SSA members receive complimentary registration for these virtual events. Click each event below to learn more and register.
➤ Informational Interviews Webinar (14 January)
➤ Scientific Presenting Course (20 January-2 April)
➤ Building Your Professional Brand in Seismology Workshop (2 & 4 February)
➤ Stand Out to Recruiters and Hiring Managers Webinar (25 March)
➤ Career Transitions Workshop (4, 6, 11, 13 May)
Registration opening soon:
- Geoscientist Skills that are Transferable to Industry (8 April)
➤ Mastering the Informational Interview
Wednesday, 14 January, 10-11:30 AM Pacific
One-hour webinar followed by 30 minute Q&A
Join for a practical session on the modern “coffee chat” led by Sarah Pietraszek-Mattner, PhD, who spent over 25 years as a geoscientist and leader in industry.
You’ll learn what informational interviews are (and what they’re not), how to find the right people, what to say when you reach out, how to prepare smart questions, and how to follow up without feeling awkward.
Think of an informational interview as the “fieldwork” of your career exploration and networking – you’ll hear direct observations from someone actually doing the work.
➤ Effective Scientific Presentation, Slides and Poster Design
A five-part interactive course from January-April 2026 leading up to the SSA Annual Meeting
Polish your presentation skills with Ross Stein, renowned communications expert and earthquake scientist. Attend every session to practice and build your skills as the course progresses! Unlimited enrollment – all members welcome.
Past participants have described a supportive environment and credit Ross with helping them make major improvements to their presentations for the SSA Annual Meeting and other scientific meetings around the world.
Returning members are encouraged to take the course again, and invite colleagues! Build on your existing knowledge, see new sample presentations and gain valuable feedback from a new cohort of peers.
#1 – Talk Openers
Part A: Tuesday, 20 January, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 22 January, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to engage the audience and make your argument in the first two minutes of your talk.
The opener is the most important two minutes of any talk, regardless of its length or setting. In the opener, you are planting your scientific flag and making your case. The three best approaches to engage an audience and leave a lasting impression are to tell a story, pick a fight or do a demo. Nothing else comes close.
#2 – Builder Slides and Opener/Closer Slides
Part A: Tuesday, 10 February, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 12 February from 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to convey your discoveries with impactful graphics in your oral presentation.
Builder slides gradually add information so the audience does not get overwhelmed. Opener/closer slides have an affinity for each other that communicate to the audience that they have returned to the beginning, but now with a deeper or new understanding.
#3 – Data-Model-Interpretation Slide Sequences
Part A: Tuesday, 24 February, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 26 February, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to give a lucid and convincing presentation of your key results.
This is the heart of most scientific talks, where you show data, fit it with a model, and interpret its meaning. The goal is to free the slides and presentation to show just one or a few models, focusing on the concepts, not the details. A talk is not a paper, and so generally it is not the place for uncertainty analyses or explorations of model space.
#4 – Poster Design
Part A: Tuesday, 10 March, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 12 March, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to display your principal findings in ways that spark conversation and engage diverse audiences.
Making your poster a beautiful canvas with a banner title that telegraphs the principal finding, not the subject matter, is key—what you found, not what you did. Posters are reader-driven, not speaker-driven, so they need to be inviting and self-explanatory. They also need a lot of breathing room, with no boxes or figure numbers. They are a graphic rather than textual experience, so make it dramatic.
#5 – Talk Closers
Part A: Tuesday, 31 March, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 2 April, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to leave a lasting impression and effectively launch into the Q&A.
You are returning the audience to where they began, but now wiser. Talks, like novels or movies, are circles—or, better yet, helixes—that close back on themselves, with new insight or perspective.
Feedback from Prior Course Participants
“One of the most important things I learned is to shift my focus from what I did, to what I discovered and why it matters. That mindset alone has completely changed how I think about structuring my presentations.”
“Ross helped us all realize the fundamentals of good storytelling, which is not only possible but necessary in a scientific talk.”
