Call for ICPS Volunteers

Update 18 Feb 2017: the selection process is now concluded! Here the list of the accepted volunteers.

The International Conference of Physics Students (ICPS), to be held in Torino in August 2017, will be a unique opportunity for Italy to display its best scientific research, an excellent framework to work and study, as well as to host professional events. The Italian Association of Physics Students (AISF) and the ICPS2017 Organizing Committee in particular, wish to make the most of this opportunity with a strong team of volunteers who will cover every organizational aspect of the event.

Approximately 50 volunteers will be recruited from the entire country. About half of these will be from the AISF Local Committee of Torino, which will host the event and will thus cover a significant part of the workload. All applicants for volunteering roles should fulfill the following criteria:

  • They must be Physics students in a bachelor, master or PhD programme, in Italy or abroad. We will accept applications from anyone who completed or is expecting to complete his/her studies in Physics after August 2016.
  • They must be able to demonstrate suitable proficiency in English, both written and spoken. Proficiency will be tested upon an interview with members of the Volunteers Selection Committee.
  • They must be available in Torino for the entire time period of the Conference, starting at least three days before the opening date and ending at least one day after the closing date. Some volunteers will be needed also in the days immediately preceding the Conference in order to support the IAPS Delegates days.

Moreover, the following will be taken to support volunteers’ applications:

  • International study or work experience.
  • Involvement in any AISF Local Committee or in the IAPS Executive Committee.
  • Presence in regions/institutions that are otherwise under-represented within the body of volunteers.
  • Study in a region of the Italian territory where AISF Local Committees do not currently exist.
  • Experience in organizing events and managing responsibilities.
  • Proven team working skills, e.g. in other volunteering roles both within and outside of AISF.
  • Proven public speaking skills, e.g. in outreach or other public events.
  • Familiarity with the format and history of ICPS in its 31-year history.
  • Previous participation in any IAPS events, whether directly organized by AISF for the IAPS community or by other National Committees.

All successful applicants will be granted a position on the volunteering board of ICPS2017 and will be exempted from the €180 application fee to attend the conference. This fee normally covers food and accommodation during the Conference (as well as transport within Torino and some other services). All volunteers will be provided with these without any charge.

In order to apply for a volunteering positions, students should:

  • Fill in the application form. This will require you to provide some personal details and upload a motivation letter of one A4 page, standard format (we will not penalize peculiar designs, but we do not recommend any). The candidates that will pass the first selection stage will be notified via email.
  • Attend an interview with the Selection Committee composed of members of the Organising Committee. During such interview, the applicant’s interests, experience and ability in the English language will be tested. The selected candidates will be notified via email and will be ask to confirm their commitment.

Application form for AISF members.

[If you experience problems with the form please try this alternative link]

The call for all the other AISF members will open in the next weeks.

Once selected, volunteers will be divided into groups and they will be expected to undertake the following tasks:

  • Welcome conference participants and help them getting to their accommodation on the first day and return to their transport means on the last day.
  • Handle the registration process upon participants’ arrival.
  • Manage the opening ceremony at the Cavallerizza Reale, where several guest speakers and authorities will also be welcomed.
  • Welcome and support conference guests from outside Torino. Several of them will be travelling from outside Italy.
  • Lead the “city rally” and other activities in the city of Torino (this task is expected to be taken by volunteers from the AISF Local Committee of Torino).
  • Lead the visits of research centers and companies in the territory surrounding Torino, responding to the needs of groups of visiting students.
  • Support the Organizing Committee in arranging materials for the Conference, as well as collaboratively cleaning whenever needed.
  • Supervise the provision/selling of drinks (both alcoholic and not) during the Conference and at social events.
  • Patrol and provide emergency contacts in the residences where participants will be hosted, as well as in the Einaudi Campus of the University of Torino.
  • Lead parallel sessions of the conference, introducing speakers and ensuring that all events follow the expected schedule.
  • Communicate effectively with the Organizing Committee at all times.

The above list is not exhaustive of the tasks that will be required, but provides some guidelines to any expectations. At no time will volunteers be held financially or administratively responsible for ICPS2017; the selection process aims at identifying students who will be both able and trustworthy for the work required.

Applications will be open between September 28th and October 20th, 2016. It is expected that the selection will be completed within November 10th; however, the speed with which applications will be handled will depend on how many are received. The Selection Committee aims to consider appropriately every single application and we appreciate your patience as we deal with the workload at the best of our abilities.

AISF

AISF is the Italian Association of Physics Students (Associazione Italiana Studenti di Fisica) and it gathers together all the Italian students of physics. It was founded in Heidelberg in August 2014 and since January 2015 is a National Committee for the International Association of Physics Students (IAPS). It counts currently 12 Local Committees and 900+ members. Numerous national and international events, such as CISF, iaps@GranSasso, LoT and PAPAP have altready been organized by AISF.

IAPS

IAPS is an association of physics students and student societies from around the globe, working to promote peaceful collaboration among them. Its members are represented by national and local committees, who meet regularly to ensure the relevance of its activities. There are 16 National Committees and 20 Local Committees of IAPS, representing and estimated total of 50000 students. Beside that, there are also individual members from other countries.