Inclusive Mentorship: Empowering Neurodivergent Undergraduate Researchers

About this event

Neurodivergent undergraduate researchers bring unique cognitive styles—including hyperfocus and non-linear problem-solving—that can serve as drivers of research innovation. This interactive, two-hour workshop will help faculty and academic leaders reframe neurodivergent cognitive traits as scientific assets and explore practical strategies for supporting neurodivergent undergraduate researchers without lowering standards, tokenizing students, or taking on responsibilities outside the scope of mentorship. Participants will learn about diverse neurodivergent traits and practice operationalizing inclusive mentoring by adapting tools such as Individual Development Plans (IDPs) into living, multi-modal communication frameworks that can accommodate working-memory differences and varied learning and communication styles. The workshop will also help participants define appropriate mentorship boundaries and identify ways to collaborate effectively with co-mentors, campus disability resources, and other support networks. Participants will explore how psychological safety, clear and direct communication, explicit expectations and feedback, and genuine investment in students’ academic and career development can build reciprocal trust within the undergraduate research environment. REGISTER HERE >> Who Should Attend Faculty, principal investigators (PIs), undergraduate research program directors and staff, and others who mentor or supervise undergraduate researchers. Learning Outcomes By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: Recognize scientific potential and neurodivergent cognitive styles, including hyperfocus and non-linear problem-solving, as potential drivers of research innovation. Transform Individual Development Plans (IDPs) into living communication tools and adapt mentoring and teaching approaches to support multi-modal instruction and working-memory differences. Define the faculty mentor’s core support boundaries and identify opportunities…

Description from cur.org