Mentors Needed: Engineering Women in Natural Sciences – Feb 28

Posted by Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel on February 9, 2021

We are in the process of recruiting potential mentors for our Engineering WINS (Women in Natural Sciences) program and National Science Foundation funded research study.  The purpose of the project is to support the development of mentors’ capacity to effectively support EngWINS students in their respective engineering disciplines.

If you decide to participate you will be asked to:

1. Attend a training program about culturally relevant communication, implicit bias and stereotype barriers (approximately 8-10 hours during the project).
2. Take on one-two high school student mentee(s) for an internship during the summer after your training. Because of covid we will start virtually interacting with mentees in the spring after training (approximately 1 hour per week).
3. If COVID allows we will transition to in person internships in the summer otherwise the team will support mentors in virtual experiences for students.
4. Participate in mentee/mentor trainings that will encourage cross cultural conversations (approximately 8 hours during the project).
5. Participate in research activities such as surveys and interviews.

There are no financial responsibilities.  All students are paid through the grant. Additionally, you will be paid $500 at the completion of the mentor training, and $500 at the completion of the student’s internship. It is expected that the research will take one year to complete. We cannot promise any benefits to you or others from your taking part in this research. However, possible benefits include, increased awareness about engineering and engineering careers and diverse career pathways, increased awareness about implicit bias and stereotype barriers, and increased skills in talking to mentees and other students. The risks of this study are minimal.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, EngWINS has built a strong foundation of establishing and maintaining professional mentor-mentee relationships virtually. We are fully committed to ensuring that our EngWINS community continues to empower the minds and potential of our young women regardless of economic circumstances. We invite you to participate and complete this application form today!

Applications must be received no later than February 28, 2021, 11:59pm. Selected mentors will be notified by March 5, 2021.

For more information please contact Betty Louis at [email protected] or Jacqueline Genovesi at [email protected].