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Approaches to mentoring undergraduate thesis research in environmental studies and sciences.
Type of Session
Full Presentation Panel
Abstract
The intended outcome of this panel is that attendees leave with the energy, ideas and narratives to help them reform their campus to better facilitate and support undergraduate student research. Faculty and students from four institutions will explore the common and the unique challenges of mentoring undergraduates in both environmental studies and environmental science research, sharing successful strategies as well as on-going challenges in this work. As part of our panel, seniors from each institution will offer brief presentations of their thesis projects, demonstrating the many benefits of providing such opportunities for student development. In a discussion with the attendees, faculty and student panelists will explore some essential questions associated with environmental student theses, such as those listed below.
How do we best prepare environmental students to have the skills, confidence and drive to seek and succeed in senior thesis work? What kinds of environmental problems inherently demand an interdisciplinary approach and why? What are the pros and cons of interdisciplinary teams versus independent student work? What level of mastery of skills and knowledge from particular disciplines should faculty mentors expect of such students? How do students and mentors address the limitations and opportunities that come from having multiple faculty members from different disciplines serving on thesis committees? How might we best steward an exemplary thesis project through to publication?