W.L. Minckley,
Professor of Zoology

Mentoring in an Evolving Research World

A graduate student's mentor provides stimulation, ideas, advice, and guidance through a program leading to an advanced degree, and perhaps beyond. Mentorship is a two-way street, depending heavily on the ambition and enthusiasm of the student as well as that of the mentor. The attributes and aspirations that bring credit to a student and his or her mentor are excellence in critical thinking, research that solves problems in addition to making significant contributions to general knowledge, verbal and written communication that maximizes the flow of information, and, ultimately, the passing on of their personal experience and expertise to others.

Historically, most of my early students have been field-oriented, emphasizing research in nature, often in remote and isolated areas. Independent, critical thinking is mandatory under such conditions. I encouraged participation in a variety of field studies as well to enhance practical skills and observational expertise. I coupled this with broad training in biology through formal courses and seminars, informal interaction and discussion with professors and peers, and extensive examination of original literature.

I remain convinced that breadth and diversity of experience in natural places is a major asset to the development of problem-solving skills and contributions to general knowledge, both of which insure success in natural sciences. Yet various changes over the past few years have altered my emphasis significantly.

First, natural systems have deteriorated as a result of human activities, making field studies more difficult and stimulating me to emphasize them even more, with a conservation approach as extensively as possible. I still encourage graduate students to pursue a mixture of field and formal/informal academic studies, and to obtain a firm historical base by developing a broad knowledge of the literature in their fields. Second, and somewhat in opposition to the first recommendation, is the fact that the information explosion precludes the possibility that students can learn "all there is to know" in a given area; they are forced to specialize. Thus, instead of being a biologist, one is today advised to become an ecologist, physiologist, geneticist, or systematist, and so on, or even to specialize in a sub-discipline of one of these. Last, a burgeoning technology has dramatically altered our approach to scientific studies, for the better certainly but also the more complex.

Today in biology we meld field research and observation with experiments in the laboratory or under semi-natural conditions, where at least some of the variables can be controlled, and up-to-date automation techniques such as photographic or video imagery, may be more readily or rigorously applied.

"Modern approaches" to old questions in biological sciences have led to gratifying results, not the least of which are vast numbers of new and increasingly complicated questions generated each year. For example, it was not too long ago that students and professors alike measured and counted structures or environmental features and compiled data on hand calculators to estimate relationships and make systematic, ecological or other inferences and decisions about their organisms of interest. They do it now by remote sensing with automatic datacorders or through electrophoresis of proteins and analyses of mitochondrial DNA. Their data are analyzed through sophisticated programming by advanced computers, and they use advanced statistical tests to estimate the significance of differences or similarities. The timing of evolution is examined by asking biochemists about the rates of molecular change or examining historical findings in geology and geochemistry, e.g., comparing relatively well-dated tectonism and volcanism with degrees of morphological and molecular divergences, in an ever-enlarging and exciting arena of inquiry. A starburst of new questions exists, and the questions are being asked at unprecedented rates.

This expansion of inquiry and technology demands the expertise of a number of scientists rather than a single individual. Team research has become the pattern, and graduate students have become integral parts of research teams. Co-chairs for graduate committees are much more common than in the past, with two or more mentors cooperating in training a student. Other members of a student's graduate committee may be far more important to his or her research than ever before, especially when the dissertation project is multidisciplinary, as many have clearly become. With expanding technological complexity and the involvement of large numbers of people comes an increasing need for expert verbal and written communication.

Maintenance of good interpersonal relationships has always played a major role in academic success, and in order to stay around long enough to become a mentor, one must have well-honed abilities here. Fostering cooperation, consensus, and compassion between and among colleagues to ensure compatibility with the progress and ultimate success of a student has become far more important than before. Despite advances on material and conceptual fronts, the complex process of mentoring remains an individual intellectual and increasingly demanding exercise.

The clearest differences between mentoring in the past and at present are changes in rate and complexity rather than in content. The process of mentoring thus demands flexibility and continued learning. Mastery of new field and laboratory techniques, machines, and analytical concepts is something one must do to function, not only as a mentor but as a scientist.

Many of the students I directed toward their advanced degrees are now serving as professional biologists, university professors, and administrators, influencing policy and educating others at high levels in government agencies and academic institutions. I view their achievements with pride. The mentoring of graduate students has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my university tenure. As regards all these successes, a university professor scarcely exists alone, and the sincere efforts of colleagues are acknowledged and commended as well.