Network Partnership Program (NPP)

Purpose
The purpose of the Network Partnership (NPP) is to help New-to-GLEON participants engage in effective, friendly networking and integration into the community of people and collaboration. 

How did NPP Begin
The program was developed by the GLEON Student Association (GSA) around 2009, in response to the perceived *need for supportive environment for both students/early-career scientists & new members to the community. (*Thanks to the previous GLEON Meetings survey results many of you contributed to, and recommendations made by the Collaborative Climate Committee (CCC).)

NPP Roles 

• New-to-GLEON Partner (NP): the 1st- or 2nd-time GLEON meeting attendee:
  
  1. If you are a student and this is your first or second time attending a GLEON meeting/workshop, you will be enrolled as a NP automatically via G17 Registration;
  2. If you are *not* a student but new to GLEON, you have the option to choose to sign up as a NP through G17 registration;
• GLEON Partner (GP): this is your 3rd time or more attending GLEON all-hands meeting:
  
  1. You can be a faculty member, scientist, technician or student that has been to more than 2 GLEON events AND willing to participate in NPP in a mentoring role. Sign up is available through G17 Registration.
  2. The NPP organizers (GSA and CCC members) may invite you directly, too, to be a GP - depending on the demand & number of NP attending the meeting. (Translation: we need as many GP as we can have! Always in high-demand - since GLEON 13!)
• Summary
  

  	Student	Non-Student
  New-to-GLEON Partner (NP)	G17 is your 1st or 2nd GLEON meeting. Automatically enrolled.	G17 is your 1st GLEON meeting. Optional.
  GLEON Partner (GP)	If you have been to 2 or more GLEON events please consider volunteering to be a GP! :-)	You have been to 2 or more GLEON meetings -- Please consider volunteering to be a GP for New-to-GLEON students. We need you!

Pairing of NP and GP
The GSA and CCC work together to pair *one New-to-GLEON Partner (NP) with one GLEON Partner (GP) as soon as the G17 Registration closes.

*Sometimes we may need to pair two NPs with one GP, depending on the registration results and availability of each role.

Suggested Activities and Expectations of Both Roles 
The exact terms of the networking partnership will vary depending on the particular needs of your partner. Here are a few suggestions that NPP partners from the past GLEON meetings have honored and worked well:

1. The GLEON Partner (GP) is expected to be friendly and supportive, to make frequent contact with the New-to-GLEON Partner (NP), introduce him/her to other GLEONites, help identify similar or complimentary research interests among G17 attendees and general membership.
2. The GP visits the NP's poster during the Poster Session, helps facilitate interactions with audience if need be.
3. NP and GP share at least one meal together during the G17 week.

Fun Facts of NP & GP Roles Development & Successful Collaborations

1. When NPP was first implemented, the roles were 'Student Partner' and 'Senior Partner'. 
2. At G11 (Nanjing, China), it occurred to the organizers some very experienced GLEONites and help are students or early-career/young scientists. 'Senior Partner' is not exactly advertising itself to solicit volunteers... . Additionally, there were requests from mid-career and experienced scientists, interested in participating in the NPP because they had not been to any GLEON meetings before. Hence the re-naming of New-to-GLEON Partner and GLEON Partner - age is irrelevant!
3. In GLEON we do not brand NPP roles as simply mentor vs mentee. We believe both partners contribute to the networking relationship - the GP may be more experienced in GLEON connections, but the NP often helps the GP extend his/her networks of collaborators as well. 
4. Here is one example through the serendipity of a NPP partnership at G13 (Lake Sunapee, October 2011), a collaborative relationship between two labs in Brazil and Denmark are formed, and they have continued to develop multiple projects, experiments, publications and scholars exchanges: http://blog.gleon.org/carbon-cycling-on-lakes-coclake-project-the-story-...

Questions about G17 NPP?

• Jennie Brentrup (brentrja[a]miamioh.edu), GSA Chair
• Facundo Scordo* (fscordo[a]criba.edu.ar), GSA Co-Chair
• Blaize Denfeld (blaize.denfeld[a]ebc.uu.se), GSA Co-Chair elect

*Additional language: Spanish