Welcome to the All-New SRA Online News by Brandy A. Randall

I’m thrilled to begin my term as the SRA Online News Editor. Over the past few months, we have been working to transition from a print-based newsletter to an online format integrated into the SRA website.

I envision the Online News as a place for conversation and a place to learn about the wide range of exciting things that are being done around the world to enhance our understanding of adolescents and promote their well-being. Although you will no longer receive a print copy of a newsletter in the mail twice a year, all of the newsletter content that you have been able to enjoy will be available to you online.  We also have many exciting additions that are only possible in a virtual format. I’ll briefly summarize what SRA members can expect from the Online News.

Feature Articles
Interesting feature articles will acquaint you with the broad range of activities that SRA members are involved with. Please send ideas for articles about what you’re doing to train the next generation of scholars, how you are reaching out to improve the lives of adolescents, what you are finding in your research that you think may be of interest to the membership, etc

Blogs
Several people have agreed to write regular blogs. The topics will include Policy, Teaching, Research with Ethnic Minority Adolescents, and Applied Work with Adolescents.  SRA President Niobe Way will also contribute a blog. SRA members will be able to comment on the blogs. We expect that our bloggers will develop quite a following. Their willingness to serve in this capacity is greatly appreciated.  

We will also have a “Members’ Blog”. Any SRA member can write a blog in this section. This is a forum to stimulate discussion about issues that are important to you. The possibilities for the “Members’ Blog” are unlimited.

We’re able to create new regular blogs as the need and interest arises. I encourage you to think about whether a Special Interest Group (SIG) you are part of would benefit by having a blog devoted to your SIG in order to facilitate greater communication among your members. Suggestions for blogs are very welcome.

New in Science
Exciting new research on adolescence will be highlighted each month. We will look across the various journals that publish relevant research in order to bring to you one forthcoming study that we find particularly interesting, relevant, timely, or surprising.

Teachers’ Corner
Many of us not only study adolescents but also teach about them. Furthermore, issues relevant to adolescents arise more broadly when we are teaching traditional-age college students who are themselves adolescents/emerging adults. Many SRA members have expressed interest in having a more consistent conversation about teaching. SRA is excited to facilitate this conversation through the creation of a Teachers’ Corner. This will be a place on the website where SRA members can share syllabi, assignment ideas, etc.

Members in the News
We will continue to showcase the many ways that SRA members disseminate their research to a broader audience. One benefit of the new online format is that we can link directly to the news story when possible. We ask that you help us highlight your efforts by telling us when you’ve made the news, and include a link when possible. Please consider identifying yourself as an SRA member when giving interviews, etc. to help spread the word about the organization. Identifying yourself as an SRA member is an important way for our organization to become more widely recognized and build public interest in our conferences.

Podcasts
Our new website allows us to make podcasts available to you. Reed Larson, SRA Past President, generously agreed to the podcasting of his Presidential Address at the 2010 SRA Biennial Meeting. More podcasts will be added as they become available. We encourage you to be creative in your use of these. For example, I’ve found that for undergraduates, listening to a podcast of a scholarly talk is a good alternative to reading a journal article.  Please consider sharing podcasts of talks that you have given through the SRA website.

One of the beautiful things about the Online News format is the flexibility we have. I anticipate that the website will continue to evolve to serve SRA members’ needs. To this end, I encourage you to share your ideas for the Online News with me. If you have thoughts about an interesting article, a good blog topic, or anything else, send me an email at onlinenewseditor@s-r-a.org.

The new SRA website and Online News provide a huge increase in your SRA member benefits! The website will let us all talk with each other more about adolescence, share information and resources, and spark new ideas. Although some portions of the website will be open to the general public, most of the other sections are Members Only. If you are not an SRA member, please consider becoming one in order to have access to this wealth of resources and to become part of the ongoing conversation!

Dr. Brandy A. Randall, North Dakota State University
SRA Online News Editor