Title:   Reaching out to Student Researchers: an "old" Mentor's Journey

Abstract:  As a newly minted faculty, the harshest reality I had to face was that the students saw me as a "mentor."  (I soon learned this was code for “old"!)  I found that I had to remind myself (repeatedly) that my undergraduate students had only recently completed high school.   Not only was I not a peer, but the age gap seemed to grow (sigh!) and become a huge problem.  How would I reach across this chasm?  In this presentation, I'll explore the solutions I have found.  To seek common ground, I work to challenge student curiosity, engage them through opportunities in the lab and encourage them to take ownership of their work.  I will share things I have tried and ideas I have learned as I work with graduate and undergraduate researchers. I hope the presentation stimulates dialog so we can all continue to learn and grow and rely on these combined experiences as we engage with more students.

This event will be in the East Reading Room of the Library