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Advising & Mentoring Undergraduate Students

In general, guidelines and resources for advising and mentoring undergraduate students share many commonalities with those for working with graduate students.

Keep in mind that these students are generally less experienced in the lab and field environment, may not have worked as part of a scientific team, and may lack confidence compared with a more experienced graduate student when it comes to conducting semi-independent research. They certainly will be looking to the faculty member, and others in the lab, for guidance. As such, vertical mentorship can be an especially effective approach: undergraduate students work most closely with a Masters or PhD student in the lab, who is more likely to be closer in age to that student and more recently an undergraduate student themselves. Additional guidance and mentoring is then provided by more senior lab members, such as postdocs and of course the faculty member, who is ultimately responsible for the student’s learning and well-being as a member of the lab.  

The use of individual development plans and mentoring compacts helps mentees make the most of the experience and also helps to keep everyone involved on the same page regarding expectations.  

It is also important to remember that undergraduate research students, much like your VIMS graduate students, may look to you for guidance outside of research. For William & Mary undergraduates all of the same rules apply*: student privacy (including not sharing contact information of any student without explicit permission) under FERPA rules, the faculty member’s role as a Mandatory Reporter, and access to Care Support and other services offered through the W&M Dean of Students office.  *The same rules apply for VIMS REU students because they are officially registered for academic credit when they are in the VIMS program.  Mandatory reporting applies regardless of a student's affiliation.  

Faculty mentoring William & Mary undergraduates might also want to familiarize themselves with the coursework and other opportunities available through the Undergraduate Marine Science program.

As the Director of Undergraduate Programs for VIMS and the School of Marine Science, Dr. Chris Hein oversees the W&M undergraduate marine science program.

Dr. Rochelle Seitz is the director of the VIMS Summer Intern Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program. 

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Avenues for Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate students working at VIMS can enter through any number of pathways. The majority of undergraduates conducting research at VIMS are students at William & Mary.  Others may come from nearby schools (we have had many from Virginia Peninsula Community College and Hampton University, for example) and work at VIMS during the semester, or may be students originally from Hampton Roads who have returned from distant colleges looking for summer opportunities. Opportunities for these students are generally set up on a one-to-one basis, though colleagues at those schools, or even cold-call emails from prospective students.  The undergraduate population grows during the summer when students in the VIMS Summer Intern Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program are on our campus.

Undergraduate students can serve in a variety of roles in a lab:

Honors Research: William & Mary administers a Departmental Honors program through the Charles Center. This is often similar to a “mini-masters”, with a qualifying exam, thesis committee, written thesis (often of publication-quality work), and oral defense. Qualified students must have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average by the end of their junior year, or a 3.0 for their junior year alone; some departments have stricter requirements. Students typically complete honors in the home department of their major, and Marine Science has no Honors Research program (one is to be instituted with launch of a degree program, in Fall 2025 or later). Interested students and faculty should check with their home departments in Arts & Sciences: some (e.g., Geology) allow a VIMS faculty member to serve as the major advisor for honors research; others (e.g., Biology) require that a member of the department serve as major advisor for honors, though the VIMS faculty may be the primary research advisor.

Senior Research: William & Mary students complete the “College (COLL) Curriculum”, which includes the COLL 400 capstone experience. One avenue for this in many departments is through Senior Research. Generally a lower bar than Honors, this is commonly administered through credit-bearing COLL 400 courses (listed as normal courses under the home department ID, such as “BIOL” or “CHEM”) in the home department. Much like Honors Research, different departments in Arts & Sciences have different rules for who can serve as a research advisor; students should check with their home departments, and register for the appropriate classes in that home department. Marine Science has no Senior Research program, but one is to be instituted with launch of a degree program, in Fall 2025 or later.

Independent Research for Credit: Students can conduct research for credit, worth between 1 and 3 credits per semester. Faculty should work with the VIMS Registrar to set up a section for that faculty member in either MSCI 490 – Research in Marine Science (preferred) or MSCI 497 – Problems in Marine Science (rare circumstances). Students can then register for credit in that section. Like any class, faculty should develop learning objectives, expectations, objectives, and outcomes for each semester, and communicate those clearly with the student through regular meetings. As a guide, 1 credit hour is equivalent to 50 minutes of in-class activity plus ~3 hours outside of class per week; thus, students should be expected to work ~4 hours per week on research per credit hour.

Hourly Staff: Hiring William & Mary undergraduates is easy, and this is an excellent way for a student to gain experience and learn more about the science of your lab without the demands of a semi-independent project expected for credit-bearing research. Some are on work-study, with funds coming in part from external sources, rather than your research grants. Students are hired as normal part-time employees, but you do not need to create job positions or post in PeopleAdmin: you can quickly and efficiently hire William & Mary students during the semester, summer, or winter. Speak with your unit business manager to learn more about the process, and information on current hourly rates for other William & Mary students at VIMS (as a starting ballpark, consider the $15/hr range). The W&M Student Hourly Employees policy provides details.

Volunteer: VIMS generally discourages offering only volunteer opportunities, as these can create inequities in access (for example, for a student who is supporting themselves financially through school). However, this is a common path at least for a short period for a student and mentor to get a feel for which of the above pathways might be best for the student.

VIMS Summer Intern Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program:  Each year VIMS REU places 12 undergraduates from colleges and universities across the U.S. with faculty mentors for a summer research experience.  Interns receive a stipend, live in a William & Mary dormitory and conduct a project under the direction of a VIMS faculty mentor (or mentoring team, which can include a graduate student or scientific staff). If you are interested in mentoring an undergraduate for the VIMS Research Experiences for Undergraduates Summer Intern Program, please contact Rochelle Seitz ([email protected]).
Funding for Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate students are relatively easy to fund; and those receiving credit for the research during a given period should not also be paid during that time. On the other hand, opportunities for no-cost student housing in William & Mary dorms have been greatly reduced in recent years; thus faculty should consider the high costs of summer housing in the Williamsburg area when setting salary rates for summer research.

Options for funding semester or summer undergraduate research include:

1) The William & Mary Charles Center (part of Arts & Sciences) has a number of grants and fellowships to support student salaries for summer research, summer honors research, etc. Applications for summer fellowships are generally due early in Spring semester, and have grown increasingly competitive. VIMS will have continued access to Charles Center funding, even with the launch of a degree program run by VIMS.

2) The VIMS Summer Intern Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program offers a competitive, 10-week research and training program for ~12 students per summer. Students can come from any school, and typically 1–2 are from William & Mary. Applications are typically due early in the calendar year and program staff help match students with prospective mentors; a call will go out annually early in Spring semester for graduate student and faculty mentors.

3) Writing undergraduate salary into proposals for Faculty Research Grants & Contracts is a no-brainer! Incorporating undergraduate research into a project is a low-cost, high-reward addition, often seen as benefiting goals of research, education, and broader impacts. Best practices include (1) requesting funds at a level that would pay a student a competitive salary (it will still be inexpensive as compared with a graduate student stipend/tuition or staff salary); and (2) identifying in the proposal a specific sub-study that can be carried out by the student as a semi-independent project.

4) There is a wide number and variety of external scholarships, fellowships, and research grants that undergraduate students can apply to. Some target individual disciplines, and others based on student backgrounds. The Pathways To Science website offers an excellent compilation and starting point for students searching for opportunities.