At the time that grants are decided, mentors are contacted and a date is selected for the meeting between teacher and mentor.

The Mentor Guide has suggestions for the involvement of mentors and interaction with students and teachers.		  
   
  Mentor Suggestion

Imagine for a moment that you are back in high school. You just won a competition for funding of your science project, and you have the opportunity to work with a professional mentor from the scientific community from one of most well-known and innovative research labs in the world.

What could this mentor do to motivate, support and encourage you to experiment, to learn, to commit to fulfilling a scientific project?
 
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.
 
For any questions about mentoring contact Alicia Abella at abella@research.att.com or Ed Holloway at info@ysap.org.

THE YOUNG SCIENCE ACHIEVER'S PROGRAM® COMMITTEE THANKS YOU AND WISHES YOU GREAT SUCCESS AS A YSAP MENTOR!!		  
  In December 2009 the grant money will be distributed to teachers and immediately supplies should be purchased so the research can begin.

NOTE: Chemical companies will ship only to schools and teachers must assume all responsibility for the safe conduct of all experiments.

Some items can be purchased at local grocery stores and retail stores. Regardless of who is given the responsibility for purchase, the teacher must supervise the use.

Keep receipts and records of purchases to be sure to stay within budget and be certain your materials and equipment are what you specified. These receipts must be turned in with your final report attached to a copy of your Proposed Budget Form.
For additional information
on record keeping visit: