Thank you for your interest in serving as a SEEDS meeting mentor. The Ecological Society of America’s SEEDS Program is seeking ESA members to serve as “meeting mentors” for undergraduate students at the 2007 ESA Annual Meeting in San Jose, California. The SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Development and Sustainability) Program sponsors Annual Meeting attendance for underrepresented students and those with a demonstrated commitment to the program’s mission. The mentorship program is integral in helping SEEDS nurture student interest in ecology, ultimately to diversify and advance the field.

What is a meeting mentor?     |      Eligibility/Selection     |      What do I get as a mentor?     |      How do I sign up?    |      Staff contact

What is a meeting mentor?
If you are matched with a student, your primary role will be to help guide your student through the meeting and to share your personal experiences in the field of ecology. You will share your advice, help them select sessions, introduce them to others, explain research being presented, be a familiar face among the thousands, etc. A meeting mentor should be active and engaged in ecology bringing with them a positive view of ecology and research while at the same time respecting the non-traditional views of science that some students may bring to the meeting.
Pre-Meeting
If matched, your role will begin in late spring when you receive your student's contact information and they receive yours. SEEDS will ask for communication with your student throughout the summer. During this time, you and your student will get to know each other via email and/or phone exchanges. You will also help answer any of their questions or concerns before the meeting. Anticipated commitment is about 20 minutes per week.
At the Meeting
Once at the meeting, we ask that mentors meet with their students at least once a day. This daily interaction can be going to a session together, attending a SEEDS or social event, sharing a meal, etc. Anticipated commitment is about 60 minutes per day. We also require that mentors attend three SEEDS events (cost of attendance is covered by SEEDS):