The Office of Student Research (OSR) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Awards (FEMA) for undergraduate research. OSR received four nominations from students who wrote about the mentorship they received from these Longwood University faculty members.
Sean Barry, English and Modern Languages
Abigail Sandhovel focuses on Dr. Barry’s impact on her development: “Through my relationship with Dr. Barry, I have grown tremendously as a student. I am more confident and prolific in my studies, and I never feel ashamed to ask for help when I need it. His guidance and good advice have helped me through countless papers, exams, and stressful days. He has also been the mentor of my research over the past year, working closely with me to expand and develop my ideas into an applicable topic for study. His willingness and motivation have been crucial to my success in my research and in my overall academic growth. I enrolled in Dr. Barry’s ENG 202 last year as a business major, still confused and unsure about what I wanted to do during my college career and I left his class that May as an enthusiastic and motivated English major, feeling like I had a purpose and a real passion for my studies here at Longwood.”
Scott Cole, History, Political Science and Philosophy
The student who nominated Dr. Cole credits his rapport with students: “Dr. Cole has been a very good mentor for me not only for my papers but also for my time here at Longwood University. His very smooth voice hides a very bold persona with principles about the need for discipline and strong work ethic. He allowed me to grow and learn the necessity of accepting constructive criticism in order to constantly seek improvement. Very accessible through email and office hours, I had the chance to converse about various facets of a topic, thereby improving my general knowledge of said topic.”
Phillip A. Cantrell, History, Political Science and Philosophy
The student who nominated Dr. Cantrell focused on his mentorship: “Dr. Cantrell has really helped with my research this semester. His mentorship throughout those two years helped me become a more focused writer and even allowed to enjoy “doing the work.” In short, his energy in and out of the classroom would increase any student’s willingness to participate and focus. Likewise, his expertise in the field (East African and East Asian History) is perceived through his multiple stories of experiences abroad, which enhances the curiosity and interest of his students. These qualities, coupled with his accessibility, are the main reasons for this highly deserved nomination.”
Denis Trubitsyn, Biological and Environmental Sciences
Taylor Alvey wrote about Dr. Trubitsyn’s expertise: “I was very impressed with Dr. Trubitsyn’s expertise not only in the field of microbiology but also in other aspects of science and life in general. I experienced his eagerness to help students in his microbiology class to understand the subject and develop critical thinking. He was always happy to answers any questions that students had with attentiveness and thoughtfulness. Now as his research student, I can always count on getting his guidance. Dr. Trubitsyn is available way beyond the normal working hours. He often answers my emails within minutes late at night or comes to the lab to help me with putting together a conference poster over the weekend. I feel that doing research with his students is a high priority to him. As my mentor, Dr. Trubitsyn always makes me feel empowered to acquire new skills and do not get discouraged when experiments do not work the way I expect them to. Working with him in the lab has allowed me to start paying much more attention to detail because he always holds me to a high standard. This not only helps me in the lab, but it also has allowed me to excel in many of my other classes.”
