What is "Mentoring"?
Learning to be a research scientist involves a period of guided learning that is similar to an apprenticeship: that is, a time of practical training during which an experienced mentor and a student work together in a cooperative and mutually beneficial professional relationship. Apprenticeships can begin as early as the high school years, and extend through graduate school to form the foundation of modern scientific careers.
Mentoring is the process by which an experienced scientist teaches a student the philosophical and technical aspects of research. Much of what is learned in a lab is passed down orally and skills are learned by watching and then doing. As a result, hands-on experience with research, and personal interaction with mentors is the best way to train the next generation of research scientists.
The Group Advantaged Training of Research (GATOR) program is based on the apprenticeship training model. GATOR brings together researchers at different stages of their professional development (high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty) so that they can work with and learn from each other.
Because mentoring skills are especially emphasized by the GATOR program, we anticipate that graduate students with academic research career goals will particularly benefit. Furthermore, the program is focused on recruitment of undergraduates early in their academic career so that they have more time to develop their research interests and collegial network. This will help them choose a graduate research program that will promote their career goals.
