Tiered Mentoring
with The University of Akron Department of Biology
Student applications for our Fall 2025 projects are due Sunday, September 28 at 11:59 p.m.
Introduction
The Tiered Mentoring Program at the University of Akron connects undergraduate students with research, internship, and clinical shadowing experiences with our local community partners that build confidence and foster belonging in biology and biomedical fields. Designed for students early in their academic journey, this program pairs each student with a faculty mentor, graduate student, and experienced peer. In year one, students are mentees gaining hands-on experience; in year two, they become mentors to incoming participants. This cycle of guided learning, collaboration, and leadership helps students persist in their degrees, explore career pathways, and build strong letters of recommendation for graduate and professional schools.
In year one, students are mentees gaining hands-on experience; in year two, they become mentors to incoming participants. This cycle of guided learning, collaboration, and leadership helps students persist in their degrees, explore career pathways, and build strong letters of recommendation for graduate and professional schools.
The Tiered Mentoring program is made possible by a gracious yearly gift from Norbert Thompson and a gift from Carolyn Olive in memory of her late husband John Olive, a previous professor in the Department of Biology.
Fall 2025 Tiered Mentoring Projects
With much excitement, the Department of Biology is launching our Tiered Mentoring program for Fall 2025. Not only do we have research opportunities within the department of Biology, but we are grateful to have opportunities with our community partners at Northeast Ohio Medical School, the Akron Zoo, Akron Children’s Hospital, and Davey Resource Group.
Applications are due on Sunday, September 28th at 11:59pm, and we hope to have students placed into these opportunities by the end of October. Here are the opportunities available to our students:
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Detecting Vision Problems in Preschoolers - Hartmann (Akron Children's Hospital)
- Wildlife Watch: Exploring Animal Behavior and Wellbeing - Chandler (Akron Zoo)
- Creature Comforts: Designing Enrichment for Every Species - Chandler (Akron Zoo)
- Wetlands, Streams, and Ecological Restoration Internship - Burns (Davey Resource Group)
- Mind Over Matter: Neuron counts in the unusually large brains of whales - Cooper (NEOMED)
- Why do we have a neck? - Grider-Potter (NEOMED)
- Age-related differences in GABAergic and perineuronal net expression in the central auditory system - Mellott (NEOMED)
- Walking in the real world—how do precocial infants understand affordances for locomotion? - Young (NEOMED)
- Slithering Sleuths: Uncoiling the Sssecrets of Snake Biomechanics - Astley (University of Akron)
- Beyond BIOL 364: Honors Research Adventures in Physiology - Bagatto (University of Akron)
- Exploring the genetic conflicts between arboviruses and their multiple hosts - Chesarino (University of Akron)
- Branching into Branchiopods: Exploring Fairy Shrimp Diversity with Researchers and Citizen Scientists - Churchin (University of Akron)
- The Retina in 3D: Unraveling Retinal Circuitry with Connectomics - Johnson (University of Akron)
- Understanding Ant Overwintering under Climate Change and Urbanization - Miller (University of Akron)
- Diversity in Drinking Mechanisms: A Comparative Biomechanical and Phylogenetic Study - Olson (University of Akron)
- One to Many: Environmental Drivers of Animal Multicellularity - Wain (University of Akron)
- On the trail of a rare spring-flying butterfly (Pieris virginiensis) - Wilhelm (University of Akron)
How to Participate in the Tiered Mentoring Program
Are you an undergraduate student interested in joining the Tiered Mentoring program? Start by reviewing this year’s research projects to see what catches your interest. You should also visit the websites of any professors or community partners whose projects you are interested in and learn more about their research. You might also wish to contact the research manager before you make your choice of which project you would like to work on.
After reviewing the research projects, fill out the application form. On that form, you can identify up to 5 research projects you would be interested in working on. The application form asks you to write a brief outline of why you are interested in working with the research group(s) you have identified. This may be the only information the research mentors have to judge your application, so submitting a strong application will greatly increase your odds of being chosen to participate.
When the application deadline closes, the research project leaders will rank their acceptable applicants, and then the accepted students will be offered a position in October. Once accepted, you will negotiate the start date, end date, and hours per week with your research manager.
Once accepted to the Tiered Mentoring program, you are encouraged to sign up for independent research credits in the biology department and complete your research project over the course of the program. The number of credits you sign up for will vary depending on your time commitment, usually 1-4 total credits. Time commitments for research are negotiated with the research manager and are usually quite flexible.
If you have any questions about Tiered Mentoring, please contact Dr. Jordan Renna.