Collaborative Research: EFRI-REM Mentoring Catalyst 2.0

研究表明，在STEM领域有意义、积极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民族、妇女和残疾人。EFRI研究经验和指导（EFRI- rem）项目在为代表性不足的学生提供研究机会方面表现出色，该项目独特的指导组成部分有可能提高工程本科学生的保留率和成功率。该项目的目标是建立一个由当前和未来的STEM导师组成的eri - rem指导社区，该社区将(1)促进有意义的导师培训，从而对研究徒弟培训产生积极影响，(2)加强师徒关系，以及(3)为eri - rem导师构建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学生成果的影响，研究结果将与EFRI-REM参与者和研究界分享。这个项目的重点是建立和维持一个efr - rem实践社区（COP），在这个社区中，当前和未来的efr - rem导师将被培训成有意义的导师，建立牢固的师徒关系，并在他们的家乡机构积极培训更多的导师。使用基于网络的课程和虚拟网络研讨会，eri - rem导师社区将积极参与构建指导理念和开发指导最佳实践，这些指导可用于指导独特的学生群体。COP方法将为有经验的和新的导师提供一个论坛，讨论正在进行的指导问题和成功的指导策略的积极成果。培训培训师模式是该项目不可或缺的一部分，因为经过培训的导师将接受指导，向EFRI-REM项目以外的教师和学生提供导师培训，从而在EFRI-REM项目之外广泛传播具有高度影响力的导师培训。本项目和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，对保留工程研究生和鼓励本科生获得工程高级学位有潜在的积极影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.