Mentorship is golden

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By Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer

“A mentor is somebody willing to fight for you the battles nobody else is willing to fight.” – Dr. Erika T. Camacho (who was mentored by THE Jaime Escalante)

It could be said a good mentor is worth his or her weight in gold.  A good mentor counsels, encourages, supports, guides, and listens, among many other things.  Mentors can come in many shapes or forms. They can be family, friends, colleagues, teachers, professors, neighbors and even complete strangers.

Mentorship can be and should be a mutually beneficial relationship for the mentor and the mentee.  It is important for the personal and professional development of both parties.  At some point of our lives, each and every one of us has benefited from having a mentor (and hopefully from being one). However, I can’t think of a career in which mentorship is a key factor of success more than in science.

When it comes to becoming a scientist, mentorship is invaluable.  Being a research scientist is a hands-on learning experience.  There is no book or step-by-step guide on how to become a successful scientist.  One learns how to be a scientist from a mentor (or rather mentors).  How to plan, do and interpret experiments; write papers or grant proposals; choose your next career steps; navigate the academic and professional landscape.  A good mentor can be a role model, a source of experience and insights, and someone to identify with.

Personally, the support and advice from my mentors has helped me achieve my goals; it has kept me focused and balanced.  The best advice I ever got is to have multiple mentors, figure out what they do best and learn how they do it.  I have been fortunate to have many excellent mentors (family, friends, professors, colleagues), and they are a constant source of inspiration.  

Recently, I went to the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Conference in Seattle, Washington.  This was my first SACNAS conference and it was GREAT. The scientific quality of the talks and the poster presentations was fantastic (special shout-out to all of the undergrads).  There were scientists from all fields and academic levels.  What I was most impressed with was the great sense of community and culture, and the emphasis placed on the importance of mentorship and networking. 

Now, I am currently writing my doctoral dissertation, which can be tedious at times, so the SACNAS Conference represented a welcomed break.  But, being at SACNAS was more than that. It was inspiring, re-energizing and enlightened.  As a scientist, nothing compares to the thrill of discovery and of contributing to the advancement of knowledge.  However, one of the greatest opportunities that being a scientist has provided me is the opportunity to be a mentor.  It is simple.  Someone did it for me once (actually multiple someones and more than once), so now it’s my turn to pay it forward.

Mentorship in action!

Coming in, I knew that mentoring is at the core of SACNAS activities.  However, I was in for a treat.  I was able to see old friends and colleagues that I rarely get to see.  I was also able to represent my country (Puerto Rico), my alma mater (¡Vaqueros, ahí!), my current school (Go Crimson!) and Ciencia Puerto Rico (the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of).  At SACNAS there were a LOT of mentors. It didn’t matter if they were a first-generation college student, a SACNAS Board Member, a future astronaut or a potential Nobel Prize winner. They were all equally passionate about science, education and mentorship.  They were willing to talk to you, and more importantly, they were willing to listen to you and share their insights.  

 

Someone I was really inspired by is Octavio Pierre Romero, who won the 2012 Distinguished Community College Mentor Award.  Half Mexican and half Cherokee, when Octavio got on stage, he thanked his ancestors and those who had carved the path he was walking before him.  He was emotional (and so was I. I’ll admit it I got teary-eyed, but then again I am a bit of a crier). Above all he was THANKFUL. Not only for the recognition, but also for the people that had helped him get where he is right now.  

Mr. Romero’s speech embodied the spirit of the conference.  Mentors are trailblazers.  They know how it is and what it takes to develop into and perform successfully as a scientist.  They have faced and conquered the challenges. By way of their success and experience, they have great insight into ideas and opportunities; they can be connectors and influencers. 

One of the biggest hurdles faced by underrepresented minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is the lack of role models and/or mentors they can identify with.

