AEMES

In the summer before orientation, all entering AEMES Scholars are matched with a faculty mentor with whom they will work on a project in a STEM field throughout the academic year. Examples of projects include:

• The Making of the Vertebrate Brain
• Water Chemistry and Environmental Monitoring
• Chemistry of Herbal Medicine
• Observing Transiting Exoplanets
• Media Portrayal of Women Scientists
• Psychology and Climate Change
• Engineering Education in K through 12
• Applications of Mathematics in Industry

All entering AEMES Scholars enroll in this two-credit course. It meets twice a week in the fall semester and focuses on skills, study groups, and self-reflection. Taught by Valerie Joseph, an anthropologist who joined the AEMES program in 2015, the seminar is one of the earliest opportunities for community building within a cohort.

All first-year AEMES Scholars are assigned a peer mentor, a returning student we try to match on the basis of major and home location on campus. Mentors and mentees also participate in a range of networking, support and social activities throughout the academic year as part of the program. The full AEMES Peer Mentoring Program includes many students who are not AEMES Scholars.

Examples of leadership opportunities within the AEMES Programs include:

• Serving as a peer mentor
• Being a member of the AEMES Scholars Advisory Board
• Being a Mentor Leader
• Being a McKinley Honors Fellow
• Serving on the Science Center Committee on Diversity
• Ad hoc opportunities, such as speaking on panels or hosting incoming AEMES Scholars

The AEMES Advisory Board and the AEMES Team host several events throughout the year to help build the AEMES community. Some events are for all programs, while others focus more specifically on the AEMES Scholars or an individual AEMES Scholars cohort.

Prospective scholars are identified in the summer before their first year.

An independent research project, working with a faculty member in the students’ junior year, may begin in the fall and/or spring semesters. The intent of the Junior Pre-Honors Fellowship Program is to support student research in the third year before a student commits to an honors thesis. Students are expected to enroll in Special Studies in order to receive academic credit for their research. Junior fellows typically undertake 4–6 credits of Special Studies throughout the year (2–3 credits per semester).

An honors thesis is usually a yearlong project completed by a student in senior year, working with a faculty member. Like all honors students, McKinley Fellows receive academic credit for their research by enrolling in a senior thesis course (8 or 12 credits).

If you are interested and eligible (eligibility is determined by department and program), this option should be considered seriously, as undertaking honors research is intense, rewarding and often becomes a highlight of an undergraduate career. It is common for thesis work to lead to a presented or published paper, and completing an honors thesis is viewed favorably by graduate and professional schools. All guidelines and details about the honors process are available on the class deans website.

Fellowships of $3,000 will be awarded in biweekly installments throughout the academic year in which the Senior fellow is supported. Junior Fellows are ordinarily funded for a year at $3,000 but may opt to be funded for a semester at $1,500.

To apply for an AEMES McKinley Fellowship, you must first find a faculty adviser for your research. In some limited cases, the student comes up with a topic first and then finds a faculty member who agrees to supervise the work. More commonly, the student approaches one or more faculty members and asks about topic options. The student then chooses one topic to pursue.

• Conduct research for an honors thesis in a STEM field, or for Pre-Honors, enroll in Special Studies.
• Meet at least once, at the start of the fellowship, with the AEMES program coordinator to discuss plans and expectations for the year.
• Participate in at least two events during the year at which the fellow will speak with other students about pursuing independent research or honors (these may be classes, lunchtime seminars or workshops).
• Mentor individual students who are considering or interested in pursuing research.
• To continue receiving support, each McKinley Fellow is required to provide evidence of thesis or special studies research in the form of an unofficial transcript. The transcript must be submitted to the AEMES Mentoring Team McKinley liaison and the Mentoring Coordinator by the first day of spring semester.
• At the end of the fellowship period, each fellow must submit an end-of-project product (such as a paper, poster from Celebrating Collaborations, or abstract). These products are particularly important to the program in justifying the McKinley Fellowship and ensuring its continuation for future fellows.

Pre-Honors applications are due by the first Friday in April. The following documents should be submitted via the Google Form:

• A one-page description of your proposed research that includes what you wish to study, why and what your expected outcomes may be.
• A copy of your transcript.
• A brief statement explaining: (1) how a fellowship through the McKinley Pre-Honors Fellowship Program will support success for your project; and (2) why you believe you will be a good role model for students who are considering conducting independent research.
• A brief, informal statement of recommendation from your research adviser, submitted on this Faculty Recommendation Form.

Honors applications are due by the first Friday in April. The following documents should be submitted via the Google Form:

• A copy of your honors proposal.
• A copy of your transcript.
• A brief statement explaining: (1) how a fellowship through the McKinley Honors Fellowship Program will support success for your project; (2) why you believe you will be a good role model for students who are considering honors for their senior year.
• A brief, informal statement of recommendation from your research adviser submitted on this Faculty Recommendation Form. 

The AEMES Scholars Advisory Board (AAB) includes representatives from each of the four cohorts on campus. Together, students on the AAB host community-building events for the AEMES Scholars and serve as liaisons between the scholars and the faculty/staff AEMES Team.

Mentor leaders are returning students who have served as peer mentors in the past. These students are a “mentor’s mentor.” They serve as a resource for other mentors, they assist in the planning and facilitation of trainings and they host social events for the mentoring community.

The McKinley Honors Fellows provide leadership in the area of research in the sciences. These seniors offer presentations about getting involved with research at Smith, and they serve as informal mentors to other students.

Faculty mentors welcome students from the AEMES Scholars and McKinley Fellows programs into their research groups. AEMES Scholars faculty mentors also serve as academic advisers.

The Science Center Committee on Diversity (SCCD) is a group of faculty, staff, and students that initiates and promotes programming to increase diversity and promote education on issues of diversity and social justice in the sciences, technology, mathematics, and engineering. We believe that effective programs to increase underrepresented and first-generation student participation in the sciences will enable these populations to achieve excellence early in their time at Smith and will generate a better learning environment for all students.