convened in Nigeria by the late Prof. A. Lambo in November 1961. Dr. F. Njenga, the outgoing President of AAPAP, traced the history of the development of the Association and noted that, in a relatively short period of its existence, it has established credibility as a professional organization. The meeting had a full complement of scientific programmes, including plenary lectures, key lectures, symposia, and free papers reporting new research. Specific attention was given to several components of the WPA Action Plan 2008–2011 (1–2). These included a symposium on successful experiences in our field — with examples of mental health reform (Uganda), cultural therapy (Jamaica), and a mental health/HIV initiative (in several African countries) – and a forum discussion focusing on the roles of professional societies in health care reforms. The symposium in which updates of the revision process of the ICD and DSM were provided by Drs. D. Regier and S. Saxena was of particular interest to many participants. Two special workshops were held during the meeting: one on communicating with children and adults with intellectual disabilities (by Prof. S. Hollins) and the other on the United Nations Interagency Standing Committee Guidelines on responding to conflicts and disasters (by Dr. J. Nakku and colleagues). Two pre- and post-meeting events are worthy of note. A study group, sponsored by the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals, was conducted for three days prior to the commencement of the meeting. Directed by Prof. B. Robertson, it had Prof. M. Belfer as a member of the faculty. Another workshop for young psychiatrists on professional and leadership skills, directed by Prof. N. Sartorius, was organized to follow the main meeting. Other members of the faculty were Profs. G. Thornicroft, S. Seedat, and O. Gureje. A presentation was made by Prof. N. Sartorius in honor of Prof. A. Lambo, the first Nigerian psychiatrist who later became the Deputy Director-General of the WHO, at the conference dinner. It traced the development and execution of the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia, a pioneering multi-country collaborative project of the WHO in which both Profs. Sartorius and Lambo as well as another participant at the meeting, Prof. M. Olatawura, were involved. Backed with black-and-white photos taken during the project's execution, the presentation provided young members of the audience with a historical excursion to the distant past of psychiatric epidemiology. A formal change of leadership of the AAPAP was also witnessed at the dinner when Dr. F. Njenga, the outgoing President, handed over the ceremonial chain of office to Prof. O. Gureje as the new President.

The Science-Policy Interface: What Is an Appropriate Role for Professional Societies

ABSTRACT Scientists and their professional societies are seeking to increase their influence in shaping policy decisions. A recent call for natural resource professional societies to endorse position statements on economic growth raises questions about how scientific societies can and should effectively contribute to policy development. Taking a stand on policy issues is akin to serving as a policy advocate. We believe that natural resource professionals can most constructively contribute to policy development by conducting rigorous research that is policy relevant and by effectively conveying the results and policy implications of that research to all parties interested in the issue. By actively engaging decisionmakers and providing information on pressing policy issues, professional societies can increase opportunities to be recognized as sources for reliable, unbiased information about natural resources and their management.

The Role of Professional Societies in Career Development in Academic Medicine

The Role of Professional Societies in Career Development in Academic Medicine

Correlation of cytotechnologists' parameters with their performance in rapid prescreening of papanicolaou smears

Efficient quality control is essential to ensure high sensitivity of Papanicolaou (Pap) smears. For this purpose, rescreening of 10% random negative smears is increasingly felt to be ineffective. Rapid rescreening (RR) of all negative Pap smears is more practical and has received widespread acceptance, especially in Europe, although its sensitivity is difficult to monitor and its retrospective nature may influence the vigilance of the screeners. The method of rapid prescreening (RPS) overcomes these drawbacks because rapid review of Pap smears precedes full screening. All routine conventional Pap smears (n = 8364) over 2 months underwent RPS by 12 cytotechnologists, followed by full screening. Data were analyzed to determine correlation between the RPS sensitivity of individual cytotechnologists and both their sensitivity in full screening and their years of experience as cytotechnologists. There was a striking variability in sensitivity (15.4%-72.7%) among the 12 screeners with an atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) threshold. There was no correlation between RPS sensitivity of individual cytotechnologists with either their sensitivity in full screening or their years of experience as cytotechnologists. The skills required of a cytotechnologist for achieving a high sensitivity in RPS are apparently different from those of full screening and are independent of the sensitivity of the screeners at full screening or of the years of experience as cytotechnologists.