This lack of mentors and role models with a shared background reinforces the biases and stereotypes against minorities in these fields.  Mentorship is key to preventing the high attrition levels of minorities in the scientific training pipeline. Mentors can lead the way to help make STEM fields more diverse and representative. After all, the scientific enterprise is enriched by the variety of thoughts, experiences and ideas contributed by diversity.

As I am sitting on my desk, taking a little break from thesis writing (yes, I take them somewhat often, for the sake of sanity) to write this, I set my eyes on a thank you note I received from one of my mentees after the SACNAS Conference.  “You have contributed to my development as a scientist and a person.  You are living proof that you don’t have to see or have someone close (she is in Puerto Rico, I am in Boston) to be able to call them a mentor.”  Now THAT is worth gold.

"Mírame, soy fuerte"

No es mi costumbre colgar escritos personales en este foro, pero el día de hoy lo amerita. Mis sobrinos Johnerik e Iliana son las luces de mis ojos. Ellos me motivan, me inspiran y me hacen mejor persona.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Johnerik! Gracias por dejarme ser tu tía y tu amiga. Siempre adelante, que si te caes pa’ atrás, aquí voy a estar yo. ¡Te amo! Esta mañana me inspiré, y te dedico esto.

"Titi, mírame, soy fuerte"

“Titi, mírame, soy fuerte.” Tenías más o menos dos años y lo tuyo era la pelota. La gorra, el bate, la bola. “Voy a ser pelotero, titi.”

Las cosas han cambiado. El amor por la pelota se convirtió en amor por la patineta (el verdadero amor de tu vida). El sueño de ser pelotero se convirtió en la realidad de ser ejkeiter. Cada vez que veo tus videos y tus fotos se me llena el alma de orgullo. Hoy en día tu patineta te lleva alto y le pone ruedas a tus sueños.

Hoy, que cumples tus 21 años, se me llena la cabeza de recuerdos y reflexiono. Pienso en que hoy en día eres un hombre que vive, que ama, que sueña. También pienso en lo vieja que me haces sentir, aunque para ser justos, me hiciste una tía joven. Sobre todo, pienso en lo que significa para mí la alegría de que seas mi sobrino. La alegría de verte luchar por lo que quieres. De conocer tu corazón de oro. La certeza de saber que a pesar de que las cosas a veces no son fáciles y que has cometido errores (¿y quién no?), has sabido manejar las curvas que te ha tira’o la vida. (Discúlpame la metáfora pelotera, es que de patinetas no me sé ninguna). Hoy mientras celebro tus 21 años de vida en la distancia, recuerdo aquel episodio hace más o menos 19 años atrás y me digo que tenías razón. Johnerik, eres fuerte.

Engaging Underrepresented Communities with Science Using Social Networking Platforms

By Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer

Although Hispanics comprise 16% of the total population in the United States, they remain largely underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degrees and careers. 

This underrepresentation of Hispanics in science is problematic on several levels. The attrition of Hispanics among the ranks of scientists limits our ability as a society to benefit from the full range of talent and minds. The scientific enterprise is enriched by the variety of thoughts, experiences and ideas contributed by diversity.  A lack of diversity among the research workforce is detrimental for innovation and can also have the effect of decreasing the diversity of research topics, particularly those that pertain to Hispanics.

Many barriers have been found to contribute to the disproportionately low numbers of Hispanics in science, including insufficient guidance and mentoring, lack of culturally-relevant science information and lack of access to education and professional resources.  Today, social networking platforms have emerged as powerful tools to help knock down some of these barriers.

Social networking websites can help democratize access to knowledge and provide new opportunities for fellowship and mentorship by linking groups from resource-limited geographical regions with others in resource-rich centers.  Science is a global activity and, with the Latino scientific community dispersed over a wide geographic area, a virtual space that brings individuals of that scientific diaspora together represents a powerful and innovative way to address the challenges faced by Hispanics in science and technology. 

