Research Mentor News, November 2017
My, how time flies when you’re having fun! The Fall Semester is almost over and your mentees will soon be heading off to enjoy their end-of-year plans (which may, of course, include preparing applications for grad school!). But although the year is winding down, that doesn’t mean BUILD is. We’ve got all sorts of things coming up. Read on for updates.
SACNAS Is a Proving Ground for Future Researchers
This year, SACNAS was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from Oct. 19 to 21, and 14 BUILD trainees attended along with several of CSULB BUILD’s training directors. All of the trainees had a great time networking and several presented their research. Our own Year One Scholar Dejuante (DJ) Walker, in Dr. Ted Yu’s lab in COE, won a best poster award. “I like the supportive atmosphere at the conference,” said Panadda Marayong, Ph.D., one of the Training Directors for Year Two Scholars. “It is quite different from other professional meetings since the focus of the conference is on students.” Read more>>
Share your BUILD Success Story
The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) is one of our partner institutions in the BUILD network. They have an upcoming newsletter and are soliciting stories about Student-Mentor research successes from BUILD. We always like to hear about our success stories, so if you would like to share your story please contact Carma.Spence@csulb.edu if you need help putting something together.
Recruiting 2018-19 Trainees Begins This Month – Is Your Profile Up-to-Date?
We have already begun recruiting students for our 2018-2019 BUILD Associate and Scholars classes. The students will be asked to find an appropriate mentor on the BUILD directory. Please take a moment to review your entry on the BUILD Faculty Mentor Directory site to ensure it is up to date. If you need help updating your entry or will not be able to accept students next year, please email Carma.Spence@csulb.edu.
Apply for BUILD Equipment Grants by December 4, 2017
The Mid-Size Equipment Program, funded through BUILD, provides the opportunity for BUILD faculty mentors to acquire equipment valued at less than $25,000 (with a $10,000 minimum) that is justified on the basis of direct benefit to BUILD student training. Awards up to $24,999 will provide support for the purchase of midsize equipment (equipment costing between $10,000 and $24,999; awards cannot be combined as part of the purchase of large equipment). BUILD student participation and training need to be clearly integrated into the research plan for use of the equipment. We anticipate being able to fund 2-3 proposals for this program. Funds for this Mid-Size Equipment Program must be spent before May 30, 2018. Applications Due: Monday, December 4, 2017, by 5 p.m. PT. Check the BUILD website for details.
The Small Equipment and Computers Program, funded through BUILD, provides the opportunity for BUILD faculty mentors to acquire computers and/or small equipment (between $5,000-$10,000) that are justified on the basis of direct benefit to BUILD student training. Awards up to $10,000 will provide support for the purchase of lab computers and/or small equipment (equipment costing between $5,000 and $10,000; awards cannot be combined as part of the purchase of large equipment). BUILD student participation and training need to be clearly integrated into the research plan for use of the equipment. We anticipate being able to fund 3-4 proposals for this program. Funds for this Small Equipment and Computers program must be spent before May 30, 2018. Applications Due: Monday, December 4, 2017, by 5 p.m. PT. Check the BUILD website for details.
October Faculty Mixer Was a Success!
On Thursday, Oct. 26, more than 30 BUILD mentors (from all four BUILD colleges!), faculty and staff attended the Research Mentor Mixer at the Niggli Center in the College of Engineering. Even some curious non-BUILD potential mentors showed up. Attendees shared tacos, beans, rice, and chips from Holé Molé as they collaborated, talked about their research and shared their experiences with their various mentees. The next Research Mentor Mixer will be announced soon, so keep your eyes open. They’re getting better each time, so you’ll not want to miss it!
2016 HERI Survey Results
This may not come as a surprise, but CSULB faculty highly value teaching and research. Results from last year’s HERI Survey showed that the majority of faculty surveyed viewed teaching and research as essential. Almost 97 percent of respondents felt that teaching was either very important or essential and about 91 percent felt that research was very important or essential, with the majority in both groups leaning toward essential.
