COVID 19 has revealed even more the longstanding deep racial and ethnic disparities, the consequences of which are visible in education, research, science, and engineering. It all begins from education — academics should take time to reflect and act more actively for creating a gender-neutral academic community. However, scattered efforts will not contribute significantly to such a profound challenge.
As a more systematic approach to tackle this issue, and inspired by similar initiatives by fellow academics, I wish to make a first step and launch the M&M (Materials and Mechanics) Science Mentoring Program. Annually, I will offer support over a time range of 3-yrs:
- 1 M&M mentorship for undergraduate or early graduate students of underrepresented communities, that wish to pursue a career in science.
- 1 M&M mentorship for a high school student from underrepresented communities wishing to pursue a career in STEM.
The mentorship will circulate around building the mentee’s confidence and self-understanding, learning how to define clear goals, and eventually, crafting job applications and shaping a proper portfolio for an impactful journey in science.
If you are interested, please apply before May 31st, 2021 with:
- 1-page statement describing your current research interests within materials and/or mechanics
- 1-page statement on how you wish to contribute to the science community in the next 5 years
- CV
Send all material as a single pdf file to Dr. Christos Athanasiou: christos_edouardos_athanasiou at brown.edu