Who are Mentors?

Mentors are undergraduate (and in some cases, graduate) students who love STEM and want to inspire the next generation of STEM students!’

Why  Mentors?

By expanding the number of professionals that interact with PSC students we believe we will sustain interest in the PSC to a greater extent than in the original program through the development of near-peer mentoring.

We will also sustain interest through the use of social media and by discussing relevant topics that go beyond pulsar data on these social media sites and on regular PSC online gatherings.

As near-peers to student PSC members, undergraduate students can be inspiring, effective “social persuaders,” who encourage STEM persistence and recognize student and teacher achievements, be they pulsar discoveries, or other contributions to the online community. This kind of recognition is particularly important for the development of STEM identity in underrepresented groups.

In addition to assisting students become diligent pulsar data scientists, mentors will also guide students on topics like implementing good study habits and applying to college, thereby reducing potential barriers to STEM persistence.

Undergraduate students recruited to mentor PSC students must complete online professional development, led by PSC staff at GBO and WVU, before they assume mentoring duties, which includes beginners pulsar research training course along with teachers and PSC students, if needed. They must become certified pulsar data analysts just like PSC students, so that they can help students with pulsar data related questions!

The requirements for getting certified as a mentor:
• 6-weeks of online training
• Take the PSC Certification test online: https://pulsars.nanograv.org/psrsearch/certification
• Get certified in giving the SPOT presentation

In order to be mentors in good standing, you are expected to
• Attend regular meetings with central staff at WVU, or hub faculty leader during the academic year;
• Connect with schools and students to provide help and encouragement throughout the school year;
• Participate in social media including the forum, facebook and twitter
• Participate in the planning of capstone events;
• Submit a reporting form each month, describing your mentor activity, by the 5th of the month.

Useful Links:

•  Mentor Meetings.  Join in to a weekly meeting that Maura hosts. Not only will you discuss PSC related things but also discuss research applying to grad school and other stuff! Thursdays at 1 PM Eastern. Here is the Zoom Link.
• PSC SPOT presentation: Learn and deliver this  presentation to schools as a way to build interest among high school students.
• PSC Recruitment Flyer: Feel free to customize this  to highlight your college or university.
• Mentor Reporting Form: To maintain your status as a PSC mentor, you must complete a reporting form each month by the 5th of that month, even if you were inactive during the reporting period.
• Please sign up at remind.com/join/pulsars to get text message reminders about telecons and/or important news or events!
• Google folder for Capstone stuff
• Google Sheet Mentor Sign up