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DURHAM CAMPUS
ON THIS PAGE About Before Enrolling Enrollment & Matching Program Timelines Curriculum Expectations of Mentors Contact
ABOUT THE DURHAM MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Mentoring Student Success
Mentoring Student Success
NC School of Science and Math (NCSSM) provides researchers at all levels and within all fields the opportunity to benefit from partnering with NCSSM Mentorship Program. We are looking for faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other research team members in the Triangle who are willing to welcome one of the top high school students in the state to their research team and guide them in an ongoing or independent research project. Mentoring can not only make a long-lasting impact on the next generation but can reap the benefits that come both personally and professionally from mentor-mentee experiences within the structured program provided by NCSSM.
Benefits include:
Connections to the top high school students from around the state of North Carolina
Support for your grants (i.e., NCSSM letter of support)
Avenue for increased awareness of your university/department/research
Enjoy the rewards and experience of mentoring energetic and curious students
NCSSM maintains registration of the minor program at your campus
Housing, transport, and instructional support provided by NCSSM
NCSSM Durham is seeking mentors to...
To expose students to the research environment in any field of interest from STEM to humanities (including in university, company, nonprofits work settings)
To engage students in an ongoing or independent research project in person at your site culminating with student deliverables of written proposal, abstract, and oral and/or poster presentation to the NCSSM community
To offer an experience that requires the application of knowledge and skills to address challenges in the world beyond the classroom
BEFORE YOU ENROLL
Mentor Eligibility Guidelines
Mentor Eligibility Guidelines
Use this checklist to determine whether you meet the requirements to serve as a mentor. These onboarding steps will help you understand the mentor matching process, review program expectations, and provide the information needed to pair you with a student whose interests align with your research. Review each item before completing the mentor enrollment form to ensure you’re eligible to participate.
Institutional Minor Compliance & Safety
Institutional Minor Compliance & Safety
NCSSM has strong and longstanding partnerships with the following institutions: Duke University, NC State University, and UNC-Chapel Hill. As part of the partnerships, NCSSM manages the program registration at each campus and the minor compliance required by each institution for the NCSSM Durham Mentorship mentors and students.
Mentors are responsible for ensuring that they are following their institution's minor compliance and safety regulations. This includes ensuring the feasibility and safety of the student's active role in an ongoing/independent project on site.
Mentor Enrollment and Matching Process
Mentor Enrollment and Matching Process
Each year, eligible mentors enroll their research and mentorship opportunities to help connect with students whose interests and goals align with your opportunity. Your enrollment information also helps us identify students who meet your stated hard/skill requirements and preferences.
Students complete a student preparation course, led by Mentorship instructors, where they develop professional, research, and communication skills and prepare their application materials. Once students are ready, the NCSSM Director will email you with information about interested student(s) for your review. Mentors may request an interview with interested students as part of the matching process. Mentor enrollment continues until all students are matched.
Program Timelines
Program Timelines
The Mentorship Program offers three timelines — Mentorship 1, 2, and 3 — each with a different length and commitment.
Summer (M1): Full-day experiences over 5 weeks in the summer (Monday-Friday from 8:30-4:00 in June/July)
Academic Year (M2): Two afternoons per week from August to March (Tuesday, Thursday afternoons 1:00-4:00pm for 20 weeks with a break from mid-December through January)
Extended (M3): Combination Summer and Academic year opportunities (5 weeks in the summer + 20 weeks of Tuesday/Thursday afternoons from August to March)
Student Curriculum
Student Curriculum
Students complete a class curriculum with their NCSSM instructors that focuses on developing communication skills and demonstrating students’ understanding of their research project’s design, impact, and application. Assignments and course deliverables help students to incrementally develop their final presentations for NCSSM events such as the Summer Mentorship Celebration Symposium held in July and the NCSSM Research Symposium held in April of each year.
Mentor guidance and feedback is invaluable for students’ growth in project understanding and research communication, and we strongly encourage mentors to review major deliverables with your student. NCSSM Mentorship Instructors grade the students’ performance on course assignments.
Major assignments for students in all timelines:
Mentor-Mentee Agreement
Mini Grant Proposal
Abstract
Presentation at Research Symposium (NCSSM Community Event)
AFTER MATCHED WITH A STUDENT
Expectations of Mentors
Expectations of Mentors
1 Complete compliance every year
1 Complete compliance every year
A background check and Protection of Minors training, due each year by May 31 (instructions go out in mid-April).
Required for (1) the primary mentor, and (2) for any additional mentor who meets with the student without the primary mentor, in person or virtually.
Virtual meetings with your student need to be accessible for observation by NCSSM staff.
2 Get your mentee ready to start
2 Get your mentee ready to start
Hold an initial virtual meeting — ideally with the primary day-to-day mentor included.
Assign students any tasks required for institutional compliance forms, any site-specific safety training, ID cards, or library access they'll need.
3 Orient your student to the project
3 Orient your student to the project
Project — Establish the ongoing or independent research project available for the student that suits the program timeline. Each mentor-mentee pair will complete a mentor-mentee expectations agreement.
Role & Outcomes — Be clear about the student's role in the project: goals and specific outcomes.
Resources — Share relevant literature and background a student needs to understand, and later communicate, the project.
Feedback — Provide feedback on the written proposal and oral presentations that students prepare as part of their NCSSM coursework
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Contact the Durham Director of Mentorship and Research
Contact the Durham Director of Mentorship and Research
DURHAM CAMPUS
As Director of Mentorship and Research in Durham, Dr. Sarah Shoemaker supports research and innovation for NC School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) high school students by working with NCSSM faculty and cultivating relationships with mentors at local universities and business/industry partners in the Triangle. She has developed the Summer Research & Innovation Program, expanded the school-year Mentorship program, and developed curriculum to accomplish the learning goals of the programs. She serves as a strong support for the faculty and for our mentors from the community that work together to engage students as thinkers/makers/doers in an experience that requires the application of knowledge and skills to address challenges in the world beyond the classroom. Dr. Shoemaker is best defined by her passion for facilitating the success of others and promoting opportunities for the growth and development of young researchers and learners. Prior to coming to NCSSM, Dr. Shoemaker earned her Masters in Zoology and her PhD in Neuroscience at Case Western Research University and continued studying axon regeneration as a postdoctorate fellow at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her training as a scientist and teacher is ideal for implementing programs to create an environment that promotes both students’ understanding and their effective communication of research both in and outside the classroom.
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