Mentor LSAMP Scientists
This committee is dedicated to mentoring UW LSAMP students during the LSAMP Scientist Program. The LSAMP Scientist Program is a summer research program for students with little to no research experience. We have had 38 students go through the program since the start of the program in 2021.
About the Scientist Research Program
Become a Faculty Mentor
Members can support LSAMP with reviewing student applications, interviewing students, mentoring students, providing funds for students research experiences, and/or supporting us during the weekly professional development sessions.
Responsibilities
LSAMP faculty mentors have the following responsibilities and opportunities:
Help select LSAMP students. As a faculty mentor, you have the opportunity (not required) to review applications, interview students, and select candidates.
Develop a mentoring plan with your mentee. Work with your mentee to set expectations and define your role as their mentor. Establish what resources may be needed to create a successful and meaningful mentorship. This may include a weekly curriculum to help empower the student with the tools, skillsets and experience.
Financially sponsor a mentee (through NSF REU, NIH diversity supplements, departmental support, or more). Mentors should be prepared to financially sponsor part-time students at $3,000 and full-time students at $6,000. LSAMP has limited funding for mentees, but a mentor can request for funds.
Attend professional development sessions. These sessions occur weekly and faculty mentors should plan to attend at least two to three times.
Attend the Meet & Greet. This session is for all mentors and mentees prior to the program beginning. This session will focus on getting to know the students and other mentors.
Attend social events. LSAMP hosts a number of social events throughout the program. These events are optional to attend, but we encourage all mentors to engage and get to know the students.
Host a lab tour. This gives students the opportunity to see the different types of labs and research throughout campus. If possible you can include hands-on activity during the tour.
Attend the Research Presentations. The students will be presenting their research during the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.
2024 Timeline
- Tuesday, January 9th, 2-3 pm: LSAMP Scientist Program Information Session for Faculty.
- Thursday, January 25th, 3-4 pm: LSAMP Scientist Program Information Session for Faculty.
- Wednesday, January 31st: Deadline for faculty to fill out an interest form.
- Monday, February 26th: Deadline for Faculty to confirm if they would like to mentor for summer.
- Friday, March 1st: Website Updated to Show Potential Mentors for Summer.
- Monday, March 4th: Student Applications Open.
- Sunday, March 31st: Student Applications Close (unless we receive 40 applications before then)
- April 1st – 5th: Review Student Applications
- April 15th – 19th: Student Interviews
- April 22nd – 26th: Review Student Interviews
- Monday, April 29th: Notify Students of Offer
- Wednesday, May 29th: Meet & Greet
- Monday, June 17th: Program Starts
- Friday, August 16th: Program Ends
About the LSAMP Scientist Program
LSAMP Scientist Program Presentation
Students Presentation
Finding Supplemental Funding to Support LSAMP Students Presentation
Ways to Get Involved
Can’t commit to being a faculty member right now? There are still ways you can help support the LSAMP program and students.
- Participate in reviewing applications, interview and select candidates.
- Participate in the Students Professional Development Sessions
- Participate in the Monthly Committee Meetings
- Attend the research presentations at the end of the program
- Host a Lab Tour
Meet the Mentors
Faculty mentors are dedicated to supporting LSAMP students in research. Mentors review student applications, interview students, mentor students, provide funds for students research experiences, and provide support during weekly professional development sessions.
Jeff Ban
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Project: Data Analytics for Connected and Automated Vehicles
Majid Chalian
Department: Radiology
Project: Machine learning to assess postoperative outcome in total ankle arthroplasty.
Margaret Cheung
Department: Physics
Project: Computer Modeling of Emergent Protein Assemblies
David Cuban
Department: Biology
Project: Sunbird feeding efficiency and its effect on plant-pollinator interactions in South Africa
Sharon Doty and Robert Tournay
Department: College of the Environment
Project: Plant Molecular Microbiology
Andrea Durant
Department: Biology
Project: Conserving water and getting rid of salts: how do aquatic insects that live in seawater prevent dehydration?
David Ginger
Department: Chemistry
Project: Chemical Passivation of Surface Defects in Perovskite Solar cells or Mixed Ionic/Electronic Conduction in Semiconducting Polymers for Neuromorphic Computing
Benjamin Hills
Department: Geophysics Department (Colorado School of Mines)
Project: Radar Sounding as a Tool for Ice Core Site Selection at Hercules Dome, Antarctica
Samson Jenekhe
Department: Chemical Engineering
Project: Blends of π-conjugated polymers
Christopher Kenseth
Department: Atmospheric Sciences
Project: Chemistry of Atmospheric Organic Aerosols
Sarah Keller
Department: Chemistry
Project: Measuring transition temperatures at which simplified cell membranes demix into coexisting liquid phases
Andrew Laszlo
Department: Physics Department
Project: Observing inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 helicase with Nanopore Tweezers
Chris Law
Department: Biology Department
Project: The evolution of mammalian body plans
Laura Lindzey & T.J. Fudge
Department: Applied Physics Lab & Earth and Space Sciences Department
Project: Mapping Unconformities in East Antarctica’s Stratigraphic Record using Ice Penetrating Radar
David Masiello
Department: Chemistry
Project: Optical Control over Thermal Distributions in Photonic Crystals
Jeff Riffell
Department: Biology
Project: Sensory neuroscience and behavior in insects
Steven Roberts
Department: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Project: Gene Expression Analysis in Oysters as a Response to Environmental Stressors
Adam Steinbrenner
Department: Biology
Project: Plants bite back: molecular basis of immune responses to caterpillars
Wendy Thomas
Department: Bioengineering
Project: Machine learning to assess postoperative outcome in total ankle arthroplasty.
