Akamai Mentor Workshop
In 2026 we will offer a 2-hour remote “mini” Akamai Mentor Workshop, instead of our usual in-person workshop described on this page.
Registration for the mini workshop will open in January, 2026.
During the Mentor workshop, Akamai staff assist mentors in the Akamai Internship Program, design an experience for their intern that will be valuable to both the mentor and the intern. Treating the mentored project as an experience that can be designed, the workshop guides mentors through a process that uses principles similar to those which guide curriculum design.
Who this workshop is for?
All Akamai Internship mentors and co-mentors
(including those attending past workshops)
Colleagues of mentors who are prospective mentors in the future
Mentors come back year after year because they value the support they get for mentoring, being part of the community of mentors, and what they learn that can be applied more generally to supervising.
Workshop themes are related to the factors that research tells us are important for keeping people in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM):
Authentic Practices
Ownership & agency
Ownership & agency as a person in STEM
Recognition
Recognition by meaningful people for what is valued in STEM
Belonging
Having a sense of belonging in STEM
Our approach is to apply the four themes to key leverage points of an internship project. Mentors create what we call “design elements” which are small, but impactful, ways to enhance the interns experience and productivity as they work on their project.
Who’s in the driver’s seat
Content & timing of feedback
Role on the team
Experience in the workplace culture
Moment-to-moment interactions
Getting the intern started
Process to attend
Submit an application which includes request for travel support
Acceptances and travel awards are sent after Akamai Internship placements are made in late March – early April
Priority is given to those who have a confirmed Akamai intern placed with them, but the workshop usually has capacity for others.
Cost of the Workshop
The registration fee for this workshop is waived for all accepted participants
Applicants may request travel awards which cover airfare and hotel costs
This workshop is offered through the ISEE at University of California Observatories in partnership with University of Hawai‘i, with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the National Science Foundation (AST#173117).
Click here to see past participants and organizations
Please contact us with any questions: akamai@ucsc.edu