In recognition of the pivotal role that mentors play in supporting undergraduate research and creative activity, the Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Mentorship Excellence Awards. These awards recognize two faculty members – one in a STEM field, and one in a non-STEM field – and one graduate student who exemplify the ways in which outstanding mentors challenge and support their students, enabling them to take intellectual risks and achieve milestones they might not have initially envisioned being able to reach.
Please join us in congratulating Ashley Helton, Ryan Talbert, and Olivia Corvino on their selection as this year’s Mentorship Excellence Award recipients. The awards were presented on Friday, April 12, 2024 during the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibitions at Storrs.
Ashley Helton, Associate Professor, Natural Resources & the Environment
Professor Helton was nominated by a number of her students. The following text is excerpted from one nomination.
The majority of my strong undergraduate scientific skill set has in large part been shaped by Dr. Helton’s mentorship. From the beginning, Dr. Helton has set aside time for regular one on one meetings for scientific discussion and support, in addition to including me in her graduate laboratory meetings. Rather than try to keep me in my lane, she always encouraged me to fly high, encouraging me to attend postgraduate courses even though I myself was an undergraduate. She has always welcomed and encouraged my scientific questions. She presented me with scientific literature to build my knowledge base. She provided me with the opportunities to read manuscripts and write some of my first scientific literature. She helped me consider and apply for avenues of scholarship I did not know were available to me. She has invited me to multiple scientific network forums. I always feel Dr. Helton has my best interest at heart and I was moved when she actively sought out an additional internship for me because it shows she genuinely cares about the trajectory of my career. I will always be grateful for the time I have with Dr. Helton. – Anonymous
Ryan Talbert, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Professor Talbert was nominated by Joseph Annan-Kingsley ’24 (CLAS), Samantha Gove ’24 (CLAS), and Kyle Makalusky ’24 (CLAS). The following text is excerpted from their nominations.
Dr. Talbert pushes and challenges his students to take their work and their own skills to the next level. He encourages his students to take their creative work to the next step as he often finds various venues for his lab students to present at. Throughout the three semesters that I actively participated in the lab, Professor Talbert never failed to support student inquiry, challenge students to take next steps in their research, and especially develop a holistic view of his students’ short-term and long-term goals. Dr. Talbert has had an impact on my undergraduate success and my early professional life far greater than can be expected from any mentor. Dr. Talbert crafted an environment that allowed creativity to be nurtured among each student, especially when it came to academic writing skills, which fostered a sense of innovation and collaboration.
Dr. Talbert is undeniably the most incredible mentor I have known as an undergraduate student at UConn. As a graduating senior, I have spent a lot of time in the past few months reflecting on my time in college. I am humbled to say that I have accomplished far more than I could have ever dreamed of in my time in college, and I am certain of the fact that I would not have accomplished a majority of those things without the mentorship of Dr. Talbert.
Olivia Corvino, Ph.D. Student, Nutritional Sciences
Olivia was nominated by Jonatan Schmitt ’24 (CAHNR). The following text is excerpted from Jonathan’s nomination.
Olivia has also taken a serious interest in orienting my lab work towards my career goals. During the time we have spent together, I have expressed to her that I am using this research opportunity to enhance my understanding of nutritional science, and I don’t see myself working in a lab environment in my career, so the methods and procedures that we follow can feel outside the scope of my nutrition application. I had told this to my Ph.D. students/teachers in the past, but Olivia has most significantly adjusted my lab experience to meet my academic goals. In addition to helping me understand the science behind each step in the procedural research process, Olivia puts significant emphasis on the research analysis conducted at the experiment’s end. She takes timeout of her schedule to ensure that I have a complete understanding of how the factors we implemented influenced the outcome. I will often ask long open-ended questions to further my understanding, and Olivia remains patient, connecting all the dots in my head until I feel satiated. She has helped to orient me to the different types of nutrition research which has helped me better understand where in this world of research I belong and will be more (or less) fulfilled. Her genuine care for my progress is evident in every interaction, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated mentor by my side.
Congratulations to the 2024 award recipients! The Office of Undergraduate Research thanks the undergraduate students who nominated their faculty and graduate student mentors as well as the Peer Research Ambassadors who served on this year’s selection committee.