Mentoring in ERAS
Getting started: beginning of winter term
- Establish a work schedule and be clear about whether there is flexibility in it and where there isn't.
- Review lab safety procedures and ensure they have completed any training modules.
- Be sure the student knows to whom they should report and/or direct questions.
- Make them feel welcome. Introduce them to others in your research group if relevant.
- Articulate goals and expectations both short-term and longer-term. These may need to be adjusted over time.
Engaging in the research: throughout winter and spring terms
- Stay in communication, not just about the project but about their academics.
- Review the student's bi-weekly time sheet and follow up on discrepancies or issues.
- Check in with the students about the pace and expectations of the research. Time management is the biggest challenge reported by students. Factors such as stress, the fast pace of academic terms, illness, or insufficient supervision are primary reasons problems can arise.
- Provide guidance on how to make a poster for the Wetterhahn Science Symposium in the spring.
- If you have more than one undergraduate working with you, they are encouraged to present a group poster rather than individual posters.
- Contact program staff sooner rather than later if issues arise.
Culmination of the research experience: spring term
- Provide guidance on how to make a poster for the Wetterhahn Science Symposium in the spring.
- If you have more than one undergraduate working with you (in the Dartmouth ERAS program and/or in other research programs), encourage them to present a group poster rather than individual posters.
- Meet with the student(s) at the end of the term to debrief. How was the experience? What did they get out of it? What are they thinking of doing next?
- Complete the end-of-term survey (sent via email).