The GRADS MentorSHPE Groups focus on the need for our GRaduate & Advanced Degree Students to develop skills that can help them survive and thrive in graduate school and beyond. These mentorship groups will provide our GRADS with a safe space where they can discuss professional experiences and challenges with more experienced colleagues and facilitators (mentors) and a group of their peers.
For 2023/2024 we plan to have seven groups that meet once a month for the whole academic year. Groups will begin in September and meet through November. They will take a winter break in December and January and begin meeting again in February with a final wrap up in April. Group facilitators will poll their participants for the best meeting time for the whole group. It is important that participants are committed to attending each monthly meeting.
Groups are meant to be small enough (3 to 5 participants per group lead by 1-2 facilitators) to create meaningful relationships between facilitators and participants. Each group will focus on a different topic as listed below.
Requirements:
- Be an active SHPE member. You can learn more about joining here. There is no cost to eligible members for this program.
- Be a current graduate or advanced degree student.
- Be committed to attending the monthly group meetings in September-November and February-April. Flexibility is a must to find a common meeting time for a group.
Student Membership Application Open: August 18th - September 6th
Group Assignments Released: Sept 11th
Facilitator Training & Planning Meeting: Sept 5th @ 6:30pm EST
Participant Training & Kickoff: September 7th @ 7pm EST
Group Monthly Meetings (specific date and time based on participant and facilitator schedule): 9/11-11/17 & 2/1 -4/29
Fall Networking Event: Oct 3rd @ 7pm EST
Spring Kickoff & Networking Event: Feb 1st @7pm EST
| Group | Description |
| Writing |
Do you need help writing that paper or dissertation chapter? If your answer is yes, this group is perfect for you. Join others in a journey of 8 weeks to go over practical advice to help you finish that important writing project. |
| Preparing for a job in academia |
Are you considering applying for a job in academia? Then join this group! You will be able to discuss all your questions, like how to search for jobs in academia, the academic job market timeline, how to prepare for the job market, and others. |
| Preparing for a job in industry |
Do you wonder how different it is to apply for a job in industry when you have an advanced degree? Join this group to discuss important aspects of applying for a job in industry like how to search for jobs, leveraging your personal network, preparing your resume, and getting ready for an interview. |
| Collecting data and keeping a lab notebook |
Is your lab notebook a little disorganized? This group will go over practical tips to keep your experiment data organized. |
| Conflict resolution |
As a graduate student, you might find yourself having differences with colleagues, advisors, and administrators. How do you deal with those? This group will go over strategies for conflict resolution that can help you navigate some of these delicate professional relationships. |
| Public Speaking Skills | Are you looking to develop your speaking skills for presentations? Join this group to learn tips and tricks and practice the skills as you receive peer and facilitator feedback. |
| Sustainable Networking | Does networking sometimes feel transactional? This group will explore the skills of sustainable networking that is designed for both parties to benefit and increase success. |
Benefits of the group mentoring format:
- There is no cost to eligible members for this program.
- Adding peer advice increases the diversity of input and perspectives
- Provides a good mechanism for accountability that makes mentoring effective
- Goal setting is easier with more perspectives contributing to the process
- Allows all group members to lead and learn at the same time
- Broadens the network of the participants
- Can be a lot of fun!
During each GRADS Mentoring Group cycle, facilitators will:
- Develop feedback and critical thinking skills
- Grow their SHPE professional network
- Advance their leadership skills
- Give back to the SHPE Familia
During each GRADS Mentoring Group cycle, participants will:
- Grow their SHPE professional network
- Learn to navigate their STEM career path
- Develop their professional skills
- Achieve their goals in STEM
"Mentorship is the key to extraordinary success"
Mike Murdock
