Mentored Employment Program Student Protégé Details

Welcome to the College of Forestry Mentored Employment Program (MEP)! As a CoF student, you have the chance to collaborate with experienced faculty members on exciting (and paid!) research and field projects!

What is a protégé?

A protégé is a student who works closely with a faculty mentor to gain hands-on experience in research, teaching, or program development. As a protégé, you might:

  • Conduct research in labs or field settings
  • Collect and analyze data
  • Collaborate on real-world projects

Why Work with a Faculty Mentor?

Working with a mentor helps you:

  • Explore career paths
  • Apply classroom knowledge to real-world settings
  • Build professional relationships
  • Gain new perspectives and grow personally and professionally

Who can Apply?

To be eligible, you must:

  • Be a currently enrolled undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student in the College of Forestry
  • Be taking at least 6 OSU credits per term
  • Be in good academic standing (not on probation or suspension)
    • Students with only a minor in the College of Forestry (majoring in a non CoF program) are not eligible to apply to the Mentored Employment Program.

Where Do MEP Projects Take Place?

  • In laboratories
  • At field sites
  • In-person
  • Some projects may offer remote or hybrid options

Types of MEP Projects:

  • Research assistance (lab, field)
  • Teaching or educational projects
  • Program development
  • Project-based team assignments

Time Commitment

  • Protégé’s should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week in direct communication with your mentor (in person, via email, or remotely).
  • You may work up to 24 hours per week across all campus jobs. If you have multiple positions, you'll need to divide your hours accordingly. Refer to the Student Employment Manual for current guidelines.
  • Students are limited to working on one MEP project per academic year.

What's Expected of You?

As a MEP student, you'll:

  • Set clear goals and outcomes with your mentor at the start
  • Agree on a project timeline, training needs, and communication preferences
  • Define learning and professional goals
  • Submit a year-end reflection for program assessment and donor engagement
  • Participate in the MEP Poster Symposium in spring term

Other Presentation Opportunities

You are encouraged to present your research at these other events!

 

How to Apply **Application and Interest Form Open in Fall Term**

  1. Review the available Mentored Employment Program projects and select up to three that interest you.
  2. Complete the Student Services Student Interest Form.
    1. You can select up to three positions on your form. Your application materials will be shared with the faculty mentors for those positions.
  3. Apply to the CoF Mentored Employment Program (Student Technical Assistant Pool 2026-27) position in Workday and upload your resume and cover letter.
    1. Applying to multiple positions? You may upload additional application documents as "other documents" or include them with your Student Interest Form.
  4. Email Brooke Harrington with questions about the application process. 

Questions about the Mentored Employment Program can be directed to the Student Services Office

116 Peavy Forest Science Center

(541) 737-1594

forestrystudentservices@oregonstate.edu