Interested in mentoring aspiring neuroscientists? The DUNE program team is recruiting mentors for the fifth Duke University Neuroscience Experience, a full-time, 8-week summer research program for Durham high school students.

Program Dates: June 16 - August 8, 2025 (8 weeks)
Mentor Application Period: December 12, 2024 - February 7, 2025
Mentors Notified: February/March 2025

DUNE’s mission is to provide local students from diverse backgrounds with the scientific skills, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to position them for success in STEM fields. Summer 2025 will be the fifth year of DUNE!

All Duke neuroscientists from any department - including graduate students, postdocs, staff, and faculty - are welcome to become DUNE mentors! Thank you for helping us make DUNE happen.

MENTOR EXPERIENCE

Individual mentors or co-mentor teams host one or two DUNE scholar(s) in their lab and guide them through completing a rotation-style summer research project (designed in collaboration with the DUNE program team). Mentors provide individualized training to develop scholars’ scientific thinking and hands-on lab skills, as well as support scholars in creating a poster to present their project at the end of the program. The DUNE program team handles the scholar admissions process, matches scholars with labs, facilitates mentor and scholar onboarding, establishes and enforces program policies for scholars, and provides ongoing support throughout the summer to minimize the burden on participating labs.

MENTOR RESPONSIBILITIES 

  • Develop an intellectually engaging summer research project for your scholar in collaboration with the DUNE program team.
  • Provide the hands-on, individualized training required for your scholar to complete their project, including conceptual background, experimental/analysis methods, and guidance in creating a scientific poster.
  • Regularly meet and communicate with your scholar for both research and mentoring purposes.

MENTOR BENEFITS

  • Connect with the Durham community by mentoring a public high school student.
  • Support inclusion in STEM by providing a formative research opportunity for a student from a disadvantaged background.
  • Gain unique mentorship experience to support your professional development.
  • Develop mentorship skills day-to-day and through special mentor training opportunities:
    • Facilitator-led mentor training based on the evidence-based Entering Mentoring curriculum, which has been shown to positively impact mentorship skills and knowledge. Earn 4 RCR credits!
    • Faculty-led mentor training in inclusive mentoring and project management.
  • Participate in a structured program run by the DUNE team to minimize the burden on your lab:
    • Peer review and feedback on your project proposal.
    • Streamlined mentor and scholar onboarding processes.
    • Program policies for scholars, including regular attendance in the lab (~30 hours/week) except during lunch and scheduled program activities.
    • Opportunities to attend DUNE programming.
    • Ongoing communication and support from DUNE team members throughout the summer.
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BECOME A DUNE MENTOR!

Apply by Friday, February 7, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

DUNE MENTOR APPLICATION FORM

DUNE Mentor Stories: Edgar Peña

Mentor FAQs

For 8 weeks (June 16 - August 8, 2025), DUNE scholars spend approximately 30 hours/week in the lab (weekdays between 9am-5pm), and mentors tend to work with scholars for around 10 hours/week. DUNE walkers escort scholars to/from the lab for lunch and scheduled program activities, supervising them from 11:45am-2:15pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 11:45am-1:15pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

  • December - February: Submit your mentor application by Friday, February 7, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.
  • February/March:
    • Learn whether we can place a DUNE scholar(s) in your lab
    • Commit to becoming a mentor.
    • Consider participating in mentor training based on the evidence-based Entering Mentoring curriculum for 4 RCR credits (four 2-hour sessions).
  • March - April: Work with the DUNE program team to:
  • April: Receive your scholar assignment.
  • May - June: Participate in four 1-hour training sessions led by Duke faculty about inclusive mentoring and project management.
  • June 16 - August 8: Enjoy mentoring your DUNE scholar(s)!

Most DUNE scholars are minors (16-17 years old), and so the DUNE program is registered with the Duke Office of Youth Projection. Everyone involved in DUNE must comply with the Youth Protection at Duke University Policy and the Code of Conduct for Program Staff:

  • All lab members who will be present in summer 2025 must complete a Duke Background Check (required every 3 years) and online Minors Training (required annually).
  • A single lab member *cannot* be alone with a DUNE scholar.
    • For labs with one scholar, two adults must be present (2 adults, 1 minor).
    • For labs with two scholars (recommended), a second adult is *not* required (1 adult, 2 minors).
    • Co-mentors and/or other lab members can cover for you during brief absences.

In addition, labs must comply with the Duke Safety Policy on Minors in Work Areas and, if applicable, the Animal Care & Use Program Guidance:

  • Mentors must work with the DUNE program team to complete a Workplace Safety Statement for Minors and follow any lab-specific guidelines issued during OESO approval.
  • Minors *can* work in labs that perform procedures at BSL-2 as long as OESO guidelines are followed:
    • NO sharps (e.g., needles or blades).
      • Sectioning on a cryostat, microtome, or vibratome is OK if the mentor supervises and loads the fixed tissue and blade.
    • NO infectious diseases, blood, or body fluids (e.g., unfixed tissue, microbiology labs, or non-human primate labs).
    • NO radiation.
      • Operating a confocal microscope with embedded lasers is OK.
    • NO vertebrate procedures (e.g., surgeries or injections).
      • Handling animals in the lab (e.g., running behavior) is OK.
    • NO particularly hazardous chemicals (e.g., paraformaldehyde [PFA]).
      • Fixed tissue is OK if rinsed well in PBS.

Please email duneprogram@duke.edu with any additional questions.