On Friday, November 13th, CSIE|UM welcomed Professor Sunghee Lee from Iona College for a discussion on mentoring undergraduate research at a PUI. Dr. Lee has built an extensive undergraduate research program, and her group is currently composed of 13 undergraduate members who range from freshman to seniors. She has won numerous awards and grants for her research and her mentoring and teaching. Her talk, entitled “Project Symphony: Bringing Undergraduate Research to a Crescendo”, discussed important themes in running a successful undergraduate research lab. 
Dr. Lee started out her day with CSIE|UM in an informal breakfast with CSIE|UM members who were interested in starting a career at a PUI. The discussion centered on the challenges of mentoring undergraduates, and how the role of a professor at a PUI also can encompass the role of friend and even psychologist.
During the lunch seminar talk, Dr. Lee expanded on her themes and ideas surrounding a more holistic approach to building a research team. She first discussed how she builds her research team. Dr. Lee recruits students from her general chemistry class as freshman, and during the winter break, selected freshman to undergo an intensive two week training session by Dr. Lee. “Teams” comprised of a senior undergraduate student and a more junior member are formed, and each week the teams are given a planning session with Dr. Lee, followed by dedicated experiment time in the lab. However, the undergraduate researchers are encouraged to build relationships with one another, and they often spend time socializing and doing homework in the lab when they are not performing experiments.
Dr. Lee also uses research as a way of teaching. For example, as her undergraduates were working with droplets, they realized they could visualize redox reactions occurring in these droplets, which is a classic subject covered in general chemistry. Dr. Lee recorded the droplet reactions, and uses these videos in her classes. In addition, her undergraduate researchers are encouraged to be creative, and explore the space around their research, but she gives them firm boundaries. In this way, her research program expands in unexpected, yet focused, ways. At the same time, she comments that undergraduate students become more independent and are better prepared for post graduate studies.
Lastly, Dr. Lee stressed the importance of preparing for a career in a PUI. She suggested trying to find independent teaching experiences so you can showcase your talent as a teacher in your application. It is also very important to have a well-thought out research plan that is possible within the confines of the school to which you apply. Furthermore, she recommends writing down the tiny details of equipment that you work with during your current research experiences. While at the University of Michigan we have access to a glass blower, electrician, experienced technicians, etc., these resources are not always available at a PUI. Often, the PI is the electrician or technician, so taking careful notes about the equipment you want to use now will help you have a successful career at a PUI.