| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 26, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 26, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1756633 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Baris Uz
bmuz@nsf.gov (703)292-4557 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | April 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $105,322.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $105,322.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1 NASSAU HALL PRINCETON NJ US 08544-2001 (609)258-3090 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
201 Forrestal Road Princeton NJ US 08540-6654 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This proposal is for further continuation and enrichment of activities within the Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention (MPOWIR) program. This is a community-led program aiming at providing mentoring to junior women in physical oceanography to improve their retention in the field. The activities carried out as part of the program contribute to the creation of a scientific workforce whose diversity more closely matches that of the student and of the U.S. population. This is achieved by aiding the retention of women in the field of physical oceanography and other geoscience disciplines. The program was initiated in 2004, it was first fully funded by federal agencies in the spring of 2007, and then renewed in 2009. The objectives of the program, as determined by the community in a planning workshop in the fall of 2005, are to: (1) provide continuity of mentoring from a young woman?s graduate career, through her postdoctoral years to the first years of her permanent job, (2) establish a collective responsibility within the physical oceanography community for the mentoring of junior women in the field, (3) provide a variety of mentoring resources and mentors, (4) cast a wide net to avoid exclusiveness, and (5) open this mentoring program to all those who self-identify as a physical oceanographer. Specifically, the following MPOWIR activities will be carried out:
1.Pattullo conference: A biannual conference that brings together about 25 junior women physical oceanographers, and 12 senior physical oceanographers, both male and female, for a 2.5-day meeting focused on discipline-based mentoring.
2.Mentoring groups: Groups of approximately 6 junior women and 2 senior women physical oceanographers meet monthly through a teleconference, for confidential, personalized mentoring.
3.MPOWIR website: The website serves as a repository of resources for mentoring and physical oceanography careers.
4.Databases and surveys: Regular surveys are conducted to assess the effectiveness of MPOWIR activities, determine community mentoring needs, and evaluate progress in retention.
5.Town hall meetings and networking: Events at the Ocean Sciences meeting facilitate networking between physical oceanographers and provide career development information to junior scientists.
The website and town hall meetings are open to all, and great emphasis is placed on making material available via the website, to ensure a gender-neutral benefit. Efforts to export the MPOWIR model to other disciplines and institutions will be undertaken via links with the Earth Science Women's Network, and through a quarterly newsletter. Social media will be used to publicize MPOWIR activities, announcement and events. This work, through its focus on the retention of women in the field of physical oceanography, will allow further capitalization on the investment the funding agencies and universities have made on the education of women students. Essentially, the planned activities seek to stem the loss of intellectual capital for the physical oceanographic field, as well as other geoscience disciplines.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention (MPOWIR) is a community-based mentoring program for early-career physical oceanographers, which aims to reduce barriers to career development, with a particular focus on improving the retention of women and non-binary scientists in physical oceanography careers. MPOWIR makes mentoring opportunities for early career physical oceanographers more widely available, by expanding beyond individual home institutions to a nationwide network.
MPOWIR's program offerings include: (1) Telephone mentoring groups, of 5-7 early-career women and nonbinary scientists, led by 2 mid-career/senior women; (2) Pattullo conferences, 3-day meetings of ~25 early-career women and nonbinary scientists, with ~12 senior scientists of all genders; (3) Town hall meetings at national meetings, such as the AGU Ocean Sciences meeting; (4) twice-yearly webinars discussing topics relevant to early career independent researchers; (5) a website and blog (www.mpowir.org).
Initially established in 2008, over the past four years MPOWIR has continued to grow and expand. Since 2018, MPOWIR has hosted several additional Mentor Groups; in late 2021 a total of 12 mentor groups serving 67 total early career participants were enrolled. Since 2008, a total of 226 graduate students and early career women have taken part in MPOWIR Mentor Groups. MPOWIR held Pattullo Conferences in 2019 and 2021, each involving 27-28 early career participants. Past MPOWIR participants are now taking on leadership roles as senior mentors for the mentoring groups and Pattullo Conference, with a total of 20 past participants serving as mentor group leaders to date. Townhall meetings were held at the Ocean Sciences meetings in 2020 ("Building an inclusive community in oceanography - how we can all contribute", led by Dr Aradhna Tripati) and 2022 ("Building more inclusive science communities through belonging and uniqueness", led by Dr Stephanie Johnson). Eight webinars have been held since the series was initiated in 2017, with topics aimed at early career scientists of all genders, ranging from "Career paths in policy and non-governmental organizations" to "Writing and Productivity". The website continues to serve as a repository for useful references and webinar recordings, and has received over 200,000 visitors since 2010. The website also hosts "Career Connections", a directory of ocean science professionals working in a wide variety of career paths, such as industry, non-profits, and consulting, expanding the range of career options familiar to participants.
MPOWIR surveys have shown that the majority of past participants continue to work in physical oceanography-related careers. MPOWIR is therefore having an impact on the intellectual development of the field by increasing the retention of highly-trained scientists in the workforce.
The successful mentoring model of MPOWIR is being shared with other related communities, with the MPOWIR handbook published on the website serving as a template for other disciplines to establish their own mentoring programs. Several other organizations in geosciences and marine sciences have now established mentoring programs using the MPOWIR model.
MPOWIR has had an impact on human resources by increasing retention of women in physical oceanography and improving the diversity of the scientific workforce. The physical oceanography community as a whole has benefited from the mentoring discussions at MPOWIR town halls and the Pattullo conference. The improved retention of early career women in physical oceanography aided by MPOWIR is now being reflected in increased gender parity in academic appointments and scientific honors.
Last Modified: 08/12/2022
Modified by: Sonya A Legg
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