CU Students Against Pseudoscience has bold plans for 2022-23. However, we are strong believers of an informal structure where each member is given space to play to their strengths. Humanists and scientists are just as important to us. Experienced and non-experienced members are just as valuable to us. The only things we expect are commitment, openness and a willingness to learn. So please use the contact form to get in touch.
If you anticipate time to be an issue, do indicate in your application and we will accommodate you. We appreciate that term-time is busy and many of us have a range of commitments and interests. If you are excited by our work, do not let this deter you, we remain keen to hear from you.
There are a range of operational and executive roles available. There are no general committee roles, but if you want to focus your efforts or expertise on a specific aspect of our work do indicate in the special interests section – you may be assigned a working group if there is sufficient interest!
Operational Roles
Events Officer(s)
As an Events Officer you’ll be responsible for helping us put together our exciting term card. You get to invite interesting speakers to speak to us! Perhaps the author of a book you read or a journalist whose work you enjoyed, or someone you know who may have had a valuable experience to share. Examples of past talks can be found here (not all speakers have agreed to be recorded).
You are responsible for taking initiative in communicating with these speakers and identifying their needs. You are also the person who would introduce the society, run the Q&A and interview or chair discussions or panel events when appropriate.
Over the last year, we have also developed workshops based on talks with past speakers. It would be great to roll these out in colleges, schools and events. You’d be responsible for reaching out to people who may be interested.
This role will be shared with members of the team assigned to play to their strengths, if there is a particular part of the role that you are interested in then please let us know.
Social Media and Publicity Officer(s)
Your job is to make sure as many people who may be interested in our events get to hear about our events. Reach as many people as possible by any means necessary. You look out for potential co-hosts and media opportunities. You run the Facebook events and you upload the YouTube recordings afterwards. You’ll also be responsible for posting content and curating our online presence.
Charisma and good writing skills are important. Graphic design experience or a desire to learn would be desirable, but not strictly necessary.
This role will be shared with members of the team assigned to play to their strengths, if there is a particular part of the role that you are interested in then please let us know.
IT Officer / Webmaster
The IT Officer plans, designs and ensures the smooth running of the website to reflect the values, aims and activities of the society. You also look after any virtual hosting platforms, recordings and transcripts for speaker events. You may wish to develop a platform through which our membership base may form a community (such as Discord). Or maybe you’d like to develop a podcast, or a project that disrupts existing content farms/harmful campaigns. There is a lot of room should you like to take this role further, and we’d be happy to hear your thoughts.
Experience with WordPress is desirable but not necessary. If you can make websites from scratch, welcome aboard.
Working Groups
There will be no general committee members. If you are passionate about an aspect of our work you can register your interest in one or more of our relevant areas and join us in a capacity more focused towards these areas:
- Public Health (Vaccine Hesitancy, Alternative Medicine, Fad Diets, Homeopathy, COVID Denial)
- Environmental Concerns (Climate Change Denial, Manipulation of Climate-Related Statistics)
- Technological Policy (Social Media Regulation, YouTube, Data Science, Content Farms)
- Human Rights (Academic Freedom, Scientific Racism & Misogyny)
- Psychology (Conspiracy, Superstition, Choice, Uncertainty & Risk)
- Mechanism of Active Disinformation (Motives/Causes, Quasi-legitimacy, Political/Religious/Corporate/Populist Interests)
- History and Philosophy of Science (Epistemology, What is Pseudoscience, Ethics of Mandatory Action etc)
- Education (Media/Scientific/Technological Literacy, Manipulation of Statistics, Logical Fallacies)
- Communication (Scientists/Professionals/Experts in Media, Engaging Communities, Argumentation Techniques, Podcasts and Infographics, Doctor-Patient Relationship)
- The Overt Fight (Campaigns, Community Education, Inoculation Techniques, Counselling)
- The Covert Fight (Peer Workshops, Network Building, Curriculum Additions)
Executive Roles
President (Co-Presidents)
The President(s) are responsible for leadership, management and setting the vision for the society. You oversee all activities of the society, chair meetings and delegate tasks. You also coordinate recruitment, handover and liaison with external organisations and other universities. The President(s) are public faces of the society.
The position can be run for as a pair. At least one person per candidacy is expected to have been committee members in the past, and must demonstrate leadership, strategy and networking skills, as well as knowledge and/or passion for the cause.
Secretary
The Secretary manages meetings, drives productivity and works closely with the executive committee. You keep records on the society’s decisions and activities (such as minutes from meetings), look after the society’s mailing lists, Google Drive and internal communication channels. The secretary also books event spaces and authors emails to the membership.
The Secretary is a perfect role for someone who would like to be part of the senior team (perhaps a leadership position in the following years) but would like to gain some experience first. Apart from motivation, no prerequisites are expected.
Treasurer (Junior)
The Treasurer ensures that the accounts of the society are in order. You run our bank account and keep track of our expenses. You also send emails to potential sponsors and negotiate with them on behalf of the society.
If you enjoy being creative when finding opportunities, and are comfortable with sending some emails to people you may not know, this role is for you. Budget management experience is helpful but not crucial.
Students Against Pseudoscience 