The 2022 application is open. Apply here!
Deadlines
- Senior Peer Mentor Applications due March 6
- Associate Peer Mentor, Peer Mentor Applications due March 13
Please Note: NOL@Itasca is expected to return to running in person this June and July, which we are very excited about! We expect to recruit a number of students to work and spend time as Peer Mentors on site at Itasca during program dates with Nature of Life. If you would like to make a difference this summer as a member of our NOL Peer Mentor team, while also gaining valuable student mentorship skills and experiencing Itasca yourself, we hope you will apply!
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 mid- to late-June 2022, as well as all sevenNOL @ Itasca sessions, June 22-30 and July 5-26, 2022.
- 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.
- Any COVID-19 protocols necessary and required during NOL@Itasca 2022 will be followed and communicated. Should anything change regarding the mode of delivery of NOL@Itasca as a result of COVID-19 impacts or otherwise this would be communicated as soon as possible.
Job Descriptions
Apply here!
Deadlines
- Senior Peer Mentor Applications due March 6
- Associate Peer Mentor, Peer Mentor Applications due March 13