Mentoring @ Yale IBIO
Yale hosts several programs that connect high school, undergraduate, and community members with mentored experiences in laboratories. Many of these initiatives provide financial support for the scholars to conduct full-time research projects and provide additional programming about scientific writing and communication, career paths in STEM, bioethics, and much more.
Summer programs often recruit mentors during the winter and early spring for start dates in May, June, or July. Typically, both the in-lab mentor (often a PhD student or postdoc) and the lab’s PI must confirm their interest in hosting a scholar. For some programs the scholars will write their own project proposal with the support of the lab prior to starting, while for others the mentor will provide a short description of the project and students will match with the lab based on their mutual interests.
Lab Mentoring Opportunities
- Yale Pathways Research Internships (YPRI)YPRI connects public high school students from the New Haven area with scientific research labs at Yale for a seven-week summer internship to excite students about scientific investigation, enable them to explore new scientific fields, and increase their college preparedness.
- Yale STARS Summer Research ProgramThe STARS Program provides Yale undergraduates with an 8-week opportunity to combine course-based study, research, mentorship, networking, and career planning in the fields of science and technology. STARS aims to support students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and to enhance persistence rates in all STEM disciplines.
- Yale Summer Enrichment Research Experience (YSERE)YSERE is a 6-week summer program for undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in an accredited degree-granting institution other than Yale and considering a future career in biomedical research. The program aims to develop students’ skills on critical thinking, analysis of scientific literature, and effective scientific communication.
- Yale Community Research FellowsThe YCC Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity (CEHE) in partnership with the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) offers Yale Cancer Center (YCC) research teams the opportunity to host residents from low-income New Haven neighborhoods to contribute their expertise and community perspective and to learn about cancer research at Yale. Fellows typically visit the lab weekly over a 9-month period.
IBIO Summer Student Programming
Already set to mentor a summer research student?
As soon as you know you will be hosting a summer student, please fill out this form.
This will add your student to a listserv to receive information about our department's weekly foundational immunology lectures, an IBIO summer research symposium, and other programming to support the development of your student's research and science communication skills.
Interested in getting training on mentorship in the lab environment?
Mentoring support is critical for a researcher’s personal and professional development at all stages of their scientific career. However, mentoring can be challenging and most scientists are never formally taught how to mentor in lab settings
Once each academic year the Poorvu Center for Teaching & Learning offers a workshop aimed at discussing the qualities of an exceptional mentor, learning teaching strategies for different scenarios in the lab, and learning ways to communicate more effectively with mentees.
The IWGDI Outreach Subcommittee hosts a similar workshop open to IBIO trainees led by Dr. Paula Kavathas and Sarah Ohashi (Poorvu Teaching Fellow) at the start of each summer. This workshop covers how to set clear mentor-mentee expectations, support our mentees in their career and research goals, and facilitate independence in the lab. Equity in mentorship and the impact this can have on both mentors and mentees are also discussed. Both new and seasoned mentors are welcome to share their perspectives and questions!
Other Mentoring Opportunities
- New Haven Science FairHeld in May each year, the New Haven Science Fair helps bring together hundreds of students, teachers, and local scientists to help produce investigative science projects. Mentors help guide students through the scientific method and commit to working together with a teacher/classroom (PreK-4) or advising individual/small teams of students (Grades 5-12) for an average of 1 hour per week over a period of 2-3 months.
- STEM Mentors at YaleSTEM Mentors organizes several events aimed at helping high school students apply to and navigate decisions around college. STEM Mentors also provides opportunities for students to learn about STEM careers through dedicated career fairs and local science nights.
- Program to Advance Training in Health & Sciences (PATHS)Yale PATHS is a 10-month program that provides undergraduate students or recent graduates with a transformative learning experience to support their goal of applying for and earning an MD, MD/PhD, or PhD in the biomedical sciences. PATHS mentors connect over Zoom monthly with a mentee interested in pursuing a similar advanced degree track. Outside of these meetings, mentees will also be given access to critical conversations, trainings, tools, and resources tailored to their career goals.
- YBDIC Recruitment Mentoring ProgramThe YBDIC Recruitment Mentoring Program connects BBS interviewees from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds with current BBS graduate students who will support them in the pre- and post-interview stages. Mentors will be responsible for holding an introductory meeting and mock interview with your assigned mentee(s) prior to their virtual interview weekend at Yale and serve as their point of contact until their acceptance decision is made.
- Women and Gender Minorities in Science at Yale (WISAY)WISAY is dedicated to promoting the interests of female, transgender, and non-binary scientists and advocating for gender equality in STEM. WISAY's mentoring program exists on three levels: graduate students mentoring undergraduates, postdocs mentoring graduate students, and postdocs being mentored (in small groups) by faculty members.
- Científico Latino- Graduate Student Engagement and Community (GSEC) Program The Científico Latino GSEC program seeks to support diverse graduate students as they navigate their first year in graduate school by providing them access to small mentorship groups, professional development workshops, and community events. Advanced graduate students or postdocs that are passionate about mentorship and retention of underrepresented STEM trainees in grad school can apply to be a GSEC mentor.