“This was my first time doing the demo as an opening of the presentation, and the reactions I got from other participants were enough for me to understand its potential. So, thank you Ross for encouraging us to do the demo!”
About the Instructor, Ross Stein
- Since 2014 Stanford grad class instructor, ‘Effective Scientific Presentation & Public Speaking’
- 2022 American Geophysical Union, College of Fellows Distinguished Lecturer
- 2021 UC Berkeley Earth & Planetary Sciences Commencement Speaker
- 2020 Seismological Society of America/IRIS Distinguished Lecturer
- 2018 Geological Society of America Distinguished International Lecturer
- 2014 TEDx talk, ’Defeating Earthquakes’
➤ Building Your Professional Brand in Seismology
PART A: Monday, 2 February, 10-11:30 AM Pacific
PART B: Wednesday, 4 February, 10-11:30 AM Pacific
Workshop with two 90-minute interactive sessions
This interactive, hands-on workshop led by career coach Maria Derkacheva (CEO of Scientist to Scientist Career Coaching) is designed for seismology professionals who want to strengthen their professional identity, communicate their expertise with confidence, and expand their career opportunities.
Whether your goal is to clarify your professional value, increase visibility as a technical expert, grow your network, or position yourself as a thought leader, this workshop provides practical strategies to elevate how you present yourself within the seismology community and beyond.
Participants will:
- Learn why strengths are often hard to recognize and how to surface them.
- Identify core values, motivations, and unique expertise
- Clarify their target audience and the problems they solve
- Craft a clear and compelling value proposition
- Strengthen CV statements and online profiles
- Create a confident networking pitch
Format
This workshop blends short teaching segments with small-group breakout work, guided exercises, and individual implementation time. Participants will draft and refine their value proposition, CV statements, LinkedIn content, and networking pitch with structured feedback and support.
Part A: Know Your Value
You’ll identify your values, motivations and differentiators (including your niche) to draft your value proposition and solidify the key components of your professional brand.
Part B: Show Your Value
You’ll translate your value into professional summaries for your CV and LinkedIn, strengthen your online profiles to reflect your career goals, develop a confident networking pitch and practice communicating your value with peer support.
Workshop Outcomes
- A refined value proposition and updated professional materials
- Greater confidence in communicating expertise
- A polished networking introduction
- Clear next steps for enhancing visibility
- New connections within the seismology community
➤ How to Stand Out to Job Recruiters and Hiring Managers
Wednesday, 25 March, 1-2 PM Pacific
One-hour webinar
Learn what job recruiters and hiring managers look for in candidates during this practical, insight-driven webinar led by career coach, recruiter and former life sciences researcher Lauren Celano.
Gain insight into what stands out to recruiters and hiring managers during the application and interview process, including:
- How they evaluate hard and soft skills on your LinkedIn, resume or cover letter.
- How to prepare for interviews, including skills-based questions (i.e. tell me more about your technical experience) as well as “soft skills” questions (i.e. tell me how you work in a team, or how you show initiative).
- Why organizations use behavioral interviewing and the important role of culture fit and personality fit in an interview…and how you can leverage this to stand out and make a lasting impression.
About the Instructor
Lauren spent 10 years in life sciences before founding Propel Careers in 2009. Since then, Lauren has coached thousands of scientists on how to advance their careers and has served as a recruiter for more than 60 organizations.
#1 – What do I want to do, and where do I want to do it?
Monday, 4 May, 9-10:30 AM
Identify your distinguishing strengths and attributes, which are the bedrock of your career path.
#2 – Developing materials to appeal to my target employers
Wednesday, 6 May, 9-10:30 AM
Evaluate your LinkedIn profile and CV, and learn the power of informational interviews to build your network.
#3 – Refining my job interview skills
Monday, 11 May, 9-10:30 AM
Role play with standard questions that you need to have concise answers prepared for, and spontaneous questions that will require you to improvise.
#4 – Refining my job talk opener
Wednesday, 13 May, 9-10:30 AM