In Homer's "Odyssey," Mentor was the wise and faithful counselor, a friend and adviser to whom Odysseus entrusted the education of his son.
    Today's fast-paced, technological world is quite different from that of Odysseus and requires a different type of mentor. Not only individuals, but institutions and corporations have come to realize they must be accountable for developing sound recruitment, retention, and retraining programs to ensure students and employees are given opportunities to achieve their full potential.
    A professional organization that has taken a leadership role in mentoring, the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), recently received the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. AWIS is a non-profit organization dedicated to achieving equity and full participation for women in all fields of science and technology. Supported by government and industry grants, AWIS is engaged in a wide range of outreach programs aimed at girls and women at every stage of their educational and professional careers. Now in its 27th year, AWIS has made effective use of its national network of 76 chapters to create new models for effective mentoring.
    Its most ambitious effort to date began in 1990 with the launch of a first-of-its-kind program. The effort was designed to develop and enhance mentoring activities in order to increase the number of women in science.
    Over the course of three years, the money was distributed to selected AWIS chapters around the country who were asked to design mentoring activities in keeping with their resources and circumstances. For example, in rural West Virginia, the goal was simply to provide role models for students by showcasing the accomplishments of female scientists. Here in San Diego, the chapter was able to expand its outreach by forging alliances with local academic institutions and bioscience industry sponsors.
    AWIS-San Diego serves as a resource to girls and teachers through a School Outreach Program designed to provide hands-on science kits to local area schools and train teachers to use them. Under development is a high school mentor program in cooperation with the San Diego-Imperial County Girl Scouts.
    Women professionals benefit from the chapter's monthly membership meetings that range from company site visits to workshops on career-enhancing topics and social/networking outings.
    AWIS-San Diego’s most successful mentoring effort has been a series of Women in Bioscience conferences. Organized on a biennial basis, this award-winning program promotes networking among women in bioscience at all levels, introduces women to the many career opportunities that exist in bioscience and showcases positive role models and the achievements of San Diego women scientists.
    The 1997 Women in Bioscience conference was co-sponsored by UCSD Connect, Biocom/San Diego, and the Salk Institute with major financial contributions from 33 San Diego corporate sponsors. As in years past, the event was sold out weeks in advance. The one-day conference featured 20 workshops on topics including academic and industrial research, management, business development, patent and intellectual property issues, family and career, education and career development.
    Participants, organizers, and speakers alike benefited from the opportunity to come together. According to conference co-chairs Shirley Johnson, of Gen-Probe Inc. and Ann Lee, Ph.D., of Advanced Tissue Sciences Inc., many committee members found that leadership and involvement in the planning and organization of this conference provided great opportunity to make an impact on science education, career opportunities and networking.
    One committee member who secured a new job as a result of the conference says several speakers were motivated to participate in the conference because they had openings to fill.
    National AWIS has assembled the best of its regional programs into a series of publications that serve as a blueprint for others wishing to start or expand mentoring activities. Titles include "Creating Tomorrow's Scientists: Models of Community Mentoring" and "A Hand Up: Women Mentoring Women in Science."
    "A Hand Up" (described as a "paper mentor") provides guidelines for activities, resources advice, and networks both for women seeking mentors and for those willing to serve as career guides. To date, nearly 10,000 copies have been sold and the book is in its second printing.
    For information about AWIS and its mentoring publications, call (800) 886-AWIS or visit the AWIS Website at www.awis.org. For information on activities of AWIS-San Diego, call (619) 687-5580.
    Lynne Friedmann is a public relations consultant to science-based companies and a freelance science writer. She is a long-time member of AWIS and has served on both the San Diego chapter and national AWIS boards.

Gwen Rosenberg is director of corporate communications at Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp. She was formerly involved in hemoglobin and platelet research at UCSD and Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation. She can be reached at 233-4060, Ext. 309.