Interdisciplinary Mentoring in Science: Strategies for Success

By Ofelia Olivero

Interdisciplinary Mentoring in Science: Strategies for Success is a practical and engaging resource on interdisciplinary mentoring in all fields of science. This book outlines what successful mentoring is, what it is not and how these important concepts relate to scientists today. Chapters include real-world examples, tips, and interviews and content is backed by current evidence and research. This reference discusses the benefits and challenges of building a mentoring relationship and highlights noteworthy topics such as mentoring minorities and women and mentoring to achieve change.

The book’s author is the recipient of the Leading Diversity Award from the National Cancer Institute. The book includes a foreword by Julie Thompson Klein who is a Professor of Humanities in the English Department and Faculty Fellow for Interdisciplinary Development in the Division of Research at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Klein is the past president of the Association for Integrative Studies (AIS) and former editor of the AIS journal, Issues in Integrative Studies.

The goal of this book is to provide readers with a better understanding of the mentoring relationship and the overall process as it applies to the increasingly interdisciplinary field of science.

• Highlights mistaken beliefs about mentoring within a scientific environment
• Written in a conversational tone and supported by evidence-based research
• Focuses on interdisciplinary mentoring in science and the modern dynamic of science and new scientific approaches to complex approaches
• Includes note sections where readers can write down key topics or ideas from each chapter

• Language: English
• Publisher: Academic Press
• Release date: Oct 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9780123914149

Ofelia Olivero

Dr. Ofelia Olivero is both a talented scientist and a passionate mentor. She has been extensively recognized for her scientific work, repeatedly invited as a lecturer and symposia chair, and has given numerous talks at many national and international meetings. Dr. Olivero has been part of editorial boards of national and international scientific journals. She has written book chapters, engaged in outstanding leadership activities and received several awards from scientific organizations. Dr. Olivero has been particularly awarded for Leading Diversity by the NCI Director and is also the Chair of the Mentoring Programs at scientific societies. Her dedication to empower and inspire young females to choose scientific careers was recognized by the US State Department in her selection to be part of a delegation of female scientists to visit Brazil and Colombia to favor the participation of women in science. She is the author and co-author of more than 70 scientific articles on carcinogenesis induced by antiretrovirals, commonly used for AIDS therapy and other toxicities derived from environmental mutagens. Dr. Olivero is a role model as a scientist and a mentor, and a very inspirational figure for young mentees.

Book preview

1

Mentoring Definition–The Mentor Within

Mentoring is a continuous and dynamic feedback between two individuals to establish a relationship through which an individual shares knowledge, skills, information, and perspective to foster the personal and professional growth of someone else. This chapter seeks to empower readers, enabling them to perform a deep self-assessment, and to connect with themselves and find their real wishes and motivations with regard to mentoring. Being more connected to ourselves helps to facilitate the connection to others, improves perceptions about others, and aids in identification of the talents of the mentee. This is one of the most important skills of a mentor, the ability to identify skills and qualities in the people that they are mentoring. Mentoring is in most cases the transference of gratitude. It is well known that most of us like to transfer experience to our mentees. We have been there, done that, and like to forewarn others by telling them in advance what is there for them. It is also well known that most of the time that does not work, and experience cannot be transferred. Knowledge is something else that a mentor would wish to transfer to share with their mentees; however, in many cases, knowledge is something the mentees will acquire in their own academic careers. Gratitude, however, is one quality that can be transferred. This chapter also elaborates on the power of gratitude.

Keywords

positivity; gratitude; mentor within; introspection; empowering

Definition of Mentoring

Mentoring is a process of continuous and dynamic feedback between two individuals to establish a relationship through which one person shares knowledge, skills, information, and perspective to foster the personal and professional growth of the other.

The Mentor Within

It would be of little value to supply a list of the ideal qualities required for mentoring. The aspiring mentor is likely to be so discouraged by the sheer number of characteristics required that they either give up or close themselves to learning more about the subject.

Instead, I prefer to facilitate the empowering of my readers, enabling them to perform a deep self-assessment, to connect with themselves and find their real wishes and motivations with regard to mentoring.

Although is not easy to motivate scientists to focus on internal topics, I have found that many are willing to participate and look inside themselves. Firstly, if they signed up to be part of a mentoring effort (rather than a mandatory training demanded to fulfill academic obligations), or if they acquired this book or find themselves reading it for some other reason, then their motivation is there. Secondly, if they are part of a mentoring forum with the same common goal, to be better at something, to learn, to understand better, the motivation is also there. They want to be part of the effort, and all of them share a common interest. That is already very valuable. If someone has signed up to attend a class of this type, even more if they had to pay to attend, they will be open and receptive. Provided that that is the case, a motivational speech, rather than a laundry list of qualities, should be offered.

The mentor within has much more value than the laundry list in becoming a good mentor.

The mentor within is the real energy that individuals put to work once discovered. The gesture, the attitude, the good feeling of empowering others, of facilitating them to grow, starts developing and presents as a natural force within. Once discovered, the force reshapes itself and becomes clearer, almost as an instinct.

The real exercise, to find the mentor within, combines the introspection of the individual looking to become a mentor with facilitation through a slow process guided by a coach. This approach, interestingly, works for those who have experienced good mentoring in their lives, as well as for those who cannot identify a real mentor in their careers.

Since the power of gratitude goes beyond past experiences, the event of recreating the feeling inside oneself invigorates the quality of mentoring inside us. Reviving that energy is the clue, it is the secret to finding the mentor within.

Being more connected to ourselves helps to facilitate the connection to others, improves perceptions about others, and aids in identification of the talents of the mentee. This is one of the most important skills of a mentor, the ability to identify skills and qualities in the people that they are mentoring.

Exercise

In this book, you will find exercises that will guide you to learn the art of mentoring. Those will also be useful to you when trying to implement your own mentoring program.

For this exercise, I suggest that you find a quiet place that you feel comfortable in. It could be your garden, your favorite chair, your bed; you can also read it now, and practice it while working out, or jogging. The clue is to have a my time time.

Try to have a glass of water next to you and also some nice music if you can, not distracting, but reflective. Think about this when you conduct this experience for others. It is critical that you experience it yourself first to appreciate the value of it and be able to facilitate it for others.

Once you collect yourself and feel quiet and convinced that the next few minutes can be devoted to this activity exclusively, try to remember an episode in which you experienced gratitude towards someone. Try to refresh that episode in which you were treated with genuine kindness, without expecting anything in return. Think about it, recall it to yourself, remember details, places, phrases, gestures, remember as much as you can. If necessary, start over again from the beginning of the story to recreate the feeling. How did you feel? Can you recapture that sensation now? Can you experience the satisfaction that you experienced then? Take a deep breath, close your eyes and stay with the feeling. Stay with the reaction, the story now is not the focus. The focus is yourself, what is going through you now. Try to identify the feeling with a name, a nickname, if needed. Open your eyes when you are ready, but do not let go of the