A new trophy found its way into Marston Hall to recognize the college’s outstanding effort in recruiting the most volunteers for this year’s State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa (SSTFI). Jay Staker, chairman of the board of SSTFI, delivered the SSTFI Volunteerism Traveling Trophy to an enthused Camille Sloan Schroeder.
Schroeder, director of engineering recruitment and community outreach, said her main recruitment tactics were simply sending e-mail messages and getting people talking about the opportunity. With collaboration from people all across campus, including Staker, she generated a huge response that ultimately led to the most SSTFI judges in the history of the event.
This positive response from volunteers has been years in the making. Schroeder noted that previously successful college outreach and recruiting events have helped her build a good reputation among potential volunteers. “When we send something out to encourage people to volunteer, it has credibility because they believe it will also be fun and rewarding,” she said.
Schroeder explained the trophy was important to her and others involved within the college but noted that other motives influence participation in this event. “We want to promote young individuals getting involved with all kinds of things like the SSTFI to promote the STEM fields and engineering,” Schroeder said. “So for us, it’s not only a trophy, it’s about these students having positive people influence them about their future aspirations.”
SSTFI is a two-day event that takes place annually in Ames. Schroeder emphasized there are a variety of ways that students, faculty, staff, and others can get involved. “The event needs volunteers for everything from logistics to judging,” Schroeder said. In the past, Schroeder has been involved with judging and giving presentations on behalf of the college at SSTFI.