We aim to support early career tropical biologists (i.e. graduate students and post-docs)
by providing a network of individuals that can offer advice, best practices, and tools to achieve success.

 

The purpose of the Mentoring Circles is to bring together groups of 8-10 mentees with 2-4 mentors with similar career interests to promote career development in tropical biology and conservation throughout the year.

Our main goals are to:

- Introduce ATBC members to each other to increase networking

Mentor to mentee

Mentor to mentor

Mentee to mentee

- Engage members throughout the year

- Provide resources for mentees to help build capacity

 

"The overarching aim of all of these meetings has been to provide myself and my fellow mentees with guidance 
on how to best achieve our career goals in tropical ecology and conservation."  
Read more about a mentee's experience

 

ORGANIZERS:


2022-2023 Mentoring Circles

The ATBC Mentoring Circle program for 2022-2023 is designed to bring together groups of 8-10 ATBC members to provide support, networking, and advice for career development in tropical biology and conservation. Specifically, we aim to support early-career tropical biologists (i.e., graduate students and postdocs) by providing a network of individuals that can provide advice, best practices, and tools to achieve success. Two to four mentors will serve as facilitators for each Mentoring Circle.

Due to the continuing pandemic, we will have a meeting to kick off each circle at the ATBC meeting in July for those that can attend the ATBC conference in Cartagena. However, if you are unable to attend the ATBC conference, you can still be in a mentoring circle. The Mentoring Circles will become self-organized and will meet virtually approximately once a month throughout the year to develop a strong and continuing relationship. Initial meetings will discuss each mentee’s and mentor’s objectives and desired outcomes.

To participate this year, mentees and mentors should be:

  1. current members of ATBC,

  2. be committed and able to attend online meetings on a monthly basis until the next ATBC annual meeting in 2023. (Meetings will be organized within each Mentoring Circle.)

To apply to be a mentee, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Xiem7u8cvMviwrHU8
(Note that you should fill out this form even if you indicated on the registration page for the ATBC meeting that you would like to be a mentee.)

To apply to be a mentor, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/a2GcoNabH8GGDRfW7
(Note that you should fill out this form even if you indicated on the registration page that you would like to be a mentor.)

The deadline for applications is July 1, 2022, at 11:59 pm EDT. We will inform mentees and mentors of their selection and will follow with an email with guidelines for mentees and mentors. We look forward to another great year of mentoring!

Please direct any questions about the Mentoring Circles to Becky Ostertag (ostertag@hawaii.edu) or Edu Effiom (edu.efiom@gmail.com), ATBC Mentoring Circle Co-Coordinators for 2022-2023.


2019-2020 Mentoring Circles

Many thanks to our mentors for 2019-2020!

Tim Bonebrake, Sophie Calmé, Gabriel Colorado, Saara DeWalt, Edu Effiom, Paul Fine, Marni LaFleur, Imma Oliveras, Rebecca Ostertag, Jennifer Powers, Joelisoa Ratsirarson, Marcelo Tabarelli.

The 4 mentoring circles for 2019-2020 met twice at the annual meeting in Antananarivo, Madagascar. All members of the Mentoring Circles are members of the ATBC.


2018-2019 Mentoring Circles

Many thanks to our mentors for 2018-2019!

Thomas Gray, Reuben Clements, Ahimsa Campos Arceiz, Sophie Calmé, Marielos Peña Claros, Natalia Norden, Robert Colwell, Patricia Delamonica Sampaio, Rebecca Ostertag, Corine Vriesendorp, Edu Effio, Sharif Ahmed Mukul, Lindsay Porter, Timothy Bonebrake, Antony Lynam, Luitgard Schwendenmann, and Steve Turton.

The mentoring circles met twice in Kuching to form new mentor/mentee discussion groups.


2017-2018 Mentoring Circles

 

Our first year of Mentoring Circles started with 7 circles. They met in person at the ATBC 2017 annual meeting in Mérida, Mexico and then virtually over Skype or Zoom about once a month.

Many thanks to our mentors for 2017-2018!

Yadvinder Malhi, Toby Marthews, Marielos Peña Claros, Frans Bongers, Patricia Wright, Alexander Christianini, Lisa Davenport, José Domingos Ribeiro Neto, Nicholas Brokaw, Corine Vriesendorp, Kevina Vulinec, Patricia Delamônica Sampaio, Juan Posada, Richard Feldman, Cristina Martínez-Garza, Sheila Ward, Maarten van Zonneveld, Rakan Zahawi, Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, Antony Lynam, Rebecca Ostertag, Luitgard Schwendenmann, John Terborgh, and Alice Hughes.