Mentoring Undergraduate Research Students
Notes from a workshop on 11/21/05 with Professors Herb Voigt (ENG Biomedical Engineering), Sean Elliot (CAS Chemistry), and Mary Erskine (CAS Biology and Director of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program), sponsored jointly by the CET and UROP
Suggestions for Successful Mentoring
A. Meetings
1. Weekly one-on-one meeting
2. Weekly group meeting
3. If possible, include opportunities for informal or brief contact to chat about project & other topics by arranging time when both mentor & student are in the lab, office area, library, etc.
B. Organization of the Group
1. Include undergrad in group meetings, journal discussions, etc.
2. Interaction of undergrads with graduate students and, if available, postdocs is valuable
C. Promoting Progress
1. Set expectations in advance
2. Project should be of scope that allows student to be on his/her own within about 3 weeks
3. Especially at beginning, consider giving student a task already known to be solved to check on his/her abilitities & to promote sense of accomplishment & confidence
3. Use meetings to discuss past progress, next step, & big picture
4. Students should write periodic progress reports
5. Helpful to have major milestones: end-of-semester paper, presentation at a professional meeting, etc.
D. Useful Strategies
1. Recruiting students: promote research in regular courses & on your group's, departments, and/or college's website
2. Maintain a list of projects that can be completed during an academic year
3. Have student work through an introductory textbook alongside research to develop fundamental knowledge and awareness of how the project fits into the field
4. Apply for research funds well in advance of need, e.g., for summer funding
5. Do not mix research stipends and credit for a directed study course
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