The Transformative Power of Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers

Rutgers–Camden prides itself on being an institution of access to our students. One activity that exemplifies this is the many ways that students can participate in research as undergraduates.

This truly sets Rutgers-Camden apart, especially considering that we have a robust graduate school offering many research-focused graduate degrees. 

At other institutions, faculty might be too preoccupied with their graduate students to consider mentoring undergraduates. Yet at Rutgers–Camden, we recognize the value and potential of our undergraduates as researchers.

This year, I had the pleasure and honor of working with seven undergraduate students —three who took part in the “lab shadowing” program that is part of the biology major, and four students, known as “Team Fingerprint,” who started working with me as freshmen last year. 

The biology students worked on a diverse range of projects — from testing different methods to clean animal bones from residual soft tissue, to identifying a Tibetan cultural organization for the purpose of repatriating cultural material, to cataloging dozens of animals collected and taxidermied in the 1960s and 1970s by biology faculty and checking them against laws that regulate the possession of protected species. 

Team Fingerprint consists of one biology major, one psychology major, one criminal justice/English major, and one criminal justice/fine arts major.  All of them reached out to me individually asking about research opportunities. Initially, I didn’t have any projects that I felt would be meaningful for the students.

Then out of the blue, a project materialized. 

Ultimately, these students will get to travel with me to Greece in Spring 2026 thanks to both the Rutgers Global Grant and the Chancellor’s Experiential Fund. 

Their research, exploring ancient fingerprints on 7,000-year-old objects will be presented at the Archeological Institute of America’s annual conference and, hopefully, published. 

These students have been invaluable to me, professionally and personally. Not only have they helped moved my research forward, but I also consider them colleagues. It’s been a privilege to see them grow and immensely rewarding to celebrate their successes like presenting their first poster at CURCA. 

I encourage faculty to consider integrating undergraduate research mentoring into their portfolio of activities. It doesn’t have to be a large project; even shadowing you can ignite a passion for research.

Any exposure to something outside of the classroom can start a journey that benefits both the mentor and mentee in ways you might never expect.