The Undergraduate Research Mentor Award recognizes faculty, postdoc, and graduate student mentors who support undergraduate students in having enriching research experiences. Organized by the Office of Undergraduate Research Scholars, this award provides an avenue for undergraduate students to recognize and nominate their outstanding research mentors.
2024 faculty awardees
terry lowe
Research Professor, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
“Dr. Lowe has had a profound impact on my personal, professional, and academic life. He brought me on to his team as a first-year student and provided many opportunities for me to develop new skills and perform research. My self-confidence, ability to present findings, and competency in materials science have increased greatly since joining his research team.”
eileen martin
Assistant Professor, Geophysics and Applied Mathematics and Statistics
“The support [Dr. Martin] has offered has been instrumental in instilling confidence as I approach graduation, equipping me with a myriad of both soft and hard skills that I will carry with me throughout my career. Dr. Martin’s mentorship exemplifies the profound impact that a dedicated mentor can have on a student’s academic journey, and I am incredibly grateful to have her support as I strive to achieve my academic goals.”
scott strong
Teaching Professor, Applied Mathematics and Statistics
“I’m really grateful my first research experience was with Dr. Strong because he made it clear from the beginning that it’s okay and normal to struggle and feel like I’m not making progress for periods of time while doing research. I’ve gained confidence from this experience and I’ve grown as an independent learner.”
2024 postdoc Awardee
shilai Hao
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Civil & Environmental Engineering
“Working with Shilai has blown my expectations out of the water with respect to how much I have learned from working with him. Shilai is constantly teaching me new topics and laboratory procedures while continuously offering me the opportunity to learn about and participate in additional projects.It is always clear to me that Shilai’s goals for me are for me to learn as much as possible while working with him.”
2024 Graduate Student Awardees
JULIA HYLTON
Graduate Student, Materials Science
“The amount of relevant research skills in the realm of analysis, technical writing, and career development I have learned from [Julia] has built a foundation of confidence for me to build a path of my own. Her enthusiasm keeps me excited and inspired to keep going with my work, even at times where work can seem slow or ineffective.”
molly o'halloran
Graduate Student, Geology
“Molly enjoys what she does and her enthusiasm is contagious. She assumes that everyone is capable of learning. Deciding to go into geosciences is something I joked about for a while, but Molly took me seriously, constantly encouraging me to push myself toward my goals. I would never have envisioned myself successfully doing the work I did during SURF, but with the guidance of Molly, I was pushed out of my comfort zone and built an entirely new skillset.”
elliese wright
Graduate Student, Civil & environmental engineering
“Elliese excels at teaching and has been essential to my ability to learn the systems in place. I am given the freedom to pursue excellence and the assistance to achieve it. I would be lost in the research world if not for Elliese and I feel empowered as a woman in STEM and research because of her incredible mentorship.”
Eligibility
- Any Mines faculty, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students mentoring undergraduate students on a research projects are eligible to be nominated for the Undergraduate Research Mentor Award.
- Undergraduate students at Mines are eligible to submit nominations. Students can submit group nominations by including a list of additional nominators/contributors on the form.
Timeline
Nominations have closed for the 2024 Undergraduate Research Scholars Mentor Award.
Awardees will receive a celebratory plaque and be recognized at the Undergraduate Research Scholar Distinction Luncheon in late April.
Prepare a Nomination
Explain how your mentor has excelled in the following:
- Training and Professional Development (200 word maximum)
- Ongoing Support (200 word maximum)
- Evaluation and Feedback (200 word maximum)
- Impact on Learning and Development (200 word maximum)