Nature of Responsibilities

Make the initial contact with the student

Serve as a scientific/professional resource for the student
* Help students formulate a topic to the degree needed and appropriate
* Direct students to relevant information
* Help students understand scientific concepts and terminology
* Discuss the development of their project and its alignment with evaluation criteria
* Review the project as it progresses, making suggestions where appropriate
* Adhere to the work plan agreed upon with the student

Be a career/role model for students
* Provide career information, discuss educational opportunities, and share your career path
* Describe your work and its significance
* If appropriate, show students your workspace
* Advisors may want to show students an experiment or have them participate in one (please be aware of any company policies regarding high school students in labs)

Duration of Contact and Approximate Time Commitment
The advisor commitment extends from October to May. At minimum, students share their outline and rough draft with their advisor. We recommend a minimum of 5 additional e-mail contacts. We strongly suggest that students and advisors meet at least once. We provide several advisor/student match events in the fall to facilitate this interaction. The amount of time that advisors and mentors commit ranges from at minimum reviewing the students project plus 5 suggested e-mail or phone contacts at the Advisor Level (2-4 hours) up to intensive internships or other in-depth experiences at the Mentor Level (approximately 20-30 hours)

Final Outcome
Students’ Expo Project, which includes reflection on advisory experience, is the final outcome. The degree to which the student has made use of available resource is part of the evaluation criteria for projects. In addition, follow-up evaluations are provided for both advisors/mentors and students.

Q: Am I expected to come up with the student’s topic?

A: It is not your responsibility to come up with the student’s topic, however, we have found some students need more support and suggestions than others. If your student is asking you to decide their topic, try offering suggestions in the form of resources. Suggest a few of your own ideas and ask lots of questions to get the student thinking about their own interests. News articles are often a good place for students to get ideas. If the student is still stuck and seems to be relying on you too much, contact the student’s teacher to let them know the student may need additional support in the classroom.

Q: What if my student chooses a topic I am unfamiliar with?

A: You do not need to be an expert on your student’s topic. Remember these are high schools students. They may have limited experience and simply need help with how and where to find resources. Help them learn about using the library. Provide them with journals, magazines or other articles you run across in the news. If you have a colleague who knows about the student’s topic, ask if they are available for an interview with your student. (You can also use our current advisors/mentor database (found on the “Contacts” page) to see if there are any scientists with knowledge of your student’s topic.)

Q: Am I supposed to edit the student’s paper for grammar and punctuation or only science content?

A: Science content is the most important aspect of the student’s paper. You are not required or expected to edit the paper for grammar, however, some general suggestions for grammar and punctuation may be greatly appreciated. Try finding a few key patterns and suggesting the student reread their paper keeping this in mind. (eg. If the student uses commas incorrectly, give them some rules and an example and ask they go through the rest of their paper.) One advisor felt his student’s paper was too wordy causing her argument to be weak. He took her first paragraph and rewrote it to give her an example of a more concise body of work. He then recommended his favorite grammar reference book and suggested she go through the rest of her paper to see where she could trim it down. Ultimately, how much grammatical editing you do is up to you.

Q: Who do I contact if I need to report insufficient contact from my student?

 A: Let the teacher know if the student has not made contact or is not adhering to their work plan. If no changes occur in commitment level, contact Evelyn Laminack at elaminack@nwabr.org to request working with another student.

Q: Should I sign up for more than one student?

A: One of our advisors signs up for several students each year, noting that, “Sometimes high school students, even those with the best intentions, flake out for a variety of reasons ranging from irresponsibility to over-commitment to too many activities.…My personal solution is to sign up for more than one student. I know this sounds like a shameless attempt to get people to sign up for more work, but it has really worked for me. If one student flakes out and I have one or two others who are excited and involved, then I still have a good time.”

Q: Am I invited to attend the Expo?

A: Yes! We encourage all advisors and mentors to stop by during a portion of the day to view their student’s work and experience the Student Biotech Expo.