• Read: Chapter 2 from The Science of Effective Mentoring in STEMM
  • This report examines research on effective mentorship in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM), identifying the key behaviors, relationships, and institutional supports that foster successful mentoring—especially for underrepresented groups.
• Read: Mentoring for Inclusion: The Impact of Mentoring on Undergraduate Researchers in the Sciences
  • This study finds that undergraduate students who participate in mentored research experiences—especially with strong socioemotional and culturally relevant support—develop greater research skills, independence, and academic success (including higher GPAs).
• Read: Reimagining STEM Workforce Development as a Braided River
  • This article argues that the traditional “pipeline” model of STEM careers is outdated and exclusionary, and should be replaced with a “braided river” model that reflects the many non-linear, flexible paths people take through education and careers.

• Read: Strengths-based interventions reduce student attrition
  • Gallup’s CliftonStrengths is based on decades of research into human talent, identifying 34 recurring patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior and showing that people achieve better performance, engagement, and development when they focus on building their natural strengths rather than fixing weaknesses.
• Read: When the job is a calling: The role of applying one's signature strengths at work
  • This study found that employees who are able to use more of their “signature strengths” at work experience higher levels of job satisfaction, engagement, meaning, and a sense of calling. 

• Read: Understanding the science experiences of successful women of color: Science identity as an analytic lens
  • This study develops a model of “science identity” to explain how successful women of color navigate science education and careers, showing that identity is shaped by both personal meaning-making and social structures like recognition from others.
• Read: Structures for Belonging
  • This report explains that a sense of belonging is essential for student learning and wellbeing, and that students constantly interpret environmental cues to decide whether they are valued and included, which directly affects their engagement and academic success.
• Read: 5 Things to Know About Sense of Belonging
  • Terrell Strayhorn explains that a sense of belonging is a fundamental human need that drives behavior and is critical to student success, shaping motivation, engagement, and persistence.

• Read: University of Illinois Chicago, Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence. (2023). Backward design

  • In this UIC guide on backward design, course planning begins by identifying desired learning outcomes, then aligning assessments and instructional activities to support those goals, ensuring a clear and student-centered learning experience.

• Read: Examples of the scope of what community college students are able to accomplish in a 9-week research program 

  • On the RECCS 2025 students page, the program highlights a diverse cohort of community college students participating in a paid summer research experience, showcasing their backgrounds, research interests, and career goals in STEM fields.

• Read: Three domains of learning: Cognitive, affective and psychomotor

  • This resource explains that learning occurs across three domains—cognitive (knowledge and thinking), affective (emotions, values, and attitudes), and psychomotor (physical skills)—which together provide a holistic framework for designing and assessing education.

Download, review and complete both documents below to help you implement a strong plan for communication, expectations, goals, support, etc. with your mentee.

• Read: How to give feedback most effectively

  • In this article, the Center for Creative Leadership explains that feedback generally falls into four types—directive, contingency, attribution, and impact—and highlights that impact feedback is the most effective because it shows how someone’s behavior affects others.

• Read: How to have a coaching conversation 

  • In this article, the Center for Creative Leadership explains that coaching conversations help individuals learn, grow, and take ownership of their development by building self-awareness and exploring solutions through dialogue.

• Read: Unseen disadvantage: How American universities’ focus on independence undermines the academic performance of first-generation college students

  • In this article, researchers propose a “cultural mismatch” theory, showing that first-generation college students often underperform because their interdependent cultural values conflict with universities’ emphasis on independence.

• Read: Ten salient practices of undergraduate research mentors: A review of the literature

  • In this article, the authors review research on undergraduate mentoring and identify ten key practices of effective mentors, emphasizing that high-quality, intentional mentoring is essential for student engagement, skill development, and persistence in research.

• Read: Mentoring for inclusion

  • In this article, the authors examine how mentoring within undergraduate research programs impacts student success, particularly for underrepresented and first-generation students in the sciences. They find that students who participate in mentored research have higher GPAs and develop stronger research skills, with culturally responsive and socioemotional mentoring playing a key role in supporting student growth and inclusion.
• Read: Race and ethnicity in biology research mentoring relationships
  • This article examines how mentors and mentees in undergraduate biology research experience and understand race and ethnicity within mentoring relationships. It finds that while both groups recognize the importance of these factors, their perspectives often differ, highlighting the need for more intentional, culturally responsive mentoring practices to better support students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Check out the tools below to help you implement a strong plan for communication, expectations, goals, support, etc. with your mentee.

