The Leadership Alliance Member Institutions

Brooklyn CollegeBrown University

Chaminade University of HonoluluClaflin University

Columbia UniversityCornell University

Dartmouth CollegeDelaware State University

Dillard UniversityHarvard UniversityHoward University

Hunter CollegeJohns Hopkins University

Montana State University-BozemanMorehouse College

Morgan State UniversityNew York University

Prairie View A&M UniversityPrinceton University

Spelman CollegeStanford UniversityTougaloo CollegeTufts University

University of ChicagoUniversity of Colorado at Boulder

University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyUniversity of Miami

University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Puerto Rico

University of VirginiaVanderbilt University

Xavier University of LouisianaYale University

the leadership alliance

A companion guide for the Leadership AllianceSummer Research - Early Identification Program

www.theleadershipalliance.orgThe Leadership Alliance • Box 1963

Providence, RI 02912

401-863-1474

Mentoring

Undergraduates in

Summer Research

Programs

Leadership AllianceExecutive OfficeSayles Hall, Room 015Box 1963Providence, RI 02912

Phone: 401-863-1474Fax: 401-863-2244

The Leadership Alliance is an academic consortium of institutions ofhigher learning, including leading research and teaching colleges and

universities. The mission of the Leadership Alliance is to developunderrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models in

academia, business and the public sector.

PREPARED FOR THE LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE BY

Sharon GambleDirector, Minority Affairs and Special ProgramsGraduate School of Arts and SciencesColumbia University

Liza Cariaga-LoAssistant Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and SciencesYale University

Francoise FreyreDirector of Student AffairsWeill Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Cornell University

Judy JacksonAdministrative Director for Biomedical Graduate StudiesUniversity of Pennsylvania

William MooreProfessor of ChemistrySouthern University at Baton Rouge

Roosevelt RatliffAssistant Vice President for Leadership DevelopmentClaflin University

Sara TortoraAssociate DirectorLeadership AllianceBrown University

© 2004 The Leadership Alliance. All Rights Reserved.

Table of ConTenTs

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1

Role of a Mentor .......................................................................................................... 3

• PriortoArrivalofStudent

• UponArrivalofStudent

• AttheConclusionoftheProgram

CommunicatingEffectively ......................................................................................... 7

MentoringStudentsintheSciences ............................................................................ 8

• Orientation

• FormulatingaResearchProject

• AskingQuestions

• Methodologies

MentoringStudentsintheSocialSciencesandHumanities .................................... 11

• Orientation

• FormulatingaResearchProject

• AskingQuestions

• Methodologies

SummaryofLeadershipAllianceExpectations ......................................................... 16

Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 16

Appendix ................................................................................................... centerspread

• Sample:Mentor’sPerformanceAppraisalofStudent

1

InTroduCTIon

TheLeadershipAllianceisaconsortiumofinstitutionsofhighereducationdedicatedtoimprovingtheparticipationofunderrepresentedstudentsingraduateschool.OurflagshipprogramistheSummerResearch-EarlyIdentificationProgram(SR-EIP)inwhichundergraduatesworkforeighttotenweeksundertheguidanceofafacultymentoratoneofourtwenty-oneresearchsites.

ThepurposeoftheSR-EIPistofosterandsupportstudentsinscholarlyandscientificresearchendeavorstohelpthemviewtheacademyasapositiveenvironmentinwhichtheymightpursueadvancedacademictraining. SR-EIPparticipantsattendtheLeadershipAllianceSymposium,whichbringstogetherabout300undergraduatestopresenttheresultsoftheirsummerresearchprojectstoanationalaudienceofpeers,facultyandmembersoftheprivateandpublicsectors.

Morethan2000undergraduateshavecompletedtheSR-EIPsincetheprogrambeganin1993.Todate,morethan60%oftheSR-EIPstudentswhohavecompletedtheirundergraduatestudieshaveenrolledingraduateprograms,andofthatgroup,23%haveenrolledinPhDprogramsand3%inMD/PhDprograms.

TheLeadershipAlliancerecognizestheimpor-tanceoffacultywhoserveasmentorsandthevaluablecontributiontheymaketosupportstudentsduringthesummer.Studentsjudgetheirsummerresearchexperiencesprimarilybytheirinteractionwiththeirmentors.Thus,theroleofthefacultymentorinashort-term

The Leadership Alliance

recognizes the impor­

tance of faculty who

serve as mentors and the

valuable contribution

they make to support

students during the

summer.

