Research Mentor Awards
Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
The Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creativity Office (URSCO) requests nominations of outstanding UNCG faculty mentors for the Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Awards. We seek to recognize non-tenure track, pre-tenured (early career), and tenured (career) faculty for their efforts to engage undergraduates in experiential learning through research. The Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Awardees will be acknowledged during the UNCG Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards Ceremony at the end of the spring semester. These honors will include a plaque and $1,000 to support activities related to research and/or creative inquiry as it involves undergraduates during the following academic year.
2025 Deadline for nominations November 8th, 2024. See below for instructions and award notice.
2024 Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award Winner
Dr. Sat Gupta
Professor Sat Gupta, a statistician whose research interests include survey sampling and biostatistics, has received the 2024 UNCG Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in the tenured category. Dr. Gupta has mentored 9 UNCG undergraduate students on individual projects. As the principal investigator on a current 3-year NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grant and one in 2018 – and as senior personnel on previous REU grants, he has also welcomed a host of visiting student researchers to our campus … read more
Eligibility
UNCG faculty members with experience mentoring UNCG undergraduate students in projects that contribute to their disciplinary scholarship are eligible for this award. Nominees should hold a terminal degree in their discipline. The faculty member must have mentored at least five UNCG undergraduate students in research and/or creative inquiry. Prior recipients can be reconsidered after a three-year interlude.
Examples of the types of activities that will be considered in the selection process include:
Evidence of consistent research and scholarly activity involving UNCG undergraduate students in research or creative inquiry;
Mentoring UNCG undergraduates whose work has led to peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations;
Innovative approaches to mentoring undergraduates, including the involvement of graduate students and post-doctoral scholars in undergraduate student mentorship
Extramural support for undergraduate research activities through grants, contracts, and/or fundraising.
2024 Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award Winner
Dr. Michaeline Jensen
Assistant Professor Michaeline Jensen has received the 2024 UNCG Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in the pre-tenure category. The psychologist and social scientist, who examines how mobile communication technologies impact young adults, has mentored 70 undergraduates on independent studies since she arrived at UNCG in 2018 … read more