The HERI Faculty Survey explored faculty life and views. Results showed that CSULB’s faculty generally feel valued for all that they do for their institution, department, and students.
Given BUILD’s emphasis on diversity, it was good to see that almost 66 percent of respondent felt that promoting racial and ethnic diversity in the faculty and administration should be a priority for the institution.
Having one’s personal values be in alignment with one’s work is cited as a key to career success and general happiness. Fortunately, about 83 percent survey respondents experienced a close alignment between their work and their personal values. Part of this alignment is serving as a role model for undergraduate students (more than 76 percent felt this to a large or very large extent) and promoting students’ academic interests (almost 79 percent).
This year, CSULB faculty will be surveyed again. We encourage your participation, so keep a look out for the invitation.
BUILD Symposium Call for Presenters
BUILD Faculty Mentors are warmly invited to submit an abstract for an oral presentation of their health-related research at the 2018 BUILD Research Symposium. This event provides a unique opportunity for mentors and their student researchers to present their research to the CSULB community, increasing awareness of their work on campus, as well as the potential for collaboration with colleagues.
The Symposium will be held on Friday, March 2, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the USU Ballrooms. For more information, see the announcement on our website.
January is National Mentoring Month
Mentoring benefits both the mentor and the mentee, which is why January has been named National Mentoring Month. Whereas mentors can build leadership and management skills, expand their professional network, and experience an empowering opportunity to give back to the community, mentoring can be a critical component in a young person’s life.
A mentor empowers young people to make smart choices that put them on the path to making better life decisions. In the case of BUILD, that means gaining valuable research experience, making a better-informed decision on research direction, and choosing the best Ph.D. program for their career goals.
CSULB BUILD appreciates your participation in the program. Without your mentorship, BUILD Associates, Scholars, and Fellows would not gain the experience and guidance they need to give them a successful headstart for their research careers.
Here are some important dates that are part of National Mentoring Month:
- Jan. 4 – I Am a Mentor Day. Celebrate your role and reflect on the ways mentees have enhanced your world. Share your experiences on social media using the hashtags #CSULBBUILD, #MentoringMonth, and #BUILDMentor.
- Jan. 17 – International Mentoring Day. Mentors and mentees from around the world will be sharing their stories with photos and video on social media. Feel free to join in and use the hashtags #CSULBBUILD, #MentoringMonth, and #BUILDMentor.
- Jan. 25 – Thank Your Mentor Day. We’ll encourage BUILD trainees to chair their appreciation for their mentors on social media using the hashtag #ThankYourMentor. If you have a mentor you’d like to recognize, please join in with the hashtags #CSULBBUILD, #ThankYourMentor, and #MentoringMonth.
To make it easier for you to join in the national conversation on mentorship, we will provide for your sharing pleasure a variety of suggested posts and social media friendly images. We will also be highlighting mentor stories throughout the month on social media.
Mentor Videos on YouTube
More mentor videos, highlighting their research, are being added to the CSULB BUILD YouTube channel. To see what’s available now, view this playlist on YouTube. More are currently in the queue to be uploaded. They should be added to the playlist by the end of the year. To inquire if you can get on the schedule for future videos, contact Enri’que Flores.
CSULB BUILD in Pictures
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.
- Halloween at the BUILD Center – Trainees and Graduate Assistants got to have some fun carving pumpkins together on Friday, October 27.
- SACNAS 2017 – Many of our trainees experienced their first scientific conference last month at SACNAS. Read the highlights story mentioned above and check out more images on Facebook.
- ABRCMS 2017 – The highlights story will be coming up in the next newsletter, but you can get a sneak peak on our Instagram account.
Coming Next Issue …
- ABRCMS 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, please contact us at BUILD.mentors@csulb.edu. If you have any concerns about your BUILD Student, please contact us at BUILD.students@csulb.edu.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the December newsletter.
