Casellini, Brigid C.

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryInquiry Journal 2013 Inquiry JournalSpring 2013Ruth K. Varner, Associate Professor, Earth SystemsResearch CenterBrigid C. CaselliniUniversity of New HampshireFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/inquiry_2013This Mentor Highlights is brought to you for free and open access by the Inquiry Journal at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Inquiry Journal 2013 by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationCasellini, Brigid C., "Ruth K. Varner, Associate Professor, Earth Systems Research Center" (2013). Inquiry Journal. 17.https://scholars.unh.edu/inquiry_2013/17Ruth Varner (left) and Jackie Amante—Brigid C. CaselliniRuth K. Varner is a research associate professor in the Earth Systems Research Center at the University of NewHampshire. She is jointly appointed in the Department of Earth Sciences and in the Institute for the Study of Earth,Oceans, and Space. Professor Varner completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in earth sciences at UNH and hasbeen a faculty member since 2003.Below is a correspondence with Professor Varner about her own research and her mentoring experiences withundergraduate students.Inquiry: What is your current research? Did yourundergraduate studies point you toward it? Whatinterests you most about it?RV: My research area is greenhouse gas emissions from bothnatural and managed ecosystems. I was a geology major as anundergraduate and was really interested in how humansimpact our world. I like solving problems. How to make ameasurement and what the data mean are integral to my workand the most interesting to me.Inquiry: What is the purpose of a mentoringrelationship? What should the student and you gainfrom it?RV: Mentoring to me is about offering students the opportunityto try something new, to learn about themselves, and tochallenge their limits. The student should gain confidence, anunderstanding of their strengths and weaknesses, and a betteridea of where they see themselves in five to ten years.As the mentor, I gain a tremendous amount: I learn how to communicate my research and science, buildrelationships and a network of colleagues that last a lifetime, and support my research program.Inquiry: Please describe one or two memorable mentoring experiences or mentees.RV: There have been many memorable moments in the past twenty years that I have been mentoring. One of themost memorable was in 2012, when Jackie Amante and I were in northern Sweden setting up her research site forher International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) project. As part of her research she was helping a graduatestudent from Stockholm University take samples. His instruments were installed in the lakes at the site so Jackie wasrequired to row to collect samples. We were struggling with rowing an inflatable boat against a strong wind andended up in the weeds. Even I as the mentor was having a hard time getting the boat where we needed it to go. Thismoment was a bonding experience that Jackie and I won’t soon forget. We were exhausted and cold and just sat andlaughed at a certain point, then went on with our problem solving to figure out how to get ourselves out of theweeds.Inquiry: Please describe any difficulties or problems you have had in mentoring undergraduates.RV: I think the greatest challenge for many of us is that we assume our students are all alike. Undergraduates haveRuth Varner | Inquiry Journal http://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/spring-2013/ruth-varner1 of 2 5/14/2013 3:17 PMthe interest and enthusiasm but often need to be brought back down to reality; to be told what they can actuallyexpect to accomplish in a ten-week project for example. They also often need more coaching, training and time thanis required by a graduate student. This is why I recommend a cascade-type mentoring approach where you build agroup of researchers that go from least experienced to most experienced, so that the students have the opportunityto work with a variety of people who bring a breadth of experiences. That is why I have post-docs, doctoratestudents, graduate students, and undergraduates all working together on projects and in my lab.Inquiry: What advice or tips would you give a faculty member new to undergraduate mentoring?RV: Be patient, give your time, and ask others to help. I have been asked before if doing research withundergraduates is helpful to my research program, and I answer without hesitation “Yes.” You just need to knowthat things may often take longer than you expected, but that the results can be amazing!  Top of Page >> Copyright 2013, Brigid C. CaselliniRuth Varner | Inquiry Journal http://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/spring-2013/ruth-varner2 of 2 5/14/2013 3:17 PM

Ruth K. Varner, Associate Professor, Earth Systems Research Center

https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&amp;context=inquiry_2013

Ruth K. Varner, Associate Professor, Earth Systems Research Center

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