EES Student Handbook

Student-Related Roles & Responsibilities

The EES Student-Related Guidelines serve to improve student experiences. Mentors, students, student liaisons, and group and team leaders all play an important role in ensuring that students have a rewarding and productive internship. The mentor-student relationship is a partnership; both the student and the mentor have roles and responsibilities to ensure that this partnership is mutually beneficial. Below is an outline of the roles and responsibilities of the Mentor, Student, Student Liaisons, and group management for making the student experience in EES the best it can be.

A mentor can be broadly defined as a trusted advisor, teacher, coach, facilitator and/or role model. The primary purpose of a mentor is to help students succeed! Effective mentoring can help students to understand and learn in a safe and professional work environment, and to establish a framework of what is expected in the work place. A mentor provides support and helps to create a positive working atmosphere by orienting students to the professional work environment. Successful mentoring has been identified by the degree of satisfaction of both the mentor and intern along with the results of their collaboration. Successful mentors enjoy teaching students and are willing to take the time to do so, again and again. There are many ways for different individuals to be successful mentors, so the goals are modest.

Mentor Action Items

• - Follow all of the procedures listed in the Mentor Information and Procedure Kit
• - Meet regularly with the student
• - Invite student to team, group, and division meetings
• - Be a resource for information regarding LANL and Northern New Mexico
• - Coach your student in career development and professional growth
• - Ensure that the student knows how to conduct work in a safe and secure manner
• - Study successful mentoring techniques.

The primary role of the student is to seek knowledge and learn new skills, while fulfilling the tasks assigned. The student has the responsibility to meet all of the requirements of employment, including completing assignments in a timely manner. They must have a clear understanding of the job assignments, and take the initiative in communicating to the mentor areas of interest and growth as discussion points for meetings. The student should understand that their internship is an opportunity for professional growth and take advantage of the unique environment at LANL.

Student Action Items

• - Ask questions; get familiar with the division and the Lab (see resources below).
• - Meet all terms of employment, and complete all tasks in timely fashion.
• - Know that the Lab is a drug-free workplace. Testing can be expected.
• - Learn and adhere to Lab policies regarding safety & security and appropriate behavior.
• - Contact the mentor with technical or administrative concerns.
• - Discuss with the mentor any discrepancies between the job expectations and actual job assignments.
• - Present work with oral presentation and/or a written document (as agreed to with the mentor)- LANL has an annual Student and Postdoc Symposium that is ideal for this task.
• - Contact the Student Liaisons if the mentor/student relationship is not productive and is having a negative impact on the student's performance.
• - Provide the Student Liaisons with the completed Workplan Discussion Guide within the first week at the Lab.
• - Get involved - there are a lot of opportunities to get involved in activities, make professional contacts, and meet fellow students.
• - Complete student survey and mentor evaluation before leaving LANL.

The goal of the Student Liaisons is to ensure that the student experience while in the EES Division is positive. An important part of this is to help integrate students into the division by familiarizing them with the division through tours and seminars, and by organizing activities that foster interaction among students in the division. The Student Liaisons provide information to students and mentors about resources available to them, and acts as an important link between EES Division and LANL student programs.

Student Liaison Action Items

• - Serve as the primary point of contact if conflicts between the student and mentor arise.
• - Keep students and mentors informed of current Lab-wide activities and resources available to them. Stay informed of Lab-wide student program developments (requirements and regulations) and contacts.
• - Help integrate students into the division and the lab by organizing tours, seminars, field trips, and other student events. Encourage academic and professional networking.
• - Along with the Division Webmaster, maintain the EES Student web site.
• - Provide oversight policy, procedure, and guidelines for the Division's Student and Mentor Guidelines document, and revise the document when needed.
• - Review student hiring packages and workplans, coordinate yearly mentor and student orientation sessions, review student and mentor evaluations, make recommendations to group and division management.
• - The Student Liaisons may choose to appoint a Student Peer Advisor (a student who has been in the division for several months to years and is familiar with the Lab and division) to assist with organizing student activities, maintaining web pages, and to act as a link between EES students and the LANL Student Association.
• - Matching interested Students (at universities, colleges, and high schools) that spoke with us at recruiting events (GSA, AGU, etc) or those Students who e-mailed us or division people randomly at a TECHNICAL LEVEL with mentors.

Group and Team Leaders should welcome students and be abreast of their progress. They should ensure that student and mentor are fulfilling their responsibilities. If a problem arises, Group and Team Leaders should work closely with mentors and the Student Liaison to resolve issues when either the mentor or the student feels they cannot meet their responsibilities.

Group and Team Leader Action Items

• - Keep the Student Liaisons informed about student and mentor issues in their groups.
• - Assure that mentors and students are fulfilling their responsibilities as defined in this document.
• - Include students in management walk-arounds.
• - Participate in and support student activities organized by the EES Student Liaison.
• - Meet with the Student Liaison once a year, prior to performance evaluations, to evaluate the Group's Mentoring Program and each mentor's performance and establish new procedures to improve this.