How to Join the Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago (UASC)

You can join UASC by using the membership application linked from its website menu, and you can stay informed before joining by subscribing to its mailing list. The site provides a "Membership Application" page and a separate "Membership Payments" page, plus a "Subscribe to Mailing List" option. Because the site does not publish a fee amount or a public payment link in the material available here, treat the application and payment pages as the authoritative places to confirm current cost and payment method.

What UASC Is

UASC stands for the Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago. Its site describes it as an organization focused on underwater archaeology, with sections covering:

• About UASC, including a mission statement and contact page
• Meetings & Events, including a calendar, upcoming events, and meeting minutes
• Research and Discovery of Great Lakes Shipwrecks, plus a past speakers archive
• Shipwrecks and Projects, including NAS training, current projects, and past projects
• Web Links to underwater archaeology groups, research resources, and dive-related listings

This matters for a join decision because membership is tied to participation in meetings, projects, and research rather than to a single product or service.

How to Join: Step by Step

1. Go to uaschicago.org.
2. Open the Membership Application link in the site menu.
3. Complete the application form as presented on that page.
4. If you are not ready to apply, use Subscribe to Mailing List first to receive updates.
5. To handle dues or other payments, open the Membership Payments page and follow the instructions there.

Expected result: after submitting the application you become a member according to UASC's own process, and the payments page tells you how to pay. If a step does not work, the likely cause is that the relevant page requires a form submission, a login, or an external payment step that is not described on the home page.

What Membership Involves

The site's structure shows the main member-facing activities:

A concrete example of what participation looks like: the announced September 2026 meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30th, 2026, with socializing at 6:30 PM CT, business at 7:00 PM CT, and the featured presentation at 8:00 PM CT. That meeting is Zoom-only, and registration is through a Zoom registration link. The featured presenter is Chris Kraska, presenting "The Loss of the Clough: Exploration, Discovery, and an Unexpected Tragedy."

What to Check Before You Join

• Cost: The available site material does not state a membership fee. Confirm the amount on the Membership Application or Membership Payments page.
• Payment method: The site references membership payments but does not list payment platforms in the material available here. Check the payments page directly.
• Meeting format: Some meetings are Zoom-only, as the September 2026 meeting is. Confirm format before planning to attend in person.
• Time zone: Meeting times are given in CT (Central Time). Convert to your local time if you are outside that zone.
• Registration: The September 2026 meeting requires registration through a Zoom link, so registering in advance is part of attending.

A Reasonable Path If You Are Undecided

Subscribe to the mailing list, attend one Zoom meeting to see whether the presentations and member community fit your interests, then submit the membership application and use the payments page to complete dues. This order lets you evaluate the meeting format, the research topics, and the project work before committing.