Peer mentoring is all about creating belonging and community for undergraduate researchers!

The Peer Mentoring Program is a great opportunity to build awareness of self, utilize ISA resources, and participate in networking opportunities. Peer Mentors are advanced students in ISA who will be paired with a Peer Mentee who is a newer student or affiliated student (e.g., Pathfinder) to our program. Peer Mentors guide Mentees one-on-one through experiences within and outside of the lab and contribute to student success and development.

The Peer Mentoring commitment is a semester-long relationship with the expectation that Peer Mentor and Mentee meet at least three times during the course of the semester. Participants engage in a reflective writing activities and must attend required programming.

If interested in participating in the Peer Mentoring program, please email ui-isa@uiowa.edu to confirm your interest, and have a look at our Current Peer Mentors page.

“When I was first getting into science and research, I had no

idea what I was doing, and I felt very lost. I didn't have any older friends to guide me, so I already felt behind by the end of my freshman year. When IBA started the peer mentoring program, I jumped at the chance to be a mentor and provide students with the resources I lacked during my first year. Through peer mentoring, I got to help a few brilliant students find their footing, and even though we were different majors, I got to learn more about myself in the process. Having to explain resources and learn about resources for different departments really gave me a new outlook. Being a mentee is obviously beneficial, but I feel being a mentor is equally amazing! I learned so much about myself, STEM at Iowa, and different backgrounds, which, in turn, made me a better mentor, better scientist, and better person. I highly recommend joining this program, even if you've never had a mentorship experience.”

Chelsea Higgins,  ISA Alumni,  MS Student University of Iowa, Biology