The Next Generation Explorers Award (NGEA™) Association recognizes mentorship as a highly rewarding process and an integral part of our international geoscience challenge.
Victoria Tschirhart, President of the NGEA™ Association, is well-acquainted with how a good mentor can help a team with perspective, access to industry experts and opportunities to review their progress and outcomes:
"Having participated in and won the first iteration of the Frank Arnott Award in 2017, I know firsthand how important mentorship can be to competing students. My team was fortunate to be under the mentorship of Dr. Eric de Kemp, one of my colleagues at the Geological Survey of Canada who specializes in 3D modelling. As early-career scientists working on a new ore system, my team appreciated Dr. de Kemp's efforts to expose us to new ideas, new ways of thinking and reminders to consider different modelling procedures and techniques. Dr. de Kemp even introduced us to his student who later became one of our team members after recognizing she would bring a unique set of skills to our team.
In my experience, mentorship is a fantastic opportunity to have an open line of communication with someone who wants to see you grow both as a person and as a professional in your field of study, and is willing to provide guidance, feedback and advice along the way. At NGEA™, we are pleased so many of our sponsors and geological surveys have stepped up as mentors to support the next generation of geoscientists. I encourage every team to make use of this network!"