The Merits of Training Mentors

I n research universities and colleges, mentoring is one of the most important skills for faculty because it affects both research productivity and the quality of training for undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. Moreover, the diversity of science is dependent on the quality of mentored research, because this experience is a key to attracting underrepresented groups to science (1–5). In the past, many faculty learned skills such as mentoring on the job. In recent years, various organizations have developed training programs to help prospective and new faculty learn skills such as grant writing, laboratory management, and classroom teaching, but mentoring has been largely absent. In response to this need, we developed and evaluated a mentor-training seminar. The seminar is intended to improve mentors’ skills and to enhance the research experiences of undergraduate students. In research universities, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers often serve as the primary mentors for undergraduate researchers (see photograph, this page). This arrangement provides undergraduates with guidance from a person who is accessible and whose primary focus is laboratory work. It also provides graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with experience as mentors. Therefore, our seminar focused on training graduate students and postdoctoral researchers as mentors, but it is also suitable for developing mentoring skills of faculty.