Chris Torres
Department: Chemical Engineering
Project: Chemical and Reaction Engineering of Sustainable Plastics
Amy Van Cise
Department: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Project: Using genetic metabarcoding to peer into the diet of marine mammals
The committee reviews student applications, interviews students, provides support during weekly professional development sessions, and hosts lab tours. The committee members are an important part to supporting our program because It takes a village to raise children. Anything you could contribute will help a lot when the community pitches in their time or funding.
Adam Steinbrenner
Biology Department
Field of Interest: Plant immune system, plant-herbivore interactions
Alvaro E. Chavarria
Physics Department
Field of Interest: Nanopore sequencing of DNA and proteins, single-molecule biophysic
Andrew Laszlo
Physics Department
Field of Interest: Nanopore sequencing of DNA and proteins, single-molecule biophysics
Armita Nourmohammad
Physics Department
Field of Interest: Biophysics, Theory, Computing
Ben Hills
Earth and Space Sciences Department
Field of Interest: Glaciology; geophysics; open science
Carl Knowlen
Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering Department
Field of Interest: High speed propulsion systems and energy conversion technologies
Chris Chickadel
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Field of Interest: Coastal and nearshore fluid mechanics, waves and wave breaking, estuary and river processes, remote and image analysis.
Cole DeForest
Chemical Engineering Department
Field of Interest: biomaterials, tissue engineering, drug delivery
David Masiello
Chemistry Department
Field of Interest: Theoretical analysis of electron beam and optical spectroscopies and microscopies of optical, magnetic, thermal, and quantum materials phenomena spanning from the visible to far infrared spectrum, quantum simulation/quantum optics
Emilio Mayorga
UW Applied Physics Lab
Field of Interest: His work focuses on the development and implementation of systems for the management, open dissemination and analysis of environmental data in marine and terrestrial applications, emphasizing collaborative approaches and tools that engage diverse partners.
Jim Pfaendtner
Chemical Engineering Department
Field of Interest: Materials Theory, Computing
Margaret Cheung
Department: Physics
Project: Computer Modeling of Emergent Protein Assemblies
Peter Rau
Physics Department
Field of Interest: Neutron star astrophysics: equation of state, magnetohydrodynamics and oscillation modes, effects of superfluidity/superconductivity
Sharon Doty
Microbiology Department
Field of Interest: The importance of the plant microbiome for plant growth, nutrient acquisition, and tolerance to both abiotic (drought, heat, pollutants, salt) nd biotic (pathogens) stresses.
Travis Thonstad
Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Field of Interest: Reinforced concrete; precast/prestressed concrete; seismic design; structural robustness
Youngjun Choe
Industrial and Systems Engineering Department
Field of Interest: Data science for disaster management.
About Youngjun
2022 Mentors
Alvaro E Chavarria
Physics Department
Project: Defect Analysis of a CCD Using Stage 6 Images
Mentee: Joy Jung
Chris Chickadel
Applied Physics Lab
Project: Understanding the Size Distribution of Breaking Wave Bubble Plumes through Remote Sensing
Mentee: Dennise Aguilar Cano
Brandi Cossairt
Chemistry Department
Project: Exploring Ligand Exchange Reactions on CdSe Cluster Surfaces
Mentee: Lily Kim Nguyen
Sharon Doty
College of the Environment
Project: Characterizing genetic traits of endophytes in silico and in vitro
Mentee: Joel Lemus
T.J. Fudge and Ben Hills
Earth and Space Sciences
Project: Understanding Ice Temperatures in Ice Streams in Antarctica and Greenland
Mentee: Jonathan H. Ortiz-Candelaria
Alejandro Garcia
Physics Department
Project: Calibration sources for monoenergetic electrons
Mentee: Lillian Tran
Isobel Kolbe
Physics Department
Project: Creating a Python Script to Study Jet-Medium Interactions in Heavy Ion Collisions with JEWEL
Mentee: Lluvia Garcia
Andrew Laszlo
Physics Department
Project: Sequence dependent enzyme kinetics of SARS-CoV2 helicase nsp13
Mentee: Francisco Alvarado-Medina
David Masiello
Chemistry Department
Project: Exploring The Nature of Phase Structured Light for Laser Stimulated Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy
Mentee: Michael Sanchez
Peter Rau
Physics Department
Project: Neutron Star Interface Modes at S/P-Wave Transitions
Mentee: Sam Puentes
Steven Roberts
School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences
Project: Influence of Temperature on Mussel Gene Expression
Mentee: Dorothy Lartey
Travis Thonstad
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Project: Shear Behavior of Macro-Synthetic Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
Mentee: Alexander Maldonado
2021 Mentors
Alvaro E Chavarria
Physics Department
Project: Thermal Analysis of Bulk Silicon Charge-Coupled Devices used to Detect Dark Matter
Mentee: Areesa Trevino
Cole DeForest
Chemical engineering
Project: The Role of Light Exposure and Crosslinker Degradability on Double Network Hydrogel Mechanics
Mentee: Kaitlyn Vera
Samson Jenekhe
Chemical Engineering Department
Project: Polymer Solar Cells
Mentee: Edgar Daniel
Armita Nourmohammad
Physics Department
Project: Exploratory Analysis of B-Cell Repertoires in Individuals with Chronic HIV
Mentee: Manny Munoz
Steven Roberts
School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences
Project: Functional annotation of the Roslin Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) genome in response to 17α-ethinylestradiol exposure
Mentee: Chris Mantegna