Faculty are an integral part of the student experience

As mentors and teachers, bosses and supervisors, faculty members at the University of Vermont are a critical part of a student's development as a budding scholar. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a new grad student with a fresh crop of assistants, being a mentor for undergrads is both rewarding and stressful. Here's a link to a Mentoring Toolkit developed at CalPoly through a Kellogg Legacy Project Endowment.

Below we have some resources to help you engage with students at the Student Research Conference.

Student Research Conference (SRC): Resources to encourage attendance and participation

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to encourage students to be a part of the SRC. If you are looking to encourage your students to participate, we would be happy to send you (in hard copy through campus mail or digitally) registration save-the-date cards, posters, and pre-formatted emails. We are able to provide an edited version of the schedule of events with certain fields highlighted, or send along advanced copies of the printed program for planning the trip to the conference as well. If you bring your class to the SRC, we can provide a tour guide day-of. If you are in need of another resource, please feel free to contact the SRC Coordinator.

Involving your class(es) at the SRC

Classes at the 200-level are allowed to present their work at the SRC. There are two ways that a class can present their work:

  1. Individual Presentations: The faculty member must provide the SRC coordinator with a roster prior to registration. Individual students are treated much like general presenters. Presentations may be given throughout the day or may be given in a bulk slot decided upon by the class. If a single time slot is opted for, please be in touch with the SRC Coordinator by the registration open date. If the class will be presenting posters and is comprised of undergraduates, Fellowships, Opportunities, & Undergraduate Research will split the poster-printing costs with the presenting department. Each student will be required to register individually. The SRC Coordinator will use the roster to contact the faculty member close to the deadline about those not yet registered. The instructing professor will be the "faculty sponsor" on each project and will therefore receive a copy of each student's registration. If each presentation is to be conducted in one session, this must be worked out one month before the conference to allow for scheduling.
  2. Group Presentations: One presenter from each group will register with the necessary information for co-presenters on hand. The faculty member must provide the SRC coordinator with a roster prior to registration. Individual students are treated much like general presenters. Presentations may be given throughout the day or maybe given in a bulk slot decided by the class. If a single time slot is opted for, please be in touch with the SRC Coordinator by the registration open date. If the class will be doing posters and is comprised of undergraduates, Fellowships, Opportunities, & Undergraduate Research will split the poster-printing costs with the presenting department. Each student will be required to register individually. The SRC Coordinator will use the roster to contact the faculty member close to the deadline about those not yet registered. The instructing professor will be the "faculty sponsor" on each project and will therefore receive a copy of each student's registration. If each presentation is to be conducted in one session, this must be worked out one month before the conference to allow for scheduling.

What are the responsibilities of an SRC mentor?

Formally there are very few responsibilities. When your student submits their registration form, you will be notified. We ask that you check the notification to ensure that the submitted abstract and project is on par with the level (quality, substance, and independence-based) at which research is expected to be for participation.

How do I know all the students I require to present at the SRC are registered?

The SRC Coordinator collects lists from departments and programs at the start of the spring semester and will happily track which students do and do not register. You will be alerted of which registrations are still incomplete one week prior to registration closing.

Proposing and Invited/Special Session

The SRC is a place to highlight the work that you are currently doing or an avenue you may wish to pursue. Do you want to focus on your research group, a class you are teaching (or interested in developing), or even a current event that you would like to see presented (just some ideas)?  Start by Proposing a Special Session. Then you may bring students you already know OR we will provide you with a list of students who are presenting at this year's SRC and you may choose 4-6 to participate in your session.

Contact the SRC Coordinator if you have any questions.

Photo of Prof. Rory Waterman with student in the lab, analyzing chemical reactions.

64% of presenters in the 2017 Student Research Conference indicated that their faculty mentor told them about the SRC.