What Son Tran’s students appreciate most are his encouragement and the one-on-one time he spends with them to provide constructive feedback on their research.
Tran, New Mexico State University computer science professor and department head, is one of three New Mexico professors honored this fall for outstanding mentorship by the New Mexico Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NM EPSCoR), funded by the National Science Foundation.
All were nominated by students and demonstrated characteristics of exceptional mentors. One of Tran’s student nominations described him as “a kind and supportive professor. He always offers valuable advice and constructive feedback on my work when needed. Although there are some challenges and difficulties when I do research, his encouraging attitude makes the work environment more enjoyable and motivating.”
EPSCoR is building the state's capacity for scientific research and a diverse STEM workforce, collaborating with New Mexico's research universities, national laboratories and other organizations. EPSCoR’s current focus is the NM SMART Grid Center, an interdisciplinary NSF project, in which Tran is a member.
Trans’ approach to mentorship over his 22-year career is focused and deliberate. "I strive to create an environment that nurtures students' creativity, independence, confidence, desire and integrity," he explained. "Graduate or undergraduate students at NMSU often come with minimal (or no) research experience. I, therefore, often encourage students to start ‘small’ by identifying problems that meet their level of experience. This helps improve their confidence.”
Despite his many responsibilities in the Department of Computer Science, his students say Tran is committed to being an effective mentor. Another nominator wrote “As a department head, he is quite busy, however, not only does he spend time with each of us individually to talk about our process every week but he also takes time to attend our weekly lab meetings."
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CUTLINE: Son Tran, New Mexico State University computer science professor and department head was among three New Mexico Professors recognized for outstanding mentorship by the New Mexico Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NM EPSCoR), a program funded by the National Science Foundation. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)