Water Boards Mentors Community
The Water Boards Openscapes Mentor Community connects and supports local Open Science leaders to promote a data-driven culture through the adoption of open science tools and strategies. Together we develop leadership and coaching skills to help mentors become better local leaders and to support their Open Science goals for the coming year.
The mentor group is modeled after the Openscapes Mentors Framework, for sustainably scaling technical and social skill-building through helping people find what is common and working on it together. An overview of how Openscapes built the Mentors Framework with NASA Earthdata staff across a dozen data centers is detailed in our preprint: The Openscapes Flywheel: A framework for managers to facilitate and scale inclusive Open science practices (Robinson & Lowndes 2022).
Benefits of being a Mentor
We support the Mentor Community by helping mentors prioritize time for their work through open communication of goals and impacts, and by hosting regular coworking sessions. These dedicated sessions provide monthly opportunities for mentors to collaborate and make progress on shared objectives.
Mentors also serve as local representatives for aligned efforts such as the [TODO Racial Equity Subcommittee, the Water Quality Division, etc.]. In this role, mentors can help design and promote Openscapes Champions cohorts, lead communication with local leadership, serve as a point of contact for interested staff, identify local needs, and support or coordinate teaching resources for their communities.
As Openscapes Mentors, individuals also have the opportunity to grow key skills—including facilitation, networking, and the use of collaborative platforms like GitHub and RStudio.
Additionally, Openscapes Mentors are part of a broader network of peers with shared goals, including mentors at other government agencies, non-profits, and academic institutions.
How to Engage in the Mentor Community
[to be added]
Water Boards Co-Leads
Anna Holder, Senior Environmental Scientist
Devan Burke, Environmental Scientist
Elena Suglia, Environmental Scientist
Tina Ures, Engineering Geologist