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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

ADVISER, TEACHER, ROLE MODEL, FRIEND

ON BEING A MENTOR TO STUDENTS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1997

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20418

NOTICE: This volume was produced as part of a project approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. It is a result of work done by the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) as augmented, which has authorized its release to the public. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by COSEPUP and the Report Review Committee.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Under the authority of the charter granted to it by Congress in 1863, the Academy has a working mandate that calls on it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the NAS.

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) was established in 1964, under the charter of the NAS, as a parallel organization of distinguished engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of members, sharing with the NAS its responsibilities for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the NAE.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) was established in 1970 by the NAS to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the NAS in its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the IOM.

The Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) is a joint committee of the NAS, the NAE, and the IOM. It includes members of the councils of all three bodies.

Financial Support: The development of this guide was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund. Dissemination support for this guide was provided by the American Mathematical Society.

Internet Access: This report is available via World Wide Web at http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/mentor.

Order from:
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Copyright 1997 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced solely for educational purposes without the written permission of the National Academy of Sciences.

Cover illustration by Leigh Coriale.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, November 1997

Second Printing, March 1998

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND PUBLIC POLICY

PHILLIP A. GRIFFITHS (Chair), Director,

Institute for Advanced Study

BRUCE M. ALBERTS,* President,

National Academy of Sciences

WILLIAM F. BRINKMAN, Vice President,

Physical Sciences Research, AT&T Bell Laboratories

ELLIS B. COWLING, University Distinguished Professor At-Large,

North Carolina State University

GERALD P. DINNEEN, Retired Vice President,

Science and Technology, Honeywell, Inc.

MILDRED DRESSELHAUS, Institute Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MARYE ANNE FOX, Vice President for Research,

University of Texas at Austin

RALPH E. GOMORY, President,

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

M.R.C. GREENWOOD, Chancellor,

University of California, Santa Cruz

RUBY P. HEARN, Vice President,

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

MARIAN KOSHLAND, Professor of Immunology,

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

THOMAS D. LARSON, Professor Emeritus,

The Pennsylvania State University

PHILIP W. MAJERUS,

Washington University School of Medicine

DANIEL L. McFADDEN, Director,

Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley

KENNETH I. SHINE,* President,

Institute of Medicine

MORRIS TANENBAUM, Vice President,

National Academy of Engineering

WILLIAM JULIUS WILSON, Malcolm Wiener Professor,

John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

WILLIAM A. WULF,* President,

National Academy of Engineering

LAWRENCE E. McCRAY, Executive Director

DEBORAH D. STINE, Associate Director

*  

 Ex officio member.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

PROJECT GUIDANCE GROUP

DAVID R. CHALLONER (Chair), Vice President for Health Affairs,

University of Florida

ELLIS B. COWLING, University Distinguished Professor At-Large,

North Carolina State University

MILDRED DRESSELHAUS, Institute Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MARIAN KOSHLAND, Professor of Immunology,

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

MARY J. OSBORN,

Department of Microbiology, University of Connecticut Health Center

WILLIAM JULIUS WILSON, Lucy Flower University Professor of Sociology and Public Policy,

University of Chicago

Principal Project Staff

DEBORAH D. STINE, Project Director

ALAN ANDERSON, Consultant-Writer

PATRICK P. SEVCIK, Research Associate

LYNNE GILLETTE, Staff Officer

NORMAN GROSSBLATT, Editor

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

PREFACE

This guide—intended for faculty members, teachers, administrators, and others who advise and mentor students of science and engineering—attempts to summarize features that are common to successful mentoring relationships. Its goal is to encourage mentoring habits that are in the best interests of both parties to the relationship. While this guide is meant for mentoring students in science and engineering the majority of it is widely applicable to mentoring in any field.

This guide is descended from a series of related publications. The original concept grew out of the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) report Reshaping the Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers (1995), which showed that students need to be flexibly prepared for a range of careers and urged that graduate education be revised so as to prepare students better for productive and satisfying careers. (See Addendum.)

Discussions during and after the preparation of Reshaping indicated the need for a guide for students who are planning their education and professional careers. The guide that emerged, Careers in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

Guide to Grad School and Beyond (1996), sought to help students take a broader view of the potential applications of their science and engineering education. A related student guide, which considers questions of ethics and scientific integrity, is On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research (1995).

