Abstract:
Faculty at many institutions of higher education are involved in teaching and advising both graduate and undergraduate students. These activities often are in competition for time spent conducting research. This note describes a program where graduate students can become involved in one-on-one mentoring of an undergraduate student by sharing a portion of his or hers research project. This program provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to improve their technical writing ability through peer review of their research proposal. Through collegiate and regional presentations at scientific meetings, the students have a chance to present and defend their research findings. The undergraduate student develops an understanding of what is involved in the research process, has an opportunity to improve his or her communication skills, and strengthens his/her resume. The graduate student mentor and undergraduate student benefit by being able to participate in a published abstract, an oral presentation, and often a subsequent journal article. The process prepares the graduate student for the responsibilities of a professional experience.
Keywords:
preparation, professional responsibility, advising, mentoring