Mentoring

Mentor/Intern Matches

After the group of interns is finalized in early March, prospective interns and mentors will be free to contact each other to determine suitable matches. Each student will be paired with one faculty mentor. You are invited to review the research interests of the faculty mentors. In the application form, interns are encouraged to suggest specific research topics and/or mentors.  However, interns should realize that the list of faculty mentors participating is subject to change.

Mentoring Triad

Intern
Most interns will have completed their Sophomore or Junior year and are interested in pursing a career in the biological sciences. Selection is based on letters of recommendation, course background and performance, and a short essay indicative of a genuine interest in research. In addition to the mentored research project, interns attend weekly seminars focused on career development and scientific topics. Interns describe their projects and findings with a poster presentation in the Undergraduate Research Symposium the final week and write a short essay on their experiences. 

Mentor
Mentors are expected to be present for at least 8 weeks of the 10 week program. Mentors will have daily interactions with their student, including weekly discussion review of the project.  Each mentor will be asked to give an informal presentation on their research during one of the weekly lunch sessions and will identify an appropriate Junior Mentor from within their research group. The Mentor will supply the intern stipend.

Junior Mentor
Postdoctoral fellows or senior graduate students who are interested in developing excellent mentoring skills  will serve as a junior mentor for the intern in their laboratories during the summer and will concurrently participate in the Mentoring Seminar Series. In the seminars, we discuss objectives for the undergraduate projects, mentoring styles, troubleshooting, and how to help the undergraduates develop confidence, independence, creativity, and strong communication skills. We discuss ethnic and gender issues, including some of the research on prejudices, as well as how to accommodate diverse intellectual styles in the research lab. The mentors reflect on both mentoring and being mentored. The Mentoring Program is voluntary and the  Mentor will choose the most appropriate person to round out the Mentoring Triad.  The Menoring Seminar is based on the highly successful “Entering Mentoring” Program developed by Dr. Jo Handelsman at the University of Wisconsin (download a complete description of the program from http://www.hhmi.org/grants/pdf/labmgmt/entering_mentoring.pdf).