Mentor Award
Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year Awards
The Michigan State University Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year Award is presented annually in recognition of those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers.
Three awards are presented each spring at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) Awards Ceremony:
- Faculty Mentor of the Year – Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering related disciplines
- Faculty Mentor of the Year – Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts related disciplines
- Supervisor of the Year – All Disciplines (staff member, post-doctoral fellow, research associate, graduate student)
Finalists for Faculty Mentor of the Year will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and finalists for Supervisor Mentor of the Year will receive a $500 honorarium.
Eligibility
- Any MSU faculty member (e.g., tenure track, fixed term), specialist (e.g., advisor, research, teaching, outreach, extension), staff member, post-doctoral fellow, research associate, lab manager, or graduate student currently mentoring an MSU undergraduate student researcher
- Previous winners are not eligible for 5 years from the date of last award
- Nominated by an undergraduate student currently enrolled at MSU or December graduate
Selection Criteria
We are seeking mentors who exemplify the following characteristics:
- Demonstrated commitment to undergraduate research
- Strong professional mentoring relationship with student
- Role model as a researcher and mentor
Nomination Process
In order to nominate a mentor, the student must do the following:
- Complete the nomination form -- Nomination period is October 15, 2024 - January 12, 2025
- Submit a nomination letter (less than 1000 words) that addresses the selection criteria listed above
- All nomination materials must be submitted by Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Nomination letter must be less than 1,000 words. Letters longer than 1,000 words will be truncated. Additional nomination letters by other undergraduate students or recent graduates are accepted. Students may also nominate more than one mentor, using separate a form and letter for each mentor. Nominations will not be considered complete until we have received both the nomination form and the nomination letter.
Award Recipients
2024 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts: Antoinette Tessmer, Finance
Sciences, Mathematics & Engineering: Geoffroy Laumet, Physiology
Supervisor: Alyssa VanZanten, Engineering
2023 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts: Brooke Ingersoll, Psychology
Sciences, Mathematics & Engineering: Ilce Medina-Meza, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Supervisor: Zinan Wang, Entomology
2022 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: Gabriel Wrobel, Anthropology
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: Andras Komaromy, Small Animal Clinical Sciences
Supervisor: Erkan Kocas, International Trade Research
2021 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: Amy Nuttall, Human Development and Family Studies
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: Sarah Comstock, Food Science and Human Nutrition
Supervisor: Christina Reppucci, Psychology
2020 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: John Waller, History
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: Gina Leinninger, Physiology
Supervisor: Keenan Noyes, Chemistry
2019 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: Alexa Veenema, Psychology
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: Adam Lock, Animal Science
2018 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: Daniel Menchik, Lyman Briggs College and College of Social Science
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: Patricia Norris, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
2017 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: Amber Pearson, Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: S. Patrick Walton, Chemical Engineering
2016 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: Howard Bossen, Journalism
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: Evangelyn Alocilja, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
2015 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: Denise Hershey, Nursing
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: Richard Lunt, Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
2014 Winners
Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts: Natalie Phillips, English
Sciences, Mathematics, & Engineering: Christopher Waters, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
