2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Traditionally, aerospace engineering disciplines are substantially underrepresented by African American, Hispanic, and female students. For example, Black and Hispanic American students collectively earn only 10.6%, 8.4%, and 6.4% of the BS, MS, and Ph.D.’s in aerospace engineering, respectively. They are among the lowest percentages of all major engineering disciplines, leading to underutilization of the talent pool in the aerospace industry. [NCSES 2021] To tackle this concern, a multi-institution coalition sponsored by NASA is established to engage underrepresented minorities in coordinated educational and professional development activities, including senior design projects, undergraduate research experiences, and career traineeship in aerospace-centric fields. The streamlined process of recruitment and project-based learning in collaboration with NASA and other aerospace professionals has shown to be effective in training the first cohort of undergraduate and graduate students during the first year of program implementation. During the summer of 2022, 6 NASA interns and 6 summer Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) students participated in the 10-week summer program with professional development (PD) program featuring project management, career planning, RCR training, self-reflection, and technical communication. Because research shows that STEM students cite positive mentoring experiences as the most crucial factor in their retention, we developed a structured and evidence-based mentoring program as a critical element to make the professional preparation process more robust and sustainable. The program contains 4 parts: an Individual Development Plan (IDP) uses self-assessment to explore career opportunities and identify developmental needs and priorities for the mentoring relationship. 2) A mentorship compact illuminates the dimensions of the working relationship to eliminate misunderstandings between the mentor and the mentee. 3) A mentoring map survey identifies sources to help the mentee achieve goals, and if necessary, shows where unmet needs will benefit from additional support. 4) Finally, a mentoring plan includes the tools and philosophy that guide the program for a group of mentors and mentees. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of the BP-AE mentoring program and show how we plan to expand and evaluate the program.