SURE Program: Mentor Responsibilities and Resources
Mentor Responsibilities | Mentor Listings | Program Documents | Undergraduate research mentoring resources
Good mentoring and guidance are key to a successful undergraduate research experience. In agreeing to host a SURE students, our mentors agree to:
• communicate expectations to the student (work hours, how performance will be evaluated, share laboratory protocols)
• help define the student's project goals and deadlines
• meet with the student at least every other week to provide feedback and guidance on project progress
• offer guidance and constructive criticism as the student prepares his/her poster for the end-of-program symposium
• designate additional contacts within the laboratory or department to provide additional supervision and assist the student should the mentor be unavailable
• attend the poster session
• apply for NSF or NIH grant supplements if at all possible (note that this may support year-round research for your student)
___________________________________________________________
Mentor Directory: Create an entry or edit your existing entry; (uses your Emory ID and password)
Mentor Listing: shows existing listings
___________________________________________________________
"Ice-Breaker" questions for the Welcome Lunch (pdf file)
Brochure for Mentors (pdf file)
Research Proposal Guidelines (see page 4 of this application form pdf file)
Criteria for poster evaluation (pdf file)
SURE Program Calendar (2012, draft in progress, pdf file)
___________________________________________________________
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH MENTORING RESOURCES
+ Mentoring at the Undergraduate Level: Articles
There is a broad literature on the many benefits of undergraduate research; here are a few recent articles and highlights.
The Role of Student-Advisor Interactions in Apprenticing Undergraduate Researchers into a Scientific Community of Practice
Thiry, H. & Laursen, S.L. (2011). JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY, Volume 20, Number 6, 771-784, DOI: 10.1007/s10956-010-9271-2
The needs ofnovice students differed from those of experienced studentsin each of these areas. Novice students needed clearexpectations, guidelines, and orientation to their specificresearch project, while experienced students neededbroader socialization in adopting the traits, habits, andtemperament of scientific researchers. Underrepresentedminority students, and to a lesser extent, women, gainedconfidence from their interactions with their researchmentors and broadened their future career and educationalpossibilities.
What Experiences Help Students Become Scientists? A Comparative Study of Research and Other Sources of Personal and Professional Gains for STEM Undergraduates
Thiry, H., Laursen, S. L., & Hunter, A.-B. (2011). Volume 82, Number 4, July/August 2011E-ISSN: 1538-4640 Print ISSN: 0022-1546
... it is important to guide students toward tasks that challenge their intellectual abilities and skills. Students gain most when they extend their capabilities and are not relegated to non-educational, routine tasks, described as "monkey work" by one student. Likewise, students must not be left alone to grapple with tasks far beyond their intellectual capabilities.... Research and internship supervisors can also do much to improve the quality of students' co-curricular experiences. They can select appropriate, authentic projects and provide adequate training and supervision. They can include students in frequent discussions of the progress of the work and encourage students to participate in and present at team meetings.... Institutions can provide training to help on- and off-campus student supervisors develop an educational approach to students' tasks based on factors that enhance student learning and development. Mentor training can educate faculty, graduate students, and others who work directly with students in appropriate project selection and supervision of students. ... student reports indicated that participation in research is a more effective way to socialize novices into the scientific research community by helping them to develop the mastery, knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to become a scientist.
Promoting Undergraduate Interest, Preparedness, and Professional Pursuit in the Sciences: An Outcomes Evaluation of the SURE Program at Emory University
Junge, B., C. Quiñones, J. Kakietek, and P. Marsteller. CBE—Life Sciences EducationVol. 9, 119 –132, Summer 2010
...Respondents reported postprogram increases in the level of interest in academic and research careers, and reported high levels of employment in science careers and job satisfaction. Regression analyses of Emory SURE participant transcripts revealed that participants take significantly more science courses as seniors and earn higher grades in those courses than nonparticipants. This trend held after correcting for indicators of prior interest (first-year course work, GPA, and math SAT scores), gender, and minority status.
The mentoring roles that were considered most important by the largest number of respondents were descriptions of mentors who would be non-threatening and encouraging role models, who offer advice, respect students as individuals and help them overcome their challenges....undergraduates believe that being taught study strategies and job attainment skills are the most important types of mentoring to help them complete their degree programs. Graduate students (both masters and doctoral students) and postdoctoral scholars reported that research and publication support and an emphasis on professional networking were considered “very important.”...All survey items about mentoring roles were categorized into one of three factors(Psychosocial, Role Modeling, and Academic/Career) for further analysis. When tested for significant differences by gender, all three factors were statistically significantly more important....Undergraduates who self-identified as members of at least one underrepresented minority group4 were also found to be significantly more likely to consider important all three categories of mentoring for female than male students. The gender effect was strongest for the undergraduates and no effect was found for the postdoctoral scholars. ...
+ Mentoring at the Undergraduate Level: Books
Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. 1997. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. ISBN# 0-309-06363-9
Note that this book can be ordered and viewed online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/5789.html.
Entering Mentoring: A Seminar to Train a New Generation of Scientists
Jo Handelsman, Christine Pfund, Sarah Miller Lauffer, and Christine Pribbenow
This book can be ordered and viewed online athttp://www.hhmi.org/grants/pdf/labmanagement/entering_mentoring.pdf
The Responsible Researcher: Paths and Pitfalls. 1999. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
Careers in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning Guide to Grad School and Beyond. 1996. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. ISBN# 0-309-05393-5
This book can be ordered and viewed online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/5789.html
Mentoring Means Future Scientists. 1993. The Association of Women in Science, Washington, D.C. ISBN# 0-9634590-3-1
Reshaping the Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers. 1995. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. ISBN# 0-309-05285-8
Note that this book can be ordered and viewed online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/4935.html
+ Mentoring at the Graduate Level
The University of Michigan has produced two wonderful guides:
How to Mentor Graduate Students: A Guide for Faculty
How to Get The Mentoring You Want: A Guide for Graduate Students
Sara Delamont, Paul Atkinson and Odette Parry. Supervising the Ph.D.: A Guide to Success. 1999. Open University Press, Buckingham, United Kingdom. ISBN# 0-335-19516-4
Peggy Hawley. Being Bright Is Not Enough: The Unwritten Rules of Doctoral Study. 1993. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois. ISBN# 0-398-05848-2
Peter J. Feibelman. A Ph.D. Is Not Enough: A Guide to Survival in Science. 1993. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Reading, Massachusetts. ISBN# 0-201-62663-2
+ Mentoring at the Postgraduate and Professional Level
Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientifıc Managementfor Postdocs and New Faculty. 2006. Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Emily Toth. Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia. 1997. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ISBN# 0-8122-1566-4
Larry Ambrose. A Mentor's Companion. 1998. Perrone-Ambrose, Chicago, Illinois. ISBN# 0-9670083-0-1
Robert Boice. The New Faculty Member. 1992. Jossey-Bass Inc, San Francisco, California. ISBN# 1-555542-423-6