SMA launched the successful student mentoring program at the power electronics industry's premier event: the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) in 2023. For PSMA's 40th anniversary, PSMA is extending the student mentoring program to the Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications (WiPDA) 2025 in Fayetteville, AR, from November 10 to November 12, 2025.

Recruiting Mentors

To maximize the number of students who receive mentorship, PSMA is recruiting all professionals (from industry or academia) who attend APEC/WiPDA to volunteer as mentors. Mentors are expected to:

• Share knowledge and experience,
• Be flexible to meet mentee,
• Attend WiPDA (or APEC) to meet with their student mentee in person.

The time commitment is up to three meetings (before the event, during the event & after the event) with the student mentee. Since the PSMA Mentoring Program is student led, the student will reach out to the mentor to schedule the meetings and decide how many meetings the student thinks are appropriate.

Mentors should feel free to request a specific type of student mentee or share any noteworthy mentor qualifications (such as proficient languages for a career discussion, startup experience, manufacturing experience, etc.) to match them with the right mentee under the special requests section of the application. Naturally any requests are limited to the students who apply for the mentee pool.

Here's what one recognized mentor has to say about mentorship:

"Through the mentorship program, not only was I able to feel the accomplishment of supporting a developing professional in the industry, but I also gained fresh perspectives on the evolving priorities and questions facing the next generation in power electronics. This will help me become more thoughtful in my own leadership and mentoring of new hires in the future."

Another recognized mentor shared:

"Consider those in your professional journey that have provided advice, support, assistance that help guide you along your way.  Where would you be without those people in your own journey?  You have an opportunity to be that person now for someone starting their journey!  Giving back and educating younger engineers that represent the next generation is a critical role we must all play."

For suggestions on how to mentor at APEC (or WiPDA), see the following article:

https://www.psma.com/HTML/newsletter/Q3_2024/page12.html

Student Mentees

This mentorship program is student-directed which means that students must take the initiative to communicate with their mentors about their individual needs. Afterall, only the student can drive their own career direction. Consequently, the mentorship program guide has a list of questions to help students explain their situation with their mentor before meeting their mentors to prepare for the conference/workshop. Naturally at APEC/WiPDA they will have the opportunity to put in place any advice given and meet their mentor in person. In addition, the mentorship program guide has another list of questions to follow up with their mentor after the event for further guidance.

Another example where students drive the mentorship is in the mentor matching criteria. By default, students are matched by technical interest and by time zone overlap with their mentors. However, students can also request specific mentor matching criteria such as language, country, affiliation type (such as large organization, academic, startup, national laboratory), and other criteria based on their needs. Naturally these requests are limited to the mentors that are available on a first request basis. This means that if there is only one mentor with a specific requested criterion, then the first student who requested that criterion will be matched to that mentor - so apply early!

Moreover, students can and should take the initiative to conduct informational interviews for career direction or technical expertise. Exploring options is critical to making good decisions. Consequently, they should be prepared to ask good questions out of respect for their mentor's time.

"Definitely [recommend this PSMA mentorship program to friends]! It's a great way to meet people, learn about the latest and greatest both in academia and industry, and get career guidance."

Feedback from a student mentee. Here is what one student mentee had to say about the PSMA mentorship program: 

"Compared to other programs I've tried, this one gave more personal attention. In the past, some mentorships felt rushed or didn't offer regular contact, but [the PSMA mentoring program at] APEC made sure we had real conversations and built a good relationship with our mentor."

Mentorship Program

The mentorship program guide is filled with various suggested activities to address the six major objectives of the program for the mentees:

1. Take advantage of APEC/WiPDA
2. Explore career options & directions
3. Promote self & network (socially)
4. Meet subject matter experts
5. Learn about sponsors (PSMA & IEEE)
6. Have fun along the way

Each activity has point values associated to encourage students to try several different activities. The students who earn the most points, the next most points and the third most points win a prize.

The mentorship program is divided into three phases:

Before Event – prepare for the event & initial mentoring meeting

During Event – participate in the event, implement suggestions, & meet each other in person

After Event – follow up on how the event went with improvement tips & final mentoring meeting

The PSMA wishes all the mentors and mentees well in this opportunity to grow. Happy Mentorship!
Stephanie Watts Butler
Ada Cheng

Provided by Stephanie Watts Butler & Ada Cheng

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.