Postdoc mentoring 411

Need advice about how to comply with the new federal requirement to mentor your postdoc? Help is on the way. Click the headline and you will go to the National Institutes of Health site. Once there, click on "Individual Development Plan for Postdoctoral Fellows." The plan was developed by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. It includes a good, short bibliography for new scientists looking for career advice.

NSF grant with postdoc? Don't forget mentoring plan

The National Science Foundation's new Grant Proposal Guide, which is effective this month, requires that any proposal requesting funding for postdoctoral researchers must include a discussion of mentoring activities to be provided to the postdocs.

Repeat: This is not optional. Include a section on mentoring your postdoc in your 15-page project description or prepare to have the proposal returned without review. Click on the headline to view the portion of the GPG that sets forth the new requirement. Scroll down to "Proposal Contents," Section C.2.d.i.