These notes are directed to JPL staff serving as mentors of students
conducting undergraduate research projects at JPL who are registered through
the Caltech Student-Faculty Programs Office in SURF, MURF, Axline SURF, USRP,
Space Grant Workforce Development, or PGGURP. Students in all of these programs have the status of Fellows and come to JPL as Affiliates.
The notes may also be applicable to and be useful for mentors of students in other JPL programs, for example, SHARP, and the various Minority Initiative Internship programs. These students do not register through SFP but come to JPL for eight to ten weeks to carry out research tasks.
Who May Serve as a Mentor?
Any member of the JPL technical staff may serve as a mentor.
The Role and Responsibilities of the Mentor
The primary role of the mentor is to serve as the senior partner in a collaboration with the student. It is important that the student be offered and eventually accept intellectual responsibility for his/her own project, but for most students the project will be the first research experience, so the mentor has also to be a teacher and a coach as well as a partner.
The primary responsibilities of the mentor are to prepare for the student’s arrival and to help the student meet all of the requirements of the program sunder which the student is registered; however, there are a number of specific responsibilities that each mentor will have in preparing for the project and in guiding the student through it during the summer:
- Write an Announcement of Opportunity (AO) outlining the background, motivation, and objectives of the project and the nature of the work the student will do; stating any hazards to which the student may be exposed in carrying out the work and the specialized training that must be completed before the work may begin; providing literature references or web sites where the student will be able to learn more about the subject; and giving contact information. Email AO to the Student-Faculty Programs Office.
- Consult with the student on the planning of the project and review a draft of the student's proposal. Note that the proposal should be the student’s product; the mentor may not write it, but may and should provide advice and guidance during its preparation.
- Complete the online Mentor Recommendation Form by the March
1 deadline. Mentors will be prompted by the SFP Online system to complete the
evaluation when the student has submitted his/her application. Contact
the SFPO at 626.395.2885 or via email if
you have questions or need further information.
- Make sure that the mentor’s organization is aware of the date of arrival of the student and that preparations have been made to provide a place for the student to sit, a computer, and a telephone.
- Make sure that the Business Administration Manager (BAM) of the mentor’s organization has signed and has sent to the Education Office the 2190 form that will ensure the student will be admitted to JPL as an Affiliate. SFP will prepare these forms and send them to the BAM for signature, and the Education Office will forward the signed forms to Security to obtain badges good for the first week after the student’s arrival.
- Fill out and forward to the Education Office the Safety Hazard Assessment form listing the hazards to which the student may be exposed in the course of the project so that the Safety Office will be able to schedule the appropriate training courses.
- During the first week of the student’s arrival, go over
the Safety Orientation Checklist with the student [a requirement for all Affiliates
as well as for all JPL employees] and, with the student, sign the Orientation
Acknowledgement form. The student must present this form to Security in order
to pick up a picture badge good for the remaining weeks of the program.
- During the summer, oversee the student's work on the project and consult at regular and appropriate intervals. If the mentor will be away, he or she should designate a co-mentor or colleague to supervise the student.
- Sign the progress reports and abstract which the student must submit throughout the summer. Mentors must authorize someone to sign the reports in their absence. Mentors should use the progress reports as an opportunity to discuss research progress, problems, etc. Students should use the reports to practice technical writing skills.
- Collaborate with the student in writing the abstract and final
report. The paper must be submitted electronically by the fourth Friday in
September. Mentors will receive a prompt from the SFP Online system to approve
the paper online. November 1 is the deadline for approved final reports.
- If a SURF student continues work on the project during the academic year, he or she must still submit an interim report by the deadline. A final draft describing additional work or results may be submitted later for the SURF archives.
- Help the student prepare for the oral presentation, normally
given during the third week in August or on the third Saturday in October.
An oral report is a requirement for all the students in SFP-sponsored programs.
- Ensure that the student will have an audience for his or her talk.
- Contact the Student-Faculty Programs Office [Email us at sfp@caltech.edu or call 626.395.2885] or the JPL Education Office [william.m.whitney@jpl.nasa.gov or call 818.354.4410] if administrative problems arise.
SURF Compensation
SURF students receive $600/week. JPL Mentors pay the full amount and an administrative
fee of $1,000. Mentors will receive instructions for transferring funds to
the Student-Faculty Programs office after SURF/MURF awards have been made.
Vacation Requests
Students may take vacation time during the summer with the approval of the mentor; however, students must complete all 10 weeks of the program before the beginning of instruction in the fall term at Caltech.
