102 Roudebush Hall • Phone: 513-529-3600• Fax: 513-529-3762

DUOS - Tips for Undergraduates Working with a Mentor

DUOS Program Overview
The DUOS program aims to heighten the synergy between graduate and undergraduate research at Miami University. View program guidelines and get the application from the OARS website, or get a printed copy from the OARS office in 102 Roudebush Hall.

The graduate and undergraduate students will work together on a research project under the supervision of a faculty member in a Ph.D. granting department. Either graduates or undergraduates may initiate the application, but the undergraduate student is to have primary authorship of the project. Any Miami undergraduate student and any post-master’s doctoral student in good standing who agree to abide by program requirements are eligible to apply.

How do I find a DUOS mentor?
You need an advanced (post-masters') grad student from one of Miami's doctoral departments: Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Microbiology, English (Rhetoric and Composition for Literature), Political Science, Social Gerontology, Psychology, Zoology, Educational Leadership. Ask faculty members whose work interests you if they can refer you to an appropriate grad student.

Undergraduate Students - Finding and Working with a Research Mentor
Advice on Working with a mentor: Emory University ScienceNet
http://www.sciencenet.emory.edu/undergrad/finding_mentor.html

Undergraduate Research: A Guide To Getting Started
Prepared with input from Dr. Gary Roberts, the Center for Biology Education,
and members of the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences' Honors & Undergraduate Research Committee
Download the document from this link http://www.cals.wisc.edu/students/Guide.doc

Completing a Senior Honors Thesis: A Practical Strategy and Timeline
Robert J. Rydell
Miami University
December 7, 2004

How to get the most out of your research mentor
* Take personal responsibility for making the partnership productive.
* Ask questions, look interested. Demonstrate initiative and independence.
* Set and meet goals. Develop professional commitment.
* Make an effort to learn what professional researchers do: getting grants, making posters and presentations, etc.
* Produce high quality work. Go beyond minimal requirements. Ask for additional readings. Proofread your work. Use time well.
* Make and keep appointments to meet regularly; set goals for the meeting and bring information necessary to make progress on the project.
* Make timely progress on project.
* Communicate frequently, honestly and openly about progress on the project and interpersonal issues without personalizing, flattering or blaming.
* Negotiate about the mentor's expectations for students and the kind of feedback that they will provide and you need to receive.
* Be clear about who will do what, intellectual ownership and authorship issues.
* Develop a positive relationship with the mentor - be open about common interests, show interest in him/her as a person.
* Have reasonable expectations about turnaround time for responding to proposals and drafts.
* Cultivate a breadth of intellectual life - show respect to other disciplines, philosophical foundations, and intellectual curiosity.
* Be open to honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and seek help/advice when appropriate.
* Respond thoughtfully and non-defensively to constructive criticism of your work.
* Develop technical skills in writing, computer literacy, oral presentations, etc.
* Cultivate an active interest in research skills: designing, conducting and interpreting.
* Develop interpersonal skills: be polite, respectful and sincere with supervisors, peers, and support staff, regardless of gender, race, age, class, sexual orientation, etc.
* Adhere to ethical standards in your treatment of research materials, subjects, and data.
* Adhere to appropriate professional boundaries in the mentor-mentee relationship.
* Do not abuse books or lab materials which you are loaned or to which you have access.

References:
O'Neil, J. M. & Wrightsman, L. S. (2001) .The mentoring relationship in psychology training programs. In S. Walfish & A. K.

Hess, Succeeding in graduate school: The career guide for psychology students. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. 111-127. ch 9.

Hess, A. K. & Sauser, W. I. (2001). Students and faculty: The growth of relationships. In S. Walfish & A. K. Hess, Succeeding in graduate school: The career guide for psychology students. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Ch 8, pages 95-109. http://smi.stanford.edu/people/pratt/smi/advice.html http://www.cs.indiana.edu/how.2b/how.2b.research.html