2

summerresearchprogramiscrucialtotheprogram’ssuccess.ThisbrochureisdesignedtoassistthefacultymentortounderstandthepurposeoftheSR-EIPandtheexpectationsoftheirsummerinterns.

Facultymembersusuallychoosetomentorbecauseofacommitmenttotheidealsandgoalsofscholarlyresearch.Theyunderstandthatasuccessfulmentor-protégérelationshiprequiresasignificantinvestmentoftimeandenergy.Becauseitdoesnotyieldanimmediate,tangiblebenefit,somefacultyconsidertheroleofamentoranaltruisticendeavorinashort-termsummerresearchprogram.Althoughnoteverymentor-protégérelationshipissuccessful,mentoringhasthepotentialtobeanextraordinarilyrewardingexperienceforbothparties.Wehopethisguidewillhelpfacultyandstudentsmakethemostofthisopportunitytolearn,shareandteachoneanother.

From a mentor:

”I think career counseling is the most important take­home

lesson. Very few students have a realistic understanding of what

a scientist does for a living as compared to other professions

such as a doctor, dentist or shoe salesman. Within a short time

after rotating in the lab, they will be making decisions about

attending graduate school, or not. I hope they get a glimpse of

this and other career paths that one can take with a Ph.D. I hope

they see how the job changes over time and are somewhat better

informed and therefore more confident that this is what they

want to do for the next forty years of their lives. I do

hope they see frustration and failure and learn whether they

need instant gratification from their work to be satisfied.”

3

role of a MenTor

Althoughaneight-toten-weekresearchexperienceisbrief,thereispotentialtohaveaconsiderableimpactonyourprotégé.Oneofthekeycharacteristicstoasuccessfulmentoringexperienceisthewillingnesstoguide,instructandassiststudentstoreachtheirresearchobjectives.Beyondservingasanadvisororsupervisoronaresearchproject,thementortakesanactiveinterestinthestudent’sacademicandprofessionaldevelopmentasabuddingscientistandscholar.Theidealmentorseekstoquicklyestablishapositiveworkingrelationshipwiththestudenttopromoteconfidence,studentinquiry,focusanddiscipline.IntheSR-EIP,thementor’sresponsi-bilitiescanbedividedintothreeparts:yourrolepriortothestartoftheprogram,yourroleuponthestudent’sarrivalandyourroleattheendofthesummer.

Prior to Arrival of the Student

• Assessyourstudent’sinterests,knowledgeandability.Theprogramadministratorshouldprovideyouwithacopyofyourstudent’sapplicationsothatyoumayfamiliarizeyourselfwiththestudent’scoursework,researchexperienceandinterests.

• Developatentativeprojectorproposal.

• Contactyourstudentviaphoneore-mailtowelcomethemanddiscusstheproposedproject.

• Provideorsuggestsomepreparatoryreadingmaterial.

• Ifyourstudentwillbeworkingprimarilywithagraduatestudentorpostdoc,explainthisandprovidesomeinformationabouttheperson.

• Makesurethereisadequatespaceforyourstudent.

4

• Thesummerprogramadministratoronyourcampusshouldprovideyouwithinformationabouttheexpectationsoftheprogramandextra-curricularactivitiessothatyouareawareofanyresponsibilitiesandcommitmentsyourstudentmayhave.

Recognizethatyourstudentmaybenervousaboutmeetingyou.Bycontactingyourstudentpriortothebeginningoftheprogram,youcanbegintoputhimorherateasewhileyoulearnmoreabouthisorherinterestsandbackground.Providinginformationinadvanceaboutyourareaofresearchwillfacilitateyourstudent’sinitiationofaresearchproject.Thoroughpreparationpriortothebeginningoftheprogramwillconveyapositivemessagetoyournewstudent.

Upon Arrival of the Student

• Meetwithyourstudentduringthefirstweektodiscusstheprojectandexpectations.Takethetimeatthisinitialmeetingtoclearlydefineyourexpectationsandmakesurethelogicandrationaleoftheprojectiscleartoyourstudent.Developandadheretoascheduleofregularmeetingswithyourstudent(andco-mentors,ifapplicable).Ideally,meetingsshouldoccuratafixedtimeatleastonceperweek.

• Ifyouarenotoncampusforaperiodoftime,continuetokeepintouchwithyourstudentviae-mailorphone.

