The GEO REU Community has been developing over the past five years

1. Research Mentoring of Young Scientistsfrom Undergrads to PostdocsAGU Workshop 20161:00 – 4:00 pm Mon., Dec. 12th

2. The GEO REU Community has been developingover the past five years

3. What’s the difference? An advisor: Guides students on academic progress through their program. They: • Clarify requirements and procedures • Check in on progress • Assess status • Discuss plans

4. A mentor: Plays a more expansive role in the mentee’s development, and: • Provides wisdom, empathy, respect, knowledge, and support • Is a guide within the scientific discipline • Supports professional development • Facilitates networking • Explores career possibilities together

5. Research shows that students with mentoring relationships are: • More productive in research activity & publishing • More efficient getting through grad school • Develop bigger networks • Happier in their field • More successful in finding career placements

6. Benefits - mentoring enables faculty to: • Identify & train students/postdocs who contribute to research • Keep abreast of new questions, knowledge, and techniques • Send new scholars into the field & forge new collaborations • Experience the satisfaction inherent in mentoring relationships

7. (Results are from the pre-workshop survey that this group filled out)

8. (Results are from the pre-workshop survey that this group filled out)

9. You asked for tips on: “Mentoring my graduate students as a new graduate faculty member” “How to keep students motivated and on track” “Exchange knowledge with others who are engaged in mentoring” “How to avoid mistakes”

10. Rebecca Haacker NCAR|UCAR

11. How do I start? • Get to know your mentee • Really listen to them • Find out what is important to them • Discuss projects and see what clicks • Build trust

12. Set expectations: ”Just Say It” • Students/postdocs want to know what is expected of them: • Communication: plan regular weekly meetings • Work hours • Being at work/home • This reduces misunderstandings • When problems arise, refer back to the expectations set • Lead by example

13. “How can I keep students motivated and on track?” “How can I raise standards and get grad students to work harder/better?”

14. How do I mentor someone? Some tips: • Scale projects appropriately: use chunks • Decide on goals and milestones together • Check on progress at weekly individual meeting • Check-in frequently and ask simple questions, e.g. • ”What are you working on today?” • ”Did you have any luck with that graph?” • “How are you doing?”

15. Doing research without any structure is like . . . • Have undergrads/MS students write a work plan & discuss it • Have grad students/postdocs write an IDP and discuss it

16. Dealing with difficult situations “What happens when my mentee doesn’t make progress?” • Consider having them do an IDP • Discuss and revisit it regularly “How should I deal with my mentee’s personal problems?” • Active listening • Ask questions • Support & flexibility • Make a plan, and reassess later Get support from outside if needed (e.g. from your institution)

17. Dealing with difficult situations “What happens when my mentee doesn’t make progress?” • Consider having them do an IDP • Discuss and revisit it regularly “How should I deal with my mentee’s personal problems?” • Active listening • Ask questions • Support & flexibility • Make a plan, and reassess later Get support from outside if needed (e.g. from your institution)

18. Thank you for coming! Please contact us if you have further questions vsloan@ucar.edu rhaacker@ucar.edu Be the best mentor that you can be!