Mentoring Undergraduates in Research Laura Damuth, Ph.D. Director of Undergraduate Research Office of Undergraduate Studies I work in the Office of Undergraduate Studies and I oversee the university’s undergraduate research program, called UCARE. UNL strongly encourages faculty to work with undergraduates on research projects. In this way both the mission of the Research University and the mission of a teaching institution are intertwined. Undergraduates become members of the community of scholars on campus. Sometimes that community expands to include faculty, graduate students, fellow undergraduates.

Overview Benefits of engaging in research to both faculty members and students Suggestions for developing a good working relationship Practical Information – funding, student recruitment

Student Benefits Students: Engage more deeply in a specific discipline Understand the “culture” and language of the discipline Engage in research life of the university as a whole Have a sustained attention to an idea/project Explore career options Practical Side benefits: Students build their resumes Students can obtain stronger letters of recommendation for graduate or professional school, or for prestigious scholarships By becoming involved with a faculty mentor, students not only become more engaged in a specific discipline, they also become more engaged in the university as a whole. They have a better idea of what a university does; what faculty do besides teach. These research experiences occur outside of the classroom and provide a unique contribution to learning. Students can spend more time on a project. In focus groups students told us that they often wanted to spend time on an individual project for class, but “ran out of time” The project also may allow the student to have more ownership and to be more creative with their input. Finding out what they really like doing – or in some cases finding out what they do not like doing! Side benefits: obvious that the experience is a resume builder and can lead to strong letters of recommendation. One of the things that students have told me is that having a close mentoring relationship with a faculty member, has given them the confidence to approach other faculty members– to talk with them. The overriding benefit of working on an undergraduate research project that students reported in focus groups was their relationship with their faculty mentor.

Faculty Benefits Faculty also benefit by Engaging with bright, interested undergraduates Training the next generation in the discipline Receiving needed help on research projects increasing their research productivity Gaining a fresh perspective on their research Creating a “junior colleague” Gaining personal satisfaction

Mentoring Undergraduates Faculty need to remember that: Undergraduates are not graduate students They come with varying degrees of skills knowledge commitment There may be an initial investment of time to work with the undergraduate Undergraduates may initially require more direction than a first year graduate student. They are a diverse group. In addition their lives change from moment to moment, from semester to semester, from week to week. Although they come with varying degrees of commitment, knowledge and skills, you can: screen for that (when you are interviewing prospective UG candidates)

Suggestions Meet with the student before the research begins Discuss the project thoroughly and give a clear description of the project Recommend background reading (this could happen in the summer BEFORE the research begins in the fall) Make sure that there is adequate work space for the student (if this is required) plan ahead: meet with the student before the research actually begins: discuss the project thoroughly and give a clear description of the project- you may want to choose project in which the student could have intellectual ownership. recommend background reading (this could happen in the summer BEFORE the research were to begin in the fall) make sure that there is adequate work space for the student – if this is required.

Planning Determine the # of hours you expect the student to work/week Do you expect the student to work in the summer? Set up a timeline– are there any deadlines? (The student should also inform you if there are times of the semester that are busy.) Set up regular meeting times – once a week? Once every two weeks? Find out if the student is in the University Honors Program and is thinking of writing a thesis Open communication between faculty/student; expectations need to be clarified. Students need to tell you their course load. (An undergraduate research experience, is easily 1 course in terms of time commitment. )

Remember To be Patient Understanding Available

Funding Internal grants External grants: public/private funding UNL’s UCARE Program External grants: public/private funding NSF REU supplements I will go into more detail about the UCARE program. But I wanted to mention that both the NIH and the NSF have money to support undergraduates in the research that they fund.

UCARE Program www.unl.edu/ucare to enrich the academic experience of undergraduate students at UNL to provide a tangible benefit to the research program of UNL faculty sponsors.

UCARE Program description First year: Program funds undergraduates to work one-on-one with faculty on the faculty’s research project Second year: Program funds undergraduates to work on their own research project or a continuation of the first year project, still under guidance of first year faculty sponsor

Through your classes or colleagues Through departmental advertising How to recruit Through your classes or colleagues Through departmental advertising Through a posting on the UCARE website Many faculty announce openings in their classes, or speak to their colleagues about bright students that they have had contact with. Different departments handle things differently: For example: Biology has a notebook of undergraduate research opportunities Psychology approaches the Psi chi honorary Architecture has a recruitment event – where faculty present their research interests to an invited group of undergraduates School of Music – UCARE was the topic of an undergraduate colloquium

Questions?