Mentoring workshop at the annual meetings in Salt Lake City

Mentoring has long been a focus of the Women in Science Committee. Each year during our workshop at the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meeting, we recognize a member who has excelled as a mentor with the ACS Women in Science Mentoring Award. This year, our workshop will be held Tuesday, 9 November at 2 pm, where we’ll be presenting the award and focusing the entire workshop on mentoring. We hope that you will join us!

A mentor can have great influence on your personal and professional growth. Some may be a part of your life for the long term while others may only be present for a short period. The goal is for the mentor to share their relevant knowledge, wisdom, or experiences with you (the mentee), as you are starting from a point where they once found themselves. Many organizations offer formal mentoring programs, providing structure and assistance assigning of mentors/mentees. You’ll find others who serve as mentors in an informal fashion—those people you often go to for advice and assistance in navigating life.

The Women in Science workshop will begin with a speaker who will cover the basics of mentoring to get everyone comfortable, on the same page, and ready to interact during the workshop. The speaker will answer your questions, like: What is mentoring? Why is it important? How do you find a mentor? How can I be a good mentor? How should I mentor across diverse cultures and backgrounds?

A panel discussion will follow the kickoff speaker. The panel will include four experienced mentors, including at least one past awardee of the Women in Science Mentoring Award, as well as an early career professional. Panelists will discuss mentoring—sharing the benefits they have experienced, lessons learned from being a mentor, tips for attendees on finding a mentor, and experiences they may have had as a mentee themselves. The panelists will also participate in a question-and-answer session.

After the panel discussion session, we will use the last half hour of the workshop to break into small groups for some flash mentoring and discussion. The goal of this closing session will be to connect with other attendees with similar mentoring goals. Small group breakout categories will have a flash mentor leader, and we plan to include different career stages and goals, different life stages, mindfulness, and work–life balance. Depending on where you are in your career, where you plan to go, and your stage of life (caregiver, retirement planning, etc.), or other topic areas in which you are looking to find a mentor, we hope to have a small group to meet your objective.

After the workshop concludes, we welcome everyone to stick around for a networking social where we will offer hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Who knows? You may find a mentor at the social!

We hope to see you there!