Mentoring for Engineering Academia

Transcription

1 CS 400: Future Faculty Seminar 4 May 2005 Mentoring for Engineering Academia Robert M. Gray Information Systems Laboratory Department of Electrical Engineering Stanford, CA rmgray@stanford.edu This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation. Based on a presentation to the 2003 PAESMEM Forum on Excellence in Mentoring in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering. 17 March 2003, Washington DC.

2 Introduction The Oxford English Dictionary defines mentor as allusively, one who fulfils the office which the supposed Mentor fulfilled towards Telemachus. Hence, as common noun: An experienced and trusted adviser. Clearly many styles, stages, models,... Goal of this talk: Reflections and observations on the practice of mentoring. Mentoring for Academiz 2

3 Why am I here? Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) Administered on behalf of the White House by the National Science Foundation, seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts/programs designed to enhance the participation of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering. The awardees will serve as exemplars to their colleagues and will be leaders in the national effort to more fully develop the Nation s human resources in science, mathematics and engineering. Mentoring for Academiz 3

4 All winners had to give a talk, so I quizzed my former PhD students who nominated me on what constitutes good mentoring. Mentors mentored by mentees feedback Feedback a basic principle of engineering and a useful model or metaphor for mentoring Graduation Hindsight Mentoring for Academiz 4

5 measuring success as a mentor: Track careers of former students. gathering and promulgating successful techniques: Stay accessible to and keep in touch with former students, benefit from their hindsight share good ideas with colleagues, learn from them and their students June 2004 PAESMEM/Stanford School of Engineering Workshop on Mentoring for Academic Careers in Engineering Mentoring for Academiz 5

6 Collective Wisdom on Best Practices Culled from former students and conversations with successful colleagues (e.g., Jeff Koseff) Environment Work to create a comfortable, friendly, cooperative, and productive environment with the best possible resources for all students. Success begets success and attracts top quality students. Cooperation Discourage aggressive competition among students, encourage cooperative efforts and openness. Sadly many people need education in basic politeness and diplomacy skills. Mentoring for Academiz 6

7 Recruitment Actively recruit a diverse group. It improves the quality of life for all involved and enhances group morale. A diverse group of students can actively assist in recruiting new generations. Confidence Many students start with little, but can become outstanding when properly encouraged and appreciated. Particularly true in underrepresented groups. Related: The imposter syndrome Credibility The better we are at what we do, the better mentors we will be. Mentoring for Academiz 7

8 Integrity Words won t do it (just read the newspapers). Many students do not take it seriously. Mentors must. Too much cynicism in professors can cause real damage. Communication skills Brilliant research is of little use if not understood. Correct English with good style is critically important. Practice writing and speaking skills constantly. Chores and Citizenship Engage students in professional responsibilities: reviewing, proposal writing, presentations, recruiting, mentoring. Mentoring for Academiz 8

9 Professional Visibility Send students to conferences to attend and give talks. Rehearse them extensively. Introduce them to colleagues. Get them plugged in. After graduation recommend them for program committees, technical committees, reviewing chores. Credit Give it generously to students. It helps them and makes you look good. Attitude Building and maintaining a high quality and diverse group takes conscious commitment, effort, and action. This is particularly true when initially bringing diversity to a monolithic group. Mentoring for Academiz 9

10 Sharks Although many institutions have programs for diminishing sexual harrassment, it still exists. Be sensitive to potentially embarrassing or dangerous situations and do not accept inappropriate behavior from colleagues towards your students. Take very seriously complaints of inappropriate behavior. Followup Mentoring does not stop with a degree, students evolve into colleagues. Visits from alums provide wonderful examples, information, and inspiration. Former students often lack mentors at new institutions. Mentoring for Academiz 10

11 How find good mentors? For graduate students the research supervisor usually plays the role of primary mentor Some feel that it is best to find a mentor who is not your research supervisor. A good compromise is to go for multiple mentors. It is easy to put together a list of ideal qualities for an adviser. Among the attributes that come to mind are the following. An adviser should act as a positive role model for students. An adviser should be someone whom you can trust. Mentoring for Academiz 11

