A SPUR student can expect to receive daily mentoring from me and also a senior graduate student or postdoc who will work directly with the student at the bench. I will be available to discuss their progress, answer questions, support their research, and promote their learning from the scientific literature and SPUR-sponsored professional development activities. I have five key aspects that I value in a mentor/mentee relationship: clear communication, aligned expectations, valued diversity, built confidence, and professional growth. As mentioned, I plan to be readily available so that questions, issues, goals and/or expectations can be frequently discussed and clearly communicated. The expectations between myself and the SPUR student will be established at the beginning of the summer and constantly reevaluated so that we can both accomplish our goals. To value diversity, I strive to build mentor/mentee relationships built on a foundation of respect and trust such that differences in beliefs, thinking, time commitments, life and work styles can be valued and accepted without judgement. It is important to me that a mentee builds confidence in developing their own thoughts and theories. That they feel supported to share these ideas with their peers and to confidently accept challenges, so that their thoughts can strengthen and evolve. Lastly, to support the professional development of my mentees, our daily discussions may include identifying gaps in their learning or career goals and finding resources to facilitate achieving these goals.