PGE/LCP: MentorNet, A National Electronic Industrial Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science

San Jose State University Foundation, San Jose CA

Investigators

Abstract

MentorNet pairs undergraduate and graduate women studying engineering, sciences, and mathematics with mentors in industry using 3-mail to improve student retention in SMET fields and careers. This national program's centralized operations provide information, applications, matching training, coaching, and evaluation supported by electronic communications. Electronic mentoring offers a highly cost- and time-effective means of mentoring, transcending typical restraints of time, geography, and synchronous communication, thereby providing mentors to many students who would not otherwise have them. MentorNet's national scope and scale offer potential for strong matches between students and mentors, and significant economies of scale in operations. MentorNet represents an expanding partnership among colleges and universities, corporations, and professional societies. MentorNet extends earlier work to new populations in new settings with new systems and infrastructure and enlarged scale. By Year 3, MentorNet will involve 100 participating campuses, serving 5,000 student/mentor pairs.