Information for Mentors

Information for Mentors | Co-Mentors | Mentoring Tips

Who May Serve as a Mentor for an Amgen Scholar?
All Caltech faculty members and JPL scientists including research, teaching, and visiting faculty, the professional staff, and faculty associates may serve as mentors in disciplines of interest to Amgen including: biochemistry; bioengineering; bioinformatics; chemical and biomolecular engineering; biopsychology; biotechnology; chemistry; immunology; medical pharmacology; microbiology; molecular genetics; molecular medicine; molecular pharmacology; molecular, cell, and developmental biology; neurobiology; neuroscience; pathology; physiological psychology; physiological science; statistics; and toxicology.

The Role of a Mentor
The primary role of the mentor is to serve as the senior partner in a collaboration with the student. It is important that the student be offered—and eventually accept—intellectual responsibility for his/her own project, but for most students the project will be the first research experience, so the mentor must be a teacher and a coach and a partner. 
The primary responsibilities of the mentor are to prepare for the student’s arrival and to help the student meet all of the requirements of the program; however, there are a number of specific responsibilities that each mentor will have in preparing for the project and in guiding the student through it during the summer: 

• Prospective mentors may post an online Announcement of Opportunity (AO) on the Amgen Scholars website to notify students of potential Amgen Scholars projects in their laboratories. The AO outlines the background, motivation, and objectives of the project and the nature of the work the student will do, and provides literature references or web sites where the student will be able to learn more about the subject.
• Consult with the student on the planning of the project and review a draft of the student's proposal. Note that the proposal should be the student’s product; the mentor may not write it, but may and should provide advice and guidance during its preparation.  
• Complete the online Mentor Recommendation Form by the February 22 deadline. Mentors will be prompted by the SFP Online system to complete the evaluation when the student has submitted his/her application. Contact the SFPO at 626.395.2885 or via email if you have questions or need further information.
• Mentors must be aware of the date of arrival of the student and make relevant preparations, including providing a place for the student to sit, a computer, and a telephone.
• During the first week after the student’s arrival, the student will be required to attend a Safety Orientation Meeting. Following the meeting, the mentor or laboratory safety officer must review with the student the Workplace Specific Safety Orientation Checklist for students and, with the student, sign the form.  The student must return the signed form to the Student-Faculty Programs Office.
• During the summer, the mentor and/or co-mentor oversees the student's work on the project and consults at regular and appropriate intervals.
• Sign the progress reports and abstract which the student must submit throughout the summer. Mentors must authorize someone to sign the reports in their absence. Mentors should use the progress reports as an opportunity to discuss research progress, problems, etc. Students should use the reports to practice technical writing skills.
• Collaborate with the student in writing the abstract and final report. The paper must be submitted electronically by the fourth Friday in September. Mentors will receive a prompt from the SFP Online system to approve the paper online. November 1 is the deadline for approved final reports.
• If a student continues work on the project during the academic year, he or she must still submit an interim report by the deadline. A final draft describing additional work or results may be submitted later.
• Help the student prepare for the oral presentation, normally given during the third week in August or on the third Saturday in October. An oral report is a requirement for all the students in SFP-sponsored programs.
• Mentors/co-mentors are invited to introduce the student at the oral presentation. We encourage lab groups to attend the presentation to support and encourage the student!
• Contact the Student-Faculty Programs Office [Email us at sfp@caltech.edu or call 626.395.2885] if administrative problems arise.

Amgen Scholar Stipends
The stipend is $5,500 and is paid by a generous grant from the Amgen Foundation. Mentors are required to pay research-related costs.

Mentor Recommendation Forms
An applicant’s file contains an electronic application, proposal, unofficial transcript, and letters of recommendation from faculty at the student’s college or university. Mentors will have secure, confidential online access to these application parts. Mentors are required to complete an online evaluation of their applicants.
Mentors will be prompted by the SFP Online system to complete the evaluation when the student has submitted his/her application. Please contact the SFPO at 626.395.2885 or via email if you have questions or need further information.

Vacation Requests
Students may take vacation time during the summer with the approval of the mentor; however, students must complete all 10 weeks of the program by the fourth Friday in September.
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