• Makeanefforttogettoknowyourstudentonaninformalbasisbysharinglunchatleastonceoverthecourseofthesummer.Inadditiontodevelopingamorepersonalrelationship,youcanusethistimetoadviseyourstudentaboutgraduateschool,careeroptions,courseselections,etc.

Integrate your student

into your daily activities

whenever possible.

5

• Talkaboutvariousissuesassociatedwithchoosingandpreparingforgraduateschoolandwhatitmeanstobeascientistandanacademic.Discusscareeroptionswithyourstudentandtheimportanceofmakingthemostofhis/herremainingundergraduatestudies.

• Whenpossible,includeyourstudentinsomeoftheday-to-daytasksofyourprofessionalresponsibilities,i.e.,grantwriting,staffmeetings,dataanalyses,editingjournals,etc.

• EachLeadershipAlliancestudentisexpectedtomakeeitheranoralorposterpresentationattheLeadershipAlliancesymposiumattheendofJuly.Reviewthepresentationdatathestudentwilluse,and,ifpossible,helpyourstudentpreparepresentationmaterials.Ifyourstudentelectstogiveaposter,trytosetasidesometimeatleastaweekbeforethesymposiumtostageamockposterpresentation.Ifyourstudentisplanninganoralpresentation,itwouldbehelpfultoassembleasmallaudiencetocritiqueit.

Regularcommunicationwithyourstudentisafundamentalelementofasuccessfulsummerresearchexperience.Donotletaweekpasswithoutcommunicatingwithyourstudentatleastonce;ifyoucan’tmeetface-to-face,talkonthephoneorsendane-mail.Donotunderestimatethevalueofinformalconversation–thesecanbeproductiveandrevealingexchanges.Involvingyourstudentinsomeofyourprofessionalactivitiesisanexcellentwaytoconveyasenseofacademiclife.

Be honest but temper

your criticism with

kindness.

6

At the Conclusion of the Program

• Provideeitherawrittenororalevaluationofthestudent.(Seesampleappraisalinthecenterofthisguide.)

• Ifsatisfiedwithyourstudent’sperformance,offertowritelettersofrecommendation.

• Letyourstudentknowifyouareavailableforadviceandcounselinginthefuture.

• Shareyourimpressionsofthestudentwithprogramadministrators,andgivethemfeedbackonanysuggestionsyoumayhaveforimprovingtheprogram.

Itisveryimportantforstudentstoreceiveconstructivecriticismoftheirperformanceduringthesummer.Youmayusethesampleappraisalforminthishandbookasaguideforyourcommentsduringthelastmeetingwithyourstudents.BeawarethatyourcommentsandsuggestionsabouttheprogramandyourexperienceasamentorarehighlyvaluedbytheprogramadministratorandtheLeadershipAlliance.YouareencouragedtosubmitacopyofyourappraisaldirectlytotheLeadershipAllianceExecutiveOffice.

7

CoMMunICaTInG effeCTIVelY

Successfulnavigationofthementor-protégérelationshiprequirestheestablishmentofeffectivecommunicationfromthestart.Asamentor,youmustbesensitivetoissuesofrace,ethnicity,culture,genderandacademicpreparation.

• Donotmakeassumptionsaboutpriorknowledgebyunder-oroverestimatingacademicskillsandabilities.Regularlyencourageyourstudenttospeakupifthereissomethingthatisnotunderstood,thentakethenecessarystepstofillinanygapsinknowledge.

• Yourstudentmaycomefromanenvironmentthatprovidesa“hands-on”styleofmentoringwithveryspecificdirection.Thestudentmaybereluctanttoadmitthatheorsheisnotaccustomedtoactingindependently.

• Donothesitatetogivecriticalfeedbackwhennecessarybuttemperitwithkindness.

• Promptlycommunicatetoprogramadministratorsanyproblemthatmayarisewithyourstudentsotheymayresolvetheissueasquicklyaspossible.

• Acknowledgethatstudentsmayhavedifficultyunderstandingforeign-bornspeakerswithpronouncedaccentsandassurethemthatitisokaytoaskthespeakertorepeatwhatisnotunderstood.

• Askyourstudentabouthisorherhometown.Learningaboutyourstudent’soriginsandsharinginformationaboutyourownwillcontributetoamutualunderstanding.

Be a good listener.

