Mentorship

Why are we talking about being a mentor before we discuss finding and working with our own mentors? We're trainees after all. Doesn't that mean we're on the mentee side of the mentor/mentee relationship? Well, yes, and in many ways we will always be on the mentee side. There will always be someone with more experience, in successes and failures, who can impart their mentor-y wisdom. But look at where you are! A graduate student! A Cognitive and Information Sciences trainee! You are one of those "someones" with loads of experience! Just think-- you've completed a bachelor's degree, maybe even a master's degree, you've written loads of course papers, taken dozens of exams, you've been accepted to gradaute program(s) & rejected from graduate program(s), you've successfully carried out experiments & completely botched experiments, you've analyzed thousands upon thousands of data points & you've stared at your computer screen having no idea how to code a new type of analysis in R or MATLAB or Python. You have mentor-y wisdom to impart!

Now, being a(n unofficial) mentor isn't going to add a line to your CV, so if you're not mentoring already, why should you seek out more responsiblity? There's of course the simple adage-- you learn best (or at least more!) when teaching others. This can apply to the programming skills you improve after a tedious afternoon debugging code with your mentee, or improving your explanation skills while teaching RAs how to use equipment in your lab. But just as easily, this bonus learning through teaching effect can apply to those 'soft skills' that are so important yet so often overlooked. Maybe your mentee is struggling with perfectionism, or imposter syndrome. You've been there! And as you're giving them advice, and seeing their success, suddenly you're finding yourself struggling less with your own perfectionism or imposter syndrome.

And of course, wherever you're going in life you'll eventually need to mentor others. Sometimes the expectation to mentor will be implicit (helping a new coworker learn the ropes), other times it will be part of your job (running a lab as a PI). Below are some amazing resources for improving your mentoring skills.

Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching "Mentoring Graduate Students"

"Mentoring is a relationship. At the same time, it is a journey mentors and mentees embark on together. Throughout this journey, two or more individuals help each other arrive at a destination called professional excellence. Naturally, the journey can be challenging, with occasional muddy trails and blind spots but with many more panoramic lookouts and high points. Good mentoring is simply ‘the best way to get there.’ "

Inside Higher Ed "Needed: Flexible Mentors in Science"

Highlights: 1) Train the trainees; 2) Praise different accomplishments; 3) Be a mentor, not a boss;

4) Encourage professional development; 5) Establish criteria for rewards

Lab Manager "The Value of a Successful Mentorship Program"

Highlights:

"In practice, mentoring can be as simple as people meeting occasionally in a breakroom or coffee shop or as complicated as organized in-house initiatives, structured sessions facilitated by external experts, and smart software and apps."

A formal mentoring program provides "an additional level of input, guidance, advice, and support outside the supervisor" (from the Ames Laboratory, a Department of Energy National Lab)

Grassroots organization of postdocs seeking structured mentorship evolved into a formal mentoring program--with formal guidelines for mentors and mentees, and mentoring blogs to share tools and tips (from Argonne National Laborator, a Dept of Energy National Lab)

"One of the key benefits of mentorship is that employee improvements extend to the entire organization"

The Graduate Division at UC Merced has a long list of Mentor/Menteeship resources. Some of the resources that they provide may be helpful at different stages of your graduate education. For instance, when you first arrive in the CogSci program, you might want to sit down with your advisor and fill out the Questionnaire for Aligning Expectation in Research Mentoring Relationships. This can be a quick and easy way to solve miscommunications or differing expectations before any problems even arise! In addition, this short article explains some tips for making the most out of your interactions with your advisor. And maybe most importantly, know that it's perfectly okay (and in fact beneficial!) to have multiple mentors! There is no shame in cheating on your mentor.

Some highlights from all of the above resources:

"Mentorship is a two way street."

"Be prepared for what will be expected of you and get the most out of the experience."

"Ask [your mentor] to explain their expectations"

"When you meet with your adviser, have an agenda"

"Google it first" (but if you don't even know what to google, ask your labmates and colleagues!)

"Ask for clarification"

"Don't limit yourself to a single adviser"

GRAD-EXCEL Peer Mentorship Program "GRAD-EXCEL mentors provide a great service to their mentees while developing leadership skills that will enhance their own professional development. Mentors will gain mentoring skills and experience in individual and group settings, increase their knowledge of Graduate Division resources, and interact with various UC Merced faculty, staff and students. ...They will guide incoming doctoral students as they navigate their first-year experience. Graduate peer mentors will receive a $250 fellowship for participation each semester."

• How to be a GRAD-EXCEL Peer Mentor? Find more information at the following link, and contact your graduate chair or the graduate resource center (gradresources@ucmerced.edu) https://graduatedivision.ucmerced.edu/GRC_Peer_Mentorship

Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics "W-STEM is an organization dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at The University of California, Merced. By providing professional development and mentorship opportunities tailored to the specific challenges faced by women in STEM, it is our mission to increase the retention of women in STEM fields, and ultimately facilitate increases in the representation of women in leadership roles within STEM fields, both at UC Merced and beyond."

• How to be a WSTEM mentor? A call for individuals interested in either mentoring or having a mentor through W-STEM is usually sent out via email at the beginning of the fall semesters. So check your email! Or visit this link for more information. https://catlife.ucmerced.edu/organization/wstem

Cognitive Science Student Association - Graduate Student Advisor Following is a description of the CSSA grad student advisor position from Alexandria Pabst, who held this role in AY2018-2019. "This position is an advisory position to the Cognitive Science Student Association, which is a club for undergraduates who are interested in learning more about cognitive science. It's open to students from all majors. They have an executive board, and they are responsible for setting meeting agendas, setting up social opportunities for their members, fundraising, and going to Berkeley's CSSA's annual Cognitive Science Conference. Last year the Exec board decided that they want to host their own annual conference in the winter, featuring graduate student talks and faculty talks. Their club gets about 40-50 members a meeting to show up (I believe they met monthly). The role of the grad student advisor is to assist them with booking their meeting rooms for the year on EMS, assist with planning their annual conference day (including the room reservations and getting grad students to sign up for talks), and to attend meetings as you see fit. This position can be as intensive as the advisor chooses. In the past, graduate students have been extra involved in their meetings, but last year I wanted to take a more hands-off approach and let them have the freedom to run things, and I think they were really successful in maintaining attendance and participation in their meetings, and their first conference day was a success. The graduate advisor works with both the Executive Board of the CSSA and the faculty advisor, Kristina Backer."

• How to be a CSSA grad student advisor? At the end of Spring or beginning of Fall, the CIS Gradaute Student Group will put out a call for CSSA graudate student advisors, and sends nominations to Dr Backer who will make the final decision. https://catlife.ucmerced.edu/organization/cssa