MENTOR APPLICATION

Welcome to an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the next generation of geoscientists! We invite research pairs to join our year-long program as mentors for the Undergraduate Twinning program. This is your chance to engage talented undergraduate students in meaningful projects, while contributing to their academic and professional development.

Mentor pairs consist of a Project Director (one who submits the mentor application) and a Twin Mentor (one who will co-advise the intern). Throughout the program, the relative contribution of the Project Director and the Twin Mentor will be at the mentors’ discretion.

Why Mentor Twinning Interns?

1. Inspire Future Leaders: Your and your Twin Mentor’s guidance can foster a passion for research, encourage critical thinking, and inspire these young minds to pursue advanced degrees and careers in geoscience. Interns are introduced to different mentors and a mode of scientific collaboration that closely mimics real-world experiences.
2. Contribute to Diversity and Inclusion: CRESCENT’s mandate is to diversify and broaden participation in earthquake science. By mentoring interns, you actively contribute to creating a more diverse and representative scientific community, addressing the existing disparities in the field.
3. Showcase Your Research: Utilize this opportunity to advance your own research agenda. Collaborate with motivated and talented students to make progress on your projects, achieving research milestones with fresh perspectives and enthusiasm.
4. Professional Development for Interns: Your mentorship will not only contribute to academic growth but also equip interns with essential skills for their future careers. The experience gained during your project will empower them to present their work at the Twinning symposium, write a short paper summarizing their work, and present at a professional conference, providing exposure to the broader scientific community.

What Does Mentoring Entail?

• Introduce and guide intern through the research process.
• Meet regularly with intern to ensure research and program goals are progressing.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive research environment.
• Encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Help intern understand the broader culture of science, graduate school and career paths, as well as the responsibilities of scientists and ethical dilemmas they face. 
• Help intern prepare for program deliverables (presentation at Twinning symposium, short contribution, and presenting their work at a professional conference).
• Hosting intern for a period of time over the summer if the intern is not at your institution.

How to Get Involved

If you are passionate about mentoring the next generation of geoscientists and have a well-defined undergraduate research project and research partner (Twin Mentor), we encourage you to apply as a mentor for the Twinning program. Your expertise and guidance will leave a lasting impact on these aspiring geoscientists, contributing to the advancement of subduction zone and hazards science and fostering a more inclusive and diverse scientific community.

Eligibility

• Project Director has a well-defined, year-long, undergraduate research project.
• Project Director has a research partner (Twin Mentor) who is willing to co-mentor the student. If your project is recommended for acceptance, we will reach out to the Twin Mentor for confirmation of their participation.
• Both mentors must be at an institution in the United States. If a Project Director has a Twin Mentor at an institution outside of the United States, but within North America, an exception may be considered. Please contact GEI Program Manager Shannon Fasola if this is the case. Students will receive ~$500 towards travel to one of their mentors’ institution over the summer. Therefore, it is not feasible to have a mentor overseas due to increased travel expenses.

Projects where the Project Director and/or the Twin Mentor are at a non-R1 institution, minority serving institution, or community college will take priority during the selection process.

Types of Projects

In-Person Project

For in-person projects, the mentors prefer in-person mentoring and/or their project needs to be conducted in-person. In-person projects are only available to students at either of your institutions.

If you prefer an in-person project, please ensure that there is a pool of students to ask from that support CRESCENT’s mandate and goals: to diversify and broaden participation in earthquake science. Please keep in mind that a subtle, but important, nuance of that process is to recognize that it is as (or more) important that the internships are awarded to individuals from historically underrepresented groups than it is to select someone who has prior experience or facility in any of the skillsets needed to expediently meet your research goals.

Remote Project

For remote projects, the mentor pair is willing to mentor a student from an institution other than either of their own. We assume a potential intern would be able to work remotely on the research project throughout the academic year. During the summer, one of the mentors will be able to host the student for a period of time over the summer as they continue working on their research project.

Remote projects are advertised nationwide. For the inaugural Twinning Program, we had a large interest from students in the remote projects. Therefore, we hope to receive more applications for remote projects this year.

Join us in shaping the future of geosciences by applying to mentor a Twinning intern today! Your commitment will make a significant difference in the lives and careers of these talented undergraduate students. Apply now and become a catalyst for positive change in the world of geoscience.