Your Identity Map

• This tool can help you identify your social identities and understand how your social feeds may be affecting your biases 

Implicit Bias Tests

• Implicit Bias tests can provide insight into unconscious associations and patterns of thinking, but results should not be interpreted as definitive measures of prejudice or predictors of behavior. These tools are most effective when used as a starting point for self-reflection, discussion, and ongoing learning about how implicit attitudes may influence decision-making and interactions. 

• Watch this TED Talk

  • Celeste Headlee, a longtime radio host, shares 10 simple rules for better conversations, emphasizing honesty, clarity, brevity, and listening. She encourages people to talk with others openly and be ready to learn from what they hear.

• Read: Dialogue v Disaster 

  • This resource explains the difference between “dialogue” and “disaster” (or debate-style conflict), emphasizing that dialogue focuses on listening, curiosity, and understanding others’ perspectives rather than trying to win or prove a point.

• Check out The Backfire Effect - scrolling comic style

  • People often double down on their beliefs when challenged with opposing evidence, because those beliefs are tied to identity and emotions. The comic emphasizes using empathy and understanding to have more productive conversations

• Read:  Minimizing and addressing microaggressions in the workplace

  • This article highlights how information literacy instruction can help people engage more thoughtfully with misinformation by encouraging reflection, empathy, and critical evaluation of sources.

• Read: Bystander intervention for faculty, staff, and graduate students 

  • This National Academies project focuses on exploring how education systems can better prepare learners for a climate-ready workforce by building skills in resilience, adaptation, and sustainability.

• Read: Calling In vs. Calling Out 

  • This toolkit explains the difference between “calling in” and “calling out” when addressing harmful behavior, emphasizing that calling in invites respectful, private conversation and learning, while calling out publicly names harm and can shut down dialogue.

• Read: Nothing About Us Without Us: The Perspectives of Autistic Geoscientists on Inclusive Instructional Practices in Geoscience Education 

  • This article emphasizes that environmental and sustainability education is most effective when it engages learners in real-world, participatory experiences that connect knowledge with action. It argues that fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and values-based decision-making is essential for helping people meaningfully address complex environmental challenges.

• Watch: The Spoon Theory and Autism

  • In this TED Talk, Celeste Headlee explains that many people struggle with meaningful conversation because they don’t truly listen or stay present. She offers 10 simple rules—like being curious, asking open-ended questions, and listening actively—to help people have more engaging, respectful, and productive conversations.

• Read: Neurodiversity in the Workplace

  • This article explains that neurodiversity reflects natural differences in how people think and process information, and argues for a shift away from viewing these differences as deficits. It emphasizes that when workplaces recognize and support neurodiverse strengths, they can foster innovation, inclusion, and better outcomes for all employees.

• Read: Ten steps to equity: making fieldwork accessible 

  • This article outlines practical strategies for making fieldwork more inclusive and accessible, especially for disabled students and academics, by addressing both visible and invisible barriers. It emphasizes that inclusive design—through representation, thoughtful planning, and adaptable practices—can make field-based learning more equitable and beneficial for all.

Check out the tools below to help you implement a strong plan for communication, expectations, goals, support, etc. with your mentee.

Accommodations Worksheet

• This resource provides a guided worksheet to help individuals identify and articulate the accommodations they need to support their learning, communication, and daily functioning. It emphasizes building self-awareness and confidence in advocating for support, especially for neurodivergent individuals, by exploring different types of accommodations and what works best in specific contexts.

• Read: Health and Safety Services 

  • This guide outlines a step-by-step process for assessing and managing risks in high-risk fieldwork, including identifying hazards, evaluating environmental conditions, and planning for safety, communication, and emergency response.
• Read: Exclusionary Behaviors Reinforce Historical Biases and Contribute to Loss of Talent in the Earth Sciences
  • This article shows that exclusionary and discriminatory behaviors in the geosciences create hostile environments that disproportionately affect historically underrepresented groups, leading to negative career outcomes and loss of talent.

• Advancing Field Safety 

  • ADVANCEing FieldSafety is a training program developed by the University of Colorado Boulder and partners to help people in field-based sciences create safer, more inclusive, and welcoming team environments. It provides tools, courses, and resources focused on risk management, preventing harassment, and building positive team culture in fieldwork settings.

*PLACEHOLDER