Carnegie Mellon University

Resources for Mentors 

Are you mentoring an undergraduate, or plan to in the future? Thank you for doing this important work! Whether you are faculty, staff, a post-doc, or a graduate student, the time and effort you are putting into supporting a young scholar are making a real difference in their life.

Mentoring well is exhilarating and also sometimes challenging! With this in mind, we have compiled the following resources to support you in this effort. We are also happy to hear directly from you, so please feel free to reach out to us at oursd-general@andrew.cmu.edu

At Carnegie Mellon, undergraduates in all fields of study can participate in research and creative inquiry under your mentorship in a variety of ways, including:

OURSD Programming

During the academic year:


During the summer:


At conferences:

  • Presentation awards: funding for undergraduate students or groups who are presenting their research at academic conferences
  • Meeting of the Minds: Carnegie Mellon’s annual university-wide celebration of undergraduate research, open to presentations from all undergraduates engaged in research and creative projects

Federal Work-Study Positions

Students who are eligible for Federal Work-Study (a form of federal financial aid) can be hired as undergraduate research assistants at a reduced cost by utilizing their aid to cover a percentage of their hourly pay. For more information about hiring work-study students, see the Student Financial Services website.

Course Credit

With faculty approval, students can enroll in independent study/research courses through their mentor’s academic department. For more information about how to enroll a student-researcher in one of these courses, students should contact their academic advisor.

NSF REU Supplements

For mentors in disciplines eligible for support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Supplements can be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants to provide funding for one to two undergraduate researchers. See the NSF REU Supplement program solicitation for more information about the award, and our sample language and budget for incorporation into your grant.

The Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon has developed an Undergraduate Research Toolkit to support instructors in designing and implementing research projects for undergraduate students.


OURSD and the Eberly Center have partnered to offer Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers (MUR), a mentor-training institute for graduate students and postdocs. It is held each January. Interested graduate students and postdocs are welcome to contact us at any time to discuss the institute themes and content.


The Center for Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) offers trainings and handbooks for those who mentor undergraduate researchers. These include:

OURSD can assist you in advertising research opportunities and recruiting qualified undergraduate research assistants!


We maintain a general project list for students looking to do research outside of a specific program, posted on our “Looking For Research Opportunities?” webpage. To submit a project to be advertised on this page, complete this Google Form by providing information about your research opportunity.


To recruit students for:


Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship (SURA)

  • Keep an eye out for a SURA project solicitation form from OURSD, typically sent via email to faculty and advisors February-March. If you don’t receive the form, please reach out to us at oursd-general@andrew.cmu.edu, and we will share it with you.
  • To enroll in SURA, students must complete the 99-270 Summer Undergraduate Research Form. After the student submits the form, you will receive an automated email prompting you to approve and sign. The form, with your approval, is due in late May.

The Highway to Undergraduate Research in the Academic Year (HURAY): OURSD emails a call for projects to faculty during the spring and summer to solicit projects for the upcoming academic year. If you don’t receive the form, please reach out to us at oursd-general@andrew.cmu.edu, and we will share it with you. 

 

Other recruitment considerations:

Our Small Undergraduate Research Grants (SURG) and Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) are selective programs and both require an application that includes a student-authored research proposal and a letter of recommendation from the research mentor. Hence, students who apply for these programs have often already been working with their mentors for some time prior to applying. If you are interested in mentoring a student in one of these programs but do not currently have a student working with you, you may be able to recruit via courses you teach, academic student organizations you advise, or by advertising a position on our “Looking for Research Opportunities?” page (linked above). However, keep in mind that the level of the student’s experience in research generally and in the proposed project is something that our committee takes into account when evaluating SURG and SURF applications, so a newly recruited student could be a better fit for SURA. OURSD is always happy to advise students and mentors on program choice when needed.

 

When writing recommendation letters for applicants to OURSD’s SURG or SURF programs:

  • Keep in mind that even in our internal programs, the letter of recommendation is given a lot of weight by our selection committee.
  • Be explicit about the mentoring plan and concrete ways you will support the student during the program (frequent meetings, availability to answer questions, willingness to train on new techniques or equipment, etc.).
  • Explain how you know the applicant and their skills, attributes, and experiences that will allow them to excel in the proposed research.
  • Convey your enthusiasm for working with the student on the proposed research.

When writing recommendation letters for applicants to prestigious fellowships and graduate programs:

  • Describe specific ways in which the student stands out from their peers.
  • Substantiate your praise for the student with concrete examples (for instance, if you say that they notice when things need to be done and take the initiative to do them, provide an example that illustrates this point).
  • Compare the student to other students you have known who have gone on to successfully pursue similar opportunities.
  • Be explicit about achievements that are extremely uncommon for a student at their level (e.g., “As a sophomore, she figured out a solution to a problem that was stumping even the graduate students in my lab”).

Regardless of the type of recommendation you are writing,

  • Go beyond noting that a student got a good grade or was at the top of the course in which you taught them. Examples of standout contributions they made to discussions or projects will make more of an impression.
  • Be mindful of ways that gender bias can unintentionally creep into letters (for example, research has shown that letters about women tend to focus on effort while letters about men tend to focus on innate “brilliance”).
  • Avoid numerical assessments if they might do more harm than good (saying a student is in the top 1% of students you have taught or mentored is impressive; top 10% can have the opposite effect).

OURSD welcomes referrals of students who are strong candidates for national and international awards. Students often respond best when personally “tapped on the shoulder” by a trusted mentor.


A student could be a good fit for competitive awards if:

  • You have a noteworthy mentoring relationship with them.
  • They participate in undergraduate research or creative inquiry.
  • They have a record of notable accomplishment in leadership or public service.
  • They excel in coursework and academics by going above and beyond minimum requirements and producing exceptional work.
  • They have a strong GPA (many awards set a minimum around 3.7, though this varies).
  • They have a clear vision for graduate study or other academic and career goals.

OURSD regularly sends out calls for referrals in advance of major fellowship or scholarship deadlines. We can also guide students through a suite of potential awards and assist them in identifying those that would be a good fit based on their prior experience and future goals.


If you would like to refer a student to our office, please email an invitation to them and copy us at oursd-general@andrew.cmu.edu. You may use the example below or adapt it as needed.


Congratulations on your success at CMU! Based on your accomplishments, I believe you have the potential to be a strong applicant for nationally or internationally competitive awards. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development can assist you in applying for various prestigious fellowships and scholarships, and they provide advising to help you identify appropriate programs and understand the application requirements for them. I encourage you to contact them to schedule an appointment to explore your options and plan for your future goals.  

  • Consider using a mentor-mentee agreement when hosting a new student researcher to set clear expectations for the project and your mentoring relationship.
  • Considering working with a high school student or under-18-year-old undergraduate in research?  Consult this information on child protection clearances.