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MORGANTON CAMPUS
About the Mentorship Program
About the Mentorship Program
The Mentorship Program is a 40+ year tradition and is recognized for its unique collaboration with over 200 volunteer mentors per year that provide project-based opportunities for students. The program is designed for students with little or no previous experience and relies on NCSSM instructors to provide the support and instruction necessary for high school students to navigate the experience with confidence, professionalism, and self-reliance.
A key to the student experience is the engagement in a project under the guidance of a professional partnering with NCSSM Mentorship Programs. NCSSM Morganton partners include research and problem-based experience with industry partners and community partners, as well as nationally recognized certification programs (i.e., EMT).
The Mentorship course curriculum is extensively research-focused. The range of topics and fields of interest widely vary within research (STEM, social sciences and humanities). Students develop skills such as how to read publications/literature, keep records of their daily activities, and demonstrate their learning and the impact of their work through presentations and written communication to a variety of audiences from experts in the field to the community at NCSSM (i.e. a 10-minute oral presentation, a poster presentation, and/or an elevator pitch and mini-grant proposal).
ENGAGE WITH THE NCSSM MORGANTON MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
CHOOSING A TRACK
Program Timelines
Program Timelines
The Mentorship Program runs on three timelines — Mentorship 1, 2, and 3 — each with a different length and commitment.
Summer Mentorship (Mentorship 1, M1): The Summer Mentorship program is offered to NCSSM Durham and Morganton students as well as NCSSM Online students for 5-7 weeks in the summer. Students live on campus and are provided transportation to and from their mentors' sites. As part of the Summer Research & Innovation Program (SRIP), Summer Mentorship students can interact with the larger community of other student researchers and innovators when they are not off-campus for research. Participating in Summer Mentorship excludes students from participating in other SRIP opportunities offered by NCSSM and full commitment is required.
Durham M1 students are typically on-site Monday through Friday, 8AM-4PM.
Morganton M1 students are typically on-site most often Monday through Friday for full days, scheduling is dependent on the professional partner.
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Academic Year Mentorship (Mentorship 2, M2): The Academic Year Mentorship Program is offered to only NCSSM residential students at their respective campus during the school year for both semesters of their senior year. Students travel to their research location twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, during afternoon blocks and flexible use time. Students will typically remain on site from 1PM-4PM (not including travel time). The Academic Year Mentorship program counts as credit for one of the five core classes each student is required to take during the academic year.
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Extended Mentorship (Mentorship 3, M3): The Extended Mentorship Program is offered to only NCSSM residential students at their respective campus. It is a combination of Summer Mentorship and Academic Year Mentorship. Students will participate in research for 5-7 weeks during the summer (see below). During their senior year, students will continue their research by traveling to their research site twice a week (Tuesday/Thursday, 1PM-4PM not including travel time). The Extended Mentorship program counts as credit for one of the five core classes each student is required to take during the academic year. As the program begins in the summer, Extended Mentorship is part of the Summer Research & Innovation Program (SRIP). Participating in Extended Mentorship excludes students from participating in other SRIP opportunities offered by NCSSM.
During the summer, Durham M1 students are typically on-site Monday through Friday, 8AM-4PM.
During the summer, Morganton M1 students are typically on-site most often Monday through Friday for full days, scheduling is dependent on the professional partner.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Contact the Morganton Mentorship Team
Contact the Morganton Mentorship Team
MORGANTON CAMPUS
Christiane Burkins
Christiane Burkins
christiane.burkins@ncssm.edu
Christiane Burkins is the Director of Mentorship and Research for our Morganton campus. Before joining NCSSM in March 2024, she served as Internship and Partnership Coordinator at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology in Lawrenceville, Georgia. At the Gwinnett School, she managed a year-long, STEM-based internship program for 250+ seniors and also coordinated a quarterly STEM speaker series which hosted professionals from academia and industry. Prior to becoming an educator, Christiane held various director positions in communications, marketing and human resources. She earned her bachelor’s in English from Presbyterian College, and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Georgia State University. In her spare time, Christiane studies and writes about food anthropology, and enjoys cooking, hiking, reading, and spending time with her family and dogs.
MORGANTON CAMPUS
Collyn Gaffney
Collyn Gaffney
Collyn Gaffney joined the NCSSM-Morganton team in June 2022 as an Instructor of Mentorship and Research. She began her teaching career in 2006 in Boise, Idaho. Aside from teaching core courses of history, math, and ELA, Collyn has enjoyed teaching Big History Project, morphology, improv, and coaching First Lego League, Science Olympiad, and Fishing Team. Prior to her 16 years in the classroom, she spent 13+ years in the radio, TV, and film industry in both North Carolina and Idaho. Collyn enjoys being on the NCSSM team and exploring western North Carolina. Her daughter is a NCSSM Class of 2013 alum.
IN THE NEWS
Stories of Mentorship at NCSSM Morganton
Stories of Mentorship at NCSSM Morganton
Explore how mentorship connects NCSSM students with research beyond the classroom.
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