Undergraduate Research Mentoring

Posted by me on 5 Feb 2007.

Link to the list of graduate student mentors.

Goals of the Environmental Sciences Department Mentor Program:

  • To encourage undergraduate involvement in field and laboratory scientific research.
  • To expose undergraduates to the development and the investigation of scientific questions outside the classroom.
  • To provide valuable assistance to graduate students with field and laboratory research.
  • To introduce graduate students to advising and instructing on an individual basis.
  • To bridge the gap between undergraduates and graduates by encouraging interaction on a research level.

Participants:

Environmental Sciences Undergraduate students, Graduate students, and Faculty.

Selection Process:

Browse the list of graduate students who are interested in mentoring a student. Undergraduates interested in the program should contact the graduate students directly whom they would like to work with.

Format of the Program:

After selection, the mentor team will meet the graduate student's Faculty advisor to discuss expectations, academic credit, and a tentative research outline for the semester. This meeting should take place prior to the Add Deadline for the semester in which credit is to be awarded. The mentor team should report on their progress to the graduate student's Faculty advisor two-three times per semester. The framework of the program will be developed around the undergraduate and graduate student relationship. Individual programs will be catered to the specifics of the undergraduate's interests and the graduate student's needs.

Guidelines:

Academic Credit: Academic credit, though not a requirement of the program, may be assigned under EVSC 494 Independent Study or EVSC 496 Supervised Research. 1–4 credit hours is recommended for each semester the undergraduate participates in the mentor program. To insure that academic credit is justified by an appropriate educational component, we propose a rough rule of thumb that for every credit hour that there be 3–4 hours of activity per week. The faculty advisor and mentor team will come to an agreement on the appropriate number of credit hours for the semester. The faculty advisor and the graduate student will meet at the end of the semester to evaluate the undergraduate student's fulfillment of the goals and objectives established at the beginning of the semester.

Research Program: Two types of programs are possible: (1) undergraduates may assist graduate students with field and laboratory work; or (2) they may conduct their own research project. A combination of these two types of programs is encouraged. Again, the structure of the mentor program is liberal and designed to fit the individual needs of the participants. These two guidelines merely provide a basic framework for each mentor team.

Questions can be addressed to the Program Director, Meredith Ferdie
via email:ferdie@virginia or via phone: 924-4303.