Carroll recognized for sustained mentorship

June 18, 2024
Pat Carroll

The Ohio State Lima Faculty Award for Sustained Student Mentorship recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated a record of quality mentorship of undergraduates in research or creative endeavors. Dr. Patrick Carroll, professor of psychology, is the 2024 recipient. 

Why has acting as a research mentor been important to you?

My own research journey began with the help and support of great research mentors.  At that point, I decided that I wanted to become like those role models and pay it forward to the next generation of young researchers.  

How has working closely with undergraduate researchers informed your own research?

Quite a bit.  Having been in the field for quite a while now, it becomes harder and harder to approach research questions with a fresh perspective.  By contrast, my new students come in without any preconceived ideas or expectations, thereby allowing them to see old problems from new angles (so to speak).  They also approach research with a genuine enthusiasm for simple discovery and insight (rather than notching another publication or citation or any other extrinsic marker of success).  

What do you hope students take away from the research experience?

That they can use the scientific method to address questions or problems in the world around them. 

What have you taken away from the experience so far?

That the best way to grow as a scholar is to serve as a mentor. 

Anything else I need to know about your mentorship experience?

That it is one of (if not) the most rewarding aspects of my vocation.