Involved?

I had a discussion the other day about the involvement of graduate students in organisations and societies both on and off campus. This discussion developed out of a feedback session on the YSSP application process and people asking what type of experience is taken into account when selecting the participants.

If you look at the application process, a lot of space is given for previous academic experience in terms of published papers and conference talks but none is given to involvement in your research community or non-profit organisations. Would you could consider this a valid measure? Some students here are very new to graduate research (this is a Young Scientists program) and haven't had time to publish. Do you think involvement in a research community or outreach program important to personal growth?

Another interesting observation are the participants who signed up for the Media Training, nearly all had experience in an organisation that required interaction with a broader community and saw the value of communication. Those who didn't participate were "pure" scientists. A question to those who didn't attend: Is this because you didn't think you'd ever have to communicate to a broader audience or because you've already done a course before?

Finally: If you could add anything to the YSSP application what would it be? I'm curious