“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”—Margaret Mead

Are you ready for a new challenge? Are you committed to getting a short-term (or long-term) project completed? Then this is the Call for Volunteers that fits you. Here is the vision for the role you might play.

Role of Committee Members:

• Make a serious commitment to participate actively in the committee’s work, including substantive participation in committee meetings and discussions.

• Volunteer for and willingly accept assignments and complete them thoroughly and on time.

• Stay informed about committee matters, be prepared for meetings and review and comment on minutes and reports.

• Get to know other committee members and build a collegial working relationship that contributes to consensus.

• Act as a think tank and a team of “doers.”

• Share the credit. Thank all that were involved in the success of the committee.

IAVM has recently evolved to a Coherent Governance model, with the energy of the IAVM Board of Directors focused on oversight and setting strategic goals based on the wants and needs of our members. Day-to-day operations of the association is performed by the staff management team. As a result, our volunteer boards, committees, and task forces this year will be comprised of those ready to help fill a specific need as identified by the board or by management.

Here are the opportunities available, and the volunteer roles and responsibilities for each. To volunteer, please follow the link below (or click here) to complete the survey and tell us why you are a good fit for the role(s) you seek. You may indicate your interest in as many committees as you wish, so please make sure that you rank your choices with 1 being your highest preference. We will make every effort to place you within your top three rankings.

Yes, I’ll volunteer.

The deadline to respond to the Call for Volunteers is April 16, 2014. Appointments will be made in early May. Whether you are currently serving on a committee or are now ready to serve, please take a few minutes to complete the survey before the deadline.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at rosanne.duke@iavm.org.

(Image: Orange Photography)

Baseball season has begun, and I bet you’re thinking, “I’d really like to propose to my significant other in my favorite team’s stadium. I bet that costs a lot of money, though.” Well, future groom or bride, Swimmingly has the answers for you via a nice graphic, which you can see above.

“Though all proceeds go to charity, exactly what’s offered in a proposal package varies tremendously from ballpark to ballpark—some teams even offer multiple price points,” Molly Fitzpatrick wrote on the site.

Check out the full story to learn about each stadium’s proposal packages. And good luck to your favorite team (go Rangers!) this year.

(Image: Swimmingly)

Today, the FCC voted unanimously to unleash 100 MHz of spectrum for outdoor unlicensed broadband uses, such as Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz frequency band.

This additional unlicensed spectrum (a 50 percent increase in spectrum to be exact) will support all the things we already use and further drive investment and experimentation. Consumer devices are already equipped to operate in the band, so they can easily be adapted to quickly take advantage of new 5 GHz channels. And a new Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac, that has just been approved for the 5 GHz band will allow for a better consumer experience. As FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai has said, “The 5 GHz band is ‘tailor made’ for the next generation of Wi-Fi.

We wanted to understand how the FCC move today will directly affect our IAVM venues, so we reached out to Ellen Satterwhite, director of the Glenecho Group and partner in the WifiForward Coalition. Ellen provided a quick summary saying, “For those venues that run their own networks (with, say, commercially available routers), the FCC’s move will free up more spectrum for those routers compatible with 5 GHz to use. Most routers have the capability to use 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz already (or venues run a “dual band” Wi-Fi network using a router in each band). Using the 5GHz band will allow users to have less noise, less interference, better speeds, and a more stable connection—with the technology they have today or already available for purchase.”

Wi-Fi traffic in the U.S. is growing at 68 percent per year, and the number of homes with Wi-Fi is expected to reach 86 percent by 2017 (up from 63 percent today). With the 2.4 GHz band becoming increasingly congested, today’s move by the FCC is most likely just the first step in greater expansion of unlicensed spectrum and a huge leap forward for the industry.

(photo credit: FutUndBeidl via photopin cc)

Challenging. If that’s a defining word for your job, then you should look forward to mental benefits after you retire.

“Based on data spanning 18 years, our study suggests that certain kinds of challenging jobs have the potential to enhance and protect workers’ mental functioning in later life,” said Gwenith Fisher, a faculty associate at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR) and assistant professor of psychology at Colorado State University.

The study Fisher is referring to involved 4,182 participants, ages 51 to 61, who were interviewed eight times between 1992 and 2010. They had been doing the same job for more than 25 years, and their duties included analyzing data, solving problems, evaluating information, making decisions, and developing strategies. The researchers discovered that those who worked in mentally challenging jobs had better memories before they retired and slower memory declines after they retired, compared to those whose jobs were less mentally demanding.

“These results suggest that working in an occupation that requires a variety of mental processes may be beneficial to employees,” said Jessica Faul, an ISR assistant research scientist. “It’s likely that being exposed to new experiences or more mentally complex job duties may benefit not only newer workers but more seasoned employees as well. Employers should strive to increase mental engagement at work and, if possible, outside of work as well, by emphasizing life-long learning activities.”

The researchers did control for formal education and income; however, they admit that people with higher levels of mental functioning chose jobs with more mental challenges.

“What people do outside of work could also be a factor,” Fisher said. “Some people may be very active in hobbies and other activities that are mentally stimulating and demanding, while others are not.”

How mentally challenging is your job? Or do you engage in non-work hobbies that challenge your brain, and if so, which ones? Please contribute to the conversation in the comments section.

(photo credit: Genista via photopin cc)

There was a lot of news this past week. Here are some stories that caught our eyes.

Red Sox Nation Goes Global
—Forbes
“A sports conglomerate that’s integrated vertically, horizontally–and globally–Fenway Sports Management handles all sponsorships for its three teams, as well as players and squads it doesn’t own…”

Want to Be More Creative? Think on Your Feet
—Inc.
“Companies like Life Is Good use improv exercises to boost collaboration and creativity.”

Bluetooth Beacons Coming to Trade Shows
—Techworld Australia
“To interact with the beacons, event goers will need to have a recent Android phone that supports BLE or an iPhone 4S or later.”

How to Never Forget Anything Ever Again
—Medium
“Short-term memory and long-term memory are actually two ends of a spectrum. Everything that ends up in long-term memory has to start off in your short-term memory.”

Roma Unveil Plans for New 52,500-capacity Stadium
—Chicago Tribune
“Roma said the new stadium would be a central part of the strategy for the club’s future and its ‘re-emergence as a force in international football.'”

(photo credit: misconmike via photopin cc)