Good mentoring is at the core of ensuring a successful undergraduate research experience. Good mentoring takes time, energy, and resources. Learning to be an effective mentor is an important professional skill that needs to be cultivated and supported. We invite you to attend an on-campus conference designed to address important issues around the mentoring of undergraduate researchers. Attendees will come away with concrete skills and strategies designed to help them effectively work with undergraduate researchers.

Open to all Caltech and JPL mentors of undergraduate researchers.

Schedule - Friday, May 11, 2018

Please check-in at Avery House Courtyard

8:00 - 8:35 a.m. - Registration, Breakfast and Welcome

8:40 - 9:40 a.m. - Session 1 Workshops

9:45 - 10:45 a.m. - Session 2 Workshops

10:50 - 11:50 a.m. - Session 3 Workshops

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. - Lunch and Keynote by Dr. Jenny Shanahan*

1:30 – 1:45 p.m. - Closing and Raffles

*Keynote Speaker

This year, we welcome Dr. Jenny Shanahan, Assistant Provost for High-Impact Practices at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. Dr. Shanahan leads Undergraduate Research, the Honors Program, National Fellowships, and a Research Apprenticeship Program. She has been a CUR Councilor since 2008 and has served on the Executive Board of the organization. She has co-edited 3 books and authored 13 articles and book chapters on undergraduate research, as well as presented several keynote addresses and faculty workshops at institutions across North America. She speaks most often about ensuring equitable access to high-impact practices; scaffolding research in the curriculum; and supporting excellent faculty mentorship.

Workshop Details

Session One

Mentoring Across Cultures

Seasoned mentors from across the globe discuss how cross-cultural perspectives can benefit the overall mentoring experience. Learn how they weathered occasional cultural misunderstandings and built bridges to enhance the mentor-mentee relationship.

Translating Teaching Pedagogy to Mentoring

In this session, we will discuss how several teaching pedagogies and practices can be used in the context of mentoring an undergraduate student. We will go over how concepts such as backwards design, assessing prior knowledge, and formative assessment can be used to enhance your mentoring experience and your mentee's research experience.

Mentee-to-Mentor Advice: Undergraduate Researchers Share Their Experiences

A panel of experienced SURF students will share their perspectives on the mentor-mentee relationship. They will discuss positive mentoring practices as well as address common challenges when training a budding researcher. Topics will include preparing for the student's arrival, effective communication, setting mutual expectations, and mentoring beyond the lab.

Session Two

Giving Voice: Supporting Inclusivity in STEM Mentoring

This workshop includes a short vignette featuring undergraduates and mentors talking about the social challenges of working in a research group. Through the workshop, mentors will learn about risk factors that may contribute to unwelcome behavior and harassment; develop strategies to navigate some of these challenges; and feel empowered to take action to support inclusivity in the research group.

Understanding Today’s Student: A Toolkit for Mentoring Undergraduates

Learn about student development theory and how it can be used to support the holistic undergraduate experience. Gain knowledge and resources that can enhance the mentoring relationship.

What Makes for a Great Undergraduate Research Project?

One of the most difficult aspects of mentoring undergraduate researchers is trying to develop a good project for them and for you. This session will discuss elements of a good project and provide mentors strategies for developing, articulating, and aligning expectations.

Session Three

Sharing the Big Picture: Activities to Teach Research Contexts to Novice Scientists

An important step for budding researchers toward achieving research fluency is contextualizing their research, and a mentor can play a key role in facilitating the process for a mentee. For example, novice researchers may lack knowledge about the history of the broader field or specific lab, the interrelationships between sub-disciplines, and/or the implications and applications of the work outside the lab. In this presentation, we provide a number of activities and tips a mentor can employ to help a mentee contextualize their research. We also highlight how engaging in these activities deepens both the mentor’s and mentee’s abilities to understand research and present it to others.

Motivating Your Students

Come learn about effective, research-proven methods to connect with and motivate the students you mentor throughout the summer! While it’s tempting as mentors to demand that those we mentor have the same motivation we do, the method that worked for us may not work for our students. If we don’t follow the model for motivation we’ve seen in our own research experiences, what should we do instead as mentors? Practical advice and case studies will be discussed and time will be provided to define your expectations for your student this summer. New and experienced mentors encouraged to attend.

The Conflict Quandary

Human relationships, whether professional or personal, often involve conflict. It is more difficult to address conflict in professional relationships when we don’t have the right tools. This session will explore understanding various approaches to conflict, leveraging your own personal conflict style to resolve problems, and moving conversations forward when you are stuck.

Building Your Mentoring Toolkit: Conference on Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers