EMSW21-MCTP: Nebraska Mentoring through Critical Transition Points

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

The Nebraska Mentoring through Critical Transition Points (MCTP) project, hosted by the University of Nebraska -- Lincoln Department of Mathematics, targets two critical transition periods in the preparation of mathematicians: the transition from the undergraduate to the graduate level, and the transition from the advanced graduate level to the early years of an academic position. At both of these transition periods, the proposal focuses on the relationship between PhD-granting research universities and institutions which are not doctoral-granting. This project includes several programs which provide significant mentoring to mathematicians as they navigate through these transitions. The centerpiece, Nebraska Intensive Mathematics: a Mentoring, Education, and Research Summer Experience (IMMERSE), is a summer program which simultaneously provides mentoring for students about to enter graduate school, students who have just finished their first year of graduate school, graduate students in the latter stages of obtaining their doctorates, and faculty at predominantly undergraduate institutions in the first few years beyond the PhD. Other programs include Undergraduate MCTP Scholars, First-Year MCTP Graduate Traineeships, Advanced MCTP Graduate Traineeships, Regional Workshop in the Mathematical Sciences, the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics (NCUWM), and a Keeping Research Alive workshop for early career faculty at predominantly undergraduate institutions. The transition from the undergraduate level to the graduate level is a time when many potential mathematicians are lost from the pipeline, in part due to insufficient mentoring. Many early career faculty in non-doctoral departments have difficulty keeping engaged in the research enterprise, and adequate mentoring could help to prevent this. The Nebraska MCTP program provides outstanding mentoring to developing mathematicians at several stages in their training. Further, the Nebraska MCTP program benefits the mathematical sciences workforce in several ways. Several of the components will result in an increase in students applying to graduate school (both at Nebraska and nationally), particularly students from non-PhD granting institutions. The Undergraduate MCTP Scholars program, the First-Year Graduate MCTP Traineeships program and NCUWM help with recruitment into graduate school and retention through the first few years of graduate study. The Advanced MCTP Graduate Traineeships and the KRA Workshops ease the transition from graduate student to faculty member. Nebraska IMMERSE and the Regional Workshop help developing mathematicians navigate through both of these transition periods. While the Undergraduate MCTP Scholars program, both Graduate MCTP Traineeship programs, and the KRA Workshops are for UNL undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni, the Regional Workshop has a significant positive impact on students and faculty at small colleges and universities in Nebraska and much of the surrounding region. Moreover, Nebraska IMMERSE benefits students and early-career faculty from around the country, and NCUWM is the premier national conference for undergraduate women mathematicians.