Achievement

Through the ongoing leadership and teamwork education component, within the SmartGeo IGERT program, IGERT trainees receive valuable skills and confidence to be strong contributors in their communities. With dedication and collaboration, four IGERT trainees, (Kimmel, Toohey, Kenneally, & Walter) took the initiative to help with the development of a Graduate Experience Mentoring (GEM) program. These IGERT trainees perceived a lack of guidance for incoming graduate students, and used their leadership skills to spearhead an effort to garner administrative and monetary support for a mentoring program. The Colorado School of Mines administration became convinced of the importance of the program, and several campus organizations were persuaded to provide their support. The GEM program became highly successful within its first year, bringing together over 120 participants and fostering a supportive graduate student community.