It is the student team’s responsibility to complete and sign the top portion of the SURF IT Faculty Mentors Joint Letter of Support form before giving it to you. You will then be responsible for completing the bottom half of the form, writing a joint letter 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.
- Eligibility for all mentors also assumes the mentor’s availability to work with the student team throughout the entire undergraduate research process – i.e., availability not only during the actual summer 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 research period – i.e., during the academic year or 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 research period, we ask you to contact the Hamel Center director before the application deadline.
Interdisciplinary Co-Mentoring Responsibilities:
- Explore with the student team possible research topics that reflect the students’ interdisciplinary interests and preparation.
- Help the student team define and focus the project, including the development of a timetable to assure that the project can be managed within the time frame allotted.
- Identify the knowledge, experience, and skills the students need to conduct the project – and develop a plan for the students’ acquisition of these before the summer research period begins.
- Discuss with the students the details of how the proposed team-based, interdisciplinary project will be carried out and the features of a strong project proposal.
- Help your student team determine if their 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. The Hamel Center must receive confirmation of research approval before dispensing funds for summer research. For more information about the research approval process, see the Hamel Center’s Responsible Conduct of Research page.
- Review and critique the students’ proposal before submission. While it is the responsibility of the student team to write each proposal in its entirety, it is important that the mentors review the proposals in time for modifications to be made before submission. Keep in mind that the proposal should be understandable by faculty review committee members who are not from the specific fields of study represented in the project.
- Develop a time frame and a system of communication with the student team during the project development and preparation stage (spring) and during the actual research period (summer) 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 team in identifying appropriate forums in which to share their experience and research. Students who are awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) are required to present their work during the academic year following the summer research period. Many SURF recipients choose to participate in UNH’s Undergraduate Research Conference (URC), but other conferences or departmental forums are also appropriate.
