Wow, I can't believe the summer has progressed this far! I'm also thrilled with the progress of the fantastic students I'm working with. Courtney has taken on an enormous amount of responsibility and Peng is a field sampling and lab ANIMAL. A late comer, Mary, is doing great work as the protocol potentate. Outstanding!
I'm now in Washington, D.C. at the American Society for Microbiology. I'm facilitating a workshop that helps faculty design and execute scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) studies. Once they leave this workshop, these great faculty will return to their campuses across the nation and investigate the impacts of classroom practices on student learning and development.
It's funny, the mentoring approaches I use are the same for both undergraduates and faculty members. Stay positive, provide room for making mistakes, encourage everyone to work to their full potential, match people's interests with projects, and keep everyone focused on the goal.
The LAKES REU faculty have high aspirations for our students. You are all so capable and offer such promise for the future. In every one of you I see the potential to not only have satisfying careers, but to make an impact on the world; to improve it and make it a better place.
Our project is a long-term effort, one that won't be solved this summer or perhaps for a long time. We made an amazing start on this problem primarily due to your hard work and commitment. Thank you for all your efforts!
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