REU Mentorship and Professional Development Training

From the LTER REU Coordinators list:

Lina DiGregorio asks:

  • Can anyone recommend an online REU mentorship training? What do you use for your mentors?
  • And, how do you connect your REU students to professional development trainings?
  • Will the LTER Network be offering REU training and networking sessions this summer?
    Our site, the Andrews LTER, hosts two REU students per year. We’re looking to provide more
    training opportunities for our mentors and our students.

Thanks for any tips!

Dianna Dahlbotten responded:

CIMER Portal
Great resource. If link doesn’t work just google cimer.

And from Marty, bringing the conversation over to the Forum:

The CIMER training that Diana mentions is quite good. We have a group of CIMER-trained facilitators in the LTER network who are putting together plans for an online LTER network training. The expectation is to get it in place before summer 2024. It probably won’t fully satisfy the demand for such trainings, but it’s a good start.

The LNO will offer an LTER network orientation focused on undergrads–probably in July. You can expect that to continue. We’re not, at this time, offering network-wide professional development, but if sites are presenting any of their PD activities online, please let us know and we’ll coordinate a calendar of opportunities.

I also wanted to highlight an approach that some sites have been taking recently. Instead of hosting two REUs every summer, you have the option of doubling up in some years (so 4 REUs one year and none the next). That way, they have more chance to develop a strong cohort experience.

What other mentoring resources have you all found helpful?
Cheers, Marty

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