Summer Research Orientation
Orientation Schedule
Monday, May 11, 2026
Kirkhof Center 2204 Pere Marquette
8:45 a.m. Coffee and Connections
9:00 a.m. S3/MS3 Information
9:30 a.m. Welcome
9:45 a.m. Keynote, Fear, Failure, and Figuring It Out: The True Tale of Research, Dr. Tasha Swalve,
Associate Professor of Psychology
10:30 a.m. College as a Foreign Language, Melanie Rabine-Johnson, CECl Undergraduate Advising Center
11:30 a.m. Research Ethics at GVSU, Dr. Ben Vesper, Office of Research Compliance and Integrity
12:00 p.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m. Metacognition in the Research Process, Jen Torreano, Knowledge Market
Mentoring Breakout Sessions
2:00 p.m. Professional Headshots (open to all scholars and mentors)
Summer Scholar Orientation is open to all students and faculty involved in research over the summer. If you are not participating in an OURS summer research program but would like to participate, please email [email protected] and let us know who will be attending. We'd love to see you there!
Session Descriptions
College as a Foreign Language, Melanie Rabine-Johnson, CECl Undergraduate Advising Center
This workshop explores the concept of college as a language and culture, offering both theoretical grounding and practical tools for helping students decode the unspoken norms, vocabulary, and expectations that shape belonging and success in higher education. When students don't have access to the learned language of college, they can feel like outsiders in a place they're supposed to belong; this workshop equips attendees to change that
Metacognition in the Research Process, Jen Torreano, Knowledge Market
In this session, we will discuss the research mindset and the ways our work can contribute to human knowledge, regardless of what we find.