Collaborative Research: EFRI-REM Mentoring Catalyst 2.0

研究表明，STEM领域有意义的、积极的和持续的指导对扩大STEM领域的参与有重大影响，特别是通过增加保留代表性不足的少数群体、妇女和残疾人。EFRI研究体验和指导(EFRI-REM)计划在为代表性不足的学生提供研究机会方面表现出色，该计划独特的指导部分有可能增加本科工程专业学生的留校率和成就率。该项目的目标是建立一个由现有和未来的STEM导师组成的EFRI-REM导师社区，该社区将(1)促进有意义的导师培训，这将对研究导师的培训产生积极影响，(2)加强导师与导师之间的关系，以及(3)为EFRI-REM导师建立一个基于网络的门户网站，以分享想法和指导最佳实践。该项目计划衡量EFRI-REM导师社区对EFRI-REM学生结果的影响，结果将与EFRI-REM参与者和研究社区分享。该项目的重点是建立和维持EFRI-REM实践社区(COP)，在这个社区中，当前和未来的EFRI-REM导师被培训为有意义的导师，建立牢固的导师-学员关系，并在本国机构积极培训更多的导师。利用基于网络的课程和虚拟网络研讨会，EFRI-REM导师社区将积极参与构建指导理念和开发可用于指导学生独特人口统计的指导最佳做法。COP方法将为有经验的和新的导师提供一个论坛，讨论正在进行的辅导问题和成功的辅导战略的积极结果。培训员培训模式是该项目不可或缺的一部分，因为受过培训的导师将接受指导，为EFRI-REM计划以外的教职员工和学生提供导师培训，从而在EFRI-REM计划之外广泛传播高影响力的导师培训。由该项目和EFRI-REM导师COP开发的指导材料将作为资源，促进对不同群体的有意义的指导，可能对留住工程学研究生和鼓励本科生攻读工程学高级学位产生积极影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Research has shown that meaningful, positive, and sustained mentoring in the STEM fields have significant impacts on broadening the participation in STEM fields, specifically through the added retention of underrepresented minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. The EFRI Research Experience and Mentoring (EFRI-REM) program has excelled in providing research opportunities to underrepresented students, and the unique mentoring component of the program has the potential to increase the retention and success of undergraduate engineering students. The goal of this project is to build an EFRI-REM mentoring community composed of current and future STEM mentors that will (1) facilitate meaningful mentor training that will positively impact research mentee training, (2) strengthen mentor-mentee relationships, and (3) construct a web-based portal for EFRI-REM mentors to share ideas and mentoring best practices. The project plans to measure the impact of the EFRI-REM mentor community has on the outcomes of EFRI-REM students, and the findings will be shared with the EFRI-REM participants and the research community. The focus of this project is on building and sustaining an EFRI-REM Community of Practice (COP), where current and future EFRI-REM mentors are trained to be meaningful mentors, build a strong mentor-mentee relationship, and actively train additional mentors at their home institutions. Using web-based curriculum and virtual webinars the community of EFRI-REM mentors will actively participate in constructing mentoring philosophies and developing mentoring best practices that can be utilized in mentoring unique demographics of students. The COP method will provide experienced and new mentors a forum to discuss ongoing mentoring issues and positive outcomes of successful mentoring strategies. The train-the-trainer model is integral in this project, as the trained mentors will be coached in offering mentor training to faculty and students beyond the EFRI-REM program, thus widely disseminating highly impactful mentor training beyond the EFRI-REM program. The mentoring materials developed by this project and EFRI-REM mentor COP will serve as resources to facilitate meaningful mentoring of diverse groups, potentially having positive impacts on retention of engineering graduate students and encouraging undergraduate students to purse advance degrees in engineering.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.