AIChE Mentorship Program Mentor Handbook American Institute of Chemical Engineers at the University of Michigan AIChE Mentorship Chairs Lily Tsang Julie Xiang aichementorship@umich.edu
Table of Contents Program Description.. 3 Mentor Responsibilities... 4 Mentor/Mentee Relations....... 5 Mentorship Meeting Setup... 6
Program Description The AIChE Mentorship program hosts social and informative events for underclassmen interested in ChE. The goals of the program are to connect underclassmen with resources to further their knowledge about the different career paths for chemical engineers and to foster a sense of community within the department. The student mentors are chemical engineering juniors and seniors who have some type of experience in one of the following areas: 1. Biotechnical Products and Pharmaceuticals 2. Food and Consumer Products 3. Petroleum and Energy Resources 4. Plastics and Materials 5. Research/PhD studies 6. Undecided Interested underclassmen sign up as a mentee. They choose their first and/or second career preference and are matched with the corresponding mentor. The AIChE mentors serve as a resource for their mentees by making themselves available to answer questions and setting up informative events with companies or professors. The Mentorship Chairs will arrange social events throughout the semester. These social events are aimed to build community within the ChE department and advertise the Mentorship program. AIChE Mentorship Program Mentor Handbook 3
Mentor Responsibilities 1. Set up at least one purposeful, informative meeting per semester. See Mentorship Meeting Setup on page 5 for ideas. 2. Attend and help out at other Mentorship events. Mentors are expected to be present at the following events: a. Mentorship BBQ b. AIChE Mentorship Industry Night c. Faculty Student Social d. AIChE Mentorship sophomore party e. Winter Party 3. Set up an email group with your mentees. Add Lily Tsang and Julie Xiang to your email list. 4. Meet with mentees in a group setting or individual setting by request. 5. Sign up as an AIChE National member. 6. Attend regular AIChE luncheons on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30. 7. Be professional with your mentees. AIChE Mentorship Program Mentor Handbook 4
Mentor/Mentee Relations The Mentorship program is not a one-on-one peer mentorship program. Mentees are divided into groups based on their interest, and if they have expressed interest in more than one area, they are put on multiple emailing lists and have multiple mentors. Mentees should feel free to attend events in any area of interest. Mentors should meet mentees in a public setting. Places like dorm rooms, apartments, etc are not acceptable meeting places. AIChE Mentorship Program Mentor Handbook 6 Mentorship Meeting Setup Mentorship meetings are intended to be more informal than the AIChE weekly meetings and should serve to be beneficial to your mentee group. These mentorship meetings can be used as a relaxed setting with company recruiters, informative meetings about graduate school and other interests not directly related to industry, or any other topic pertinent to your mentee group. This is a chance for the company recruiter to step away from the PowerPoint presentation and the professor to appear less intimidating in a casual setting, where the students can learn more about the field in depth. How to set up a meeting: 1. Submit a proposal of topic, estimated number of people attending, preferred room and date, and estimated cost of event to Laura Chang and Rachel Falta at aichementorship@umich.edu. The schedule of companies recruiting to weekly AIChE meetings will be made available to the mentors to help facilitate events with corporate representatives. 2. One of the Mentorship Co-chairs will respond with approval of the event and will help you reserve a room, order food, and organize transportation if needed. Ideas for mentorship meetings: -Contact graduate students to come and talk about their experiences applying to graduate school-contact faculty members and have them discuss working in laboratories as an undergraduate student. -Ask a recruiter to come and discuss specific topics in industry, such as ethics, chemical engineering devices (pumps, turbines), or Six Sigma. -Ask a recruiter to discuss interviewing skills, resume tips, and other career searching advice. -Set up a field trip for your mentees to visit a company plant. The Mentorship Chairs have a list of local Michigan companies that are available for plant trips. A list will be provided before the beginning of the Fall 2010 term. AIChE Mentorship Program Mentor Handbook 5