Volunteering for SIGGRAPH Los Angeles 2019 Conference (SIGGRAPH ロサンゼルス 2021 カンファレンスへのボランティア)

Having the chance to be part of the world's renowned conference in CG, the ACM SIGGRAPH conferences, it was thrilling to learn new techniques in computer graphics and animation. I had a chance to be part of the Student Volunteers group as a Team Leader. The conference was held from Jul 28, 2019 – Aug 1, 2019 but our team arrived in Los Angeles few days before the conference proper to discuss thoroughly the whole plan for the entire week. 

As part of being a volunteer for SIGGRAPH conferences, we volunteers are entitled to have Full Conference access (equivalent to 1100 USD or approximately equal to 164050.70 Yen) to any venues, exhibits, technical papers, and many more. Also, we were given the chance to showcase our research theme to other researchers and professors across the globe. The conference also offered free meals to the volunteers plus accommodation too! Being able to take part and manage huge numbers of volunteers from different parts of the world was a great responsibility which gave me some insights to broaden my understanding and open-mindedness in terms of diversity, inclusivity, and the like. 

And guess what!? I saw, met and had a chance to speak with Prof. Greg Turk, one of the famous contributors and researchers in the field of computer graphics. He is globally known for his significant contributions to computer graphics research and education. My master's thesis is also related to his research so it was a great pleasure to meet him in person in LA! 

We also had a chance to visit the headquarters of Walt Disney in LA! We had a grand tour inside the Walt Disney Animation Studios as well! 

Volunteering for TOKYO2020 - Registration and Orientation (TOKYO2020ボランティア - 登録)

When I was still a graduate student in Ritsumeikan, I chose to be a representative of my university and decided to apply on December 20, 2018 for the much awaited olympics in 2020 here in Japan. 

After registering my information to the official webpage of TOKYO2020 Olympics, I received their notification that I was selected for the volunteer role on May 29, 2019 and informed me about the details of the orientation and the location. Since my address is based in Kansai, the orientation was held in Osaka Social Welfare Guidance Center. The orientation was well organized with the respective schedules dedicated for volunteers who need sign language interpretation. 

The day before the orientation I received an email regarding the procedure and items to bring on the day of the Tokyo 2020 orientation session. The orientation was held on July 12, 2019 and agenda was organized in the following order:

1) Registration: At reception desk from 30 minutes before the start of the orientation session 

2) Information session and group activities (45 min): Explanations on the procedure for the orientation session (interviews and proof of identity) and future schedules will be held. Group activities aimed at allowing volunteers to get to know each other better will also be conducted. 

3) Interview (10 min): The interview will consist of two volunteers being interviewed at the same time by two interviewers. The volunteers will be asked about their thoughts on how to ensure the success of the Games. 

4) Proof of identity (5-10 min): A check will be conducted to ensure there are no discrepancies between the personal identification (original copy) used on your original application and the Orientation(Osaka-shi) for the day of the orientation session (details included on the document and validity of the document for the day of the interview will be checked).