Professor Santagata receives 2020-21 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentorship

​The UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) awarded Professor Rossella Santagata the 2020-21 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentorship.
 
The award recognizes faculty members who exhibit excellence in training, professional development, ongoing support, evaluations and feedback, and impact on learning and development.
 
Santagata, who has worked at UCI for 15 years, estimates that she has advised more than 100 undergraduate students on their research in collaboration with her graduate students.
 
“Mentoring is extremely rewarding,” Santagata said. “As a professor, I see students’ growth right in front of my eyes and the positive impact is evident in the next steps they take in their careers, many going on to graduate degrees. In addition, the diversity of backgrounds of UCI undergraduate students brings fresh perspectives to the research process. Their questions and their wonderings push me to think about ways I can make my work even more meaningful and applicable to a wider audience.”

​Many of Santagata’s mentees gain valuable research experience as members of UCI’s Center for Research on Teacher Development and Professional Practice. ​

Rossella Santagata

“Dr. Santagata has been an incredibly supportive faculty mentor for the research assistants at our lab,” said doctoral candidate Jiwon Lee, one of Santagata’s advisees. “Her vision of equitable learning is always enacted in the way she creates multi-varied learning opportunities and experiences for research assistants to become researchers who think deeply and critically. All of our undergraduate research assistants have successfully been funded through two UROP projects this year, and two of them have been accepted to Ph.D. programs for this coming fall.”
 
Santagata’s award was announced during UROP’s 28th annual symposium – Discovering New Paths - on May 21.