License to Thrive

MentorNet

Founded by Carol Muller Ph. D., the seeds for MentorNet were sown in 1995 when, as associate dean at Dartmouth's school of engineering, she initiated a pilot e-mentoring program as part of the campus' Women in Science Project, which she had co-founded in 1990.

Upon moving to California's Silicon Valley in 1996, Dr. Muller further developed the concept of e-mentoring, developing a strategic plan for a very large-scale version in collaboration with an advisory committee. In 1997, with the help of professional societies, industry, and academic institutions, she launched the large-scale program called MentorNet. Carol Muller has a bachelor's degree in philosophy and English from Dartmouth and master's and Ph.D. degrees in education administration and policy analysis from Stanford. Her dissertation focused on career and family patterns of men and women Ph.D. recipients.

Organization Purpose:

MentorNet's mission is to further the progress of women and others underrepresented in scientific and technical fields through the use of a dynamic, technology-supported mentoring network, and to advance individuals and society, and enhance engineering and related sciences, by promoting a diversified, expanded and talented global workforce.

MentorNet's goal is to provide students, postdocs, and early career faculty with mentoring to enhance their persistence in fields where they remain underrepresented and to facilitate their entry into scientific and technical careers.

E - Mentoring:

Electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) is the merger of email and mentoring. Email is convenient, efficient, cost-effective, and easy to use. Email is also widely available, having become nearly ubiquitous on college campuses and in corporate settings. Using email allows MentorNet program participants to transcend constraints of geography, time, and synchronous communication.