Mentor Awards

The Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement is keenly aware of how much time and energy our faculty contribute to undergraduate research at FSU, and we are glad to be able to recognize that hard work and dedication. In addition to the Honors Thesis Mentor Awards made available by the University Honors Program, the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement offers one Undergraduate Research Mentor Award each year reserved for a faculty research mentor participating in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). The $2,000 award is funded by the FSU Office of Research and presented at the annual FSU faculty awards dinner.

One graduate student and one postdoctoral researcher is also selected for a $500 annual award for recognition of excellence in undergraduate research mentoring.

In order to be eligible to receive the Undergraduate Research Mentor award, mentors must have signed the UROP research assistantship contract with the nominating student.

Winners of the award are ineligible for nomination for three years following the receipt of the award.


The Undergraduate Faculty Research Mentor Award for 2023 was presented to Dr. Patricia Born for mentoring UROP student Sydney Gross in research on the Affordable Care Act in Rural America.

Dr. Patricia Born
"I feel it is our obligation as mentors to push the envelope on how we guide our students. It is important to provide context to the research, and this means bringing in timely, real-world facts, and examples into the research discussions. Current events in my discipline – risk management and insurance – offer some excellent opportunities for highlighting the context in which we conduct research, e.g., the devastation from recent hurricanes or proposed legislation involving the use of genetic test results in life insurance. With all of my mentees, I try to introduce a healthy dose of social and public policy considerations. At the end of the program, each student should be able to make the connection between his/her research findings and the larger implications for society. Through the UROP program, they develop critical thinking skills that can enhance their understanding of the world we live in.."

—Dr. Patricia Born, from her mentoring statement

Dr. Born is the epitome of an ideal research mentor. Her dedication to research and my growth has inspired me in many ways. Dr. Born not only set me up for success in UROP, but she challenged me in a way that fueled my passion for research in the insurance field. As a mentee, I was guided through the many steps of the research process. I got the opportunity to complete a literature review, manipulate data, code data, visualize information in Tableau, and present to the public. She dedicated hours merging and compiling data files so I would not be overwhelmed by both the Stata software and copious amounts of unorganized data. With this, she encouraged me to explore the software I was learning further and trusted me to do what I thought would be best to represent the data. This opportunity to see many aspects of the research process was eye-opening. I was never left to do the mundane tasks that she did not want to do. Instead, she made this process fun."

—Sydney Gross, UROP student 2022-2023, from her nomination letter


The Post-Doc Undergraduate Research Mentor Award for 2023 was presented to Dr. Asha Mathew. Dr. Mathew mentored UROP student Laila Hayes on "Improving the binding affinity of the integrase binding domain in host proteins for HIV-1 virion incorporation."

Dr. Asha Mathew

"I consider mentoring as a learning opportunity for myself to grow and refine my skills and professional development. I want to help my students to develop their skills, grow their confidence and encourage them to pursue their research goals. Gaining knowledge and increasing the skill set would be the constant goal so that both me and the students can make a meaningful impact in the scientific community. Open, genuine communication will be the key to my relationship with the students and the students can always communicate their problems and confusions about the project and I am always available to hear and clarify their doubts. I am here to create a learning environment that challenges the students to think critically and to expand their knowledge. My expectation is that we would grow as the best version of ourselves and as great scientists together towards the end of this UROP program."

—Dr. Mathew, from her mentoring statement

"Prior to UROP, I had no official research experience in the hard sciences. I knew participating in the assistantship would be a challenge, but I didn’t anticipate the sheer amount of support I would receive from my mentor. Asha Mathew, despite her years upon years of experience, has been nothing but patient with me in my learning process. Even from the first day I interviewed with her, she made the intimidating world of academia feel less daunting and more human. Asha gave me both creative freedom and experimental guidance in developing my project; she would show me exactly how to do a specific technique, such as a transformation or running a PCR, then allow me room to do it myself with my own project. During this process, Asha would share her past experiences when she was in my position as a student, telling me about her success, mistakes, and everything in between. Hearing her stories made me feel more comfortable being new to the lab; she made me feel like I belonged there despite my lack of experience and reduced the internal pressure I’d felt to be perfect. Essentially, she created a safe space for me to make mistakes, learn, and grow into a better researcher, mentee, and student.

—Laila HayesUROP student 2022-2023, from her nomination letter


The Graduate Student Undergraduate Research Mentor Award for 2023 was presented to Chelsea Shore. Chelsea mentored Daniel Campos, Elisabeth Anthropova, and Michael Gipson.

Chelsea Shore

"My mentoring strategies often include an intake or exploratory meeting with students where I can learn about their current skill set, their future goals, and the type of experience they are seeking from my mentoring. We often establish a routine work schedule that include at least one weekly in-person meeting to review their independent work and collaborate on next steps. I orient them to the two project management systems, Basecamp and Airtable, and empower their autonomy in completing their work. I approach working meetings in ask-versus-tell strategies where mentees share out their independent work with a group, justify their reasoning, and can pose questions for future directions or delegate tasks to others. All mentees are required to submit SMART goals for the semester and complete mid- and end-semester evaluations. In efforts to build social capital and community, all my mentees meet at least once per month to discuss their projects and collaborate across projects."

—Chelsea Shore, from her mentoring statement

Throughout my experience as a UROP research assistant, Chelsea Shore has been an outstanding research mentor. I can speak on behalf of her seven other UROP students in expressing her unrelenting dedication to us and the program. Throughout these two semesters, Chelsea has effectively shown me what it takes to be an effective team member in a research setting. Her assignments and expectations challenge me and other students to develop critical thinking and independence skills which will be key skills to have moving forward in future research and graduate program endeavors. Being a graduate coordinator in the collegiate recovery program, UROP mentor, and Ph.D. candidate, Chelsea exemplifies a commendable work ethic, dedication, and innovation in her field. Chelsea has been an exceptional role model and example of what I hope to be in my future research and graduate-level endeavors.  

—Daniel Campos, UROP student 2022-2023, from his nomination letter

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