Emerging Topics Community Update

Who has heard about the Emerging Topics Community but doesn’t really know what it is? Who wants more information on the Community? Who is looking to be part of the Community? This is the article for you!

Near the end of 2021/beginning of 2022, the following three SOA sections were combined into the Emerging Topics Community.

• Modeling,
• Predictive Analytics & Futurism, and
• Technology.

Why was the Emerging Topics Community formed? Overall section membership is waning and member feedback indicates wanting to feel like they are part of a community. With overall participation in Sections decreasing, the SOA is taking the initiative to help serve the profession.

Why is it called a community? What does community mean? We could pull the definition of community from a dictionary but I think the better question is what does community mean to you? That is the goal of our Community, to provide the opportunity to be a part of a community that meets the definition of current and future SOA members. Community may mean something different to everyone, but feeling part of a community helps us thrive. Being part of a community can help all of us be more productive and satisfied with our profession. In order to do this, we need feedback, volunteers, and participation. We have made big strides in developing the framework of this community but there is still progress to be made. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is this community. I would like to thank our 2022 chairperson, Joan Barrett. Her hard work and dedication laid a great foundation for this Community. As the current chairperson, I’m working with our team to continue building on the foundation that was developed last year to lay the framework for other communities within the SOA.

What’s makes our community special? Our community is special because it centers on Emerging Topics, which are important topics focused on keeping our profession relevant. The topics are brought to and through the community in different mediums. Community members, volunteers, and peers bring topics they believe would have interest within the community. These topics are turned into content and discussed amongst members.

The Emerging Topics Community met its goals last year for providing content and has made significant headway to meeting its goals for the current year. Check out the following sampling of content that has been provided:

• Articles
  • “Abandon the Spreadsheet and Go Digital”
  • “An Exploration of the Quantum Actuary”
• Podcasts
  • Check out a recent four-part series on predictive analytics and high cardinality features
• Upcoming Webcasts
  • Turning Data Into Strategic Decisions – Aug. 29
  • Applying Penalized Regression as a Credibility Procedure – Sept. 12
• Meeting sessions
  • The community has helped develop sessions for in-person and virtual meetings. Check out the sessions at the upcoming SOA Life Meeting and ImpACT meeting.

In addition, Topic Calls have been highly successful. These Topic Calls are designed to be more interactive and have been well received by our members. The Topic Call format uses a preliminary 10- to 15-minute discussion by industry experts followed by an interactive discussion between the audience and the experts. Unlike traditional webcasts where audience members can only communicate through chat, on Topic Calls participants can unmute to participate in the discussion. A recent call titled “Using Predictive Analytics: How to Get Started” brought in a great audience with engaging discussion.

The content and topics discussed in this article are just a sampling of the great content our team produces. Content is developed to reach our peers at all levels. We are also working on improving communication and engagement. Our goal is to drive engagement beyond common actuarial topics to help community members connect on common interests such as running or favorite books. We recently started a new SOA Emerging Topics Group within LinkedIn. The Community is also planning on sponsoring events at each of the next couple of industry meetings and STAY TUNED for a virtual event that is currently in its initial planning stages.

Volunteering with the Emerging Topics Community gives you a chance to help pave the future of how we interact and engage as members of the SOA. This can be done in multiple ways:

• Run for Section Council
  • Serving in the Emerging Topics Community results from being elected to the Section Council on any of the three original Sections: Modeling, Predictive Analytics & Futurism, or Technology
• Join the LinkedIn group
  • More importantly start or join a discussion and engage with other members
• Become a “Friend of the Community”
• Volunteer by writing an article, presenting a webcast or podcast, developing a meeting session, or providing feedback and helping enhance our community

If you haven’t volunteered with the SOA in the past, you should give it consideration. Volunteering is a great way to network, build new relationships, and give back to the profession. We are excited to hear from new contributors. Contact us via LinkedIn or communities@soa.org. In addition, there is a link to fill out an expression of interest to volunteer on the Emerging Topics Community page under Professional Sections on SOA.org. Just click the header Get Involved.

Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries, the newsletter editors, or the respective authors’ employers.