Benefits of Academy Membership

Organizational Members (OMs)
Since 2010, AAUS has supported over $155M worth of science dollars through the endeavors of our Organizational Members. While AAUS is dedicated to the establishment and maintenance of standards of practice for scientific diving, and those standards are at the core of our member benefits, AAUS represents much more than just our standards. AAUS actively works to support a diverse community of science diving professionals through reciprocity, shared resources, networking opportunities, professional development and much more.

By becoming a part of our community your Organization can:
Help shape Scientific Diving Standards – AAUS standards are recognized as the industry standard in scientific diving. These standards are continually evaluated and updated by AAUS membership. Collectively, our statistics show scientific diving conducted under the auspices of AAUS community driven standards has a lower incident rate than the commercial and recreational diving industries and helps aid regulatory compliance by meeting U.S. OSHA scientific diving regulations. By becoming an AAUS OM, you now have a voice in shaping these community standards as they continue to evolve.

Have an advocate in federal regulatory discussions – AAUS has and will continue to approach OSHA with membership’s concerns and suggestions to help define and adapt the federal regulation of scientific diving to changes in technology and community best practice.

Encourage and Ease Scientific Collaborations - AAUS reciprocity greatly facilitates research collaboration across institutions (including many US federal agencies and some international organizations), mitigating risks associated with dissimilar policies and inconsistencies in diver training and ability, and potentially increasing funding opportunities.

Access Resources – OM’s have access to a database of members, jobs board for advertising openings, active equipment recall and safety notifications board, database of historical diving statistics, resource document libraries, monthly newsletters and in-person workshops/meetings that can connect your Organization to a vast international network of scientific diving professionals.

Diver logging and Statistics – AAUS has dive logging software that can be set up at no charge for any AAUS OM for in-house diver use and annual reporting of AAUS diving statistics.

Diving Safety Officer (DSO) Support and Professional Development - Through the various list-serves and online DSO Resource Center supported by AAUS, DSOs have ready access to a wide range of community contacts/mentors, information (test banks, best practices, etc..) and valuable lessons learned by fellow scientific dive program administrators. AAUS also provides opportunities for professional development with annual reduced-cost opportunities for cylinder inspection and manufacturer maintenance certifications, training agency updates, workshops on new skills (tethered or altitude diving for example), and new equipment demos at our annual symposium.

Offer a Valuable Credential – AAUS training and certification offers students and researchers a valuable and sought after professional credential that is recognized internationally and can open doors in research diving opportunities and employment.

Discounts – OMs enjoy periodic discounts from AAUS corporate sponsors as well as several Institutional Pricing programs within the SCUBA industry.

Individual Members (IMs)
AAUS is not just about Organizational Membership-in fact, anyone can join AAUS as a member, even non-divers!** An Individual Membership is a low-cost (including Student levels) way that you can personally support the mission of AAUS and become directly connected to the scientific diving community.

By choosing to join the Academy as an Individual Member, here are ways you could benefit:

Community Involvement -  AAUS provides multiple forums for diving scientists to share information on diving research, methodologies and funding with other professional researchers and dive professionals. Members are kept abreast of the latest standards of practice for training, equipment, diving procedures and managerial and regulatory operations.

Owning your Diving Safety - Your safety underwater is primarily your responsibility, but it helps to have a solid foundation. AAUS Diving Standards are available for you to use, even if you are currently diving outside of the auspices of an AAUS OM. Additionally, an active equipment recall and safety notices board will keep you informed of equipment performance or safety concerns.

Scholarships -  AAUS provides annual research scholarships, through the AAUS Foundation, for student members employing diving as a research tool and travel funding opportunities for student members to attend AAUS annual meetings.

Research Diving and Career Opportunities -  Individual Members have access to a jobs board as well as internship programs to help broaden opportunities and experiences. If you are also an AAUS trained diver, through formal reciprocity, AAUS provides students and researchers exposure to individuals, agencies, and organizations currently engaged in underwater research. An AAUS Verification of Training is a valuable professional credential often requested for jobs that involve scientific diving.

Professional Development -  Stay abreast of AAUS workshops and member institution opportunities for professional development through the monthly AAUS newsletter, the E-Slate.

Discounts -  Individual Members enjoy periodic discounts from AAUS Corporate Sponsors and discounted gear programs (must be accessed through your AAUS DSO).

** Keep in mind that AAUS certification or AAUS science diver training occurs when a diver is trained through an AAUS Organizational member as an AAUS scientific diver. AAUS membership occurs when an individual chooses to join the Academy. Certification does not equal membership. Certified divers must actively join AAUS if they wish to become members. Conversely, membership in AAUS does NOT denote an active AAUS science diver status.

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