Mentorship

Bioengineering Department Mentoring Standards

Mentoring and training is a central tenet of the Shu Chien-Gen Lay Department of Bioengineering as demonstrated in the Department’s central goals:

• To support engineering and science research for the expansion of human knowledge and human good
• To mentor trainees to become exceptional and independent engineers/scientists
• To cultivate a respectful and open environment

In order to achieve its mentorship goal, the Department encourages open communication as a necessary component in order to align the mentoring expectations of the multiple stakeholders, including students, researchers, faculty, and staff.

Through the collaborative efforts of The Mentoring Project Representatives and discussion and feedback sessions with department stakeholders, the Department is pleased to share the Department Mentoring Standards with the Bioengineering community. The Department encourages stakeholders to incorporate this document into their mentorship discussions. 

Mentoring Resources

Below please find a variety of resources and information related to mentorship that are available both internally at UC San Diego and externally.

Bioengineering Department

 

Look for more information coming soon.

 

UC San Diego

 

UC San Diego has a number of opportunities for students, researchers, faculty, and staff to participate in, and several resources for these groups looking for more information about mentorship.

Students

• The Career Services Center offers services related to mentorship such as:
  • Triton Connect: a platform to connect with alumni mentors in a variety of disciplines working in academia, industry, public service, and nonprofit organizations.
  • Pre-Health/ Pre-med resources for undergraduate students, including mentorship within those pathways.
  • Graduate school preparation resources for undergraduates students, including questions to consider around mentorship and finding a mentor.
• GEPA has a dedicated Mentorship page within their professional development website with information about:
  • National data related to mentorship.
  • A list of professional associations with mentorship programs.
  • Additional information about available campus mentorship programs.
  • Recommendations on finding peer-to-peer mentorship via the Alumni Tool on LinkedIn.
• The Mentoring For All initiative has a wealth of resources, including:
  • A list of Mentorship Programs for students, both undergraduate and graduate.
  • The Mentor Collective Program designed to enhance the first-year undergraduate student experience for both freshmen and transfer students. 
  • Assistance finding the right mentoring program from a mentoring coordinator.
• The Undergraduate Research Hub offers a variety of opportunities that incorporate mentorship and research mentorship as part of the program. These include:
  • California Louis Stoke Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP)
  • EMPOWER Scholars for transfer engineering students
  • Faculty Mentor Program (FMP) 
  • McNair Program
  • Triton Research & Experiential Learning Scholars (TRELS)
  • UC Scholars Program
• Many Student Resource Centers offer mentorship resources and programs. Please inquire with each center to learn about possible offerings.  
  • APIMEDA Programs and Services  
  • Black Resource Center
  • Cross Cultural Center
  • First Gen Initiative
  • Intertribal Resource Center
  • LBGT Resource Center
  • Raza Resource Centro
  • Student Veterans Resource Center
  • Undocumented Student Services
  • Women's Center

Researchers

• The Postdoctoral Association offers information about mentorship as part of their career development resources. 

Faculty

• Academic Personnel Services offers Faculty Mentoring and Faculty Mentoring/ Mentorship Development opportunities. 
• Health Sciences Faculty Affairs has a robust website with a number of resources relevant to mentorship for all faculty. 

Staff

• Career Connection offers the Staff Mentorship Program that “matches mentors and mentees based on their interests and experiences with the goal of preparing mentees to grow in their careers and become leaders in their field.”
  • A helpful guide on mentorship is also broadly available. 
• The Staff Association and related Affiliate Groups offer opportunities to get interact with other staff members, including mentorship program offerings in several affiliate groups.

 

External Resources

 

Below are external resources for mentorship, compiled by a number of UC San Diego offices.

Journals and Articles

• The Chronicles of Higher Education
  • Advice on Advising: How to Mentor Minority Students
  • We Must Help First-Generation Students Master Academe’s Hidden Curriculum
• First-Gen Forward journal on first generation student success best practices 
• The power of mentoring: NSF Research Traineeship program

Organizations

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): STEM Mentor Resources
• Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER)
• Council of Graduate Schools (CGE): Mentoring Resources
• National Academies: “The Science of Effective Mentoring in STEMM”
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Mentoring Hub
• National Science Foundation (NSF) 
  • Research Experience and Mentoring (REM)
  • Postdoctoral mentoring plan
• The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN)

 

The Mentoring Project at UC San Diego

As part of a pilot project launched in Summer 2023, the Division of Graduate Education & Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) partnered with several departments and programs, including Bioengineering, to “intentionally discuss the mentoring environments in their academic units and co-create community mentoring standards rooted in equity and culturally relevant frameworks.” 

More information about The Mentoring Project can be found on GEPA’s website, and a project summary can also be found on GEPA’s website. 

AY2024-25 Bioengineering Representatives on The Mentoring Project:

• Department Chair: Adam Engler, Ph.D.
• Faculty Rep: Ester Kwon, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Postdoc Rep: vacant
• Staff Rep: Vanessa Hollingsworth, Director of Student Affairs
• Student Rep: Yiyan Yu, Ph.D. Candidate

For questions about The Mentoring Project, please reach out to a Bioengineering Representative or The Mentoring Project directly at mentoringproject@ucsd.edu.