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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Tuesday, March 20, 2012 3 Mentors of science, math, engineering get insight on assisting busy students DJ Summers STAFF WRITER If science, technology, engineering and mathematics — commonly referred to as STEM fields — are as important as popular opinion has made them out to be, educators ought to be at the top of their game, said Saundra McGuire, a professor from Louisiana State University. She gave a lecture and workshop March 13 aimed at training effective STEM mentors. In most fields, especially STEM fields, students often benefit from consistent training and advice from a mentor, she said. Her lecture focused on developing specific attitudes in mentors to help their proteges succeed academically and prepare themselves for the professional world. She said the art of being a good instructor begins with understanding the student's individuality. Recognizing a student's learning style, personality and goals is the most effective way to give them the guidance they need. "It's important to remember that your protege isn't you," McGuire said. "So many mentors get frustrated with the students who have potential but only want to teach high school or go into industry instead of stay in academia. Their goals are valid, and it's [our] place to help them get there, not force them down the path we choose." Among other strategies and methods, McGuire said it's necessary to recognize the academic climate most students come from in order to teach new habits. "Most students feel entitled to A's or B's if they simply show up for every class session," she said. "Mentors should try to acclimate students to the increased demands of college course work." In 2011, 63 percent of students were able to average A's and B's through their senior year of high school by studying six hours or less a week, according to a study conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute. McGuire said mentors should be sensitive to the large amount of BAGLEY TOP 50 continued from Page 1 continued from Page 1 commission came to the Legislature with suggestions about how to streamline the process and make it more reasonable. The commission could not get one senator to support its reforms, Bagley said, but after the LDS Church approved the suggestions, every single senator put their name down to sponsor the bill. "Knowing how far you can go with LDS cartoons is kind of essential to doing cartoons in this state," Bagley said, while showing his satirical Mormon version of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." The cartoon depicted a timid housewife looking out of her doorway as a flock of storks carpet bombs her with bundles of children. Bagley grew up in an LDS household and served an LDS mission in Bolivia. He said people outside the culture can sometimes misinterpret it, leading to poisonous mischaracterizations in the national press. As an insider, Bagley said he knows the culture's pressure points and doesn't mind exploiting them for a laugh. "Mormons are kind of touchy about their religion," he said. He also discussed the state Legislature, which he seemed to disdain. "I once heard a legislator say, `government only destroys," Bagley said. "Why are you in government then? Being involved in politics is the art of the possible. It's about trying to get things done so that the system works." A job perk Bagley enjoys is affecting policy debates. For example, after the Legislature attempted to modify the Government Records Access and Management Act, Bagley said his cartoon helped to fuel the outrage that aided the bill's repeal. He also showed a multitude of cartoons steeped in the rhetoric of Occupy Wall Street. Bagley said he visited the Occupy encampment at Pioneer Park and said they were largely unorganized. His lecture affirmed many of the values of Occupy, and he said recent elections have ignored the concerns of the poor. He also criticized the Citizens United decision, saying money has a disproportionate influence on politics. "The problem with corruption is that sometimes it is perfectly legal. Lobbyists and K Street and Super-PACs are all perfectly legal," Bagley said. "Money is corrupting the system." Although not everybody in the audience agreed with Bagley's politics, most people could appreciate his sense of humor. "I am a staunch Republican, but I can laugh at myself," said Alex Tomassetti, a senior in political science. "I'm not like a liberal, sometimes they can't laugh at themselves." As students filed out of the caucus room, people exchanged Bagley cartoons with each other via their cell phones. "It's pretty amazing how much he can get across with his pictures," said Abbi Pike, a sophomore in political science. metrics in many things, even ones [U.S. News & World Report] doesn't keep track of." Brown said one example of the U's engineering growth is the 42 engineering-related spin-off companies that have been developed in the past four years, comprising more than a third of the U's total spin-off businesses in that time. "Engineering is very much at the heart of the innovation culture we have at the U," he said. "I have every reason to expect that we'll continue to move up [the rankings] as our faculty becomes even more productive and we graduate more graduate students." U science programs are also competitive as mathematics is No. 3o and chemistry and biology are holding steady at No. 36 and No. 56. In the social sciences, the Department of Psychology is No. 66, with the clinical psychology t.gibb@ chronicle.utah.edu students who work while attending college. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 45 percent of full-time college students and nearly 8o percent of part-time students work in addition to going to class. "Most students today have pretty poor time-management skills and it's important that we try to develop them," McGuire said. Planners, semester calendars and even cell phone timers feature in her methodology. She credited the increased demand for STEM fields for creating more academic and professional competition that can drive students to extremes. More than 3o percent of Ameri- program No. 47 and in the top 5o for the first time. "The department has been working hard over the last few years, bringing in more grants, publishing journal articles and books, serving as editors and associate editors at prestigious journals, serving on grant panels for NIH and NSF, etc.," said Carol Sansone, chair of the Department of Psychology. "I'm not sure that this recognition will bring much change, because I suspect the things we've been doing already are at least somewhat responsible for the recognition." Health Sciences remain strong, with the Medical School at No. 48 for research up from No. 54, and primary care at No. 21, up from No. 26. The pharmacy program is now loth in the nation, up six spots from last year, while physical therapy lands No. 14. Physician assistant education in the School of Medicine is second and the College of Nursing stayed No. 36. The College of Law dropped to No. 47 from cans 25 years and older have earned at least a bachelor's degree, according to the Department of Education. Engineering is the most popular field of study, with about 4.5 million adults earning a bachelor's degree in engineering. Of the estimated 56 million Americans with at least a bachelor's degree, about 35 percent have a degree in a STEM field. "I've never been so stressed," said Mai Park, a sophomore in engineering. "I work two jobs and take 21 credits a semester and try to find time for extra curricular stuff because I know it's something you need on your résumé." Park said she would love to have a seasoned professional to tutor her. d.summers@chronicle.utah.edu GRADUATE RANKINGS 2012 2013 College of Engineering No. 60 No. 54 Department of Psychology No. 66 No. 66 College of Pharmacy No. 16 No. 10 School of Medicine No. 54 No. 48 —\A College of Law No. 42 No. 47 —% Source: U.S. News & World Report it's ranking of No. 42 during the past two years. Dean Hiram Chodosh said the college is undeterred by this year's dip in the rankings and cited the college's overall trajectory of a net gain of io seats since 2008, in a press release from ULaw Today. U.S. News & World Report rankings are based on expert opinion and statistical measures of program faculty, research and students, according to a press release. m.gessel@chronicle.utah.edu 4' you may need a crystal ball to see thefuture... 41V-8 41441 but for current, breaking news, look into www.dailyutahchronicle.com |