Why I volunteer
SEC Committee members share their thoughts on why they volunteer for IOM3.
Ollie Thomas | University of Oxford
I am very much a people person, and volunteering has provided me with some of the most varied and fulfilling opportunities to meet new people of any activity in my life so far. I even met my fiancé while volunteering! It has also given me many opportunities to broaden my skill set, from developing audiobooks with the RNIB to practising latte art in a community café. I value these chances to dip my toes into other sectors that might otherwise have remained a mystery to me.
As my career has developed and my volunteering has become more professionally focused, I have become increasingly aware of the value of the opportunities it affords and the networks it has helped me build. In a job market as challenging as the one we currently face, this can make all the difference when trying to stand out from the crowd. At the same time, I am all too aware that people’s time is more in demand than ever and finding the time to volunteer can be difficult. In light of this I decided to ask my fellow SEC Committee members for their thoughts on why they volunteer and the value they find in it.
Dr Michael Kenyon MIMMM | Chair, SEC Group
I have been part of many different aspects of the institute, from technical communities to the Student & Early Career Committee, now as chairperson. Volunteering has been a rewarding way to contribute to the wider community, especially to student and early career professionals, while also developing my soft skills. I initially became involved to connect with others in my area of expertise and support activities aimed at students and early career professionals.
One of the biggest benefits of volunteering has been the opportunity to expand my professional network. Through committee work and events, I have met people from across industry, academia and most importantly from across different technical disciplines. These connections have provided valuable perspectives and opened doors to new ideas that I would not have encountered within my day-to-day role.
Volunteering has also helped me develop a range of skills that are directly transferable to my career. Organising events, collaborating with committees and engaging with members has strengthened my communication, leadership and organisational abilities, whilst also giving me greater confidence in professional settings.
Overall, volunteering has played an important role in my professional development, and I have found it rewarding to contribute to an organisation that supports and connects people across materials, minerals and mining disciplines.
Hannah Hilton-Tapp | Vice-Chair, SEC Group
Personally, volunteering for IOM3 has been invaluable for my personal and career development. My volunteering journey started on the Advisory Council as a Postgraduate representative. This allowed me to communicate and network with the widest range of other members representing all of the technical communities and member groups. I then transferred to the Student & Early Career Committee where I’ve had the chance to travel to London multiple times for meetings at the IOM3 offices and the YPLC UK Final at the Armourers Hall. I’ve also been a representative of IOM3 at various exciting events, including a visit to the House of Lords for the 50th Steering Committee Meeting of the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS) attended by representatives international measurement laboratories. All of these experiences gave me ample examples to pull out in job interviews and I definitely credit getting my current position to my volunteering with IOM3. I continue to be extremely proud of representing this institute and I highly encourage anyone and everyone to get involved!
Alice Robinson CEng MIMMM | Rolls-Royce plc
I volunteer with IOM3 to help build my network in the materials sector and to give me opportunities to show and develop initiative and softer skills that I might not get through work. I’ve been on the SEC Committee for a few years now and have really enjoyed meeting the people I have along the way. Whilst I’ve been volunteering I’ve completed my chartership and have had several promotions at work. I enjoy giving back through IOM3 through supporting SEC events like road to chartership to share my experience and help others achieve their goals within engineering too. As part of our role in SEC Committee, we also vote on the Silver Medal award each year. Playing a key role in awarding this prize is really exciting as you know you’re making a difference to others and rewarding them for their hard work - the nominations each year are always amazing and it’s so inspiring to get to read about all the nominees’ endeavours before voting. Outside of the professional environment, I also volunteer as an athletics coach and official at my local athletics club. I enjoy seeing the progress the athletes make over time and how happy they are when they learn a new event or do well at a competition. I think coaching sport has helped me to be better as an athlete too so really it’s a win win!!
Liv Andersson | Loughborough University
In the first term of my undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering, my cohort were visited by a representative of IOM3 who told us of all the benefits of our student membership. Although we may not have taken much notice at the time, now, in my final year of undergraduate study I have a great appreciation for my membership, and the access I have gained to wonderful lunchtime lectures and fantastic workshops.
Last year, I began volunteering with the IOM3 Student & Early Career Committee. Being on the industrial placement year of my undergraduate degree, I was (and still am!) the most junior member of the Committee and found that my perspective in discussions often differed from that of others, and was valued as a voice of student members.
Whilst I have not yet had the chance to take full advantage of all that the IOM3 has to offer, I am as enthusiastic as ever to contribute my perspective to ensure the involvement of the most junior members of IOM3.
Ameer Zaki | University of Leeds
I have found in many areas of life, there are ample reasons to partake in, and benefits from, volunteering, including volunteering my time and thoughts to the IOM3 Student & Early Career Committee. I decided to get involved to give back to an organisation that had decided to reward my work when I myself otherwise may not have, to give myself the opportunity to strengthen and learn new skills, and to diversify and strengthen my CV to help maximise my opportunities for when I complete my PhD. Sitting on the SEC Committee has allowed me to have input on matters that affect the members of the committee and organisation, and gives me the opportunity to travel to different parts of the country with the organisation as well as giving me a platform to meet and network with my peers in the same field who I would have otherwise never interacted with. Additionally, by virtue of having to interact with the organisation more, I have learned about even more of the great things that they do, and that I can take part in; I found the idea of influencing policy particularly interesting.
