Mentor on skype

[Luaina]

Hello all science buddies,
I've emailed some professors who live very far from me . In fact , i live in Madagascar and they in England because finding one to be my mentor in Mada is very challenging.
I want to have your opinion : i request a meeting on skype and how should i ask one of them to be my mentor on skype .
My area of interest is psychology in particular cognitive psychology

[sarahlaugtug]

Hello Luaina,
You are indeed very far away! But good for you for seeking the knowledge you need to make an outstanding science fair project.

Try reading this document on how to go about finding a mentor; there are many different good ideas here,
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... tors.shtml

Most professors and professionals are very interested in helping students achieve their potential in science. Be prepared for some of those you ask to not be available or have the time. One way to counter this issue is to ask direct questions, and not too many. When I emailed professors in the past about projects (ones whom I did not know), I kept my questions to a minimum (about 3-5)--that way they could spend about 15-30 minutes answering them and be on their way. I think if you are direct in your questions, people are more willing to answer them.

Check out the American Psychological Association: I don't the resource for your neck of the woods, but you can start here. There are several resources on how to find mentors, as well as links to other Psych. groups
http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2005/01/mentor-find.aspx

Also, one tool I use is LinkedIn! Create a profile and create a tagline along the lines of: "High school student seeking advice on ___."
Then search "GROUPS" for your interested topic: psychology/ cognitive psychology/ mental health/ human behavior, etc. You can pose questions on the board and several different professionals may answer your questions. I have done this when looking for different types of work and found 2 mentors, two very willing people to give me advice about the topics I was interested in.
Here is one group you might check out:
http://us.linkedin.com/company/american ... ssociation

Hope that helps. Let us know how your search goes, and also remember to ask questions here on the Science Buddies, where we can answer them directly and follow your progress.

[Luaina]

Hello,

Update:

I got some responses from the 2 professors i've emailed . The one who is doing a research i like takes too much time to respond . He wrote to me he was very busy last week but i don't receive any emails so far . The other is involving in a topic which is very difficult for me to understand .
Last week i emailed this latter that what is still the oustanding question in the field ? He sent me a review via email but this review was very difficult to understand ( too many concepts i didn't understand) .
So wrote him back the truth and thanks him at the same time . I explain that i'm doing a science fair and need his regular feedback . He refuses to help me .

[heatherL]

Hi Luaina,

I do not want to see you get discouraged here. But as a professor myself, I can tell you that these people are not trying to ignore you. Professors have many demands on them, and they have to prioritize their time every day. If you want to work with someone who can respond to you right away, you may not have a lot of luck with a busy professor.

That said, you can do a number of projects related to cognitive psychology without needing a professional mentor. Have you looked at the project ideas on the Science Buddies website? Here are some that may be related to your interests:
The Brains Behind 'Where's Waldo?' - looking at the effects of distraction on observational skills http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... p032.shtml
Piaget's Theory of Conservation - how children learn about numbers and mass http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... p049.shtml
Multitasking: Brain Drain or Boost in Efficiency? http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... p022.shtml
Chromatic Adaptation Project http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... p008.shtml
Determining whether a smile is real or false http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... p043.shtml
Memory Mnemonics http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... p044.shtml
Testing the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... p014.shtml

You can use the Science Buddies Topic Selection Wizard (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... gister.php) to help you find a project as well.

If you are determined to work with a mentor, I suggest casting a wider net (contacting more people). But I really think you can do something with one of the projects listed here, and the help of the Experts in this forum!

Heather

[Luaina]

The reason why i don't use the selection wizard is that i'm trying to participate in high level science fair .The goal here is to make a scientific novel .I mean if i want to have a chance to win i have make it authentic but not complicated.
Anyway , thanks for replying because it reminds me that i'm not alone

[heatherL]

Hi Luaina,

I still recommend that you look through the Topic Selection Wizard, just to get ideas related to your area of interest. Many of the best science fair projects are those that build upon previous ideas. Check out the "Make It Your Own" section for each of the projects, to help you think of ways to extend the project and make it novel.

Good luck, and please post back if you have more questions or can use more guidance.

Heather

[sarahlaugtug]

Hello,

You are correct in doing an authentic project for an advanced project and making it your own and contributing new information to the scientific world. Heather is right--research other projects, either on this site, or through scientific papers and add onto that information.

If you want more information on advanced projects, start here:
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... ndex.shtml
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... cess.shtml

Read Amber Hess's scientific report. It's a great example of what an advanced project should look like and include.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... ects.shtml

Also, earlier you mentioned having some trouble understanding scientific papers? Here is an article to help you with the process of deciphering what the articles are trying to say. You will need to do research related to your topic, and at the level of competition you are in, you will need to use scientific journals and papers to aid you.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-f ... aper.shtml

Hope that helps you a bit.