Details:

The University recognizes that learning to supervise the work of others is an important component of graduate professional development. Accordingly, the OUR developed a mentoring program for graduate students, which involves annual workshops held during GTA orientation each Fall, contributions to workshops on mentoring organized by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, and collaborations with “TIBBS” (Training Initiative in Biomedical and Biological Sciences).

If you wish to read more about Getting Started,  Learning to Communicate, Setting Goals and Expectations, Identifying Challenges and Issues, Resolving Challenges and Issues, Evaluating Your Progress as a Mentor, The Elements of Good Mentoring  and/or Developing a Mentoring Philosophy, please review the handbook Entering Mentoring, published by HHMI.

To encourage graduate mentoring of undergraduate research projects, the OUR offers compensation to the graduate student (up to $500/semester, up to $1,000/summer, maximum $1,000/graduate student). Applications are considered 3 times/year as described, and priority is given to projects that were posted in the Database of Research Opportunities. Both graduate students and postdocs are encouraged to post undergraduate research opportunities in this database, and list themselves as the research supervisor (with approval from the faculty advisor). We know that undergraduates benefit from working with someone who is closer to “their level” and who has the time and patience to work with them individually. Currently, the OUR can offer no formal compensation to postdocs for mentoring undergraduates, although University-level recognition of the mentoring activities for both graduate students and postdocs is an important component of the Quality Enhancement Plan for undergraduate education approved in 2006 as part of the University’s reaccreditation process.
 

Eligibility:

Any current graduate student in good academic standing is eligible to apply. Priority will be given to projects that were posted in the OUR database of research opportunities. Graduate Students are eligible receive awards for more than one semester, however there is a limit of $1000 a graduate student can receive.

Application process:

The student must submit the on-line application

Application deadlines:

• For mentoring in the Fall, September 30
• For mentoring in the Spring, January 30
• For mentoring in the Summer, May 15