Mentorship in Undergraduate Biomedical Education: Identifying Student Opinions and Expectations.

Objective: To evaluate undergraduate biomedical education student opinions and expectations on mentorship. Methods: A survey was administered to students enrolled in the undergraduate biology, neuroscience and nursing programs at a large public research-intensive university. The survey queried demographics, previous mentorship experiences, ideal qualities of mentors, benefits/value of mentorship and future plans for seeking mentorship. Survey responses were evaluated using either t-test comparisons or one-way ANOVA. Results: The majority of the respondents were female and were interested in pursuing professional schools (nursing and medicine). Survey results indicate high student interest in receiving mentoring, but few were active participants in a mentoring relationship. Respondents indicated either lack of knowledge or discomfort in identifying a mentor. While faculty mentors versus peer mentors were preferred, respondents indicated that mentoring by either faculty or peers would be of value. Survey results indicate that desired benefits of mentoring included guidance in future education and career decisions, networking and career advice. Conclusion: The major conclusions are that despite high student interest in being mentored, their participation in mentoring is very low. These finding are supportive of the development of structured mentoring programs to facilitate and enhance mentoring of undergraduate STEM students and aid in their academic career progression.

Ultrasound Imaging of the Thoracic and Abdominal Aorta in Mice to Determine Aneurysm Dimensions.

Contemporary high-resolution ultrasound instruments have sufficient resolution to facilitate the measurement of mouse aortas. These instruments have been widely used to measure aortic dimensions in mouse models of aortic aneurysms. Aortic aneurysms are defined as permanent dilations of the aorta, which occur most frequently in the ascending and abdominal regions. Sequential measurements of aortic dimensions by ultrasound are the principal approach for assessing the development and progression of aortic aneurysms in vivo. Although many reported studies used ultrasound imaging to measure aortic diameters as a primary endpoint, there are confounding factors, such as probe position and cardiac cycle, that may impact the accuracy of data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation. The purpose of this protocol is to provide a practical guide on the use of ultrasound to measure the aortic diameter in a reliable and reproducible manner. This protocol introduces the preparation of mice and instruments, the acquisition of appropriate ultrasound images, and data analysis.