8

MenTorInG sTudenTs In THe sCIenCes

Theculturethatsurroundsthestudentdoingscientificresearchofteninvolvesworkinginalaboratoryaspartofateam.Assessingyourstudentinadvanceandhelpinghimorhertoacclimateasquicklyaspossibletoyourlaboratoryenvironmentwillsetthestageforaconstructivesummer.

Orientation

• Usethefirstweektoexplaintheproject,considerrelevantbackgroundliteratureandreviewtechniques,includingcomputersoftware.Makesureyourstudentreceivesanynecessaryformaltraininginlaboratorysafety,inaccordancewithyourinstitution’srequirements.

• Developatentativescheduleforcompletionofvariousaspectsoftheproject,anddiscussthehoursyourstudentisexpectedtomaintain.

• Clearlyexplaintherulesforkeepingalaboratorynotebookandotherlabrecords.

• Outlineyourstudent’sroleinlabmeetingsandanyotherrequiredmeetingsorseminars.

• Explaintheroleofthegraduatestudentorpostdocasmentor.

Ifapostdocorseniorgraduatestudentisassignedtoco-mentorandsupervisethestudent,explainthis.Makesurethestudentclearlyunderstandstheroleofotherindividualsinthelab.Thestudentshouldknowtowhomvariousquestionsshouldbeaddressedandoughttofeelcomfortablerelyingonalabcolleagueforcertaintypesofassistance.

Hold your student to

high standards but don’t

forget he/she is a novice.

9

Selectionofthisindividualiscrucialtotheoverallexperienceofthesummerintern.Besensitivetoculturalissuesandmisunderstandingsthatmayoccurbetweensummerinternandthepostdocorgraduatestudent.HavethepostdocorgraduatestudentbecomefamiliarwiththephilosophyandgoalsoftheSR-EIPbysharingthisbrochureandyourviewsaboutmentoringunder-graduates.

Formulating a Research Project

• Itisessentialthatstudentsaresuppliedwithsomematerialstofamiliarizethemwithyourfieldofresearchaswellasyourlab’sresearchgoalsandtechniquespriortoarrival.Continuetoencouragethemtoreadrelevantmaterialsthatariseduringthecourseofthesummer.

• Yourstudentshouldconductworkthatrelatestoaspecificaimoftheresearchgoalsofyourlab.Identifyaprojectwithaclearlydefinablegoalandscopethatcanbereasonablyattainedwithinthespanofeighttotenweeks.

• Wheneverpossible,includeyourstudentintheformulationoftheunderlyinghypothesesandexpectedoutcomesoftheexperiments.Makesurestudentsarethoroughlytrainedintheappropriatesetoftechniquesandunderstandtheirrelevancetotheproject.

• Itisimportantthatyourstudentunderstandstheproject’srelevancetothebroaderscientificgoalsofthelab,aswellasthelab’soverallcontributionstoitsscientificfield.Thiscanbediscussedinregularmeetingswiththestudentwhilereviewinghis/herprogressinthelabortheassignedliterature.

When selecting a

graduate student or

postdoc to directly

supervise your student,

carefully consider gender,

culture and language

differences.

10

• Donotassignaprojectthatdependsonasingletechnique,giventhepossibilitythatthetechniquemaynotwork.

• Youshouldanticipatealternateapproachesorpartsoftheprojecttoassigntoyourstudentintheeventthatheorshebecomesstuckontheoriginalassignment.Consideringalternativesinadvancewillhelpensurethatthestudenthasameaningfullabexperienceandrelativelylittle“downtime.”

Asking QuestionsItisessentialthatyourstudentlearnshowtoaskquestionsthatwillyieldagreaterunderstandingoftheworkconductedinyourlab.Suggestthatyourstudentwritedownquestionsandbringthemtoshareduringregularmeetings.

• Stresstheimportanceofaskingappropriatequestions,particularlyduringcriticalperiods,inordertomovetheresearchforward.

• Strivetocreateanatmospherethatmakesastudentfeelempoweredtoaskquestions,andreassureyourstudentthatit’sokaytoaskallkindsofquestions.Donotmakehimorherfeelinferiorwhilelearningtoformulatebetterquestions.Thereisnosuchthingasa“bad”or“dumb”question,particularlyinresearch!

• Donothesitatetoaskhardquestionsofyourstudentbutdonotforgetthatheorsheisstillanoviceinyourdisciplineandmaylacksomebasicacademicpreparation.

