The Shadow-a-Mentor Program
The Shadow-a-Mentor Program
Shadow-a-Mentor Program Gives Students a Taste of the Real World
The afternoon of the 1998 WIST conference was devoted to the Shadow-a-Mentor Program. This program gave college and faculty participants the opportunity to spend time with a scientist or engineer in the laboratory or workplace.
Research divisions at Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosted several small groups, and participants met professionals and observed specialized technical work related to their fields of interest. A variety of different types of scientific work were represented, such as the applications of molecular biology to solve environmental problems, the use of lasers in physics, and the Human Genome Project. Students were matched with a mentor based on the information they provided on the registration form. They had the opportunity to question and discuss aspects of the technical projects as well as the requirements and prerequisites for education and experiences that led to careers in those areas.
The Shadow-a-Mentor Program provided a unique opportunity for attendees to visit a national laboratory in an intimate way, essentially one-on-one with an outstanding scientist or engineer in the area of the conference attendees interest . . . a favorite element of the conference for all!