Mentoring

Prof. Ziotopoulou and her graduate students won the University of California, Davis Office of Graduate Studies Wakeham Fellowship for the year 2018-2019 for the proposal "Blended mentoring approaches towards building and sustaining developmental networks: from a diverse first-generation graduate group to the boundaryless world".

 

Prof. Ziotopoulou and her PhD students during the UCD Graduate School Award Ceremony
Prof. Ziotopoulou and her PhD students during the UCD Graduate School Award Ceremony (from left to right: Renmin Pretell, Francisco Humire, Maya El Kortbawi, Katerina Ziotopoulou, Sumeet Sinha)

Aggie Success: A Professor’s Guide 09/17-19/2021

Facilitator in an in-person 3-day event addressing first-year students, the first-ever faculty team to help incoming freshmen students better understand the academic expectations and rigors of attending a research university, and how to succeed in it.

CBBG REU Café Panel (06/24/2021)

Lessons when you first became a researcher and managing imposter syndrome.” One-hour, open discussion between Center for Biomediated and Bioinspired Geotechnics REU students and two mentors.

Seismological Society of America Connects: Virtual Mentoring Sessions (06/22/2021)

Work/Life Balance in Science.” One-hour, group mentoring session featuring three mentors, sharing their experience and expertise, answering questions live on Zoom, followed by break-out rooms to offer the opportunity to discuss in small groups.

ASCE UC Davis Student Chapter: Geotechnical Research Panel (11/12/2020)

Invited panelist alongside with colleagues R. W. Boulanger and A. Martinez. Discussed what undergraduate geotechnical research is, how to best approach it, how it connects with research topics and practical applications, options and opportunities, followed by Q&A.

Aggie Success: A Professor’s Guide (Sept 25-27, 2020)

Facilitator in a virtual 3-day event, the first-ever faculty team to help incoming freshmen students better understand the academic expectations and rigors of attending a research university, and how to succeed in it.

Slack Workspace for UC Davis Civil Engineering Students during COVID-19 (March 2020 - July 2021)

In collaboration with Prof. Colleen Bronner, developed and maintained Slack workspace for maintaining active channels of communication with students during the pandemic

Guest Lecturer in ECI289D /292B: Geotechnical Professional Practice  (February 3, 2020 and January 18, 2022)

Led class discussions on effective techniques for delivering effective presentations and strategies for creating effective and aesthetically pleasing graphics.

Q&A with Female Graduate Students: Academia vs. Industry (November 4, 2020)

University of California, San Diego, Department of Structural Engineering and Materials

Mentoring 101: From Introduction to Implementation – Experienced Mentor Panel (November 7, 2019)

Professors for the Future (PFTF) sponsored series covering topics integral in the building of successful STEM mentoring relationships.

Wakeham Fellowship Poster Session (05/22/2019)

“Blended mentoring approaches towards building and sustaining developmental networks: from a diverse first-generation graduate group to the boundaryless world.” Presented during Graduate Studies Honors & Awards Ceremony, University of California, Davis.

Outreach Activities

  • AvenueE Transfer Bridge Program Centrifuge Outreach Activities (September 18, 2018)

Coordinated with GGSS students on developing activities with a focus on demonstrating the interaction among the engineering disciplines (i.e., Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, CS, etc.) required for testing at the Center for Geotechnical Modeling facility

  • Bio-Inspired Natural Hazards Design-a-Thon (April 28-29, 2018 / October 13-14, 2018)

Liquefaction and Earthquakes Workshop lead and design judge

  • Faculty Mentor for CAMP UC Davis student (November 2017 – June 2018)

CAMP at UC Davis aims to recruit and retain students in STEM majors, facilitate their academic success, and encourage their transition to graduate study. Faculty-mentored research experiences play a large role in the program and CAMP Scholars actively participate in research for 40 hours/week during the summer and 10 hours/week throughout the academic year (Mr. Brian Morales)

  • Mentor for AvenueE program (September 2017 – September 2020)

Program designed to increase participation of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering and computer science, serving high potential, low resource students, and those from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. Mentored one student for two quarters.