Click here to apply to be a Peer Mentor
Program and Mentor Team Description
The Nature of Life Program is a signature experience of CBS. Required program components include the NOL summer experience, followed by a three-semester course series on campus throughout a student’s first and second year in CBS. Each Nature of Life component connects students to relevant campus resources, their new communities within CBS and further develops reflective thinking and self-awareness skills that contribute to students’ success in college and beyond. The NOL@Itasca experience gives students an opportunity to make connections with CBS faculty and staff, learn about life as a freshman in CBS, and have fun doing science at a biological field station. Peer Mentors accomplish this goal by:
- Sharing their first experiences with CBS and the U of M. Peer Mentors often answer questions like, “what is it like to study on campus?”, “how hard is it to find a research lab?”, and other things you wish you knew as a first-year student
- Serving as TAs for modules during each session that explore different disciplines within the biological sciences
- Promoting conversation and connections within the incoming class, and with current CBS students, faculty, and staff at the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories (IBSL)
- Guiding students (and some instructors!) to the favorite field station sites like the Itasca headwaters, Fire Tower, and other walking trails
- Emphasizing the use of different U of M campus resources tools ahead of students’ fall semester
For a more detailed description, please visit the incoming student page on NOL@Itasca.
We encourage you to apply for the position even if you do not believe you meet every qualification.
General Tasks of Peer Mentors during NOL@Itasca Sessions
Day 1 - these are our preparation and introduction days. We spend the days getting ready for the students who are checking in on the UMN campus. You will have an introductory meeting with the instructors, lab and station staff. Once the students arrive, we focus on group bonding activities and the first night of NOL traditions.
Day 2 - is our heaviest academic and lab day. Peer Mentors and students will spend the morning in modules and the afternoon in mini-modules that are exploring different scientific disciplines. During this day, Peer Mentors will work with 3-4 instructors from CBS and the U of M, learning more about their lab and day to day activities.
Day 3 - is part academic and part social relaxation. Again, we will spend the morning in scientific modules, but during the afternoon, there is the NOL@Itasca Expo where students share what they have learned. Much of the afternoon is devoted to free-time activities such as canoeing on Lake Itasca, walking to the Itasca Headwaters, playing sports on Parmelee Field, or making crafts in the Assembly Hall.
Day 4 - is a travel day for students and a relaxation day for Peer Mentors. Outside of one essential meeting, Peer Mentors are able to hang around the Station, communicate with family and friends at home, or create crafts or play games with the rest of the team.
Please note:
- Applicants are asked to share their availability for the NOL@Itasca sessions occurring: June 20-29 and July 6-27.
- Peer Mentors should hold June 10-14 on their calendars for the required training. This is a paid training that will occur primarily on the East Bank Campus.
- $3,550 stipend for working all seven sessions (full-time work) and Peer Mentor training over the summer dates
- Or a pro-rated amount based on the number of sessions you work
- Lodging and meals during NOL@Itasca sessions and transportation to IBSL from the Twin Cities Campus
Click here to apply to be a Peer Mentor