Effective mentorship has been shown to have a significant impact on the persistence, retention, and academic achievement of undergraduate and graduate students in STEM, particularly for students who are members of groups historically underrepresented in science. Ironically, however, most researchers do not receive formal mentor training before they begin mentoring the next generation of scientists. In the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we have initiated a multi-pronged approach to improve research mentoring relationships, promote inclusion, and build a supportive network of trained mentors. Using an adapted, evidence-based curriculum from the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), faculty members received 8-hrs of mentor training on topics such as establishing effective communication, aligning expectations, fostering independence and building self-efficacy. Discussions regarding mentorship best-practices, challenges and successes have continued after the training through ‘mentoring moments’ shared during faculty meetings and bi-monthly ‘mentoring office hours’. The training curriculum and details of implementation regarding the efforts to build a robust and supportive mentoring culture will be presented.

Building an effective mentoring culture in a large chemistry department

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.