Evidence-based vs. 'impressionist' medicine: how best to implement guidelines

Implementing clinical practice guidelines improves outcomes. This has been shown by several large scale registries. However, in spite of this, guidelines are poorly implemented in clinical practice for a wide variety of reasons. We examine the reasons behind the low uptake of guidelines into routine medical practice. Many physicians are simply not aware that guidelines exist; or they do not believe in them; or they simply do not care to implement them. Economic and social factors may also influence uptake of guidelines. It is the role of professional societies to disseminate best scientific knowledge, and ensure optimum implementation of guidelines. This can be achieved through educational activities and CME credit. Close collaboration between the profession, health authorities, and maybe even the industry could improve uptake of clinical practice guidelines, and thereby improve patient outcome.

Known by the company they keep: a study of political campaign contributions made by the United States public accounting profession

The U.S. public accounting profession commits substantial financial resources to federal election campaigns. In this paper, we explore the potential motivations for and consequences of those actions. We investigate the political contributions made by the profession during periods of proposed professional reform. We also analyze political contributions made during the 1997–1998 U.S. federal election cycle, with the intent of identifying systematic relationships between the levels of those contributions and the ideological profiles of the legislators receiving them. We argue that the profession is engaged politically in the management of its professional role in society and in the support of large clients’ interests. We also argue that the legislators supported by the profession have legislative agendas that are much broader than those of direct interest to the profession, and therefore the profession’s support may have unintended consequences. Our analyses of contributions data reveal that the profession shows preference for legislators who are sympathetic to pro-business agendas. At the same time, the legislators who receive financial support from the profession tend to favor conservative agendas, and tend to oppose agendas advanced by Civil Rights, Labor, Liberal, and Women’s groups. Our study provides insights into the fundamental role played by the accounting profession in U.S. society and the effects of the profession’s efforts to shape public policy.

The role of professional societies in promoting integrity in research.

To summarize what is known about and to offer suggestions for steps professional societies can take to foster greater integrity in research. Analysis of research literature on research integrity. Research on research integrity has identified 3 areas for concerns about integrity: 1) research misconduct, 2) questionable research practices, and 3) the research environment. It is suggested that professional societies should 1) undertake a careful assessment of needs and possible problems in their research areas, 2) develop resources to address specific problems, and 3) take more active roles in promoting integrity in research among their members.

What does the new century offer range science in southern Africa?

Range Science, as a developing discipline in southern Africa, is reviewed over its 60 years of formal existence. The context of the African political and socia-economic environment is used as a background to examine the impact that range science has made on the agricultural and conservation arenas. The relations between organised agriculture, government, conservation agencies and the non-formal sector regarding the development of the discipline are reviewed. The role of professional societies, such as the Grassland Society of Southern Africa and the Zimbabwe Grassland Society, are seen as key to the future development of the discipline and a sustainable land-use, involving the region's rangelands, in both the resource-poor and well-resourced sectors. The need to adapt to the dynamic political and economic environment as well as the changing human- and financial-resource allocations by government is debated. As a consequence of globalisation and improving international trade, a more environmentally conscious legislation is developing. Range Science can playa key role in the rehabilitation of areas exploited for their mineral resources. This for example requires the development of a partnership between the discipline and industry to ensure that the training of scientists equips them with the skills to operate out of the their traditional home of servicing commercial agriculture. To this must be added the re-tooling of current professionals to adapt to their new role in servicing resource-poor farmers and communal landowners. This, in turn, impacts upon the tertiary education sector and its curricula. Strategies for making a positive and constructive contribution to the development of the regions rangeland resources and the discipline are presented.

