by Haley Cowans
The next meeting of the ASNT Virtual Section on 13 July marks the two-year anniversary of the Virtual Section meetings. ASNT launched the Virtual Section in 2020 to provide educational and networking opportunities to members across the globe. ASNT’s local sections are a valuable resource for educational programming and networking, but with ASNT members so highly dispersed, attending local section meetings isn’t always an option for every member. The Virtual Section brings these experiences to all members, regardless of whether they are affiliated with a local ASNT section.
“The Virtual Section gives ASNT’s members a place to learn, engage with peers, and earn recertification points,” said ASNT Communities and Sections Manager Jessica Ames. “The Virtual Section has attendance options that can fit any member’s schedule; you can join the live meeting and chat with other attendees and ask real-time questions to the presenter, or members can watch the recording of the meetings when it’s convenient for them while still enjoying the benefit of receiving recertification points.”
If you haven’t attended a Virtual Section meeting yet, here are five reasons to affiliate with the ASNT Virtual Section.
1. Global Networking
The Virtual Section currently has 1260 affiliated members representing 63 countries. The largest number of affiliated members come from the United States, followed by India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The Virtual Section provides an opportunity to connect with ASNT members from all over the world.
2. Interesting and Timely Content
Meeting topics for the Virtual Section are curated by an advisory panel of peers who are tasked with identifying interesting and relevant topics. Previous meeting topics include underwater NDT, NDT and the amusement park industry, rope access programs, metallurgy, and ethics in NDT.
3. Earn Contact Hours
Affiliated members earn 1 contact hour that can be applied toward recertification for meeting attendance. An attendance certificate is emailed to the attendee upon completion of the meeting.
4. View Past Presentations
Affiliated members can view all of the presentations from past Virtual Section meetings here: https://www.pathlms.com/asnt/courses/21943
5. Affiliating Is Easy!
Virtual Section affiliation is available to all ASNT members. Even members who are already affiliated with a local ASNT Section are welcome to affiliate with the Virtual Section; the Virtual Section is intended to supplement local section activity, not replace it.
The next meeting of the Virtual Section will take place on Wednesday, 13 July from 3:00–4:00 p.m. (ET). The speaker will be Robert Dahlstrom, the founder and CEO of Apellix®, who will present on aerial robotic NDE inspection. Registration is required for meeting attendance, but there is no cost to register.
Do you have an idea for a topic for a future Virtual Section meeting? Topic ideas can be sent to virtualsection@asnt.org.
_______
Haley Cowans is Educational Materials Editor at ASNT, hcowans@asnt.org.
More information on ASNT sections is available on the ASNT website.