| Share: 
IEEE NTC Mentoring program: from Effectiveness to Durability
(NTC MENED program)
First Training Event, July 8th, 2022, Palma de Mallorca, Spain,
in conjunction with IEEE NANO 2022
The major strength of IEEE Nanotechnology Council (NTC) resides in its large number of members and volunteers, and the unlimited spectrum of nanotechnology applications. Currently, the IEEE NTC activities (technical, educational, conferences, publications, standing committees, etc.) and initiatives are extremely rich and rise the IEEE NTC to the level of a well-recognized world leader in the field of nanotechnology. To guarantee sustainability of NTC activities and to enable successful succession planning in the NTC’s leadership, a new initiative has been launched at the beginning of 2022, namely the IEEE NTC Mentoring program: from Effectiveness to Durability, or the so-called NTC MENED program. The NTC MENED program aims to enable the NTC volunteers to grow indispensable skills to carry out the NTC activities and to gradually integrate a larger number of well-trained NTC volunteers into the different initiatives. The objectives of NTC MENED program are as follows: 1) To reach a high level of success in the NTC activities; 2) To maximize the chance of new volunteers to reach their goals; and 3) To establish a mentoring culture that concerns the durability of NTC MENED program. Through the NTC MENED program, the final goal of NTC is to connect people and create teams in which everyone brings ideas, trust and rapport.
This pioneer initiative of the Nanotechnology Council, although not limited to, is directed to the NTC Young Professionals (YPs). Thus, the first call for application to participate in the NTC MENED program was released early this year, and a selection of 17 YPs, each one with scientific expertise corresponding to one of the 17 NTC Technical Committees, was made by the NTC TC Chairs, in agreement with the NTC VP for Technical Activities and the NTC MENED program leaders. The selection of the NTC MENED trainees was based on declared skills and motivation for volunteer work presented by the candidates.
The First Training Event of the NTC MENED program was held on July 8th, 2022 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in conjunction with the NTC flagship conference IEEE NANO 2022. The event was in a hybrid mode and attended by all NTC MENED trainees. Specific training tasks were developed and presented by the NTC MENED program leaders. During this First Training Event, the NTC MENED trainees had the possibility to learn about the structure of NTC, the main activities developed through different NTC initiatives, the responsibilities and coordinated actions between the NTC units and committees. They were also given the possibility to develop soft skills by working in a team. They were asked to present themselves and work together with their peers during NTC YP journey mapping exercises. The actions and contributions of the NTC MENED trainees to the NTC activities were discussed and advised in the perspective of their integration to the NTC TCs. All these happened in the very pleasant and serene atmosphere of the beautiful city of Palma (see photos).
Leaders of the NTC MENED program
Kremena Makasheva (Senior Scientist, LAPLACE, CNRS, University of Toulouse, France), Past NTC VP TA 2020-2021
Rafal Sliz (Asst. Professor, OPEM Unit, University of Oulu, Finland), Chair of NTC Young Professionals (YPs) Committee
 |
 |
 |