Example from a mentor

1. Document existing filter wheel mechanism
2. Create draft schematics and specifications proposed for new controls
3. Assemble, test, and refine benchtop prototype of new controls
4. Final design and specifications documents reviewed by engineering staff
5. Assemble and test new controls on filter wheel
6. Create deployment and usage documentation

Example from a mentor

Implementing/Building a design to meet requirements:

• Defines requirements in a way that states what solution must do
• Identifies verifiable criteria for meeting requirements
• Devises appropriate verification “tests”
• Justifies solution based on test results

Applying the themes: example from a mentor

My intern’s project is to design and build an AI server with specifications provided.  To give the intern agency early on in the project, one of the first things they will do is propose which server components we should use.  The intern will research component options, identify their pro’s and cons and then make recommendations based on their findings. I will ask the intern to justify their component recommendation in a slide we can share with my team lead, and let them figure out the best way to communicate their findings, allowing further opportunity for ownership

In the past I would have provided the intern a list of components to purchase.

Applying the themes: example from a mentor

• I will meet with the intern to discuss their experience with fundamental and challenging aspects of experimental design
• I will let the intern grapple with the elements of experimental design:
  • defining variables,
  • figuring out how to measure outcomes,
  • and accounting for natural variability and accuracy of instruments
• We will also add in an experimental design check-in after each run and have her report on what worked and what could be improved, and refer back to each element.
• This will provide an opportunity to assess her experimental design skills (a STEM practice)
• It will give her several cycles of practice, and I will give her targeted feedback on designing experiments.In the past I would have gone straight to having her run the actual experiment, and provide her with detailed instructions on the steps needed. I wouldn’t have thought to give feedback to her on particular experimental design skills.

Applying the themes: example from a mentor

Early on I’ll hold a meeting with the intern and observatory staff who will be affected by the new telescope time scheduling software that the intern will help develop. At the meeting I’ll ask them to each describe how they’ll use the scheduling software and their priorities for capabilities (requirements). I’ll suggest the intern follow up with each person individually to collect more detailed information on software requirements. Designing within the requirements is really important at the observatory. In order to focus on project requirements, I’ll give her feedback on what to share when it comes time to report back to the staff.

This should help her to get recognition from my colleagues for a valued STEM practice. It will also help the intern to meaningfully interact with personnel and gain a sense of belonging within our organization.

In previous years, I would have gathered requirements ahead of time and just provided them to the intern. I would have introduced her to the group, but wouldn’t have thought about designing a way for her to interact with them as colleagues, nor about giving her feedback on how to emphasize that your design meets requirements

Applying the themes: example from a mentor

The intern will be part of the Monday meetings with the project engineers who report on progress. After observing the first meeting, the intern will also report on progress just as every other engineer does. I will work with the intern to decide on what to share each week, making sure the intern chooses something that will highlight the challenging part of their project. I’ll help the intern identify what and how to present, to emphasize what the project engineers value most. We will have a brief reflection after each meeting to discuss strengths of how others reported. The intention is to create ways for the intern to gain recognition for valued engineering skills while also learning the norms of informal communication that is part of our work culture to gain a sense of belonging in our organization.

In the past I would have assumed that the intern would just pick up on what team members reported and how they reported.

Applying the themes: example from a mentor

In this example, I am reflecting on an intern who too often wanted me to explain things rather than figure them out for herself. I wanted her to have more ownership and be more proactive in figuring out solutions. I was anticipating a meeting with her and knew that we would be looking over some of the coding that would produce plots of her data. I was pretty sure that she did not have a good enough understanding of what her code was doing, which was necessary for her to move forward more independently. I thought ahead about some moves I could make to, including:

• Wait before correcting: Pause or wait for her to correct herself or say more.
  Ask for justification: When she says her code does something, ask her to show me where
• Paraphrase: When she says something incorrect or vague, I’ll say something like “let me make sure I understand; so you’re saying that…”
• Back-off: I’d rather have her spend time now understanding the code, so if needed, I will give a subtle nudge, some words of encouragement, and suggest she work a little more on it

In the past, I would have jumped in and quickly answered questions and corrected any misunderstandings. I also would have been unlikely to wrap up a meeting by giving a subtle nudge and slowing the work down a bit. Though this phase of the project took a little longer, my investment in helping her to understand and gain comfort in trying to figure things out on her own paid off. Over time, I observed growth in her abilities, confidence, and independence. She began to approach challenges with greater initiative and responsibility, ultimately working with a stronger sense of ownership and agency in her process.

Applying the themes: example from a mentor

The interns’ project involves upgrading the power supply for a component of a scientific instrument. While I have my own idea, which focuses on making the power supply more portable, I want to avoid constraining the interns’ thinking. I want to encourage them to come up with their own solutions, as they might even come up with something I hadn’t thought of. To give the intern ownership of the project early on in the brainstorming possible solutions phase and help foster a sense of belonging within our observatory early on, I plan to:

• Take the intern on a trip to the summit to visit the telescope and see the scientific instrument while in operation.
• Introduce them to the crew, along with the mechanical and electrical engineers who are available to assist the intern.
• Have the day crew show the intern the problem and discuss some solutions.
• Cue the engineers ahead of time to focus on requirements so that the intern is more focused on what the solution must do, rather than getting locked into a solution too early.
• Help get some conversations started about the project with the engineers, giving the intern more input for possible solutions.

In the past, I probably would have given the intern the solution to power issues and told them that their project is to design a portable power supply, rather than allowing them to brainstorm solutions. My idea above should give the intern more ownership and agency in finding a solution to the power issues while simultaneously starting to foster their sense of belonging by helping them to get to know personnel at the observatory.

Applying the themes: example from a mentor

We would like to provide an opportunity for the intern to gain recognition for the work they’ve done on the user interface from the members of our lab as well as our collaborators. To do this:

• We will plan for a lab group meeting and have the intern give everyone a demonstration of the user interface they have developed. The intern can answer any questions that the users might have.
• Before the demonstration, I’ll have the intern create an outline of what they will share, and I’ll give them targeted feedback to make sure that the intern is sharing what our lab group will value most. For example, our group will be interested in design choices for the user interface, including why other design choices were not used. The intern might not think that is an important thing to share, so I’ll emphasize that the team will value that aspect.
• The intern will document the user interface and leave instructions on its use with the lab. Their authorship of the documentation will allow future lab users and our collaborators to be aware of their contribution.

In the past, I might not have made time for the demonstration, or if I had I probably would have assumed that the intern would share the things most valued by our lab group, or that those things would have been apparent.