Research Mentor News, February 2019

BUILD Offices and Center Has Moved

New BUILD Staff Offices

The BUILD Center and staff offices have moved into the new Student Success Center (SSC), formerly PH2. We are located on the second floor near the front of the building in Rooms SSC-215 (BUILD Center) and SSC-225 (staff offices). We’d love to have you stop by and see our shiny new digs! For more information, visit the “We’ve Moved!” page.

BUILD Research Programs Looking for Students

Do you have students in your lab who are not in a CSULB research program? Please tell them about the BUILD Research Programs. The application deadline is March 1, 2019, so now is the time to apply. Students with one full year remaining as of June 2019 (usually Juniors) and at least one semester of research experience before June 2019 can apply to the BUILD Fellows program. Students with two years remaining at CSULB as of June 2019 can apply to the BUILD Scholars program. Applications can be found here.

Refer them to the following informational sessions if they have any questions about BUILD:

Join Us for the BUILD Annual Research Symposium

Dr. Malo Andre Hutsen will the the keynote speaker at the

CSULB BUILD is hosting its fourth Annual Research Symposium on Friday, March 1, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the USU Ballrooms. Registration opens at 8 am. With the theme of “Community: Turning our wealth of diverse perspectives into improved health," it will showcase the diversity and breadth of health-related research conducted at CSULB. This is a unique opportunity for individuals to collaborate, share research findings, and to promote health equity and scientific leadership with an emphasis on diversity.

The Keynote speaker will be Malo Andre Hutson, Ph.D., MCP, Associate Professor and Director of the Urban Planning Ph.D. Program, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP), Columbia University, New York. A widely-recognized scholar, teacher, and practitioner, his research focuses on community development and urban equity, racial and ethnic inequalities and urban policy, as well as the built environment and health.

Box lunches will be provided to those who register. You can register here.

Health and Tech Event

Each spring, the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) at California State University Long Beach engages the entire campus in a free technology event designed to prepare students to live and work in an increasingly technology-driven world. This year’s focus is Health and Tech—an interactive introduction to innovations in health and technology. IIE defines health broadly to include physical, mental, and relational health. Attendees will participate in hands-on exploration where they wear, touch, and fully immerse themselves in health and tech experiences including but not limited to biofeedback sensors, accelerometers, and virtual reality. Other engagements include panels, speed informational interviews with experts and employers in the field, food, and a competitive ideathon to practice creative problem solving within the realm of health and tech.

All students are welcome, however, BUILD students are encouraged to attend the event after the BUILD Research Symposium on March 1, 2019, as well as on Saturday, March 2, 2019. This is an excellent opportunity to network with health technology experts and lend their expertise to the ideathon competition. Health and Tech will be held in the Design building’s Duncan Anderson Gallery and nearby classrooms. For more information, visit the event’s webpage or email Dr. Ebony Utley.

How To Update Your Profile in the BUILD Faculty Mentor Directory

New BUILD trainees are actively seeking their mentors for the new school year and they are using the BUILD Faculty Mentor Directory site. To better attract the right mentees to your program, it is advisable that you make sure your BUILD Research Mentor Profile it up-to-date. You can do that by following these instructions:

  1. Go to web.csulb.edu/HealthEquity/build/BUILD_mentors
  2. Locate your profile
  3. Click on the edit icon in the upper right-hand corner.
  4. Update your information
  5. Click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page.

To help you navigate the mentor database, an instructional video has been created. You can find it here: youtu.be/CA8fqGvubZM or watch it below.

How to Update Your Mentor Profile Video

Tips for creating a compelling mentor profile:

  • Describe your research in terms that a layperson can understand. These young students are not necessarily up on your field’s jargon and terminology.
  • Include your mentor/trainee contract if you use one. This helps prospective mentees decide if you might be a good fit for their interests or not.
  • If you’ve had BUILD mentees in your lab before, mention them. Knowing that someone from our program has already been in your lab can be more appealing to students.

If you need help updating your entry, massaging your content so that it is more appealing to young students, or will not be able to accept new students next year, please email Digital Media & Communications Specialist.

ORSP Multidisciplinary Mixer: Wine, Cheese, and RFPs

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) is holding a mixer on Fri. Feb. 15, 2019, from 1 to 4 pm in the ISpace, University Library (lower level). You are invited to attend and find colleagues with shared research, scholarly, and creative interests and form teams for ORSP's Multidisciplinary Research Awards.

Featured topics include:

  • Health equities and health disparities
  • Climate change & interdisciplinary environmental research
  • Automation & artificial intelligence
  • Recruiting the underrepresented to STEM/STEAM
  • Multidisciplinary artworks

Sample Requests for Proposals for these topics will be available. Learn how your team can apply for internal funding (up to $15,000; due Mar. 29) to support the development of a multidisciplinary extramural grant on any topic. For more information, visit this page.

