It seemed easy enough – select a lab, complete a mentorship application and obtain a mentorship agreement. However, the sophomores attending the scheduled eighth period lab visits on Feb. 22 soon realized that the Mentorship program requires industrious students and serious commitment.

The mentorship program, sponsored through each of the research labs, is one of the many options offered to meet the senior science and technology lab graduation requirement. The program provides an opportunity for interested students to do a concentrated research project alongside a professional scientist or organization outside of the school.

However, mentorship is a major time commitment. Students participating in the mentorship program must work for at least 180 hours within a semester to receive the graduation credit.

“I think that mentorship will be an amazing opportunity for me to work with someone who is experienced and is willing to give input and ideas on how to continue with my research,” sophomore Anshula Ghandi said.

Although the mentorship program is offered to the seniors, students applying for mentorship normally begin their research projects during the final semester of their junior year. Students must choose a lab and already have completed the prerequisites for the lab prior to that time.