Dr. Wong,
The advice from the others is good. Still, I will add my two cents in a difference vane.
I suggest you spend a little time thinking about what is missed by not being in the same spatial and temporal place. Connection? Familiarity? Nuance? Then what are the goals of having the students in the program? You will be interested in productivity, but what are they interested in?
So, start by:
- Defining your relationship with them. Are you Dr. Wong? Ms. Wong? Silky? What is your organizational relationship to them? Supervisor? Mentor? Warden?
- Find out what their goals are in "coming to work" and what would make this experience a positive one for all involved. I suspect this is more than just getting money, but maybe not. Do they want to see what civil (?) engineering is like? What it is like to be in a company like Dow?
- What other work experiences have they had? Consulting? Government? Is this they type of company they see themselves working for in the future, after they graduate? What are their career goals and aspiration?
In this way, you will get a handle on the motivations and apprehensions of the interns. You must deal with both or you may find yourself with management and mentoring problems.
One you have a rapport foundation, it is important to set goals with them that are consistent with their goals and expectations:
- Express your expectations and those of the company.
- How will they be evaluated and how frequently?
- What does having a deadline mean? What should they do if they can't make it?
- Are they to ask questions, or find their own answers?
- What policies, procedures, guides, manuals, references are they to use?
- Are YOU a resource, or are you judge and jury?
Next, as was suggested, set up a schedule. Frequent meetings can be good, particularly in the beginning of mentoring. These can be relaxed as the need for them is reduced. Make them "face-to-face" using virtual meeting software. You can surely find video materials to do a virtual tour, or facetime them and go for a walk (if you are in the plant, of course). If the culture is to share coffee breaks, then share them. Many of the YMFs in ASCE have been hosting virtual happy hour (I am not recommending that for this mentoring relationship) so 15 minute coffee break at the beginning or end of a work session is an option and you don't have to buy the coffee. In other words, give them a chance to give you feedback, ask questions, and learn from you. This is a mentoring relationship. So, mentor. Yes, getting the work done is important, but so is the mentor-mentee relationship.
Lastly, have fun with it. Yes, this is long term interview time for a prospective employee. But this is also a young pre-professional. Share your experience with them. Why did YOU get the SE and the PE. What does it mean to have licensure in more than one country, and how has the benefited you? What is it like to be a woman in this profession, this organizational unit, in ASCE? What role does ASCE play in your professional life? What do you do for fun?
Yes, again, I hope you have fun with this. You are educating young engineers as a mentor. This is important, but done right, you will get so much more from it than they will.
I hope this helps you start a really great summer intern experience for you and them,
Good luck, and best regards.
Dennis
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Dennis Truax Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE
2021 ASCE Pres.-Elect Candidate MState White End. Chair, Dept. Head, & Profess
Mississippi State University
Starkville MS
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