Join the InnovATEBIO Faculty Mentor Network

Contributed by

Sandra Porter, PhD, Digital World Biology

faculty mentoring each other

There are countless questions when you start, run, and grow a college biotechnology education program.  

  • Where do you begin?
  • What should you teach?
  • How do you connect with potential employers?
  • How do you keep in touch with your alumni?
  • Where do you find funding?

The biotechnology program leaders and other faculty who have joined InnovATEBIO are the true experts when it comes to answering these questions and others related to biotech education.

But how do you connect with your colleagues to ask questions?  How do you know they're willing to help?

We are starting a mentor network to help address this challenge. 

We are asking faculty who are willing to be mentors to mark themselves as a mentor on their profile.  Faculty who are looking for help will be able to use the membership directory to find it. 

FAQS

  1. How do I become a mentor?
  2. How do I find a mentor?
  3. What kind of time commitment do you expect from mentors?
  4. What if I sign to be a mentor but I can't continue?
  5. How do I get an InnovATEBIO account?
  6. What if I forgot my password (or user name)?
  7. What if I transferred to a new college or high school and have a new email address?

become How to become a mentor.

  1. Log in to your InnovATEBIO account.
  2. Click the Edit tab on your profile page.
  3. Scroll down and click up to five areas where you would be willing to answer questions for others.
  4. Click the Mentor switch and Save button (see below).
mentor button and skills

You'll see an owl icon appear on your profile showing you've agreed to be a mentor.

find How to find a mentor

  1. Log in to your InnovATEBIO account.
  2. Click your name (upper right hand corner).
  3. Click Member Directory.
User menu
  1. Choose the Mentor filter in the Member Directory to see all the faculty who've agreed to help.
Mentor filter
  1. You'll see a list of people who have agreed to answer questions and areas where they have expertise.  Here's an example of what you might see:
mentors and expertise
  1. Click someone's name to get their email address.

commitment What kind of time commitment do you expect from mentors?

The time commitment should be minimal. We do not expect you to commit an unsustainable amount of time.  Many questions can be answered with a quick email.  Some may require a 15 minute Zoom session. Our goal is to help community members connect with each other for information and support.

unable What if I sign up to be a mentor but I can't continue?

If mentoring takes too much of your time, you can uncheck the mentor designation on your profile and you will no longer appear as a mentor in the member directory.

account How do I get an InnovATEBIO account?

Faculty from U.S. based colleges or high schools can get an InnovATEBIO account by joining InnovATEBIO as a faculty member.

password What if I forgot my password (or user name)?

Go to the Log in page and choose "Reset password." Enter your user name or school email and you will be sent your log in name and instructions for creating  new password.

email What if I transferred to a new college or high school and have a new email address?

If you move to another institution, contact us. We will update your information with your new email and institution.