11

MethodologiesDiscussvariousmethodsofscientificinvestigationwithyourstudent.Keepinmindthatstudentswithlimitedresearchexperiencemaynotbefamiliarwithdiversemethodsofinquiry.

• Askstudentsexplicitlyaboutresearchmethodstheymayhaveusedinthepastandquestionthemabouttheirunderstandingofmethodstheywilluseinthesummerprogram.

• Citeexamplesofthekindsofmethodsandtechniquesthatcanbeusedtoaddressresearchquestions.

• Instructingastudentinlaboratorytechniquesshouldincludeanexplanationofthetechniques,notsimplyademonstration.

MenTorInG sTudenTs In THe HuManITIes and soCIal sCIenCes

Summerresearchinthehumanitiesandsocialsciencesisdistinctlydifferentfromlaboratory-basedresearchexperiences.Becauseoftheindependentnatureoftheresearch,studentsneedtoclearlyunderstandtheexpectationsinherentinthisenvironment.Somesocialscienceresearchenvironments(e.g.,thosethatinvolveadministeringsurveysorrunningsubjectsthroughresearchprotocols)sharesomesimilaritieswithlaboratory-basedresearchenvironments,soyoumayfindsomehelpfulsuggestionsintheprevioussection.

OrientationResearchinthehumanitiesandsocialsciencesisoftenconductedinlibraries,goingthroughprimaryandsecondarysourcesandsortingthroughinformationthatmayyieldpotentiallyinterestingdata.Itentailssignificantamountsoftimespentonone’sown,wrestlingwiththe

Clearly articulate

your expectations at

the beginning of the

program.

12

researchquestion,writingandinterpretingdata.Keepinmindthefollowingsuggestionsforpreparingandsupportingstudentsastheyworkindependently.

• Attheinitialmeeting,workwithyourstudenttodeveloparesearchplanthatincludesshort-termandlong-termgoalsaswellasatimelineforcompletionofthework.

• Informyourstudentrealisticallyabouthowfrequentlyyouwillbeabletomeetwiththemandwhen.Ifyouhaveaheavytravelscheduleorwillbeawayforasignificantlengthoftime,makesurethestudentisawareofthis.Providewaystoensurethestudentcancontinuetoreceivefeedbackwhileyouareaway,e.g.,via e-mailorphonecalls.

• Tellstudentsthatitistheirresponsibilitytocontactyouiftheyneedanything.Remindthemthatindependent,self-directedworkoftendefineshumanitiesandsocialsciencesresearchbutitdoesnotmeanthattheyshouldnotseekhelpiftheyareconfusedorunsureaboutthedirectionoftheirresearch.

• Discusstheresourcesthatareavailabletothestudentashe/shepursuesindependentresearchduringthesummer.Mentiontheservicesofferedinuniversitylibrariesandexplaintherolesofarchivists,referencelibrarians,informationtechnologyexperts,databasemanagersandcurators.Youmaywishtoencouragethestudenttomakearrangementstomeetwiththeseprofessionals.

• Letyourstudentknowhowoftenyouwillprovidefeedbackandbeexplicitaboutthelevelofcriticismtoexpect(detailedandextensivevs.sparse).

• Discussthelevelandtheamountofwritingthatisexpectedoverthecourseofthesummer,andlethimorherknowthenumberofdraftsyouexpect.

13

Defining a Research ProjectStudentsmayarrivewithaspecificresearchprojectinmindortheymaysimplyhaveabroadinterestinthefield.Youmusthelpthestudentdefineaprojectthatisrealisticwithinthegiventimeframeoftheresearchprogrambutwillalsoallowthestudenttobeintroducedtothedepthandbreadthoftheavailableliterature.

• Listencarefullytothestudent’sperspectiveaboutthekindofresearchtheywishtopursueoverthesummer.Askthestudenttoshareanarticleoressayasanexampleoftheworkhe/shewouldliketodo.Questionyourstudentaboutfamiliaritywiththeavailableliteraturetohelpyougaugehisorherknowledgeofthefield.

• Ifappropriate,discusswaysinwhichrace,gender,sexualorientation,ethnicity,socio-economicstatusandothercharacteristicshelptoexpandthetypesofquestionsaskedinaparticulardisciplineandthevariousmethodologiesusedforansweringthem.

• Yourstudentshouldhaveaclearlydefinedresearchprojectbytheendofthesecondweekoftheprogramsotheyhaveadequatetimetopursuetheworkinappropriatedepthoverthesummer.Itiscriticalthatstudentscomeupwithafewresearchquestionstheycanrealisticallyaddresswithinthetimelineyou’veestablishedtogether.

