To promote more inclusion within the geomorphology community, we implemented a new Mentoring Exchange for the Steepest Descent 2022 meeting. Based on the positive feedback we received, we've decided to continue offering and developing this exchange for future meetings.
Our goal is to foster informal exchanges between geoscientists, in order to break down barriers of career stage, age, seniority, gender, etc. The idea is that anyone who attends the meeting in-person can sign up as either a mentor or mentee. We particularly encourage seasoned Steepest Descent attendees to sign up as mentors, and first-time attendees to sign up as mentees.
WHAT WE DO
The job of the Steepest Descent organizing team is match a mentor and mentee. When you fill out the registration form to buy your ticket, we've included a question about participating in the mentoring exchange and a question about your research interests. We will email the paired mentors and mentees a couple of weeks before the meeting to give each person the chance to chat before meeting in person.
WHAT (WE HOPE) YOU DO
Our hope is that the mentor and mentee don't know each other beforehand, but can bond over shared research interests. The Steepest Descent meeting is a great place to meet other geomorphologists, although we know it can feel daunting to "break the ice" and talk to people we've never met before. We encourage the mentor and mentee to introduce each other to other participants at the meeting. There will be no organized activities for the mentors and mentees during the Steepest Descent Meeting, although the matched pairs should take the opportunity to chat with one another before the start of the meeting and during the breaks.
We are always happy to receive comments or suggestions to help us improve the mentoring exchange. You can reach us at team@steepestdescentmeeting.org.