Texas A&M CyberHealthGIS - Faculty Mentors

Faculty Mentor Program

The focus of the Texas A&M CyberHealthGIS REU program is to bring together 10 undergrad students from around the country, 1/3 from Geography/GIS/Planning, 1/3 from Computer Science, and 1/3 Health/Bio/Med to work collaboratively on issues integrating all three disciplines.

A key ingredient in the success of this program is quality faculty mentorship, from each of these branches of science. We are seeking talented faculty all aspects of Computer Science/Engineering, Public Health/VetMed/Bio/Science, and Geography, including Human, Physical, GIS/RS, and Human Environment. Climate, Urban, Cultural, Geomorph - even BioGeography - all has to do with health, and all plus more are research areas of interest for our great REU students.

As long as you know research methods of any kind related to Health, Computing, or Geography, are comfortable with Texas summertime, like Oxford Commas and strange capitalization, and desire to work with really talented undergrads, your help would be useful and appreciated.

Part of the funding the investigator team received allows them to bring outstanding Faculty (or Agency Personnel/Program Officers) from around the country to the Texas A&M University Campus in College Station, TX. Faculty Mentors are invited each for a week, or any portion thereof that works for schedules. These faculty will assist with student research to help guide talented REU student researchers in any aspect of science which relates their expertise with the goals of the REU program.

Faculty Support

The program can pay for all travel to and from College Station, TX, and accommodations while here, but not an honorarium unfortunately.

Schedule

The program runs each year for 10 weeks in the summer - from Memorial Day (late May), through the first full week in August. Faculty Mentors are welcome to come for up to one week during any point of this program. Faculty Mentors are also welcome to come for a portion of a week, if schedules do not permit absence from other duties for an entire week.

Faculty Responsibilities

The responsibilities of Faculty Mentors include:

  • Give a talk on an area of your expertise;
  • Engage with students to help them plan/execute their research/analysis approaches, and/or further clarify their research ideas; and
  • Provide a positive role model for young people toying with the idea of research/science as a career.

In addition, Faculty Mentors will be provided with ample free time to visit with other groups on the Texas A&M University campus in the case that there are other groups, students, faculty, TAMU Agencies, or other opportunities Faculty Mentors wish to pursue.

Commitment to Diversity

The investigator team is especially looking forward to bringing a diversity of Faculty Mentors in terms of career/degree choice, type of appointment, age, expertise, gender, race/ethnicity, terminal degree, and any/all other things that one could imagine making for a student experience that broadens the horizons of promising undergraduate researchers.

Application Process

To apply to become a faculty mentor, simple send an email to daniel.goldberg@tamu.edu. Be sure to include:

  • A short statement of your area of expertise;
  • A short statement of your fit within the goals of the Texas A&M University CyberHealthGIS REU program;
  • Any preferred and alternate dates you would like to serve as a Faculty Mentor; and
  • Your CV.