In the process of developing Careers, graduate and post-doctoral students in focus groups noted that faculty and advisers needed guidance as well to adapt to changing employment conditions. This guide is meant to complement Careers by assisting mentors and advisers in understanding how they might help students identify and respond to the challenges of becoming scientists or engineers. For convenience, the text contains several types of boxes:

  • Tips: Steps to improve mentoring.

  • Styles: Examples of poor and good mentoring.

  • Facts: The context of mentoring.

  • Profiles: A sample of nonacademic careers, from Careers in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning Guide to Grad School and Beyond.

  • Summary points: Chapter summaries.

COSEPUP has also developed a sample form to help evaluate faculty mentors. The form can be adapted by individual institutions to suit their own needs. The version of the form offered here is most appropriate for use by advanced graduate students (for example, third-year and higher PhD students), postdoctoral fellows, and recent doctoral-program graduates who have had a long relationship with a mentor. The book and the form are both at the following Web address: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/mentor. See "Mentoring; under "Resources; for further discussion of assessment methods.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The preparation of this guide was overseen by a guidance group consisting of David Challoner (chair), Ellis Cowling, Mildred Dresselhaus, Marian Koshland, Mary Osborn, and William Julius Wilson.

Valuable feedback was provided by an external advisory group composed of Douglas Bodner, George Campbell Jr., Carlos Gutierrez, Karen Harpp, Susan Kiehne, Susan Lasser, Susan Mims, Norine Noonan, Richard Tapia, and Michael Zigmond. Special thanks go to Beth Fischer and Michael Zigmond for excellent references, Martha Shumate Absher for information on students with disabilities, and Marjorie Olmstead for her article on mentoring junior faculty.

Three focus groups, attended by some four dozen faculty and students from 16 colleges and universities, gathered for helpful and spirited discussions of this guide in Washington, DC, at Sigma Xi in Research Triangle Park, NC, and at the California State University, Long Beach. Thanks go to Lynne Gillette, Ellis Cowling, Stuart Noble-Goodman, and Glenn Nagel for recruiting the focus groups.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

Staff for the project included Deborah Stine, associate director of COSEPUP and project director; Lynne Gillette, staff officer on temporary assignment from the Department of Energy; Alan Anderson, science writer; Norman Grossblatt, editor; and Patrick Sevcik, research associate.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

LIST OF BOXES

 

 

TIPS

 

 

 

 

Advice for New Mentors

 

8

 

 

Building Respect

 

18

 

 

Aptitudes and Goals

 

44

 

 

Two Key Career Questions to Discuss with Students

 

45

 

 

Writing Letters of Recommendation

 

47

 

 

Building Trust

 

55

 

 

STYLES

 

 

 

 

Good Mentoring: Seeking Help

 

6

 

 

Poor Mentoring: Cultural Bias (1)

 

10

 

 

Poor Mentoring: Cultural Bias (2)

 

11

 

 

Poor Mentoring: Inappropriate Behavior

 

12

 

 

Good Mentoring: Academic Warning Signs

 

20

 

 

Poor Mentoring: When Is a Risk Worth Taking?

 

22

 

 

Good Mentoring: Socialization

 

29

 

 

Good Mentoring: Being Flexible

 

48

 

 

Poor Mentoring: Honest Advice

 

50

 

 

Good Mentoring: Breaking Through Red Tape

 

70

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×

 

 

FACTS

 

 

 

 

Why Be a Good Mentor?

 

3

 

 

Three Logistical Issues to Discuss with Doctoral and Postdoctoral Candidates

 

30

 

 

A Resume or a CV?

 

37

 

 

PROFILES

 

 

 

 

A Mathematics Major Who Became an Actuary

 

25

 

 

A Nurse Who Became a Research Manager

 

57

 

 

A Geneticist-Molecular Biologist Who Became a Patent Lawyer

 

62

 

 

SUMMARY POINTS

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

 

15

 

 

Chapter 2

 

42

 

 

Chapter 3

 

52

 

 

Chapter 4

 

60

 

 

Chapter 5

 

63

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5789.
×
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This guide offers helpful advice on how teachers, administrators, and career advisers in science and engineering can become better mentors to their students. It starts with the premise that a successful mentor guides students in a variety of ways: by helping them get the most from their educational experience, by introducing them to and making them comfortable with a specific disciplinary culture, and by offering assistance with the search for suitable employment. Other topics covered in the guide include career planning, time management, writing development, and responsible scientific conduct. Also included is a valuable list of bibliographical and Internet resources on mentoring and related topics.

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