Sustaining a legacy in STEM the Prof. Tara Prasad Dasgupta way: The role of a mentor in our lives.

ABSTRACT

A mentoring relationship is a close, individualized relationship that develops over time between a graduate student and his/her adviser, and that includes both caring and guidance. Although there is a connection between mentors and advisers, not all mentors are advisers and not all advisers are mentors, but in this case, one adviser was a mentor to all. In his eloquent style, an inspirational mentor of underrepresented individuals in Jamaica by the name of Prof. Tara Prasad Dasgupta, AKA Prof., paved the way for many us who studied in the Department of Chemistry, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica from 1974 until his passing on Monday, April 2020 due to the complications of the COVID-19. Based on his effective mentoring style and the fact that there is low percentage of underrepresented individuals who pursue Ph.D. degrees in the STEM subjects around the world, more so here in the U.S.A., Europe, and in the U.K., hence there is a need to write about a story on sustaining a legacy in STEM the Prof. Tara Prasad Dasgupta way, viz., the role of a mentor in our lives. As such, his style is documented here, along with testimonies from his former graduate students, including myself.