WK 33 - Thinking Outside Our Box: How to Provide Effective Career Mentorship to Ecology Students

Thursday, August 18, 2022

11:45 AM – 1:15 PM EDT

Location: 518C

Organizer(s)

TL

Tom A. Langen, PhD

Professor of Biology
Clarkson University
Potsdam, New York, United States

Co-organizer(s)

TM

Teresa M. Mourad

Director, Education & Diversity Programs
Ecological Society of America
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Speaker(s)

BS

Brian R. Shmaefsky, Ed.D

Professor of Biology
Lonestar College
Kingwood, Texas, United States
AS

Ajay Sharma

University of Florida
Milton, FL, United States
MN

Michelle Nelson

Montgomery County Parks, Montgomery Co. Maryland, United States
KM

Kerrin Massarueh

BMoreAg, LLC, United States
Leanne M. Jablonski, PhD

Director MEEC (Marianist Environmental Education Center) h
Marianist EE Center & Univ of Dayton Hanley Sustainability Institute
Dayton, Ohio, United States

Co-organizer(s)

CC

Carmen R. Cid, PhD, ESA Certified Senior Ecologist

Professor of Ecology/Dean Emerita School of Arts and Sciences
Eastern Connecticut State University
Wethersfield, Connecticut, United States

Session Description: “A Change Is Gonna Come” and indeed is already happening in ecology in regards to careers – people with degrees in ecology are increasingly getting jobs and pursuing careers that differ from those ecologists traditionally prepared for. The objective of this session is for participants to learn from each other and invited presenters about how to be effective mentors for students exploring career options that put their ecology degree to work. Invited ecologists who have career experience or experience at preparing students for careers outside of higher education will present briefly what they look for in hiring recently graduated ecology students or preparing students for a career in that sector. Then, in small groups, attendees will share what they do currently at their institutions for mentoring and preparing ecology students for careers beyond higher education, and will discuss and list best practices and opportunities for improving career mentorship and preparing students for career readiness. Next, we will synthesize the findings and recommendations, and identify gaps or deficiencies that may be common in university ecology programs, and opportunities to improve. Our goals are to both improve the mentorship and career guidance effectiveness of session participants, and use the major conclusions in drafting a paper on effective career mentoring by ecology faculty members and effective ecology program career preparation for careers beyond higher education.