Convener: Gabriela Noriega
Date: July 8 & 9, 2021 (09:00 - 11:00 PDT each day)
Location: ONLINE via Zoom

OVERVIEW:  Effective research mentoring relationships are critical to developing the next generation of geoscientists. Research mentor and mentee training has been tested and shown to be effective in increasing mentoring relationship knowledge, skills, and behavior. Furthermore, culturally responsive interactions between mentors and mentees can help historically underrepresented mentees successfully progress in their research careers, becoming effective mentors, scientific leaders, and research team members of the future, which is crucial for the development of a better-trained, engaged, and diverse geoscience workforce. 

This training is designed to help mentors develop skills for engaging in productive, culturally responsive, research mentoring relationships-- relationships that optimize the success of both mentors and mentees. In this evidence-based, interactive workshop, mentors and mentees will explore approaches and resources to advancing their practice in areas including:

• Aligning Expectations
• Addressing Equity and Inclusion
• Assessing Understanding
• Maintaining Effective Communication

Enrollment for this workshop is limited to 24 participants. While priority consideration will be given to applicants who have transitioned to faculty positions in the last five years, we encourage anyone interested in effective research mentoring relationships and in developing the next generation of geoscientists to participate. 

WORKSHOP AGENDA: The online workshop will include two two-hour interactive sessions, with a short break at the end of the first hour. The general schedule is as follows:

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Friday, July 9, 2021

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP FACILITATORS

Christine Pfund, PhD. is a senior scientist with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW). Dr. Pfund earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, followed by post-doctoral research in Plant Pathology, both at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Pfund’s work focuses on developing, implementing, documenting, and studying interventions to optimize research mentoring relationships across science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Dr. Pfund co-authored the original Entering Mentoring curriculum and co-authored many papers documenting the effectiveness of this approach. Dr. Pfund is the principal investigator of the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Coordination Center. She is also director of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experience in Research at UW-Madison (CIMER). She is a member of the National Academies committee that recently published the consensus report and online guide, The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM.

Gabriela Noriega, PhD. is the Manager of Experiential Learning and Career Advancement (ELCA) at the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), headquartered at the University of Southern California (USC). Dr. Noriega leads education and career development initiatives to encourage and sustain careers in STEM by providing valuable educational experiences for students through participation in research and by providing early-career scientists of the SCEC community with resources and mentoring across key career transitions. She also supports the coordination of public-private partnerships that work together to improve earthquake preparedness, mitigation, and resilience. Dr. Noriega earned her bachelor’s degree in Geology from CSU Los Angeles, and her Master's and Doctorate from the University of California, Irvine in Social Ecology with an emphasis in Environmental Analysis and Design where her research focused on social vulnerability to earthquake hazards.

Questions? Email gnoriega@usc.edu.

This event is supported by SCEC’s Office of Experiential Learning and Career Advancement, a focus area within SCEC's Communication, Education, and Outreach program, in collaboration with Danielle Sumy (IRIS) and Anika Knight (UNAVCO).

It is SCEC policy to foster harassment-free environments wherever our science is conducted. By accepting an invitation to participate in a SCEC-supported event, by email or online registration, participants agree to abide by the SCEC Activities Code of Conduct.