Invitation to Mentors

September, 2002

Dear Fellow Mentor:

We appreciate your willingness to participate in the Mentor Session on Saturday, October 19, 2002 in Higgins Hall at the midtown campus of Western Connecticut State University. This is the only day scheduled for us to work with the students who intend to register for the 2003 Science Horizons Regional Science Fair. Last year over 100 students (mostly 7^th and 8^th grade students) attended the Mentor Session. Many of those students were first time Fair participants who needed help with the "basics" of planning a project.

A schedule for the Mentor Day activities and a map of Western's campus are enclosed. Plan to arrive between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. to meet other mentors and to enjoy a cup of coffee before we start.

Some suggestions for new mentors:

1. Introduce yourself to the group and ask each student to describe his/her project briefly to the group. (Ask if there are any teams present.)

2. Ask each person/team to identify any problems they have encountered.

3. Identify projects that involve human subjects (even questionnaires), vertebrate animals, and/or chemicals that require special handling and supervision. These student investigators will have to complete one or more special forms as part of their Fair and/or Symposium registration.

4. Encourage a student to focus his/her project if it seems vague.

5. The students will look to you for some guidance and encouragement. If you are unsure of the advice to give a student, ask other mentors and committee members who are present.

On behalf of the Science Horizons Planning Committee we thank you in advance for your help. If you have any questions, please call me at (203) 837-8440.

Sincerely yours,

Catherine Hickey-Williams