ACerS Mentor
Programs

Announcing ACerS Mentor Programs

Register today for The American Ceramic Society’s (ACerS) Mentor Programs. ACerS offers the following programs:

  • Student mentor program
  • Faculty mentor program
  • Industry mentor program

The ACerS Mentor Programs have been designed to equip participants with the insight, tools, and connections necessary to make a lasting impact in their future career.

The goal of ACerS Mentor Programs is to connect members in an impactful way to help them grow personally and professionally. Many mentor program participants choose to return each program year to take on a new mentee, and/or continue with an existing mentee.

We encourage all who are interested to sign up for one or more of the mentor programs being offered.

ACerS Student Mentor Program

If you are a student seeking to gain technical expertise in your field of study, professional development skills, practical advice, encouragement or support, then please consider applying for the program as a mentee.

If you have been successful in your materials science career and are seeking to give back in any of these areas, then please consider applying to be a mentor. You will be leaving a lasting impact on an amazing materials science student! We are seeking mentors for the Student program from all professional areas (university, corporate, national lab, manufacturing, etc.).

The 2024 Student Mentor Program application is now closed. Please consider applying in the Fall of 2024 for the 2025 program.

ACerS Faculty Mentor Program

If you are a faculty member seeking to gain pedagogical expertise in your field of study, professional development skills, practical advice, encouragement or support, then please consider applying for the program as a mentee.

If you have been successful in your university career and are seeking to give back in any of these areas, then please consider applying to be a mentor. You will be leaving a lasting impact on amazing faculty members (and their students)!

The 2024 Faculty Mentor Program application is now closed. Please consider applying in the Fall of 2024 for the 2025 program.

ACerS Industry Mentor Program

If you are an industry professional seeking to gain expertise in your field, professional development skills, practical advice, encouragement or support, then please consider applying for the program as a mentee.

If you have been successful in your industry career and are seeking to give back in any of these areas, then please consider applying to be a mentor. You will be contributing and giving back to benefit growth in your field!

The 2024 Industry Mentor Program application is now closed. Please consider applying in the Fall of 2024 for the 2025 program.

ACerS Mentor Programs Sign Up

ACerS offers a Student mentor program, Faculty mentor program, and Industry mentor program.

Are you a faculty member seeking guidance? Also, willing to be a mentor to a student? Perfect! Sign up to be a mentor for the Student program, and sign up to be a mentee for the Faculty program.

Questions? Please contact Yolanda Natividad.

You will indicate on the Mentor/Mentee form(s), to which program (Student, Faculty, and/or Industry) you are applying.

CONNECT  |  MOTIVATE  |  ACHIEVE

ACerS wants to help connect our members with each other in a mutually beneficial way. Past mentor program participants, whether mentee or mentor, have listed the numerous ways that mentorship has impacted their personal and professional lives.

Many mentor participants choose to return each program year to take on a new mentee, and/or continue with an existing mentee.

Perspectives from Mentor Program participants

2018-2019 Mentor-Mentee

Jorgen and Victoria are pictured above at MS&T19 in Portland, Oregon

I loved the phone calls with my mentee. We connected with each other on the first phone call. The framework of each monthly email was great to initially direct and structure our discussions however we rarely needed them. It was mostly the two of us riffing and having conversations around items that were on my mentee's mind. Sometimes the topics were pressing and sometimes exploratory but regardless I was able to share my experiences and methods that worked for me in the past as well as what I do presently. I hope it is a relationship that continues well into the future throughout both of our professional lives.

Jorgen Rufner - Mentor

My mentor, Jorgen, helped me with so many things during my first year of graduate school! He gave me great advice on figure-making when I was preparing to give my first seminar on my research and technical communication when I travelled internationally to Japan with my research group. He also opened my eyes to what it is like transitioning from working at a large company to a smaller one and the pros and cons of each type of job. We have very similar personalities and were able to relate to each other in so many ways! Getting to meet in person at MS&T 2019 in Portland was the icing on the cake of a wonderful mentorship program! I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with him throughout my time in graduate school and my future career!

Victoria Christensen - Mentee

Personalized advice on professional development

The [student] mentorship program, facilitated by the ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors (PCSA), gives students the chance to obtain personalized advice on professional development.

The conversations with my past mentor gave me great insight into day-to-day academic life for young faculty. I was also able to get answers to questions I had about things such as time management, developing good writing habits, networking, and conflict resolution. The mentorship program has added a lot of value to my graduate training.

Levi Gardner - mentee