Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
The Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award honors individuals who demonstrate exemplary mentorship to Rice undergraduate students in research, design, and creative works projects. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry is accepting nominations from current Rice students who would like to acknowledge the impact their research mentor has had on them and their experience. Honorees will be announced at the Shapiro Showcase luncheon. Nomination deadline is March 15th, 2026.
Instructions and tips for nominating your research mentor are below.
Award Criterion
While the following criterion are not exhaustive in demonstrating excellence in mentorship, the selection committee typically considers the mentor's ability to:
- Meet regularly and make themselves available for support and supervision
- Provide guidance on student’s research project, including skill and knowledge development to advance the project
- Support student in connecting to broader research communities
- Encourage student to share their work through publication or presentation
- Support student success in applications for future opportunities including fellowships, graduate school, and/or employment
- Demonstrate interest in student academic and career goals
- Create equitable opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds in undergraduate research
- Consider and advise the student holistically, taking into account their broader circumstances, goals, and personal fulfillment
Nomination Process
Students must complete the nomination form, which includes uploading a nomination letter outlining the qualities that make their mentor deserving of the award. The nomination letter will need to be uploaded as a PDF, and should be a maximum length of two-pages double spaced.
Strong nomination letters provide concrete examples of the qualities and actions of the mentor in the following areas:
- How the mentor supported you in being successful in your project and your development through your research, design, or creative work experience
- How the mentor impacted your education and professional pathways, including opportunities for sharing your work, future research, and/or post-graduation plans
- How the mentor supported your sense of belonging to an academic community and/or contributed to a culture of inclusion within undergraduate research at Rice
Tips for writing the nomination letter
Read the criterion and nomination information above and think about any specific experience you've had with your mentor related to those points. Use your experiences as evidence to show how your mentor exhibits one or more of the criteria.
Remember that your audience--the people reading your submission--might not be in your field. Focus on concrete ways your mentor has supported you, rather than the details of your research project. Write for a lay audience outside your discipline.
The following structure can be used as a guide in drafting your nomination letter:
- Introduction: Include an brief overview of your research project, how it was developed with your mentor, and how long you have been working together. Include a thesis statement, making an argument in favor of your mentor and outlining your key points.
- Body Paragraphs: Have a body paragraph per key point. Draw on personal experience as evidence and be specific. If you're not sure about key points, use the three prompts in the nomination section and/or the criterion above as a guide.
- Conclusion: Keep this short and sweet! Be sure to include any additional information about your mentor you feel is important for the review committee to consider as you summarize why your mentor is deserving of the award.
The length limit is 2, double-spaced pages.
Council of Undergraduate Research Mentoring Awards
The Council of Undergraduate Research (CUR) recognizes outstanding faculty mentors of undergraduate research annually with awards in STEM and Arts and Humanities. Faculty who are CUR members are also eligible for selection to CUR Fellows. These awards include funds to support undergraduate research. A number of discipline-specific divisions within CUR also offer undergraduate research mentoring awards to CUR division members. For more information about the awards and the application process, visit the Council of Undergraduate Research.