The Fire&Air Team

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The Fire&Air Approach to Mentorship

Navigating the higher education system can pose unique challenges for first-generation and minority students, often due to a lack of familial guidance, resources, and prior knowledge. To address these obstacles, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. Our approach centers on implementing a multi-tiered mentorship model, empowering CSUStan students to thrive both academically and personally. This initiative is a collaborative effort with CSUStan faculties and mid-to-senior NASA research scientists, enriching students’ educational and personal journeys through student-to-student and peer cohort interactions.

Drawing from extensive experience leading summer research programs geared towards engaging diverse groups in STEM within academic and government settings, Co-I Samiah Moustafa will conduct pre-summer and summer workshop training for mentors and students. Training topics will cover:

• Recognizing and addressing bias and microaggressions
• Ensuring field safety
• Establishing group values
• Developing effective codes of conduct
• Forming mentor-mentee agreements
• Cultivating a sense of belonging, fostering a growth mindset, providing constructive feedback, and mentor mapping.

The summer weekly check-in group will integrate existing resources and programming at NASA Ames and CSU Stan, supplemented with additional training on:

• Cultivating inclusive mentoring environments and setting expectations, including mentor compact agreements with faculty mentors.
• Panels exploring career opportunities at NASA.
• Workshops on effectively communicating research projects through presentations and posters.
• Providing and receiving feedback, mentor mapping, fostering belonging, and ensuring social and psychological safety.
• Building trust, addressing power dynamics, and navigating challenging mentoring scenarios.

The NASA Team

Christopher Potter

Chris Potter is a Senior Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, and a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Fire&Air program.

Kristina Pistone

Kristina Pistone is a Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, and a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Fire&Air program.

Samiah Moustafa

Samiah Moustafa is a Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, and a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Fire&Air program.

Jessica McCarty

Jessica McCarty is the Biospheric Science Branch Chief at NASA Ames Research Center, and serves on the Program Advisory Committee for the Fire&Air program.

Matthew Johnson

Matt Johnson is a Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, and serves on the Program Advisory Committee for the Fire&Air program.

The CSUStan Team

Haley Ye

Haley Ye is a climatologist and a professor of geography, currently serving as the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Stanislaus State.

Wing To

Wing To is a professor in the Physics and Physical Science department at CSU Stanislaus.

Jeffrey Mirocha