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Volunteering to serve as a mentor in the Mentoring365 Live program is an excellent opportunity for Ocean Science professionals of all career stages to give back to the community and play a vital role in nurturing the next generation of scientists.

Eligibility

To participate as a mentor in the Mentoring365 Live program, you must be a current AGU member. Mentors can range in career stage from post docs to senior scientists. The most important requirements are that a mentor is dedicated to providing guidance and has knowledge and experience that will be useful to the mentee. Mentors are expected to commit at least two 30-minute meetings for a total of one hour during the Ocean Sciences Meeting.

Timeline

Once matched, mentors and mentees are encouraged to identify and work towards their professional goals together. Program objectives are best reached with open communication. Within a week of being matched, the mentee should contact their mentor to introduce themselves. Set up a time that you both are available during the Ocean Sciences Meeting to meet in person.

Requirements

Before being accepted into the Mentoring365 Live program, mentors must fill out a one-page online application, which include basic questions about:

  • The mentor's research interests
  • The mentor's areas of expertise to provide advice and guidance
  • Prior mentoring experience
  • A short paragraph describing your interest in mentoring

Students who are selected for the program will be able to review the above information to select the mentor that is best matched to with their professional goals. It is up to both the mentor and the mentee whether or not they wish to continue communicating after the Ocean Sciences Meeting. Mentors are also expected to fill out an online evaluation after the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is expected of me? Mentors are expected to provide their mentees with a minimum of one thirty minute mentoring session to each mentee during the Ocean Sciences Meeting. Mentors and mentees are more than welcome to meet more frequently throughout the Meeting. Mentors should work with their mentee to determine what kind of support will be most useful—navigating the Ocean Sciences Meeting, general career advice, information on higher education, networking, personal encouragement, and so on.
  • How long will the commitment be? We ask our mentors to make a commitment of at least two 30-minute mentoring sessions during the Ocean Sciences Meeting. This can be two sessions with one mentee or one session with two mentees.
  • Are there any potential risks to me or my institution? No. It is not appropriate for mentors to engage in any business transactions with their mentees; instead, the relationship should only involve the flow of general information and advice.
  • Relationship is not going well or I am concerned about mentorship, what should I do? We encourage being open with your mentee to let them know about the situation. Contact the program administrator immediately. We will provide our full support to resolve the situation in a positive and satisfactory manner.

Connect with Our Mentees!

Share your expertise with those willing and eager to learn.

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Mentor DO's

  1. COMMIT AT LEAST TWO 30-MINUTE INTERACTIONS DURING THE OCEAN SCIENCES MEETING.
  2. Take responsibility to initiate the relationship.
  3. Set aside time for the mentoring process and honor all appointments.
  4. Invite the mentee to meetings or activities at the Ocean Sciences Meeting, as appropriate. Schedule meeting with planned topics.
  5. Be flexible on meeting times and places.
  6. Respond to emails from your mentee within 2 days of receipt.
  7. Keep information that your mentee has shared with you confidential. If something concerning the mentee needs to be discussed with others, it should first be discussed within the mentoring relationship.
  8. Establish open and honest communication and a forum for idea exchange.
  9. Foster creativity and independence. Help your mentee build self-confidence and offer encouragement.
  10. Provide honest and timely feedback to your mentee.
  11. Provide opportunities for the mentee to talk about concerns and ask questions.
  12. Above all, LISTEN.

Mentor DON'Ts

  1. Try to give advice on everything. You don’t need to have the answers to all your mentees' questions. Your job is to answer the questions that you can and to connect your mentee to resources if you there is a question you cannot answer.
  2. Encourage mentee to be totally dependent upon you.
  3. Provide your personal history, problems, animosities, successes, failures, etc. unless they are constructive contributions.
  4. Be too busy when the mentee needs your advice or support. If you do not have time, give the mentee a heads up, so that they know when they can reach you.
  5. Criticize.