At the Office of Undergraduate Research, we recognize that a successful undergraduate research opportunity is predicated on high-quality mentorship.
We are dedicated to continuing to improve the undergraduate research experience through the creation of mentor opportunities that aim to help promote positive research experiences for both mentors and students. We are excited to offer various sessions, listed below, to support your mentoring practice.
Session 1
Engaging Undergraduates in Research: Getting to Know Your Campus Resources
Are you a UW faculty member, staff member, postdoctoral researcher, or graduate student looking to engage undergraduates in research? Join us for this one-hour introduction to what undergraduate research looks like at UW and how to become a mentor. Mentors will leave this session with a collection of tools and strategies for recruiting, compensating, and supporting undergraduates in research experiences. This session is particularly useful for those who are new to UW but we welcome anyone at UW who plans to work with undergraduates in a research context. This session is offered each autumn term.
Those who attend this session will:
- Learn effective and equitable strategies for recruiting undergraduate researchers.
- Learn about undergraduate research funding opportunities, including funded programs, research scholarships, and conference travel support for undergraduates.
- Explore other ways to compensate undergraduates for their work (e.g. Federal Work Study, course credit, etc.).
- Learn about UW’s Undergraduate Research Symposium and how to prepare students to present.
- Learn how to get students in your courses excited about participating in research.
- Discover ways to connect with undergraduates interested in research.
- Gain access to additional resources for effective and inclusive mentorship.
- Build relationships with Office of Undergraduate Research staff who can support you in grant development, program and curricular design, and other topics.
Our fall 2023 sessions were a huge success! If you would like to request a recording of our virtual session, please fill out this brief form.
Session 2
Engaging Undergraduates in Research: Bringing an Equity Lens to Your Mentorship Practice
This session is open to UW faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, or graduate students looking to center their mentorship practice in intentional strategies that promote equity and inclusion. Office of Undergraduate Research staff will provide some foundational theory around equity and inclusion as it relates to research spaces, create room for discussion and exploration with colleagues about personal experiences and perspectives, and help ground theory in practice as we make room for attendees to leave with practical tools to implement in their mentoring practices.
Those who attend this session will:
- Understand the importance of promoting equitable access to undergraduate research opportunities
- Formulate strategies to value diverse forms of cultural capital in research environments using the community cultural wealth model and anti-deficit thinking
- Identify equity and inclusion-based practices that impact recruitment and selection
This session will be offered on January 11 from 10-12 PM in Mary Gates Hall 171 and space will be limited to the first 30 who register. An email and calendar event will be sent out to confirm your participation once we have finalized the cohort. We will also be establishing a waitlist for this event.
Session 3
Engaging Undergraduates in Research: Cultivate Belonging & Inclusion in Research Spaces
This session is open to UW faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, or graduate students looking to center their mentorship practice in intentional strategies that promote belonging and inclusion. Office of Undergraduate Research staff will provide some foundational information around the importance of belonging and the different contexts where belonging can be built. There will also be room for discussion and exploration with colleagues about personal experiences and perspectives and participants will be asked to participate in activities that will allow them to leave the session with practical tools for their research spaces.
Those who attend this session will:
- Understand the importance of belonging for students
- Identify five different areas of belonging in a research context
- Articulate an approach for establishing clear expectations and research philosophy for mentees
- Develop awareness around how psychological safety impacts belonging
- Learn strategies to promote belonging through individual and team interactions
This session will be offered on March 8th from 10-12 PM in Mary Gates Hall 171 and space will be limited to the first 30 who register. An email and calendar event will be sent out to confirm your participation once we have finalized the cohort. We will also be establishing a waitlist for this event.
Mentor Testimony
“I want to thank you for running these three extremely impactful sessions. As you know, I eagerly signed up and encouraged trainees in my lab to participate from the very beginning. Your guidance and advice have already begun transforming the way I mentor undergraduate researchers working with my team. The exercises I participated in through this sequence of workshops helped me recognize, describe, and fix blind spots in my mentorship technique. Our team is already reaping the benefits of these improvements.”