December 19, 2022
Opportunity for faculty members to serve as undergraduate research mentors
Submitted by Office of Undergradute Research and Creative Inquiry
The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry, or OURCI, is looking to recruit faculty mentors interested in serving as undergraduate research mentors. Opportunities are available for summer 2023 and academic year 2023-24 mentors.
Summer research opportunity: The Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, or KS-LSAMP, is looking for science, technology, engineering and math faculty to participate in the 2023 Research Immersion: Pathways to STEM program, or RiPS. The eight-week program aims to provide a research experience for KS-LSAMP affiliated students — Barton Community College, Donnelly College, Dodge City Community College, Garden City Community College and Seward County Community College — and current K-State students. Its goal is to increase the engagement of underrepresented minority students in STEM.
Students are paired with faculty mentors based on their stated interests. During the program, student participants are expected to commit 30-35 hours per week to their research experience. This may include conducting experiments, collecting and analyzing data, library work or other research-related activities. The program culminates with students completing a research abstract and presenting a research poster for the K-State community.
Interested faculty should be available to work with students throughout the majority of the eight-week program. Mentors are encouraged to meet regularly with student participants during their research experience and be available for social gatherings that occur throughout the summer.
Academic year opportunity: The Developing Scholars Program is currently recruiting its 24th cohort of students to begin fall 2023. This program supports high-achieving, serious-minded, first-generation and/or underrepresented students by connecting them to research in their field of interest. Students are paired with faculty mentors and conduct research between 6-10 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters. Developing Scholars Program students present their projects at an annual research symposium held during spring semester. The Developing Scholars Program serves students from all majors.
For both programs, students are financially supported through grant funds or other sources. Therefore, the program is looking for faculty mentors to commit their time, expertise and mentoring abilities to help support students in these programs. Faculty selections for both programs will occur during spring semester.
Interested faculty should complete the following survey by Feb. 10, 2023: bit.ly/2023FacultyInterest.
If you have questions about KS-LSAMP, RiPS or the Developing Scholars Program you can contact Brenee King, director of OURCI, at breneek@k-state.edu.