| OST Scientist Network and ASciNA Activities |
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bridges vol. 26, July 2010 / News from the Network: Austrian Researchers Abroad The OST network of Austrian scientists & scholars abroad was established by the Office of Science & Technology (OST) at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC, and focuses on the outreach of government-related agencies to Austrian scientists in North America. Its main objective has been to support the scientific community with information and specific advice wherever necessary and requested. Encouraged by the OST, an independent association - ASciNA (Austrian Scientists and Scholars in North America) - was founded in 2002 with local chapters being established throughout the US and Canada. For further information about ASciNA please visit: www.ascina.at ASciNA Now Accepting Applications for the Mentoring Cycle 2010 / 2011 By Susanne Pangratz-Fuehrer, head of the ASciNA Chapter Bay Area, California ASciNA passed a major milestone in its Mentoring Project earlier this year: the inaugural “ASciNA Mentoring Kick-off Meeting.” The coldest weekend this winter didn’t stop all ASciNA mentors and mentees from meeting up for a two-day program in Boston. During these two days, the value of mentoring relationships for effective career planning was discussed. ASciNA received some useful feedback on its program that will help improve ASciNA Mentoring during the next mentoring cycle, which will start in October 2010. 
Three months into the pilot phase of ASciNA Mentoring, ASciNA was eager to hear about the experiences of its first mentors and mentees. All the mentees were excited about the opportunity to discuss their career choices with their mentors and get an unbiased second opinion on career plans from an experienced scientist outside their immediate field. Mentors, on the other hand, were highly energized to support their mentees in any way they could, offering advice on general career development strategies or getting down to the nitty-gritty details of planning experiments and data analysis. This feedback was a huge motivation for the ASciNA board to continue working on ASciNA Mentoring and to make it the best mentoring program for young Austrian scientists and professionals.
Philipp Marxgut, of the Office of Science and Technology, made his way to Boston from Washington, DC, while Stefan Eichberger and Melanie Csida of our partner, brainpower austria, flew in from Austria. They worked hard interviewing mentees and learning about their research. Thanks to brainpower austria and the Office of Science and Technology, mentors and mentees were also invited to a brunch that topped off the great two-day program.
ASciNA Mentoring is accepting applications for the 2010/2011 mentoring cycle from NOW through July 15th The next mentoring cycle will start October 2010 and run through September 2011. In collaboration with brainpower austria and the MUW Alumni Club, ASciNA Mentoring provides financial support, allowing long-distance mentoring pairs to travel across the US for person-to-person meetings. Application deadline: July 15, 2010 Matching Mentor/Mentee: August 15, 2010 Kick-off Event: September 18, 2010 Start Mentoring Program: October 1, 2010 For more information on ASciNA Mentoring please visit: www.ascina.at or contact us at: mentoring(at)ascina.at Access to the full article is free, but requires you to register. Registration is simple and quick – all we need is your name and a valid e-mail address. We appreciate your interest in bridges. |
