Mentoring workshops to support women research students in science and engineering

Abstract

Although there are currently many mentoring programs available for women in science and engineering, few of these programs directly address the mentor-mentee relationship between a student and her advisor. However, this relationship is a crucial factor for research success and degree completion. In this paper we describe a Mentoring Workshop program developed at the University of Cincinnati which concentrates on improving the mentoring aspects of this important relationship. The Workshops are based on mentoring materials developed by WEPAN (Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network) and have been used to improve mentor-mentee skills for women graduate students and their advisors, as well as for students in the University's Research Experiences for Women Undergraduates summer program. Workshop facilitators are drawn from faculty members of the University's Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Committee. The Workshops make effective use of the valuable resource of faculty time contributed by the facilitators, and also expose the women participants to women faculty who have succeeded in science and engineering and who might provide additional mentoring in the future. The Workshop format allows for interaction and discussion among the entire group, as well as among smaller subgroups, and thus facilitates interchanges of perceptions about mentoring and reinforcement of good mentoring practices for all attendees. Workshop evaluations indicate that both faculty and student participants are enthusiastic about this program.