Research Mentor News, September 2017

The summer is officially over! Fall semester is now here. But, before you get too bogged down with your duties, check out some of the highlights from this summer’s BUILD activities.

Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Guido Urizar with Drs. Simon K

Annual Summer Symposium Highlights

The Annual Summer Research Symposium was a success! You can view highlights, including a fun, time-lapse video, on the Symposium article page.

Highlights from the USC & UCI Tours

Every summer, students participating in the CSULB BUILD SURGE program are taken on field trips to two of our partner institutions, University of Southern California and University of Irvine. Photo galleries highlighting these field trips are now available. Check out the goings-on at both USC and UCI.

Friends & Family Elevator Speech Contestants, 2017

Video Highlights from the Elevator Speech Contest

Videos of the six winning Elevator Speeches have been added to the SURGE 1 & 2 Elevator Speech Contest page. On this page, you’ll also find highlights and photos from the event.

Mentor Lab Material and Supply Funds Reminder

Your “Mentor Lab Material and Supply” funds are available (as of July 1, 2017) for the new fiscal year. When you are ready to begin spending your allocated funds, please contact the BUILD budget manager, Marie Reed. She will send you a tracking spreadsheet with your PO numbers and instructions on placing orders.

Please keep in mind that 50% of your funds must be spent by February 28, 2018, and the remaining funds by May 31, 2018.  These funds cannot be carried over.

Mark Your Calendar for Multicultural Training

We have two upcoming opportunities for you to attend the BUILD Multicultural Workshops. As a reminder, attending at least one workshop is required of all BUILD mentors who have or will be accepting trainees into their lab. Even if you have already satisfied this requirement, we invite you to attend workshops of interest.

  • Effective Mentoring in a Multicultural Setting, Workshop 1 will cover cross-cultural communication patterns and expectations as mentors of students of diverse backgrounds. You have two times from which to choose: Tuesday, Sept. 26, 10 am to 12 pm and Friday, Sept. 29, 1 to 3 pm.
  • Effective Mentoring in a Multicultural Setting, Workshop 2 will cover Unconscious Bias, Stereotype Threat, and Empowering Underrepresented Students in a Diverse Classroom backgrounds. You have two times from which to choose: Friday, Nov. 3, 1 to 3 pm and Tuesday, Nov. 7, 10 am to 12 pm.

For more information, visit the Multicultural Workshops page.

Cultural Competence in the Workplace

The Career Development Center and the Multicultural Center have partnered to present a collaborative four-part workshop series which will address issues regarding cultural competence in the workplace. The first two workshops will be held this semester in the Multicultural Center, FO-3 Room 2.

  • Monday, Sept. 25, 12-2 pm “Got Skillz: Maximizing Your Cultural Capital in the Workplace” 
  • Monday, Nov. 13, 12-2 pm “How to Positively Address Microaggression in the Workplace”

Each workshop has a capacity of 25 participants. Seats will be filled on a first come, first served. Faculty and students are both welcome. If you are interested and would like to make arrangements to have your class or student group attend a workshop, contact terri.armstrong@csulb.edu.

Advanced Biomedical Research Methods Sought

The instructor scheduled to teach the ENGR/NSCI 496 Advanced Biomedical Research Methods in spring 2018 is no longer available.  If you are interested in teaching the course, please contact Paul Buonora to learn more about the course.

Coming Next Issue …

  • Faculty Mixers
  • #MyBUILDSummer Campaign
  • Summer Internship Highlights

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, or concerns about your BUILD Student, please contact us at BUILD.mentors@csulb.edu.  Be sure to keep an eye out for the October newsletter.