National Mentoring Community
Join as a mentor or student mentee
We welcome students and mentors who share our vision of a physics community that is just and fair.
Students who enjoy a variety of mentoring relationships are more productive, successful, and content with their careers than those without such a rich "constellation,” so we encourage mentees to connect with multiple mentors within the program.
What a mentor can do for students
By having a mentor and a structured mentoring experience through the NMC, you can benefit from the knowledge and experience shared by a professional physicist in your area of interest.
Why you should become a mentor
Invest in the physics community and students' future by mentoring Black/African American, Latino, and Indigenous students. Physicists at any career level in any sector may participate. Sign-ups open annually in the fall.
Our approach to mentoring
Our approach to mentoring recognizes a wide array of mentoring relationships and relies on an anti-deficit approach to working with students. We use the Cultural Wealth Model as a framework for training mentors to ensure cultural competency to set mentees up for success.
Mission
Our mission is to address the minoritization and marginalization of people in physics by providing personal and professional development to mentors and mentees, matching mentors and mentees, and providing resources to mentees.
Vision
We envision a future in physics where no one is marginalized or minoritized on the basis of race or ethnicity. To achieve our vision of justice and fairness, we center the experiences of Black/African, Latino, and Indigenous students in STEM.
Definitions
We define marginalized as a person or group with experiences pushed to society's periphery and minoritized as a smaller group impacted by the majority's policies and practices, such as being a racial minority in a region due to immigration policies.
Bringing Emergency Aid to Mentees (BEAM) Fund
Mentees experiencing unforeseen emergencies that threaten their ability to continue their studies may be eligible for financial assistance.
Contact us
If you have questions about the NMC or about getting involved in mentoring, please feel free to contact us.
Related
This scholarship supports African American students seeking bachelor's degrees in physics and astronomy.
The APS Bridge Program addresses diversity gaps by providing pathways to graduate school for students from underrepresented groups.
APS supports physicists and other scientists from the beginning of their education to every stage of their careers.
Experienced physicists can connect with students to steer the next generation on a path to success.