Future directions in engineering ethics research: microethics, macroethics and the role of professional societies.

Three frames of reference for engineering ethics are discussed--individual, professional and social--which can be further broken down into "microethics" concerned with individuals and the internal relations of the engineering profession and "macroethics" referring to the collective social responsibility of the engineering profession and to societal decisions about technology. Few attempts have been made at integrating microethical and macroethical approaches to engineering ethics. The approach suggested here is to focus on the role of professional engineering societies in linking individual and professional ethics and in linking professional and social ethics. A research program is outlined using ethics support as an example of the former, and the issuance of position statements on product liability as an example of the latter.

The role of professional societies: Codes of conduct and their enforcement

In discussions of professional standards and ethical values it is reasonable to consider who will develop the codes of conduct and guidelines for behavior that will reflect the standards and values of the community. Also worthy of consideration is whether the standards or guidelines are enforceable, and how and to what extent they will be enforced. The development of guidelines or professional codes of conduct is a responsibility that has been adopted by many professional societies. Useful to this discussion is an examination of the rationale behind the development of ethical codes by professional societies. The Ethics in Science Committee of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP) has examined the codes of some of its member societies and some observations regarding them are pertinent. The nature and uses of ethical statements, codes and guidelines developed by professional societies are multiple and diverse. Their enforcement raises both practical and ethical concerns.

Staying Employed In Interesting Times (Book Review)

This book is described as the single most succinct, useful, and hard-hitting book on the topic of employment for engineers. To be sure, it is not the most detailed. Especially at the high end of the curve— for those who left middle management careers and salaries close to, or reaching into, six figures—more detailed and better books do exist. Nonetheless, this book is invaluable as a survey, a standard to set your values by, and a pointer to the more detailed and specialized texts. The most worthwhile lessons the guide teaches is that dropping off your résumé and waiting for the phone to ring is no longer a viable job search strategy. As your engineering work changes from being a “job” to being a “consulting profession,” your network becomes the most important source of new employment. A second and almost equally important lesson is that you must not go it alone. From my own experience, I know that those who successfully find jobs are people who stubbornly keep reaching out to their fellow engineers for advice, referrals, and moral support. The book‘s pointers on interviewing are likewise right on target. The guide also has chapters on self-assessment, the transition from school to work, where the EEs are employed, networking as an art, résumés and how to write them, job searches on the Internet, assessing what you are worth, and the role of professional societies. It concludes with appendices loaded with valuable information covering self-assessment methods, a list of industries employing EEs, sample résumés, a guide to engineering compensation, professional societies, resources in print, and Internet resources.

The role of professional societies in continuing education

Why does anyone in the geophysics business care about continuing education? For the individual geophysicist the reasons to consider participating in continuing education probably boil down to wanting to stay competitive in the job market. For companies, it is much the same — they want to maintain their competitive edge by having their employees apply geophysical technology as effectively as possible.

The Literature of forestry and agroforestry

Discusses the evolution of forestry and agroforestry and presents the core literature in these fields, covering both traditional and emerging areas. Topics include changes in forest science in the 20th century, the development of agroforestry literature, the role of professional societies and the US

Follow-Up Of International Graduate Students In Agricultural Education At The Ohio State University

The primary goal of international students who attend U.S. colleges and universities for graduate study is to receive the best education available (Kaplan, 1983). These international students do not differ from domestic students in their desire to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills that will adequately equip them for a professional role in society, however, unlike domestic students, 85% of the international students do not remain in the United States upon completion of their degrees (Altbach, Kelly & Lulat, 1985).

Transfer of information. A note on the role of professional societies.

Professional societies in general are designed to support and raise the prestige of the professions they represent, and the most overt way in which they do this is by attempting to keep the level of information concerning their profession as high as possible.Traditionally, the predominant type of transfer of information has been scientific papers presented at meetings for the memebership, and this it still so in many cases. The large amount of information communication in this way, and its significance, is beyoned doubt.