Outstanding Research Mentor Award :: Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program annually recognizes faculty members who were nominated by their students as outstanding research mentors. These research mentors exemplify the UROP program’s goals to actively engage undergraduate students in the research mission of the university and to motivate these young scholars and scientists and encourage them to seek further academic and professional research opportunities. These individuals are tremendous role models for their students; they have shared their passion for their work, have exhibited patience in their training, and have taken interest in these students’ academic, personal, and professional needs.

The 2008 Mentor Award Winners

Augustin Holl, Ph.D., Anthropology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Catherine Keegan, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, Medical School
Emile Lauzzana, M. Arch, College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Armando Matiz, D.D.S., Health Behavior, Health Education, School of Public Health
Sheryl Olson, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Mentor Award winners receive a $1000 monetary award and were recognized at the UROP Annual Research Sponsor Reception and Award Ceremony on April 9, 2008.

In addition, 11 faculty members earned Honorable Mention for their mentoring successes.

Michael Arnold, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering
Niladri Basu, Ph.D., Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health
Suresh K. Bhavnani, Ph.D., Computational Medicine and Biology, Medical School
Matthew Briones, Ph.D., American Culture, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Fernando Lara, Ph.D., Architecture, College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Tiffany Marra, Ph.D., Institute for Research on Women and Gender
Daniel Orringer, M.D., Neurosurgery, Medical School
Ebony Sandusky, Ph.D., Health Behavior, Health Education, School of Public Health
Matthew Wishart, M.D., Ph.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School
Liang Xu, Ph.D., Radiation Oncology, Medical School
Shi-Yi Zhou, Ph.D., Internal Medicine, Medical School

Here are samples of the kinds of remarks students wrote about their research mentors:

“It is my pleasure to nominate my mentorfor the UROP Outstanding Research Mentor Award. She has been a critical figure in my scholastic development and deserves to be honored for her strong commitment to all those that cross her path: students in her lab, her class, undergraduates and graduates alike. My conviction to engage in the field has been fueled by her extraordinary guidance and support. This letter presents a true, unembellished account of an outstanding research mentor that merits recognition. She has given me advice about the graduate school application process by stressing the importance of research experience, forming rapport with professors, publishing or presenting research if possible, and taking into account the student-professor fit. She has passed on her knowledge about upholding methodological standards, critically approaching research, the importance of scrutiny, etc. Out of all that I have learned, I am most inspired by her sense of duty to the scientific literature and her colleagues, whom she regards as family.”

“My mentor is a compassionate, helpful, and entertaining advisor. I have learned a lot about an entirely new area of research from him. I have learned documentation and record keeping processes. He encourages all of the UROP student researchers to explore different opportunities available at Michigan, both within and beyond his field. He has taken some of the other students to lectures and encouraged me to attend the Brown Bag lectures held in the department. He has also encouraged me and others to take advantage of travel and research opportunities. He has taught me the importance of experiencing events firsthand and of being adventurous. Generous is another word that could describe him. Every Friday he buys pizza for the research group. During the pizza lunch we all get together and talk about our research as well as whatever else is on our minds. He has a sincere interest in all of his students and researchers. He gives his time and energy to help us academically and socially. Several of his past researchers still come in the lab to volunteer their time.”

“I would like to take this moment to recognize mentor as an exceptional faculty sponsor. He is very charismatic and outgoing, always excited to meet someone new. Such was his disposition that I felt immediately comfortable with him and now I am able to discuss any matter that may come up while we work together. He always makes sure that I am not overwhelmed by the workload of our projects and asks daily about my academic and social life, making sure that everything is okay. When I work on my project, he is never impatient about my mistakes and actually sits down with me to review them and show the ways I can improve. He is very willing to help me out in any way possible that he thinks is best for my academic experience. In the past I had told him I was really interested in community organizations such as NGOs and Non-profits, so he asked me to help him prepare for and attend the workshop so that I may acquire better skills concerning organization restructuring. As I observe all the work he has done and the relationships he has built, I see that he is very effective at what he does and does not stop until he has finished what he originally set out to do. In these actions I find an excellent role model, to whom I could wish enough to someday be compared.”