First Year Research Experience (FYRE) Opportunities Submission Form | Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

The Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships, in collaboration with TRIO/Student Support Services, is seeking faculty mentors for the First Year Research Experience (FYRE) cohort. Our mentors enjoy the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with students who are genuinely interested in the university’s land-grant research mission.

From mid-April to early June annually, prospective faculty mentors submit research or creative project descriptions to the Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships using the FYRE Opportunities form below. To complete the form, you will need a project title and description, potential tasks and responsibilities, desired student qualifications, a mentoring plan, and space for comments.

Faculty Mentor Name

First Name Required

Last Name Required

Faculty Mentor Email Required

Department Required

College Required

Secondary Contact

Secondary Contact

If a research team member other than yourself will frequently provide supervision or training to your FYRE student(s), please provide their contact information here.

First Name

Last Name

Secondary Contact Email Required

Faculty bio or lab website (please provide URL) Required

As a prospective FYRE faculty mentor, I agree to...

Benchmark FYRE position expectations, onboarding and training, tasks, and supervision appropriately for new freshmen.

Communicate with FYRE staff in early August to rank applicants for my position and confirm matches prior to Fall term start.

Proactively welcome my assigned FYRE student(s), schedule our first meeting, and start paid training in early September.

Establish a 5-10 hour weekly schedule and support my FYRE student(s) in accurately reporting hours on biweekly timesheets.

Maintain consistent communication during the academic year to support my FYRE student(s)' success and belongingness.

Encourage my FYRE students to use academic support resources and earn a 2.75+ GPA (to be eligible for UCARE).

Inform FYRE staff if either I or my FYRE student decide to discontinue working together on our project.

About the Position

See examples from past years here.

Descriptive Project Title Required

Examples: "Virus-Host interactions and human diseases." "Engineering Sustainable Bioenergy and Biofuels." "Roots of Justice: Recent Arrivals (Immigrants and Refugees in Nebraska."

How many FYRE students could you accomodate for this project? Required

Consider your capacity to mentor and supervise first-year students, as well as the recruitment needs for your project and team. Some FYRE mentors design experiences to build a close relationship with one FYRE student. Other FYRE mentors request to supervise 2-3 students to support strong peer relationships (may improve employee retention and belongingness) and train multiple new students at the same time. Since 1 in 3 FYRE students decides to apply to UCARE to conduct research or creative activities in the sophomore year, having multiple undergraduate research trainees may align with your recruitment strategies for multi-year projects.

Career Interest Community( Required

In our annual survey, 75% of FYRE participants indicated that they joined the program to "Build my skills and resume to advance my career goals." Your selection here will help students find the right FYRE position to match their professional goals. Please check all industry-themed groups related to the opportunity being offered.

Project description Required

Please briefly "pitch" your research or creative project to incoming first-year, first-time undergraduate applicants. Half of the prospective FYRE students are first-generation college students (double their share of the overall UNL student population). Often, family members or youth program mentors are helping new students apply for your job. Like an inspiring "TED Talk," your research or creative project description should be relatable and accessible to the general public. To motivate students to apply and hit submit, we encourage you to highlight why this work is interesting or rewarding, and to mention connections to regional, national, or global issues.

Potential student tasks/responsibilities Required

Example: "Responsibilities include reading and learning about microbial physiology and synthetic biology, conducting experiments, collecting and analyzing data alongside graduate students and the adviser, as well as general lab maintenance and preparing materials for experiments. Trainees attend weekly lab meetings and present their progress twice a semester."

Student qualifications/characteristics Required

Focus on the strengths, interests, and translatable skills that first-year, first-time undergraduates bring, which are unlikely to include course prerequisites or prior related work experience. Example: "An interest in stories of immigrants and refugees in Nebraska. Passion for telling the real history of marginalized communities in Nebraska. Excellent reading and writing skills and ability to read dense material. Responsible and detail oriented. Cultural sensitivity and determination. Interest in archival and library research. Students from any major can apply (but may be of special interest to students in Ethnic Studies, Global Studies, Political Science, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, English and other related disciplines)."

Training, Mentoring, and Workplace Community Required

Tell students what kind of relationship they can expect to build with you and make a best case for yourself as a mentor. How do you and your team support student learning, training and professional development, and sense of belongingness in the workplace environment? How flexible are you with student schedules or remote work? If you and your team have helped a lot of students get into top graduate schools or created fun traditions together, mention them. If you are passionate about working with first-generation college students or involved in student success or upward mobility initiatives in your College or academic field, that may also be relevant.

Additional comments or information

If you would like to include a project image or headshot photo, please upload it here.

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