• Oncetheprojecthasbeendefined,helpyourstudentassembleareadinglisttoprovidesomedirectionandguidance.Althoughyoumayhaveaparticularbiasabouttheresearch,youshouldprovidecompetinghypothesesanddivergenttheories.Helpyourstudentunderstandhowdiverseperspectiveshavecomeaboutandpro-videexamplesofhowhis/herresearchcanbeplacedinthecontextofthesedifferentperspectives.

Asking Questions

• Discusswithyourstudenttheimportanceoflearningtoaskappropriatequestions,particu-larlyduringcriticalperiods,inordertomovetheresearchforward.

• Donothesitatetoappropriatelychallengeassumptionsheldbyyourstudentabouthis/herresearchtopicbutrememberthatyourstudentisstillanoviceinyourdiscipline.

• Encourageyourstudenttowritedownallofthequestionshe/shehasandbringthemtoshareduringregularmeetings.Beopentoexchangingideaswithyourstudent.Strivetocreateanatmospherethatmakesastudentfeelempoweredtoaskquestions.Helpyourstudentlearntoformulatebetterquestionsbutdonotmakehimorherfeelinferiorwhiledoingso.

• Modelhowtoaskquestionswithinthecontextofthediscipline.Helpthestudentclearlydelineatethedifferentlevelsofquestionsandthekindsofquestionstoaskduringtheresearchprocess.Forinstance,broadresearchquestionsneedtobehoneddowntospecificquestionsrelatedtothedataorinformationfound,whichmayinturnleadtodifferentlevelsofanalysesandadditionalquestions.

• Researchinthehumanitiesandsocialsciencesreliesontheabilityoftheinvestigatortoposeinsightfulquestionsandthenfindtheappropriateprimaryandsecondaryresourcesnecessarytoanswerthesequestions.Studentsmustrecognizethattheirquestionsmayrequireunderstandingofawidervarietyofdisciplinesthantheymayhaveoriginallyconsidered.

14

MethodologiesResearchersinthehumanitiesandsocialsciencesutilizeawidevarietyofbothqualitativeandquantitativemethodsintheirresearch.Itisimportantforyoutodiscusstheappropriatemethodologiescurrentlyusedinyourdisciplineaswellasthewidevarietyofqualitativeandquantitativemethods.Keepinmindthatstudentswithlimitedresearchexperiencemaynotbefamiliarwithdiversemethodsofinquiry.

• Askstudentsexplicitlyaboutresearchmethodstheymayhaveusedinthepastandquestionthemabouttheirunderstandingofmethodstheymayuseinthesummerprogram.

• Provideavarietyofexamplesofthekindsofmethodsthatcanbeusedtoaddressresearchquestions.Youmayalsowishtoprovidereadingsthatcontainexamplesofhowvariousresearchmethodshavebeenusedbyotherresearchers.

• Ifusingsurveyinstruments,archivalmaterialsorlargedatabases,arrangeforyourstudenttomeetwithappropriateprofessionalstafffortrainingintheuseoftheseresources.

15

suMMarY of leadersHIp allIanCe expeCTaTIons

• Designamanageableprojectthatcanbeaccomplishedoverthecourseofthesummer.

• Meetatleastonceaweekwithyourstudenttomonitorprogressandprovideguidance.

• ReviewthedatayourstudentwilluseinapresentationfortheLeadershipAllianceSymposiumattheendofJuly,andifpossible,helpyourstudentpreparethepresentation.

• Ifyouexperienceanydifficultywithyourstudent,bringittotheattentionofthesummerprogramadministratorsonyourcampusassoonaspossiblesotheymayhelptoresolvetheissue.

• Ifsatisfiedwiththestudent’sperformance,offertoprovidelettersofrecommendation.Ifyouareaskedtowritearecommendation,indicatetothestudentwhatyouplantowrite.

• Giveyourstudentanappraisalatthefinalmeetingoftheprogramandofferadviceaboutcourseselection,careerchoicesandgraduateprogramoptions.

• Completeandreturnsurvey(s)aboutyourstudentandtheprogram.

ConClusIon

TheLeadershipAllianceisdeeplygratefulforyourcontributionoftimeandeffortexpendedtomentorourstudents.MentorsarethecornerstoneoftheSummerResearch-EarlyIdentificationProgram,andyourhardworkanddedicationaresincerelyappreciated.

