Nature Guides was launched in 2017 as the the first peer mentoring program in Conservation Biology & Ecology at ASU. Our team of peer mentors connects with freshman, sophomores, and transfer students to connect them to the Nature at ASU community and assist them with course choices, adapting to life at ASU, and a range of professional development opportunities.

Nature Guides are Sophomore, Junior, or Senior undergraduates who will serve as informal peer advisors to ASU freshman, sophomores, and transfer students who have declared an interest in the Conservation Biology & Ecology concentration.  As a peer mentor, you are expected to uphold the values of ASU, introduce your mentees to the Nature at ASU community, and – to the best of your abilities – provide basic academic and professional insight about strategies for success and opportunities within conservation and environmental fields.

Because it is unlikely that any single student will know all of the relevant information about our program, mentors will be introduced to a network of upper-division students and will be provided with — and contribute to — a Conservation Biology & Ecology peer mentor handbook.

   To apply, students must:

• Be an enrolled ASU undergraduate student who is majoring in the Conservation Biology & Ecology concentration within the Biological Sciences major (with the School of Life Sciences in the ASU Tempe campus)

• Be enrolled part-time or full-time for both Fall and Spring semesters

• Fill out a ConBio/Eco peer mentor interest form by the application deadline

Responsibilities once accepted:

• Complete on-line mentor trainings

• Enroll in BIO 499 for 1 credit. A letter grade will be assigned to you at the end of the semester by our faculty advisor, Dr. Sharon J. Hall, based off of meeting attendance (described below), mentee meeting completions, and exit form completions. A course syllabus will be provided at the beginning of the semester.

• Sign and return the (1) Disclosure Statement (2) Confidentiality Statement

• Contact and meet with your mentees

• Complete “exit forms” after each meeting with mentees

• Attend debrief meetings once every two weeks with program heads (Faculty advisor Sharon J. Hall and Nature Guide leader Heather Weiler)

If you have any questions about your eligibility or the program in general, please contact Heather Weiler (hmweiler@asu.edu). Regularly check our social media pages and SunDevilSync for updates on applications and deadlines.
We are excited to hear from you, and hope you will help us to build and empower our community of Conservation Biology & Ecology undergraduate students!