Looking for a Mentor?
Join the New IBNS International Mentoring Program
By Nancy Ostrowski and Christine Hohmann, Co-Chairs
What is mentoring in the IBNS?
Mentoring is a confidential, personal relationship that develops over time between a less experienced scientist and a more experienced scientist. Each mentoring relationship is unique and will develop depending on what each participant expects from and is willing to contribute to the interaction. Above all, mentoring relationships are characterized by mutual respect and mutual confidentiality. Based on his or her experience, an experienced research scientist could mentor a:
· graduate student
· new faculty member
· senior researcher transferring to a new type of employer (e.g., academia, industry, or government)
· scientist interested in achieving a specific goal (e.g., obtaining grant funding, writing or editing a textbook, or organizing a symposium)
START TODAY!
1) Read about the Mentoring Program in a series of articles which will be published in the IBNS Newsletter, beginning with the October 2006 IBNS issue http://www.ibnshomepage.org/IBNSnewsF06.pdf. The first article “How to Get Started” gives detailed instructions on how to complete the following steps.
2) Decide on an objective.
3) Select a potential mentor (see list below).
4) Complete the one-page “Mentee Profile”. http://www.ibnshomepage.org/menteeprofile.pdf
5) Submit your profile and name(s) of potential mentors to a Facilitator.
6) Contact your Facilitator about a proposed suitable “Match”.
7) When your Facilitator confirms that the proposed Mentor has agreed to the arrangement, he or she will inform you. At that point, it becomes your responsibility as the Mentee to take that first step and contact your new Mentor!
IBNS Mentoring Initiative Co-Chairs: