2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Growing Graduate Mentors Through a Summer Intensive Research Institute

Presented at Empowering Marginalized Voices in STEM: Perspectives and Initiatives

Graduate student mentors play a crucial role in engineering education. They are often called upon for various tasks such as training and supervising mentees, organizing activities, and managing programmatic logistics. While the practice of graduate students serving as mentors is widespread, few studies have explored graduate students' perceptions of mentoring or how students translate these viewpoints into their mentoring practices. Employing a qualitative interviewing approach and drawing on data from a larger NSF project, this paper reports on the experiences of five graduate student mentors in a summer intensive research institute (SIRI). Data sources include pre- and post-program evaluations and qualitative descriptions of the students’ mentoring experiences in the program. Results indicate that by utilizing culturally responsive approaches, the students’ mentoring work effectively promoted empathy, perspective-taking, and greater social sensibilities. The student mentors also reframed their thinking about pedagogy and work with students from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. Lastly, we discuss the implications these findings have for preparing graduate students to mentor in higher education engineering settings.

Authors

Prof. Tryphenia B. Peele-Eady Ph.D. University of New Mexico [biography]

Dr. Tryphenia B. Peele-Eady (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University) is a Professor in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of New Mexico, where she specializes in African American education and qualitative research methods. She holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Anthropology and is an affiliated faculty member in Educational Linguistics and the Department of Africana Studies. She has served as Chair of her department and Associate Dean for Equity, Inclusion, and Faculty. Dr. Peele-Eady’s research examines African American students’ learning and identity formation and, more broadly, the social, cultural, and linguistic contexts of teaching and learning. Her publications appear in several peer-reviewed journals and edited books, including the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, the Anthropology and Education Quarterly, and the Handbook of the Cultural Foundations of Learning.
Prof. Tahira Reid http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-9764-0797 Penn State University [biography]

Dr. Tahira Reid Smith (publishes under "Reid") is a Professor at Pennsylvania State University in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Design, the Arthur L. Glenn Professor of Engineering Education, and the Associate Department Head for Inclusive Research and Education in Mechanical Engineering. She is also a co-founder of Black in Engineering. Her research involves the quantification and integration of human-centered considerations in engineering systems and/or the design process. Her research program has received funding from the National Science Foundation, Procter & Gamble, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and many others. Her projects that involved the intersection of diversity and mechanical engineering have been featured in media sources including National Geographic, NBC’s Today Show, Essence Magazine, Reuters, National Public Radio and many others. A highly sought out role model for the younger generation, Dr. Reid Smith’s story about her double dutch jump rope invention is featured in two children’s books and was on the 2017 New York State English and Language Arts Common Core Exam administered to over 100,000 4th graders in the state of New York. In March 2024, her work and story was included in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History's "Game Changers/Cambia Tu Juego" exhibit. Dr. Reid Smith obtained BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. in Design Science, from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
Dr. Lizandra C. Godwin http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0898-8338 University of New Mexico [biography]

Dr. Lizandra C. Godwin is an assistant professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of New Mexico. Her research focuses on materials development (metals, dielectrics, phosphors) for advanced manufacturing processes, process optimization for microelectronic devices, biomaterials, and broadening participation in engineering through engineering education research. The focus of her inclusive, multi- disciplinary lab is to create material solutions for a more sustainable and earth conscious future.
Dr. Godwin earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida where she focused on phosphor development and degradation. Her B.S. is in Mechanical Engineering from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. In addition to her academic experience, Lizandra has worked for many companies including Intel Corp. and The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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