12 An adviser should have good personal and communication skills. An adviser should be encouraging. An adviser should be technically strong and possesses a good scholarly reputation in the associated field. An adviser should be highly accessible. Former students of the adviser should have found good positions after graduation. Papers coauthored by the adviser with students should often have students as lead authors. Mentoring for Academiz 12

13 How can a mentor help? The most obvious contribution of a PhD research supervisor is guiding students to learn how to do, evaluate, and present research. In addition, typically a mentor provides academic advice, both for meeting program requirements and for building a strong background in related areas, such as statistics, mathematics, physics, and biology; provides a sounding board for career planning and opinions on possible career tracks; provides an opportunity and critiques for technical talks in preparation for oral exams, thesis defenses, job interviews, conference presentations; Mentoring for Academiz 13

14 provides an informed source for comparing job offers which can help you reach a sound decision; keeps you posted on current literature, meetings, and news; helps hone your writing skills, both for technical articles and for important outreach articles that expand the audience for your field; provides advice and help on preparing and submitting articles for scholarly publication and, on the other side, for reviewing work by others; provides connections into professional networks of colleagues, introduces you to colloquium speakers and other visitors, suggests collaboration opportunities. Mentoring for Academiz 14

15 The dark side Absent-minded professors (like Fred MacMurray in the film of that name, the absent-minded professors present likely did not agree with this prohibition) Dr. Frankenstein: unapproachable Indiana Jones: inaccessible De-mentors: suck joy, happiness, and hope and eventually the soul from their victims Dr. No, Professor Moriarty: evil Mentoring for Academiz 15

16 Be wary of mentors who are only cheerleaders without also being constructive critics. Even professors with bad reputations may have good and contented students, while the apparent paragons might have divisive and stressed groups. Mentoring for Academiz 16

17 Moving on: junior faculty Finding a mentor: many schools have programs, but find one or two preferably tenured. How help? Advice on key academic responsibilities of teaching and advising, including negotiating balance and getting good evaluations. Help finding esources Navigating the departmental maze, who actually does what. TA and RA approvals and appointments, ethics and honor codes. Mentoring for Academiz 17

18 Proposal writing, examples and editorial help. Demystifying the tenure process, planning ahead. Maximizing visibility, balancing committees and service with research and teaching, professional positions. University connections, inside and outside your department Help keep things in perspective, transcending the daily crises. Mistakes happen, get past it (grant and paper rejections are not personal). Academic leadership Balancing family and work (see Proceedings) Mentoring for Academiz 18

19 Parting Thoughts These points may seem obvious or simplistic, but unfortunately they are not generally recognized or practiced. How can individuals and organizations foster good mentoring? Promote events that spread the word and stimulate discussion: PAESMEM Talks like this one Workshops, e.g., June PAESMEM/Stanford School of Engineering Mentoring Workshop Mentoring for Academiz 19

20 Mentoring resources MentorNet Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Women in Electrical Engineering (WEE) Women in Computer Science (WICS) Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Women in Engineering Program and Advocates Network Mentoring for Academiz 20

21 The workshop had two primary goals. One goal was to provide an opportunity for mentors, mentees, and mentoring facilitators to educate each other and have fun doing so. The second goal was to produce proceedings of the workshop, including summaries of the talks and discussions. This book fulfills that goal and provides a distillation of the best practices, resources, family issues, and other important issues raised at the workshop. Mentoring for Academic Careers in Engineering Mentoring for Academic Careers in Engineering In June 2004 a workshop was held at Stanford University on the subject of mentoring for academic careers in engineering. For two days the workshop provided a forum on the needs, goals, methods, and best practices for mentoring engineering students interested in an academic career, young faculty beginning such a career, and recently tenured faculty. The emphasis was on mentoring members of underrepresented groups in academic engineering, especially women. The workshop was jointly supported by the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering (PAESMEM) through the National Science Foundation and by the School of Engineering at Stanford University. Proceedings of the PAESMEM/Stanford School of Engineering Workshop Grayphics Publishing Mentoring for Academiz 21