COAST and NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine Earth and Atmospheric Systems (CIMEAS) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), UC San Diego, are pleased to offer a two-day, in-person, professionally-facilitated research mentor training workshop for CSU and UC marine science mentors. ​This training is specifically intended for research mentors who engage with trainees directly. 

The objective of the workshop is to enrich current mentoring practices by providing mentors with evidence-based, interactive approaches to research mentoring while offering a forum in which to solve dilemmas. Mentors will learn strategies and develop skills for successfully engaging in productive, culturally-inclusive mentoring practices to broaden participation in research and optimize the success of both mentors and mentees. The training is designed for mentors of research trainees at all career stages. By the end of the training, mentors will have articulated their personal style and philosophy of mentoring and have a toolbox of strategies they can use when faced with difficult mentoring situations. This training is adapted from the curricula developed by the​ Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) at University of Wisconsin-Madison and the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN)​. ​

Themes that will be addressed​

• Aligning expectations
• Effective communication
  
• Reflecting on diversity and establishing a practice of inclusion
  
• ​Promoting independence
  
• Professional development
  
• Mentee research self-efficacy
• ​Enhancing mentor cultural competence

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Who is this training for?

This training is for CSU and UC mentors who want to work with other like-minded individuals and practitioners to improve their mentoring skills and cultural awareness when working with mentees who are members of groups that have been historically excluded from marine science and related fields. 12 individuals from the CSU and 12 from the UC will be selected for this opportunity out of the pool of applicants. Applicants must lead ocean or coastal research, however social science researchers are welcome and encouraged to apply as well. This training is recognized by the NIH and NSF for grant applications as evidence of a commitment to trainee mentoring, including trainees from diverse backgrounds. ​

Workshop schedule: 

Application priority deadline: 5pm (PDT) ​March 12, 2025 ​

REQUIREMENTS: To participate, you must commit to a) attending BOTH DAYS of the in-person workshop on May 29 and May 30, 2025, b) completing all pre-workshop reading assignments, and c) submitting a post-workshop survey.​

​More about this initiative:

Funding for this project is made possible through NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine Earth and Atmospheric Systems (CIMEAS), a consortium of nine academic institutions in California: UC San Diego (lead), Farallon Institute, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State Los Angeles, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Davis. SIO and CSU COAST are able to support this mentor training through the SIO CIMEAS Education to Broaden Participation program.

The training will be led by Dr. Diana Azurdia, who is the founder of Diana E. Azurdia Consulting LLC, a STEMM higher education consulting company whose goal is to broaden participation in research careers by helping partners build capacity for culturally inclusive evidence-based mentorship practices through training and development. Dr. Azurdia serves as the Director for Recruitment and Inclusion for the Graduate Programs in Bioscience at the University of California Los Angeles, where she is also the Director of the UCLA Entering Mentoring Training Program that provides mentorship support and development for researchers at all career stages. She has over ten years of experience in implementing and facilitating culturally responsive evidence-based mentorship training for mentors and mentees nationally, via both the synchronous online environment as well as in-person workshops. Additionally, Dr. Azurdia is a Senior Principal Facilitator to NRMN and CIMER. 
Dr. Azurdia earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of California Los Angeles and graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry from CSU Los Angeles. She is a first-generation Guatemalan-American and the first in her family to attend college. 

Additional facilitators

Dr. Andres (Andy) Aguilar​ is currently a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at California State University Los Angeles (Cal State LA).  He received his Ph.D. from the University of California Los Angeles (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), and undergraduate degrees from Humboldt State University (Biology) and Santa Monica College.  His research interests include using genomic approaches to answer questions in evolutionary and conservation biology and understanding factors that can increase diversity in the fields of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  He has been in academia for ~15 years and mentored students at all levels - undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D.  His academic positions have been at Hispanic Serving Institutions, and he has dedicated his efforts to helping minoritized students gain access to research opportunities and success in academia.  He is a CIMER trained facilitator and the lead facilitator for the faculty mentoring program at Cal State LA that is supported by NIH U-RISE funding. Dr. Aguilar is also helping to develop field-based activities for lower-division STEM courses with support from NSF. Outside of academia he enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, and attempting to train two ill-behaved dogs.

Dr. Cheryl Peach, SIO

Dr. Cheryl Peach​ is the Director of Scripps Educational Alliances, a position focused on supporting the integration of science and education at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Cheryl’s primary role is to spearhead new initiatives in educational outreach, as well as incorporate aspects of Scripps research activities into high quality educational programs locally, regionally and nationally. Cheryl has also had a long career in undergraduate instruction and mentoring, including her present position as a lecturer at UC San Diego.  She has taught courses in Earth history and evolution, climate ​science, and science communications, as well as seminars and workshops for graduate students and postdocs aimed at increasing their mentoring skills. Cheryl currently chairs the Scripps Diversity Advisory Committee. Prior to her arrival at Scripps, Cheryl spent 8 years as an oceanography faculty member and interim dean at Sea Education Association (SEA). At SEA, Cheryl served as a seagoing research scientist, taught introductory oceanography and mentored undergraduates in independent research both on shore and at sea. She obtained her Ph.D. in geochemistry from Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, a master’s degree in oceanography from the University of Washington, and a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia. ​

For more information, please contact CSU COAST Student Success Specialist Adam Paganini ([email protected]).