One of the goals of the PAW+ organization is to help women and minorities in Physics and Astronomy connect with one another and feel supported as they grow as physicists. To that end we started a mentoring program in 2014. Undergraduates in physics and astronomy and first year graduate students and postdocs are paired with older graduate students and postdocs. These partnerships meet approximately once a month to chat about how their coursework is going, how they are functioning in the department, being a woman and/or minority in STEM, or any other matters they would like to talk about. This gives the younger students a support system to discuss issues, to celebrate successes and encourage them through the inevitable setbacks. Our hope is that since the participants will feel more cared for by and connected to the department they will have the encouragement they need to continue and succeed in their physics education.

PAW+ is grateful for financial support from the Commission for Women during the first two years of the program.

If you would like to be a part of this program (as a mentee or mentor) please contact Sarka Blahnik seb6087@psu.edu .