Mentoring and Diversity: Tips for Students and Professionals for Developing and Maintaining a Diverse Scientific Community
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Overview
This book will provide basic guidelines for facilitating the educational advancement of under represented students in the sciences, not only from the student perspective but also from the perspective of faculty advisors/mentors. Although the proper mentoring and advising of students about careers and preparation for the education and training associated with them is one of the most important components of a student's education process, this aspect has been severely lacking in academia in the past as well as the present. This is particularly the case with under represented ethnic minorities, despite the fact that mentoring of minority students has been identified as probably the most effective means for assisting them in achieving success. There are a multitude of reasons for this deficiency, including not enough mentors, students not “reaching out”, lack of resources as well as other societal and academic limitations. This book provides tips to help guide a student on choosing mentors, what to expect from mentoring, and effectively developing a strong personal portfolio. Tips are also provided to scientists and faculty on being an effective mentor. The emphasis of the book will be primarily on students of color in the sciences, who are severely under represented, and will be presented in a “guidebook” format to simplify the process as much as possible.
Synopsis
This book will provide basic guidelines for facilitating the educational advancement of under represented students in the sciences, not only from the student perspective but also from the perspective of faculty advisors/mentors. Although the proper mentoring and advising of students about careers and preparation for the education and training associated with them is one of the most important components of a student's education process, this aspect has been severely lacking in academia in the past as well as the present. This is particularly the case with under represented ethnic minorities, despite the fact that mentoring of minority students has been identified as probably the most effective means for assisting them in achieving success. There are a multitude of reasons for this deficiency, including not enough mentors, students not “reaching out”, lack of resources as well as other societal and academic limitations. This book provides tips to help guide a student on choosing mentors, what to expect from mentoring, and effectively developing a strong personal portfolio. Tips are also provided to scientists and faculty on being an effective mentor. The emphasis of the book will be primarily on students of color in the sciences, who are severely under represented, and will be presented in a “guidebook” format to simplify the process as much as possible.
Doody Review Services
Reviewer:Marion C. Cohen, PhD(University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-NJMS)
Description:In this fourth volume in the Mentoring in Academia and Industry series, the focus is on mentoring to develop as well as maintain a diverse scientific community. Compelling statistics show that it has been difficult for underrepresented minorities to expand their representation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Some of the historical reasons are discussed in this book, with suggestions on how to remedy the situation.
Purpose:The author started out in a traditional scientific career, but along the way he became involved in student and minority affairs and he left bench research to devote himself to making a difference in the area of minority representation, ultimately assuming an administrative position at a Minority Serving Institution (MSI). He wrote the book to provide underrepresented minority students with information on scientific careers and suggestions on how they could go about achieving their goals. Although there are many articles on these topics, as evidenced by the references in this book, there has been little written for students giving them a systematic approach. This is true not only for minority students, but for all students who have been previously discouraged from pursuing a STEM career.
Audience:The book is clearly directed at students, but raises important points for advisors as well. Based on his many years of experience, the author is knowledgeable about the advising and mentoring processes at many different levels.
Features:In some respects, the facts presented in the book are not new to those who are in academic institutions. However, for anyone unfamiliar with the reasons that minority students are not increasing their representation in science at a faster rate, the explanations are well done. More importantly, the need for students to understand why they need mentors (probably more than one) is very well articulated. In pointing out the many the reasons why students do not go on to scientific careers, there is little discussion of the need to begin capturing their attention as early as elementary school to achieve greater success. Perhaps this is outside the aims of the book, which seems to be more for students considering a scientific career but aren't quite sure. The book would certainly provide the basis for excellent guidance sessions.
Assessment:The realization that mentoring is a complex and importance process has only begun to be understood relatively recently. Because of this, most of the references are recent and the number of books dealing with this topic relatively few. Certainly, there is a lack of books that focus on underrepresented minorities in science. Furthermore, much of the advice about finding mentors and maintaining relationships, as well as the information on choosing careers, will be of benefit to any student.
Editorials
From The Critics
Reviewer: Marion C. Cohen, PhD(SUNY Downstate Medical Center)Description: In this fourth volume in the Mentoring in Academia and Industry series, the focus is on mentoring to develop as well as maintain a diverse scientific community. Compelling statistics show that it has been difficult for underrepresented minorities to expand their representation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Some of the historical reasons are discussed in this book, with suggestions on how to remedy the situation.
Purpose: The author started out in a traditional scientific career, but along the way he became involved in student and minority affairs and he left bench research to devote himself to making a difference in the area of minority representation, ultimately assuming an administrative position at a Minority Serving Institution (MSI). He wrote the book to provide underrepresented minority students with information on scientific careers and suggestions on how they could go about achieving their goals. Although there are many articles on these topics, as evidenced by the references in this book, there has been little written for students giving them a systematic approach. This is true not only for minority students, but for all students who have been previously discouraged from pursuing a STEM career.
Audience: The book is clearly directed at students, but raises important points for advisors as well. Based on his many years of experience, the author is knowledgeable about the advising and mentoring processes at many different levels.
Features: In some respects, the facts presented in the book are not new to those who are in academic institutions. However, for anyone unfamiliar with the reasons that minority students are not increasing their representation in science at a faster rate, the explanations are well done. More importantly, the need for students to understand why they need mentors (probably more than one) is very well articulated. In pointing out the many the reasons why students do not go on to scientific careers, there is little discussion of the need to begin capturing their attention as early as elementary school to achieve greater success. Perhaps this is outside the aims of the book, which seems to be more for students considering a scientific career but aren't quite sure. The book would certainly provide the basis for excellent guidance sessions.
Assessment: The realization that mentoring is a complex and importance process has only begun to be understood relatively recently. Because of this, most of the references are recent and the number of books dealing with this topic relatively few. Certainly, there is a lack of books that focus on underrepresented minorities in science. Furthermore, much of the advice about finding mentors and maintaining relationships, as well as the information on choosing careers, will be of benefit to any student.