MENTOR SUGGESTIONS:

• Review the student proposal(s) in detail. Some projects come with instructions on www.ysap.org. Build on them, if you like, or add some your own research perspective to the project.
• Review student/teachers names/addresses/phone numbers/emails/Fax.
• Telephone and/or email the student(s) and the teacher as soon as possible.
• Introduce yourself and give your background to open the door to communication.
• Email/call the teacher(s), and make sure they have your contact info. Teachers can often be the enablers of student-mentor interactions.
• Mentors may go to the school or invite the students to Lucent. Group visits to Bell Labs can sometimes be arranged by the program coordinator (Ed Holloway).
• Provide technical support as necessary, but remember that the students are expected to complete the work on their own.
• Suggest improvements to the proposal to make it a feasible project.
• Assist in design and setup of project as needed.
• Assist in the analysis of the results, but only the 'how to' aspect; don't do the work for the students!
• Encourage the students to keep detailed notes of all experiments for their final report, and as a matter of course.
• Encourage both students and teachers to participate in science.
• Provide moral support. Remember many of these students sometimes come from challenged backgrounds. Though they may be excited about science, they may not be very confident in themselves.
• Contact the students/teachers every few weeks to check on the progress.
• Keep reminding the students to start writing the final report early, and mail it out on time (deadline early May, more details to follow).
• Enjoy the awards banquet with students, teachers and families. Location and date to be announced later.