ELEVATE

ELEVATE is our educational outreach program dedicated to creating opportunities that support individuals at every stage of their career journey. Since its inception in 2018, ELEVATE has been continually shaped and strengthened by the active participation and contributions of our community members. The program is designed to foster professional and leadership development, build meaningful connections between the scientific community and the public, and promote student engagement with both academia and industry. Through dynamic programs, collaborative networks, and practical resources, ELEVATE provides experiences that enable learning, technical advancement, career growth, and the development of future leaders in science and technology.

The strength of ELEVATE lies in its adaptability and responsiveness to the evolving needs of our members. Your ideas, input, and involvement as a volunteer are vital to this mission. We warmly invite you to join the ELEVATE Committee and help shape the future of this impactful program.

Whether you are a student, an industry partner, or a seasoned researcher, the ELEVATE program strives to enrich your conference experience and strengthen your connection to the applied superconductivity community. Every activity is designed to support the advancement of the field—not only during our bi-annual conferences but in the everyday practice of science and engineering. 

As a warm welcome to Pittsburgh and a heartfelt thank you to our conference organizers and volunteers, ELEVATE invites registered students and conference organizers to join us for a Welcome Reception. Reconnect with old friends, make new connections, and enjoy a drink and an appetizer on us as we kick off the conference together.

Looking for your next career opportunity in applied superconductivity? Join ELEVATE and the ASC 2026 Exhibit for a structured, rapid-rotation recruitment session designed for students approaching graduation and early career professionals eager to connect with leading employers in the field. This exclusive two-hour event offers registered exhibitors a unique chance to meet top emerging talent attending ASC. The session will include short experience talks from recently hired professionals sharing their journey into the field, and a recruiter’s perspective on what employers are looking for. Participants will then rotate through a series of brief, focused interviews with company representatives, an efficient and engaging way to make professional connections that matter. Participants will receive a company information sheet in advance and should come prepared with printed copies of their résumé. Don’t miss this opportunity to introduce yourself, practice your pitch, and explore your future in applied superconductivity!

ELEVATE recognizes that being a graduate student is one of the toughest and most underappreciated jobs out there! Take a well-deserved break and join us for a buffet lunch on the convention center’s rooftop terrace. Enjoy the fresh air, (hopefully) beautiful weather, and great company as you unwind, connect with fellow students, and share stories from your conference week.

No talks, no panels, just you and your new and old friends catching up after a busy week of conference sessions. Come enjoy our hospitality as we celebrate your hard work and appreciate your vital contributions. T-shirts will be provided!

As an initiative to promote graduate student career development, student/professional networking, and encouraging student participation within our scientific community, ELEVATE, with sponsorship from IEEE CSC is sending 8 graduate students or YPs to attend the Program Committee and Planning Meeting. Like other committee members, the selected participants will review abstracts (Large-scale, Materials, or Electronics) prior to the meeting, and then during the meeting, the participants will assist in creating the conference sessions and assembling abstracts into those oral and poster sessions. Selection for this event is closed.

Short Courses and Workshops

Scientific communication is an essential yet often underemphasized skill within higher education. To address this gap, ELEVATE is pleased to present the Virtual Abstract Writing Workshop, a program designed to help students and early-career professionals craft higher-quality scientific abstracts.

A strong abstract captures the reader’s attention in just a few words while effectively summarizing the research process and results. Because English is the predominant language of scientific communication, non-native English speakers may face additional challenges in this area. This workshop will provide examples of well-written abstracts, highlight common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and share practical resources to support non-native speakers.

The virtual event will take place during the abstract submission window. This event will be hosted by Chiara Tarantini from Florida State University.

Despite being one of the most crucial steps in the scientific process, scientific writing is rarely taught in educational institutions. In this Virtual Manuscript Preparation Workshop we will go through some of the most common elements of style which can make scientific papers more impactful and easier to read. Our workshop will touch many areas: from basic scientific objectivity, to paragraph and manuscript structure, as well as storytelling and flow. We will show various examples of sentences, figures, tables, and paragraphs which can be transformed to create a clearer message—making the key take-aways stand out and, most importantly, be remembered by the readers. The event is open to all ASC 2026 participants. Registration is required. Please join the discussion! This event will be hosted by Charlie Sanabria from CFS.

Serving as a Session Moderator is an important and rewarding role that ensures the smooth flow and professionalism of our conference oral sessions. This virtual workshop is designed to prepare moderators for their responsibilities and provide guidance on how to effectively manage sessions, support speakers, and engage the audience.

Participants will also receive practical tips for smooth operations such as session timing guidelines and effective ways to encourage audience interaction.

Whether you’re a first-time moderator or an experienced chair looking for a refresher, this workshop will help you feel confident, prepared, and ready to contribute to a professional and seamless conference experience.

This event will be hosted by Miranda Thompson from Xanadu.

This program benefits the graduate students as well as the senior committee members. The students have an opportunity to network with senior members of the community while working within groups of similar technical interests to assemble the sessions. Students will also have the opportunity to explore other topics within Applied Superconductivity with experts in each field. Welcoming graduate students to these senior-level events will promote their future participation. We need to ensure that whether the student proceeds to a career in industry or academia, they are encouraged to remain engaged in the Applied Superconductivity community. Introducing graduate students to conference organization work ensures that a trained next generation of scientists is prepared to continue assembling conferences that bring our community together with technologically relevant topics.

ELEVATE Plenary Session

As part of the ELEVATE Program and its mission to promote professional and leadership development, the Early Career Plenaries event will be held at ASC 2026. This event continues the tradition established by the successful Young Scientist Plenary sessions at previous ASC and MT conferences, offering early career researchers who are making significant contributions to applied superconductivity the prestigious opportunity to present short plenary talks showcasing their achievements or visions for the future of the field.

Early career speakers will be nominated by the Program Committee and selected based on their demonstrated excellence, potential for leadership, and recognition within the superconductivity community. The Organizing Committee believes that including these voices within the plenary sessions enriches the conference experience by bringing forward innovative ideas, emerging research directions, and the fresh perspectives of the next generation of scientists. Call for nominations will be in the Spring of 2026.