April 22, 2025Collaboration in Creation: A Guide for Preparing and Presenting Research Posters – Part 2, For Mentors by Sabrina L. Thurman, Kenan Carter, Anna Grace Gilbert, Megan Parks, and Kyla Zeldin In our previous post, we, the members of the Infant Development Lab, shared advice for students on how to prepare to present research posters. In Part 2 of this series, we will now share several ways faculty mentors can support…
April 8, 2025Collaboration in Creation: A Guide for Preparing and Presenting Research Posters – Part 1, For Students by Sabrina L. Thurman, Kenan Carter, Anna Grace Gilbert, Megan Parks, and Kyla Zeldin“No idea is fully formed until it can be communicated.” The Boyer Commission 1998 As we near the end of the academic year, many undergraduate research students and their mentors are planning to present research posters showcasing their accomplishments. In…
December 6, 2024What’s in an Undergraduate Research Space?by Sabrina L. Thurman, Kenan Carter, Anna Grace Gilbert, and Kyla ZeldinThis semester, we have found ourselves thinking about the importance of research spaces for undergraduate research mentoring and research productivity. Dr. Thurman recently returned from a post-promotion sabbatical and rebuilt the infrastructure for her lab. Her psychology research program centers…
November 8, 2024Help!: When Problems Arise in Mentoring Relationshipsby Sabrina L. ThurmanJust like any other relationship, differences in opinions, values, and desires can lead to problems in mentoring as the relationship advances. Problems in mentoring might lead to superficial interactions, below-average engagement, unmet expectations, and difficulty relating to one another (Eby…
October 8, 2024Building Trust in Mentoring Relationshipsby Sabrina L. Thurman, Azul Bellot, and Tiffanie GrantMutual trust is widely recognized as a significant component of effective mentoring relationships because emotional and psychological safety allows both mentors and mentees to use their energy for learning and productivity rather than self-protection. Unfortunately, limited research exists on building…
September 12, 2024Strategies for Onboarding New Undergraduate Research Student Menteesby Sabrina ThurmanWe are approaching the time of year many mentors begin thinking about onboarding new undergraduate (and graduate) student mentees in their research programs. This exciting time marks the beginning of what will hopefully become a meaningful and productive relationship (if…
April 30, 2024Cultivating Vulnerability in Mentoring Relationshipsby Sabrina ThurmanRecently, I co-facilitated an undergraduate workshop about intentionally building connections with supportive faculty, staff, and peer mentors. In alignment with principles from relational mentoring, we collectively acknowledged that embracing some personal vulnerability was crucial for building meaningful interpersonal connections (Johnson…
February 6, 2024The Importance of Raising Student Awareness of Mentored Academic Opportunities, Financial Awards, and Scholarshipsby Sabrina ThurmanMany universities offer countless student success resources and academic opportunities, but they may not be well-known to students. Certainly, efforts to raise student awareness and involvement in academic offerings exist, but research shows most universities do not advertise academic opportunities…
January 2, 2024Strategies to Improve Mentees’ Ability to Build Their Own Mentoring Constellationsby Sabrina ThurmanSuccessful students often attend class, get to know professors, ask for help, and utilize campus resources, among other adaptive strategies. Many of these strategies for success center on building meaningful interpersonal connections with peers, faculty, and staff, which may evolve…
November 28, 2023Equalizing Status in Mentoring Relationships Fosters Collaborationby Sabrina ThurmanRecently, I mentored three undergraduate research students who graduated and went on to pursue graduate degrees and professional work. Through our mentoring relationships, which deepened over several years and involved navigating numerous unexpected challenges throughout the pandemic, I strove to…