Mentoring

Derek Vigil

Derek Vigil first met John McConnell during his junior year in high school. Derek excelled in science and wanted to do more. John, however, did not just teach Derek science. The summer after his junior year Derek organized and taught the summer science camp for fourth through sixth graders at the Math and Science Center. Derek came to understand how hard John worked to help others, and that has stuck with him.

“It changed me, to see the joy to be had by working hard,” Derek said in an August 27, 2007 Free Press article, “He is the biggest influence in my life, without a doubt.”

Derek was elected the valedictorian of the Fruita Monument High School Class of 2004. At the start of his senior year at the University of Champagne Urbana, in Illinois, Derek has already completed the requirements for graduating with a degree in physics. Instead of graduating early and going off to graduate school he has decided to spend a semester in India studying public health.

Derek continues to be mentored by John, not so much in physics, but in life. In a recent email, Derek wrote “The humor, energy, and dogged determination that you bring to every task are what I strive for in my life as well. So thank you for your tremendous example.”

Ryan Patterson

Ryan Patterson of Grand Junction, Colorado, knows firsthand what a difference a mentor can make. When he was still in elementary school, Patterson was asking questions about electricity that stumped his parents and teachers. A teacher recruited John McConnell, a retired particle physicist from Los Alamos Laboratory, to mentor the inquisitive young student. For the next seven years, the two spent nearly every Saturday working together in the mentor’s workshop on projects that involved electronics and other technical fields.

Patterson went on to win top prizes and scholarships at both Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and Intel Science Talent Search for his engineering research project, a glove that converts American Sign Language to written text on a laptop or portable display. At the awards ceremonies McConnell was Patterson’s guest of honor, watching his protégé reach the pinnacle of achievement.

Both Patterson and McConnell recognize that their long-term relationship has been an exceptional example of mentoring. But as Patterson points out, “There are a lot of different circumstances where a mentor can help.”

How did these two work together? And what did both gain from the experience? Their insights should prove helpful to other students working on research projects with adult mentors. Read the complete article on the Intel website
OR view PDF file of complete article.