Participants in the National Institute of Mental Health - Career Opportunities in Research Education and Training (NIMH-COR) Program fulfill the college-wide distribution requirements. They also follow the curriculum prescribed for majors in their departments. In addition to these standard obligations, they must enroll in the courses specifically created for the NIMH-COR Program. As they prepare their class schedules, NIMH-COR Program students receive guidance from the NIMH-COR Program Administrators. It is strongly recommended that all students take at least the introductory course in each of the three participating departments to obtain a multidisciplinary perspective. When appropriate, the Administrators also encourage students to complete a minor in one of these other departments. (See NIMH-COR Program Course Flow for timetable of NIMH-COR Program courses for scholars majoring in each of the three participating departments.)
NIMH-COR Program Weekly Seminar. The weekly seminars are
a series of two-hour meetings that include research presentations
by minority researchers, talks by students, instruction in using
college resources (library, student services, computer
facilities), graduate school advice, scientific writing skills
training, computer skills training, and mathematics instruction.
As part of the program, NIMH-COR Program students must submit a summary of their outside research projects (2-4 pages long) each semester. The Coordinator reads these papers and returns them to the students with detailed comments. NIMH-COR Program students also give at least two oral presentations per year in seminar concerning their research. Although many students are timid about speaking in public at first, by the time they graduate they have gained the experience to present their work professionally and confidently.
The Coordinator organizes a series of workshops, to be held during the weekly seminars, designed to help students prepare for graduate school. These sessions may provide the following information:
An overview of the problems of first year graduate students
Research Placement. For two academic years, students
spend 10-12 hours per week in a research placement, under the
supervision of a Hunter College faculty mentor or an external
supervisor. To establish the placement, students meet with the
NIMH-COR Program Coordinator to discuss their research interests,
levels of background, and career goals. Based on this
information, students are matched with mentors who work in an
area related to the students' interests. The initial contact with
the prospective mentor is made by the Coordinator to explain the
NIMH-COR Program, the student's abilities, and the mentor's
responsibilities. The student then contacts the mentor and
interviews with him/her. If the mentor-student relationship
matches, a letter of explanation is sent to the mentor explaining
both the student's and mentor's rights and duties. The research
placement should be firmly in place by the start of classes in
the fall. Students can stay with their initial placement for the
academic year or change after the semester ends. It is expected
that all placements will last at least one semester and required
that all students do at least two different placements during
their membership in the NIMH-COR Program.
For this research internship, the student registers for a 3-credit independent research or honors course every semester (See NIMH-COR ProgramCourse Flow for timetable of NIMH-COR Program courses for scholars majoring in each of the three participating departments.) If the mentor is a member of the Hunter College faculty s/he submits the grade directly. If the mentor is not a member of the Hunter College faculty, the student is responsible for obtaining a grade with a brief letter of evaluation. The Coordinator then submits a grade for the student's work. During the semester, the Coordinator will also have discussed the student's progress with the mentor. Students are advised to consult with the Director or Coordinator if they have any difficulties with their placement.
The success of the research placement depends on the working relationship between the NIMH-COR Program student and the mentor. The student has the responsibility for being a reliable and serious research assistant involved in the mentor's project. The research sponsor has the responsibility of being a good mentor. This can be set up as direct supervision by the mentor, or as an assignment under another researcher, for example: a graduate student or more junior faculty member. The mentor, however, is ultimately responsible for the training of the NIMH-COR Program student. Although research can legitimately involve repetitive work, such as photocopying, filing, obtaining articles in the library, the research placement is intended as an educational experience. If the student believes that they are not receiving appropriate research training, they should speak to the Coordinator or Director as soon as possible to correct the situation.
Interdisciplinary Research Methodology course. In the
summer session before their first year in the Program, NIMH-COR
students take an interdisciplinary research oriented course. This
course may be a methodology course that helps students to
understand research methods or it may concentrate on one aspect
of research skills training such as scientific writing or
quantitative methods. This introduces students to the resources
available to them and the skills they will need as they begin to
work on research projects. The class is equivalent to a full
summer session course and meets four times per week during the
first or second summer school session. For this course, NIMH-COR
Program students register for Psychology or Anthropology 498.03
for three credits in the fall semester following the first
summer.
Summer Research Placement. Students are placed with a
mentor in a laboratory, field station or other research setting
not in the New York City are for the summer. In some cases these
placements involve research only. In other cases, they become
part of a full academic program that includes course work as
well. Although the summer placement usually takes place between a
student's junior and senior years, sometimes those students who
enter the program as sophomores take advantage of the opportunity
a year earlier and so have two summer research placements before
they graduate.
Many prestigious universities have established summer research programs in which our students can enroll. Admission to these programs is competitive and, dependent upon the institution, applications are due anywhere from January to April of that year. All applications, including personal statements, must be reviewed by the NIMH-COR Program Director and/or Coordinator. Under some circumstances, students may work with mentors from universities where no formal program exists. These arrangements are made between the student, the Coordinator, and the individual mentor at the university. Expenses, including travel and housing, are covered by either the host institution or by the NIMH-COR Program. For the summer research internship, students register for Psychology or Anthropology 498.03 for three credits, in the fall following the summer placement.
Mini-course.
A special feature of the NIMH-COR Program's curriculum at Hunter
College is the mini-course it sponsors during the January
intersession. Every year the program invites a minority scholar
to work with our students on a topic of his/her choice. We ask
the visiting scholar to provide intellectual, pedagogical,
professional and personal guidance. On occasion the mini-course
is used to provide training in broadly applicable research
skills, such as the use of statistical packages or electronic
mail and the internet. This is an opportunity for NIMH-COR
Program scholars to participate in a course similar to a graduate
level seminar. Over the years, minority scholars have eagerly
accepted our invitations to serve as teachers and role models for
our students during the concentrated period and NIMH-COR Program
students gain a great deal from working closely with
distinguished minority scholars. Enriched by the experience,
NIMH-COR Program students and minority researchers often stay in
touch long after the course has come to an end.
The mini-course is typically held daily for two weeks at the start of January. NIMH-COR Program students are expected to plan all activities (e.g. vacations, work) around this schedule. Because this course is quite intensive, students are not required to work at their research placement during this intersession break. It is a one credit course registered for in the spring following the semester break. This course is registered as either Psychology or Anthropology 498.01.
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