Rattanan Chungsawat (right) and his undergraduate mentee Alexa Galvez (left) conduct an experiment evaluating insecticide efficacy using the Ebeling choice box. (Photo courtesy of Rattanan Chungsawat)

By Rattanan Chungsawat

Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series contributed by the ESA Student Affairs Committee. See other posts by and for entomology students here at Entomology Today.

Rattanan Chungsawat

Mentorship is when a more experienced person guides or advises a less experienced person, ultimately helping them to achieve a goal.  As a graduate student, I have had the opportunity to mentor multiple undergraduate students, and I have learned that factors such as time, motivation, and communication can greatly influence the success of a mentorship.

For instance, just by talking to my mentee, I learned that, on top of class and laboratory responsibilities, they also volunteer at a hospital and aspire to become a medical doctor. This allowed me to adapt their laboratory responsibilities to better suit their available time and to draw on skills that could transfer to their future career.

In this article, I’d like to discuss the mentorship process from the perspectives of both the graduate student mentor and undergraduate student mentee. My hope is to help foster a better understanding of mentorship and promote productive mentor-mentee relationships, which are valuable for academic and research training.

I want to preface this by saying that Tessa Shates, Ph.D., wrote a wonderful article on Entomology Today in 2021 about mentoring undergraduate students, which can help beginner graduate mentors looking for direction on how to work with undergraduates: see “Mentoring Undergraduates: How to Be a Guide for Genuine Research Experiences.” Instead of repeating that guidance, I want to share some of my own perspectives, experiences, and lessons learned as a graduate student mentor.

Establish Expectations From the Beginning

Before mentorship can begin, both parties should have a clear understanding of their goals, expectations, and responsibilities. For example, this could include establishing a schedule for when to meet each week and for how long, as well as which experiments they will be working on and the technique necessary.

Most importantly, both parties should understand what they want to accomplish throughout the mentor/mentee relationship. For example, an undergraduate mentee may want to fulfill the research credits needed for graduation, gain laboratory experience, or develop skills that can aid them in their future career. A graduate mentor, on the other hand, may want assistance with their research while also developing their mentoring, teaching, and management skills.

Understanding these goals helps establish boundaries and provides a standard for what the mentorship will look like. It also prevents one party from having expectations that the other was never aware of.

Teach the “How” as Well as the “Why”

Tutorials and demonstrations are necessary parts of mentoring. Equally as important, however, is explaining the context behind the research or experiment. The reason for a particular research project or experimental method may seem obvious to the mentor, but it may not be obvious to an undergraduate mentee who is unfamiliar with the subject.

I think having a conversation about why they are doing what they are doing is an important step in establishing an understanding between the mentor and mentee. Explaining why a certain task must be carried out will not only help clear up any potential misunderstandings but can also motivate the mentee to diligently perform the task assigned to them. I often give my undergraduate mentee an outline of the experiments we are working on, why they are important, and what we can potentially observe from carrying out these experiments.

Once that understanding has been established, this is where “doing” comes into play. Tessa’s guide has a very good section on learning by doing, and I want to emphasize how crucial this step is. There needs to be repetition, so the mentee has opportunities to practice while the mentor observes their technique and provides feedback. A good rule of thumb for this is to explain how to do it, show an example of the technique, and then give the mentee an opportunity to try it while the mentor observes. Only when they can carry out the task without failure can they be considered proficient at the task.

At the same time, independence is an important part of the learning process. One way to determine whether a mentee has learned is to have them perform the task independently without constant supervision. This allows them to build confidence and learn to troubleshoot problems on their own without looking for their mentor whenever something goes wrong.

Rattanan Chungsawat (left) and his undergraduate mentee Camila Hernandez (right) presented a poster, “Effects of over-the-counter natural products-based aerosols on baits against the German cockroaches (Blattodea: Ectobiidae),” at the University of California, Riverside, Urban Pest Management Conference 2024. (Photo courtesy of Rattanan Chungsawat)

Rattanan Chungsawat (left) and his undergraduate mentee Juan Martinez Araujo (right) presented a poster, “Accessibility to water influences the performance of inorganic dust against German cockroaches (Blattodea: Ectobiidae),” at the University of California, Riverside, Urban Pest Management Conference 2025. (Photo courtesy of Rattanan Chungsawat)

Be Patient and Recognize Their Other Responsibilities

One of the challenges of mentorship is that different people learn differently. Some mentees may only require a short explanation or demonstration, while others may need more instruction and practice. If your mentee needs more help, that is perfectly normal. After all, this may be their first time doing it. I often work alongside my undergraduate mentee on experiments. This way, if any confusion or mishap occurs, I am available and ready to help find a solution.

It is also important to remember that undergraduate students have responsibilities outside of the laboratory. First and foremost, they are students with classes, assignments, exams, and personal commitments. Expecting them to dedicate the same amount of time to research as a graduate student does is unrealistic and unfair. In addition, undergraduate mentees may not be pursuing a career path related to their mentor’s, but that does not mean that a mentor cannot offer advice on applying to graduate school, building résumé or CV, or editing personal statements for scholarship or graduate school applications. Personally, I had an opportunity to coach one of my mentees on how to drive over the summer, and she obtained her driver’s license on her first attempt. This goes to show that mentorship does not stop at the laboratory door.

As graduate students, we have many responsibilities such as research, coursework, and teaching. Mentoring an undergraduate student can sometimes be viewed negatively as an added responsibility. One way to change this is to set a fixed meeting schedule that blocks time specifically for mentoring. While an undergraduate is working with you, as a mentor, it is important to keep the mentee’s goals in mind as well. In addition to setting boundaries early in the mentorship, try to think about transferable skills your mentee can gain from the experience, such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, organization, or other laboratory techniques, rather than focusing only on the specific tasks associated with your research project.

What Does a Mentor Get Out of Mentorship?

It is easy to see what the mentee receives from being mentored. Your skills and knowledge are being passed on to them, potentially saving them from spending hours troubleshooting problems that you have already encountered.

But what do you, as a mentor, get out of spending your valuable time and resources training another person?

There are several benefits. One is simply the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped someone work toward their goal. Mentorship also provides an opportunity to practice communication, task management, leadership, and teaching skills. For example, while conducting a mortality bioassay, I would explain to my mentee the mode of action of insecticide being tested. I view this as an opportunity to practice communicating science to someone who may not have background in biology or toxicology. Explaining a technique or concept to someone can also reveal gaps in your own understanding and encourage you to think about your research differently. Occasionally, my mentee would ask why a certain experiment has to be carried out in specific way, which encouraged me to think about different methodologies that could be more efficient while delivering similar findings.

Ultimately, mentorship is a connection built on goodwill and shared learning. As graduate students, we often focus heavily on our research, publications, and career development. Mentoring an undergraduate student can sometimes feel like another responsibility added on top of an already busy schedule. However, mentorship can be an opportunity to further develop our skills as researchers while also training the next generation of scholars.

Rattanan Chungsawat is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside. His research focuses on low-cost and low-impact sustainable pest management strategies against German cockroaches (Blattella germanica, Blattodea: Ectobiidae). Connect with Rattanan via LinkedIn or email: rattanan.chungsawat@ucr.edu.