Ten Simple Rules for Starting a Regional Student Group

Student organizations are a great way to network and take a break from the rigors of the classroom. They provide a range of benefits beyond regular coursework and can be critical to having a well-rounded education. Many students are active in organizations at an undergraduate level, but the increased demands of a master's or PhD typically result in reduced participation at a graduate level. However, a student organization can equally provide benefits for a graduate student, especially if it is centered on the student's area of study. In this article, we focus on Regional Student Groups (RSGs). An RSG is a group of like-minded students across a geographical region with a common field of research. The group provides a support network and collaboration opportunities via a collection of individuals who “speak the same language.” The RSG concept was created by the International Society for Computational Biology Student Council to address the needs of students in the field of computational biology in each region. Currently, the RSG program consists of over 20 regional student groups worldwide. In this article, we provide ten simple rules for how to start a regional student group in the hope that others will start up similar groups around the world.