Review data used in

your student’s final

presentation to ensure its

accuracy.

16

appendIx(see insert)

• PerformanceAppraisal(tobesharedwithstudentatendofsummer)

17

Leadership AllianceExecutive OfficeSayles Hall, Room 015Box 1963Providence, RI 02912

Phone: 401-863-1474Fax: 401-863-2244

The Leadership Alliance is an academic consortium of institutions ofhigher learning, including leading research and teaching colleges and

universities. The mission of the Leadership Alliance is to developunderrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models in

academia, business and the public sector.

PREPARED FOR THE LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE BY

Sharon GambleDirector, Minority Affairs and Special ProgramsGraduate School of Arts and SciencesColumbia University

Liza Cariaga-LoAssistant Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and SciencesYale University

Francoise FreyreDirector of Student AffairsWeill Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Cornell University

Judy JacksonAdministrative Director for Biomedical Graduate StudiesUniversity of Pennsylvania

William MooreProfessor of ChemistrySouthern University at Baton Rouge

Roosevelt RatliffAssistant Vice President for Leadership DevelopmentClaflin University

Sara TortoraAssociate DirectorLeadership AllianceBrown University

© 2004 The Leadership Alliance. All Rights Reserved.

The Leadership Alliance Member Institutions

Brooklyn CollegeBrown University

Chaminade University of HonoluluClaflin University

Columbia UniversityCornell University

Dartmouth CollegeDelaware State University

Dillard UniversityHarvard UniversityHoward University

Hunter CollegeJohns Hopkins University

Montana State University-BozemanMorehouse College

Morgan State UniversityNew York University

Prairie View A&M UniversityPrinceton University

Spelman CollegeStanford UniversityTougaloo CollegeTufts University

University of ChicagoUniversity of Colorado at Boulder

University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyUniversity of Miami

University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Puerto Rico

University of VirginiaVanderbilt University

Xavier University of LouisianaYale University

the leadership alliance

A companion guide for the Leadership AllianceSummer Research - Early Identification Program

www.theleadershipalliance.orgThe Leadership Alliance • Box 1963

Providence, RI 02912

401-863-1474

Mentoring

Undergraduates in

Summer Research

Programs

CirCle One: 1=excellent ➤ 5=needs improvement

KnowledgeApplication • Abilitytoapplyknowledgetosolveproblems 1 2 3 4 5 n/a • Abilitytosearchindependentlyforandapply 1 2 3 4 5 n/a knowledgefromonline,libraryresourcesorco-workers

ProblemSolvingSkills • Abilitytoidentifyarealworldproblemasamember 1 2 3 4 5 n/a ofacertainclassofproblems • Abilitytoseeunderlyingconnectionsbetweenconcepts 1 2 3 4 5 n/a fromdifferentsubjectareas

LabSkills • Useoflaboratoryequipment 1 2 3 4 5 n/a • Followslaboratorysafetyprocedures 1 2 3 4 5 n/a • Abilitytodesignandconducttests 1 2 3 4 5 n/a • Abilitytoanalyzeresultsoftesting 1 2 3 4 5 n/a • Labrecordkeepinganddatagathering 1 2 3 4 5 n/a

TeamworkSkills • Abilitytogiveandreceiveconstructivecriticism 1 2 3 4 5 n/a • Abilitytotakechargeof,andcomplete,assignedtasks 1 2 3 4 5 n/a

CommunicationSkills • Presentationskills 1 2 3 4 5 n/a • Writingskills 1 2 3 4 5 n/a

Ethics • Understandingofprofessionalandethicalresponsibilities 1 2 3 4 5 n/a

SubjectKnowledge • Knowledgeofcurrentissuesindiscipline 1 2 3 4 5 n/a

Summer research early identification Program PerformanceAppraisalofStudent

MentorName___________________________________________________ Date_____________________

StudentName___________________________________________________

Shortdescriptionofresearchperformedbystudent:

PLEASE GIVE ONE COPY OF YOUR APPRAISAL TO THE STUDENT AND SEND ONE COPY TO

THE LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE • BOX 1963 • PROVIDENCE, RI 02912

THIS FORM IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT WWW.THELEADERSHIPALLIANCE.ORG.

TEL: (401) 863-1474 • FAX: (401) 863-2244

Areasofstrength:

Areasthatneedimprovementandsuggestionsonhowtoimprove: