Impacts on College and Graduate Student Mentors from Guiding Secondary
Students in a Community-based Climate Change Outreach Program
Abstract
Mentorship experience can be transformational for college and graduate
students as they learn how to talk about their science field, articulate
their work, learn how to listen, and step away from the focus on their
own work. The Lens on Climate Change (LOCC) program engaged secondary
students in place-based, environmental science in an informal learning
environment. Small groups of students worked together, with the guidance
of graduate student science and community college film mentors, to
produce a film about climate change, as they perceived it to be relevant
to their local communities. The majority of student participants came
from historically underserved communities, and the program aimed to
provide students with opportunities to engage with science and
technology in ways that differ from opportunities available in
traditional schooling. The graduate student science mentors and
community college film mentors played a critical role in supporting
students in their exploration of the topic and learning about local
climate change. This presentation explores the impacts on mentors and
how the LOCC program influenced their experiences and interests in
science education and outreach. Using a qualitative case study approach
we examine mentor responses to questions about their mentorship
experiences. These responses were collected before and after their
experiences in the program, as well as through follow up interviews
after the program had ended. Mentors fell into several categories based
on how the LOCC program influenced them. Some mentors experienced a
transformational impact, where the LOCC program played an influential
role in their future career goals. Others felt the program helped them
cement their career interests and plans. Several mentors did not
experience as much impact on their career trajectory. We examine these
relationships in the context of the project to consider how their
experiences prior to and through LOCC may have influenced these
outcomes.