Mentors

Studying physics can be a pretty solitary experience for some — especially for students who don’t "see" themselves in the culture of a physics department. Having someone who watches out for them, provides advice, gives guidance, points them toward the appropriate resources, and just listens to them can make the difference between success and the student deciding physics is just not for them.

As mentors, you have access to information, resources, and a life of experiences in the discipline that can be a tremendous aid to students. Though there are many best practices for mentors, perhaps the most important are to care about your mentees and help open doors to their success.

Here are some of the benefits of becoming a mentor in the National Mentoring Community and some of the responsibilities of mentors in this program:

Benefits:

1. Travel support to bring mentors and mentees all across the country together at a national gathering where students can attend workshops on professional development topics and mentors can share best practices for mentoring undergraduates.
2. National level support and recognition of the importance of mentoring as a critical component in promoting student academic advancement.
3. Mentees will receive a free one-year membership in the APS.
4. Future opportunities for outstanding mentors to be recognized and honored.  
5. Future opportunities for mentors to recognize outstanding students who have achieved notable academic or professional goals.  
6. Future scholarships for students with financial need. Mentors will be able to advocate for students at risk of not completing their physics degree due to financial need.
7. And, most importantly, by supporting students through a formal mentoring relationship, mentors will help address the significant disparity in educational achievement for underrepresented minority students.

Responsibilities:

1. Identify one or more mentees and invite them to register with the APS NMC program. Choose students as early in their academic studies as possible.
2. Meet with your mentees on a regular basis to help them develop professionally as a physicist, to discuss career or educational plans, to share resources to help them through difficulties, and to work through next steps.
3. Provide a brief report on each mentee’s progress once per year
4. Provide feedback to APS on ways to improve the program.

Questions? Feedback? Contact NMC@aps.org