Purpose and Overall Goal of the Toolkit
This guide from the
APS Scientific Communication & Understanding (SCU) Committee serves as a comprehensive reference for APS divisions to support undergraduate recruitment efforts. It consolidates outreach tools, resources, recommended usage scenarios, and distribution channels. Unlike the APS Undergraduate Handbook, which serves as the student-facing component of the toolkit, this living document is designed exclusively for use by APS division leaders and members.*
Undergraduate years are a critical time to build foundational knowledge in plant pathology; students are actively exploring majors, research, and career paths, so early exposure can shape long‑term trajectories and help them make informed choices about internships, research opportunities, and further education. Because APS divisions have strong local reach, through faculty, courses, clubs, and events, they can identify and nurture interest in plant sciences before students finalize their majors, helping address the shortage of skilled professionals and ensuring a new generation of experts. Early engagement also encourages students to pursue advanced degrees; strengthens lifelong community ties among students, faculty, alumni, and professionals; and deepens the APS network over time.
Through APS undergraduate membership, students gain practical value: free access to live and on-demand webinars; discounted registration for the APS annual meeting; eligibility for undergraduate fellowships; and member newsletters with research, events, and opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, APS membership provides students with access to vital information about plant pathology and career development opportunities, plus direct connection to experienced and respected APS members leading the field.
Comprehensive Resource Catalog
Digital & Social Media Resources
APS maintains several official accounts on social media platforms that divisions may use for undergraduate engagement and outreach.
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Facebook: Event announcements, links to division meetings and webinars.
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Instagram: Visual storytelling, student spotlights, meeting photos, and career imagery.
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LinkedIn: Professional networking, internship postings, early career highlights.
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Bluesky: Highlight scientific updates that invite dialogue and participation within the community.
Official APS account handles, hashtags, and posting tips are available in the
APS Social Media Kit. Members should post from their personal accounts and tag the appropriate APS account on each platform.
APS Web-Based Resources
Print and Event-Based Outreach Tools
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Plant Pathology Career Poster: A visual introduction to the breadth of plant pathology careers, featuring values such as sustainability, biotechnology, fieldwork, and food security. This also relates the importance and integration of plant pathology work to sustainable development in agriculture ecosystems as part of the greater environment.
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Discover Your Career in Plant Pathology Postcard: A small, high-impact handout summarizing what plant pathologists do, with a QR code linking to APS resources.
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“Which Plant Disease Are You?” Quiz: An engagement tool that can be used at career fairs or booths to spark curiosity and conversation among students.
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APS Undergraduate Handbook: A student-focused document offering a clear introduction to APS, plant pathology, undergraduate membership benefits, and educational pathways (designed as part of this toolkit).
How Divisions Can Use and Distribute These Resources Effectively
APS divisions can use the toolkit by integrating materials into a variety of on-campus, community, and digital outreach settings. Effective approaches include:
On-Campus Outreach
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Invite students to division meetings. As registration costs are relatively low—and sometimes free—for undergraduate students, division meetings are an incredibly accessible way for local undergraduates to experience the APS community firsthand. Each year, start outreach to universities and community colleges in the host state several months before the division meeting. Advance notice can reduce travel and lodging barriers for undergraduates and increase the likelihood of attendance.
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Partner with university departments (biology, botany, agronomy, plant sciences, plant pathology) to display posters and distribute APS postcards in hallways, laboratories, advising centers, and student lounges.
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Work with faculty and lab mentors to provide the APS Undergraduate Handbook to undergraduate students working in their laboratories or attending seminars.
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Collaborate with university professors to promote APS resources during class sessions that cover plant pathology–related topics.
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Share materials through undergraduate organizations such as biology clubs, plant science groups, and pre-professional societies.
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Collaborate with graduate student associations to co-host outreach sessions, present at departmental events, or amplify content through their networks.
Events and In-Person Engagement
- Use APS posters, postcards, and the “Which Plant Disease Are You?” quiz at career fairs, STEM expos, student welcome events, departmental open houses, and APS-hosted division meetings. Set up simple booth displays that combine print materials with QR codes pointing students to APS resources.
Youth and Community Outreach
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Connect with FFA, 4-H, Master Gardener programs, and extension networks, including citizen science organizations, to reach pre college and early undergraduate audiences interested in plant and agricultural sciences.
Digital Distribution
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Leverage social media platforms to showcase APS resources for undergraduates and raise visibility of upcoming division meetings.
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Share the APS Undergraduate Handbook on platforms that are frequently visited by students interested in plant sciences.
Highlight Benefits of Undergraduate Membership
Undergraduate membership offers students simple, meaningful entry points into APS. Divisions can help students understand these benefits by weaving short, clear messages into their outreach.
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Emphasize that APS undergraduate membership is free and includes access to webinars, division meetings, and funding opportunities.
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Use a brief membership message on posters, postcards, slides, and social posts, supported by a QR code linking directly to the membership page.
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Highlight undergraduate-friendly opportunities during division meetings through a short announcement, slide, or table sign.
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Encourage faculty mentors to share membership information with students working in labs or attending seminars.
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Share real student experiences, when possible, to make membership feel relatable and relevant.
Measuring Success
Monitoring the success of your efforts can help you improve your strategies over time—and help us make improvements to the toolkit based on what works in reality. Here are some ideas of how success can be measured.
Awareness Indicators and Engagement Metrics
Here are a few ways that you can help us measure success through your outreach efforts:
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Social Media views, shares, and comments on your post
Keep track of how many people like, share, and comment on your posts. You can use a spreadsheet to see if any of your messaging is more engaging than others and which platforms you are getting the most response on so you can focus your efforts there.
For social media best practices, we recommend a dedicated representative(s) of each division post and tag official APS accounts (see tips in the
APS Social Media Kit and “Digital & Social Media Resources” Section on this page). When you tag APS official accounts, the posts can be shared out for wider reach.
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Counts of where posters or postcards are displayed on campus
Note where you placed your materials. If you aren’t seeing interest from some of the universities you’ve visited, consider different placement in the future. If you can target a location that is getting a lot of response, try mirroring that placement in different campuses.
Conversion Metrics
APS staff and the SCU Committee can help measure success in the following ways:
- ”How did you hear about us?” registration question
A question on how division meeting attendees found out about the meeting was added to division meeting registration forms in spring 2026. Data from this question will help identify how outreach efforts are impacting non-member and undergraduate attendance.
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Trends in undergraduate APS and division membership
Metrics on undergraduate individual and division membership will be compared to previous periods and reviewed with the SCU Committee to note growth patterns in response to outreach efforts, which started in March 2026.
Quick Links
View or Print the APS Division Undergraduate Recruitment Toolkit
Get PDF
*Notes on Versioning and Future Updates: This resource guide is a living document. Updates may be required as APS develops new assets, refines outreach strategies, or receives feedback from divisions. All divisions are encouraged to document effective practices and share recommendations for future refinements by emailing the Scientific Communication & Understanding (SCU) Committee at
[email protected].
Publication Date: March 2026
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