Mentoring

Faculty member Gifford Miller and grad student Simon Pendleton walk on a glacier while studying past glacier boundaries on Baffin Island, arctic canada

Good mentorship is a cornerstone of a successful scientific career, but too often, finding a mentor is left to chance.

INSTAAR programs help us get the mentoring we need to have our best experiences here, develop our careers, and balance research with a healthy life. The newSTAAR program is designed to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming environment for incoming INSTAAR members. The GAAP program is designed for prospective students considering applying for graduate school.

newSTAAR

newSTAAR is a peer mentoring program designed to help each person who joins INSTAAR find their place, make connections, and succeed in their new path and in creating a balanced life.

How it works

If you are new to INSTAAR, you will be automatically enrolled in newSTAAR (with the option to opt out) and paired with a mentor. Your mentor will be a current INSTAAR member, who is as far as possible at your same professional level (e.g., grad student, postdoc, PRA, staff, or faculty). You will meet with your mentor monthly for your first year to discuss navigating INSTAAR, Boulder, academic life, or anything else you have questions about. You will also be invited to attend group gatherings throughout the year to get to know other people, and to learn more about INSTAAR and what it has to offer.

Join

If you are new to INSTAAR and haven’t yet been paired with a mentor, or if you have any questions, please 

  email newSTAAR 

If you are interested in becoming a mentor for newSTAAR, please email newSTAAR@colorado.edu. As a mentor you will participate in a short training session and attend monthly meetings with your mentee and a few full group social gatherings throughout the year. For questions, reach out to Albert Kettner.

2024 NewSTAAR Committee: Anna, Albert, Annika, Wendy, Natalie

INSTAAR Graduate Application Assistance Program (GAAP)

 

 

 

Would you like a hand figuring out the grad school application process and getting insight into INSTAAR and the various departments?

GAAP is a free program, created and run by current INSTAAR grad students. We're here to help prospective grad students move through the graduate application process. The GAAP web pages have all kinds of application resources, including a sign-up link for our mentorship and application support program (sign-ups are open from September to early November). All are welcome; and we especially encourage applicants from under-represented and non-traditional academic backgrounds to use these resources.

  More about GAAP