This is precisely the type of space the non-profit grassroots organization Ciencia Puerto Rico has established.  Our volunteer-run networking platform, CienciaPR.org, brings together the geographically dispersed Puerto Rican scientific community under a virtual collaborative space, and uses their collective knowledge-wealth and expertise to engage the public in science; to serve as role models and mentors for the next generations of scientists; and to promote the development of science endeavors in the Puerto Rican archipelago.  In just six years the website’s membership has increased to over 6,100 members underscoring the strong interest and need for such an endeavor.

By encouraging user participation and the exchange of knowledge and ideas, social networks foster a sense of community and facilitate the creation of user-driven initiatives.  For instance, CienciaPR.org provides people with common interests – science, research and Puerto Rico – with the tools, information and resources to help them forge collaborations and mentoring relationships.  The ideas and shared interests of the members of Ciencia Puerto Rico’s online community have fueled our organization’s most successful initiatives.

Over the years, by engaging its membership and leveraging its breadth and reach, CienciaPR has been able to implement a number of formal and informal science education initiatives that have contributed to the teaching and learning of science in Puerto Rico and the support of scientists at various stages of their training and career. Some of these efforts include increasing content about Puerto Rican scientists or research performed in Puerto Rico in local print, radio, and online news media; publishing a book of essays relating scientific stories contextualized and culturally-relevant manner; offering workshops to K-12 teachers to complement their classes with contextualized activities; and piloting a program to increase students’ interest in and awareness of science and scientific careers. In addition to these initiatives, CienciaPR uses social media networking platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) to disseminate original science articles and podcasts, as well as other relevant news and science-related information.

The lack of mentors that can advice Latino students about the pathways towards STEM degrees and careers is a key contributing factor to their attrition in the scientific training pipeline. A good mentor and role model is an invaluable source of experience and insights, someone to identify with, who knows how it is and what it takes to develop into and perform successfully as a scientist or engineer.  Often, Latino youth have limited access to role models in their communities to engage, mentor and empower them to go into science. 

To showcase role models in the Puerto Rican scientific community, roughly each month, Ciencia Puerto Rico features a story profiling the life and work of Puerto Rican scientists: their trajectory in science, the relevance of their work and their personal journey through science.  In addition to showcasing their work, these stories speak of the challenges faced by these Puerto Rican scientists, their drive to succeed and their will to give back to their communities and be an example for future generations.

Online networking platforms like CienciaPR.org are uniquely poised to help overcome the lack of mentors among Latino students, because they enable the far-reaching personalized mentoring relationships needed to succeed in the scientific enterprise.  Our recently revamped platform provides a number of social networking tools such as a private and secure messaging system; a message board where members can "meet" and communicate with each other; maps of users; personal blogs; and links to members with similar interests. Besides encouraging the establishment of mentoring and collaborative relationships through our social networking tools, Ciencia Puerto Rico organizes social events at national scientific conferences.  These social events give attendees the opportunity to share information about their research and careers in Puerto Rico or abroad, and get to know fellow Puerto Rican scientists.

Although our initiatives have focused primarily on Puerto Rico, we believe that the principles of community participation and collaboration that guide CienciaPR can fuel the creation of initiatives that can benefit all Hispanics.  We hope our platform can serve as a model to help establish creative strategies that effectively tackle the issues of scientific literacy, cultural relevance and access to mentors and resources for minority populations.

The topics discussed here were the subject of a professional development workshop organized by Ciencia Puerto Rico and presented on Oct. 11, 2012 at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Conference. The panel included Dr. Yaihara Fortis-Santiago, AAAS Science & Technology Fellow and member of the CienciaPR team; Dr. Frances Colón-Hastings, Deputy Science and Technology Advisor for the Secretary of State Hilary Clinton; Dr. Wilson González-Espada, Associate Professor of Physics and Science Education at Morehead State University and part of the CienciaPR team; and Mónica Feliú-Mójer, Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and vice-director of CienciaPR.