Thank you for your support of undergraduate research at UNH. As you begin serving as a faculty mentor, we urge you to review all IROP application guidelines and program requirements on the Hamel Center website and to contact us with questions or concerns as soon as they arise. What follows is some basic information that may be useful as you start out, especially if you have not served as a mentor before.
The IROP Faculty Mentor Recommendation Form is available online. It is the student applicant’s responsibility to complete and sign the top portion of the form before giving it to you. You will then be responsible for writing a letter of recommendation using the prompts on the form, and submitting both the form and your letter through the online portal (at the bottom of this page) by the application deadline.
Mentor Eligibility:
- All tenure-track faculty members at UNH and UNHM are eligible, as well as non-tenure-track research, clinical, and extension faculty.
- Non-tenure-track lecturers, adjuncts, affiliate and visiting faculty may become mentors with the prior approval of the Hamel Center director and the appropriate department chair.
- See the complete list of mentor eligibility guidelines.
Additional Notes about Mentor Eligibility and Availability:
- Eligibility for all mentors also assumes the mentor’s availability to work with the student researcher throughout the entire undergraduate research process – i.e. availability not only during the actual research period, but also before the research begins (to assist with project design and proposal writing) and after the research has been completed (to assist with analysis of final results and presentation of research). Faculty mentors whose availability may be compromised (e.g., by sabbatical leave, extensive travel/absence, a new job/position or relocation) should contact the Hamel Center director before the application deadline in order to determine eligibility.
- We strongly encourage faculty members to mentor no more than two student projects per summer (including REAP, SURF, IROP, and Undergraduate Research Awards combined), to ensure that individual students receive sufficient guidance and supervision for their research. For faculty mentors who believe they have a strong rationale for mentoring more than two student projects per summer, we ask you to contact the Hamel Center director before the application deadline.
Mentor Responsibilities:
- Explore research, scholarly, or creative topics that reflect the student’s interests and preparation. Note: Students may participate in a faculty member’s research; however, students should not serve merely as research assistants. If participating in a faculty member’s research, students should be given a specific research problem to investigate on their own with the advice and assistance of their faculty mentors. Students should have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of professional research: from the design and development of the project to the analysis and conclusions.
- Help your student define and focus the project, including the development of a timetable to ensure that the project can be managed within the available time frame.
- Identify the knowledge, experience, and skills the student needs to complete the project – and develop a plan for the student’s acquisition of these before the research period begins. The mentor should confirm that the student will have junior-level preparation in his/her major – as well as appropriate language and cultural preparation – prior to conducting the proposed research.
- Discuss with the student the details of how the proposed research, scholarly, or creative project will be carried out and the features of a strong project proposal. A description of IROP proposal requirements, as well as the criteria used by the Hamel Center’s Faculty Advisory Committee in evaluating student proposals, can be found on the IROP webpage.
- Help your student determine if his/her project will require approval from a University review committee. Any projects involving interviews, surveys or questionnaires – i.e. all having to do with human subjects – must receive approval from UNH’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the research begins. Similarly, research involving vertebrate animals, infectious agents, DEA controlled substances, lasers, x-rays, hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, carcinogenic material, recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, NMR/superconducting magnets, and/or patents and copyrights must receive approval from the appropriate University review committee before the research begins. (In some cases, the faculty mentor may already have obtained approval for the research.) The Hamel Center must receive confirmation of research approval before dispensing award money. For more information about the research approval process, go to: http://unh.edu/undergrad-research/responsible-conduct-research Keep in mind that the international research country/site might require approvals in addition to UNH approvals – consult with the student’s international mentor.
- Review and critique the student’s proposal. While it is the responsibility of the student to write the proposal in its entirety, it is important that the mentor review the proposal in time for modifications to be made before submission. Keep in mind that the proposal should be understandable by Faculty Advisory Committee members who are not from the specific field of study represented by the proposal.
- Identify and discuss with the student the resources that will be available at the research location, including specific individuals to whom the student can turn for guidance.
- As necessary, help the student to identify an international mentor and/or communicate with the international mentor in order to help facilitate the student’s research and cultural preparation.
- After reviewing the proposal and evaluation criteria, complete a recommendation letter using the prompts on the “IROP Faculty Mentor Recommendation Form.” Note: The student applicant must complete and sign the top portion of the form before giving it to you. Please submit the form and your letter through the online portal no later than the application deadline.
- Develop a time frame and a system of communication with the student during the project period that will allow for an appropriate balance of mentor guidance and student independence.
- Complete the Faculty Mentor Evaluation at the end of the research period. (The evaluation will be provided to you electronically.)
- Assist the student in identifying appropriate forums in which to share his/her experience and research. Students who receive an IROP award are required to present their research results 1) at the Hamel Center’s International Undergraduate Research Symposium (fall), and 2) at a second appropriate forum (on or off campus) during the academic year. While many choose to participate in UNH’s Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) for their second presentation, other conferences or departmental forums are also appropriate.
