2021 Application Closed
Please Note: At this time, we are recruiting for NOL @ Itasca Peer Mentors as CBS would like to try and run NOL @ Itasca in person in July 2021. A decision will be made in late March as to whether NOL @ Itasca can go ahead in person. If it cannot go ahead in person then we will swap to an online NOL @ Home program. This will still need similar Peer Mentor support and we will continue with our NOL Peer Mentor recruitment in any case although job descriptions will change. If you are at all interested in supporting NOL this Summer 2021, please apply at this stage – we look forward to hearing from you!
Job Descriptions: Associate Peer Mentor | Peer Mentor | Senior Peer Mentor
Program Information
NOL @ Itasca gives incoming first-year students the opportunity to live and study intensively in small groups with faculty and student peers for three days at the University of Minnesota's Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories in Itasca State Park. During NOL @ Itasca, students participate in intensive field/lab experience modules, each of which is taught by a faculty member with 10-12 student participants. With topics ranging from genetics (gene mapping, counseling, modeling) to ecology (wildlife tracking, insect behavior, bog ecosystems) to scientific method essentials (hypothesis formation, experimental design, critical thinking), you will experience and help students explore a variety of science topics in multiple formats.
Students also learn about time-honored University of Minnesota traditions and the campus resources available to support their academic and personal success.
NOL @ Itasca is characterized by an atmosphere of intense academic exploration and community building. The program objectives are:
- Personalize education by providing incoming first-year students with direct contact with faculty, staff and peer advisors;
- Encourage a spirit of mentorship between students and faculty;
- Provide a small-group introduction to specific areas of the biological sciences;
- Encourage students to explore opportunities for independent research at the University of Minnesota
- Introduce students to laboratory and/or field resources; and
- Build community and have fun.
Superior candidates for all three NOL @ Itasca peer mentor positions will exhibit:
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Team and independent working skills
- A commitment to inclusivity and the ability to work effectively with people with a wide variety of backgrounds and roles;
- Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and solve problems creatively and quickly;
- Familiarity with University of Minnesota and College of Biological Sciences academic resources; and
- The ability to demonstrate and maintain high levels of self-motivation, humor, enthusiasm, maturity, and open-mindedness.
In Addition:
- All mentor roles must be available for all training dates in late-June/early-July 2021, as well as all six NOL @ Itasca sessions, July 5-29, 2021.
- Associate Peer Mentors are typically students who have just finished their first year of undergraduate study; Peer Mentors are typically students who have just finished their sophomore or junior year of study; Senior Peer Mentors are students with previous NOL @ Itasca work experience, usually having just finished their junior or senior year of study.