ASA Member Engagement Committee

The Member Engagement Committee sponsors a range of opportunities to support the professional development and career growth of ASA members, including

Early Career Travel Support Awards are available at specified in-person meetings to help offset associated costs of participating in ASA meetings. Early career meeting attendees are eligible to apply if they are current members of the Acoustical Society of America, are within 10 years of receiving their last degree, and are not currently students. Priority will be given to applicants who will be presenting a paper at the meeting, will be chairing a session at the meeting, identify as a member of an underrepresented group within the Society, and/or hold a leadership position in the ASA. When offered, more details are available on the Meetings page.

Affinity Groups within the ASA bring together acousticians with similar interests or identities. Current Affinity Groups include:

If interested in learning more, please reach out to the Member Engagement Committee Chair.

Panels, workshops, and other events held during ASA meetings, such as

  • Early-Career Grant Panel
  • Careers Beyond Academia Panel
  • Business Development Panel
  • Building Equitable Professional Networks Workshop
  • Providing and Responding to Constructive Reviews Workshop
  • Listening Sessions for Affinity Groups, which provide initial networking and discuss important issues specific to their identity or within their community
  • Early Career Speed-Networking Event, including with both other early career attendees and more experienced ASA members

ASA Mentorship Program provides one-on-one mentorship at all career levels and career types. This is a goal-oriented mentorship program intended to focus on specific professional and personal development topics, such as skill growth, support, access to opportunities, career trajectories, professional interactions, etc. For more information, either as a potential mentor or mentee, please reach out to the Member Engagement Committee Chair.

Early-Career Acousticians Retreat (EAR) is a two-day workshop, typically offered every 3 years, for early career professionals within 10 years of their last degrees in the field of acoustics. The workshop focuses on career development and networking through specialized workshops and roundtable discussions, and allows participants to connect and socialize with both fellow early career acousticians and more senior members of the ASA. Past topics in support of early career development include

  • Leadership as an early career professional
  • Handling and giving feedback
  • Developing collaborations, including between academia and industry
  • Mentoring, including topics such as imposter syndrome, advocating for yourself, negotiating for success, establishing a writing routine, and work-life balance

Registration includes all workshops and other activities as well as three meals. Travel reimbursements in support of lodging and transportation will be available for 30 registrants.

The Early-Career Acousticians Retreat was previously held in Spring 2025, Fall 2022, Fall 2019, and Spring 2016.

Committee Charge

Charged with developing programs and initiatives to attract new members and retain current members with a focus on diversity in the Society in all of its aspects; and with conducting studies about membership and membership trends, such as the evaluation of member demographics and exit surveys.

Committee Members

Martin Lawless, Chair to 2028

Term to 2028
Zinah Al-bayyar
Jennifer L. Cooper
Naomi Gurevich
Stephen Lomber
Christina Naify
Bonnie Schnitta
Dan Zhao
Sipei Zhao

Term to 2027
Feruza Amirkulova
Rui Chen
Benjamin Grigg

Term to 2026
Jeffrey S. Bevan
Stephanie Konarski
Bryce Lemert
Meaghan A. O’Reilly
Marisha L. Speights-Atkins

Ex officio:
Susan E. Fox, Executive Director
Carol Y. Espy-Wilson, Vice President-Elect