Spread the Word: BUILD Student Spring Fling

Let your BUILD mentees know about the Spring Fling event being held on Friday, April 19, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in the Bowling Alley on the first floor of the USU. This is a great opportunity for students to get to know each other in a fun, relaxed environment.

Save the Date: First Faculty Mixer of the Year

Mark your calendars for April 10 from 11:30 am to 1 pm. The Spring Faculty Mixer will be held in the new BUILD Center. This is an excellent opportunity to check out our fancy new location (if you haven’t seen it by then), as well as network with fellow BUILD Research Mentors and staff.

Scholars Will Need Your Help

Year 1 and some 2 Scholars are now applying for their summer internship programs. They may need your assistance with completing the applications or with letters of recommendation. Also, Year 1 Scholars will be preparing research summaries and presentations and may need your feedback and support. Please do your best to assist them.

Associates Will Need Your Help

Many Associates will now be applying to continue as Scholars either to continue with you or to switch to a new research group. They will need a letter of recommendation from you to continue in the program. Please speak with your mentee about their interest in staying in the program and staying in your research group.

GMs of the month – January

Graduate Mentors (GMs) are an important part of the CSULB BUILD program, providing near-peer support to our trainees. The GMs for January were Dhara Patel and Amber Normann. You can learn more about them here. This month’s spotlighted GMs will be announced at the end of the month and included in next month’s newsletter.

Looking for New Mentees? Let Us Spotlight Your Work!

Increasing your visibility to the CSULB BUILD community can help you not only recruit new mentees, but also fellow mentors for potential collaborations. Please take a moment to download the survey (Word File) and return it to the Digital Media and Communications Specialist. Your spotlight can be posted in the BUILD Center, in this newsletter, and in social media. You can choose where your spotlight can be shared.

You are doing wonderful research and we’d like to highlight that to the BUILD community and beyond. So, turn in your spotlight survey today!

Mentor Supply Funds for BUILD Year 5

Please contact Marie Reed for instructions on spending your “Mentor Supply Funds” for Year 5.

Please keep the following in mind:

  1. You will have until Feb. 28, 2019, to spend out 50% of your funds.  You will have until May 31, 2019, to spend out the remaining funds.  These funds cannot be carried over.
  2. You are required to complete the ATI/E&IT checklist and have it approved by the Purchasing Department PRIOR to the purchase of electronics and software. You can download a PDF of the form here. The completed form should be sent directly to Purchasing@csulb.edu for approval.
  3. Please refer to your mentor newsletters for announcements, updates, and purchasing guidelines.

Highlights from National Mentoring Day

January is National Mentoring Month

Last Thursday was National Mentoring Day and BUILD sites across the country participated in the event by posting on social media. To see what was posted, follow these links.

You can also find posts by searching your favorite social media site for the hashtag #MyBUILDmentor. Learn more about this event in the Diversity Program Consortium newsletter.

CSULB BUILD in Pictures – First Peek at the New BUILD Center

CSULB BUILD’s Facebook and Instagram accounts are filled with pictures of our Associates, Scholars, and Fellows. Each month we’ll highlight a collection here.

  • The New BUILD Center – On Jan. 14, 2019, the BUILD Center and staff moved into the new Student Success Center, the former PH2 building freshly renovated. Take a look at what the new Center looks like—quite an upgrade!

Acknowledging BUILD in Your Presentations/Publications

Please remember to acknowledge the funding from National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers UL1GM118979, TL4GM118980, and RL5GM118978 on work supported by BUILD, including support from BUILD student trainees, mentor appreciation fund, BUILD research and equipment grants. When you review your mentees’ posters, also check to make sure they have included the correct grand numbers. For a sample acknowledgment statement, NIH resources and policy, please visit the “Acknowledging BUILD in Your Publications” page on our website. It can be found under Mentors > Current Mentors.

Be Prepared

If you'd like to know what is coming up in the BUILD Learning Community for your mentee, download the current syllabus. This will give you a heads up on what events your mentee is required to attend and therefore will not be available to work in your lab at that time. This page will be updated each semester with the new syllabi.

Communicating with BUILD

We invite your news about your BUILD Trainee and any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions about BUILD. If you have any of these, in relation to being a BUILD Research Mentor, please contact us at BUILD.mentors@csulb.edu. If you have any concerns about your BUILD Trainee, please contact the Student Training Core Director at Jesse.Dillon@csulb.edu.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the March newsletter.