Student Protégé Program Details

The Student Services Office requests research and field opportunities from College of Forestry (CoF) faculty and offers them to undergraduate students as paid work experiences in the Mentored Employment Program (MEP). All current CoF undergraduates and post-baccalaureate students are welcome to apply. 

 


What is a protégé?

A protégé is a person who is guided and supported by someone with experience and knowledge in their field. In the case of the Mentored Employment Program, this means a protégé’s work with faculty (mentors) in a lab or field setting conducting research and collecting and analyzing data.

Benefits of working with a faculty mentor:

Working with a faculty mentor enhances your personal growth and development. You will have the chance to explore potential career paths while gaining new perspectives, broaden your horizons, develop strong, supportive, professional relationships and apply what you are learning in your classes to hands-on experiences.

Who can be a protégé?

  • Currently enrolled CoF undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students

Students with only a minor in the College of Forestry (majoring in a non CoF program) are not eligible to apply to the Mentored Employment Program.

Where can MEP experiences take place?

Any OSU campus - Corvallis, La Grande, Cascades, Ecampus

  • Laboratory
  • Field location
  • Online/remote work

Types of Mentored Employment Program projects:

  • Research assistance (lab, field)
  • Teaching or educational
  • Programmatic (develop new programs for a unit/entity/research group)
  • Project-based (specific set of assignments for overall team project)

How much time will you spend with your mentor?

Protégé’s should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week in direct communication and mentoring with their faculty mentor (in-person, remote, email, etc.).

Student eligibility requirements:

  • Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student in the College of Forestry
  • Be in good academic standing (not on academic probation or suspension)

Maximum available weekly Mentored Employment Program hours:

Students are allowed to work a maximum of 20 total hours per week. Students working more than one positon on campus will need to split hours between positions. The most current Employment Eligibility and Maximum Allowable Hours can be found in the Student Employment Manual. 

MEP Student Expectations:

  • Students should plan on attending a Research Ready workshop prior to the start of MEP (schedued TBA)
  • MEP students and faculty mentors should agree on project goals and anticipated outcomes at the start of the project
    • Timeline of project
    • Required training
    • Meeting schedule
    • Communication preference
    • Learning and professional development goals
  • A required mid-program assessment will be administered by Student Services to evaluate how projects are going and if adjustments need to be made
  • And end-of-year write up about your MEP experience will be required and used for program assessment and donor relations
  • MEP students are required to participate in the Mentored Employment Program Research Symposium, which will be scheduled in spring term

Other Presentation Opportunities

Students participating in the Mentored Employment Program are encouraged to seek out opportunities to present their research. Presenting and sharing your research helps develop your communication skills and provides networking opportunities with peers who share your interests. There are several other programs for undergraduate research presentations.

 

Mentored Employment Program positions have been filled for 2023-24. Please check back Fall 2024 for new opportunities!

Are you interested in applying for a Mentored Employment Program position?

If you are interested in applying to the Mentored Employment Program please complete the following steps:

  1. Review current mentored employment opportunities
  2. Complete the Student Services MEP interest form to indicate interest in up to three MEP opportunities
  3. Visit the OSU Student Employment website and apply to the Mentored Employment Student Technical Pool position and submit your resume and cover letter
    • Please note that if you would like to send separate cover letters specific to faculty that you are applying to, you may attach them to your OSU application as additional documents.

 

Questions about the Mentored Employment Program can be directed to the Student Services Office

116 Peavy Forest Science Center

(541) 737-1594

forestrystudentservices@oregonstate.edu