Mentor-Connect Mentors give back to the ATE Program by working with prospective grantees to transfer knowledge and teach successful grant-writing strategies as they mentor and develop the next generation Principal Investigators for the ATE Program.
Principal Investigator of the National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Washington
Materials Science and Aerospace Technologies
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8
Hydroplane Racing and Reading
Mel has been involved with and volunteered at boat racing events for almost fourty years.
"Engage with the ATE community early and often."
"Because it's fun, and I enjoy mentoring, cultivating, nurturing, [and] seeing [mentees] get engaged. [I also enjoy] getting more people to come to ATE, putting in proposals, [and] increasing our numbers.
Some of my mentees from the previous cohorts are going for the larger grants now, and that's a good thing because that's really what we're trying to do."
“Some of the same things [if they are working on a new proposal]: making sure it is realistic [and does] what they want to do, and [figuring out] how they can build on their previous success, their prior results.”
“I will proofread their proposals. Is it too big? Is it too small? Is it too lofty? I will ask them questions. I will get on a conference call with them, and confer with them. I will review their budget, if they want me to. All that [work] is done just as a volunteer."
"In Cohort 2 one of the colleges was [working with] drones—UAVs—and I learned about some of the sites that have ... FAA approval to run some contests, some competitions. I got them in contact with each other and I think two or three of them are doing competitions with the one that got the grant. They are doing it with robotics and automation. They are tying them all together.
"In this [cohort] one of the agriculture people wants to talk to the people who are doing drones because in a lot of areas like Washington State, they are using drones and UAVs to observe their agriculture fields and watch their cattle.”
"Yes, but it's a secret. I'm kidding.
"Part of it is that I don't always answer their question directly. I know the answer is in the [NSF ATE Program] solicitation. I know where it is and we've had them read it. I don't make it difficult for them but it becomes a game of trying to find it in the solicitation. So I will direct them back to that. I will say, 'That is in the solicitation; if you look at this section on this page you will find it.' It's like a little scavenger hunt. It makes them go back to the solicitation."
"When I'm on a conference call with them I go strictly down that list of every component. I'll say, 'Ok, where are your bio sketches?' When I'm asking that I'm saying to them, 'What's your status? How's your facilities piece coming? How's your data management coming? How's your IRB? What's the status?'
"I go right down [the list] so for them it's more, 'Mel's not going to sit on the phone and tell us what we're doing wrong. Mel's going to be on the phone and we're going to give her status, and she's going to give us clues and hints on how to move it forward."