California State University, Northridge (CSUN) has announced a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to ensure that as many undergraduate students, regardless of their major, have an opportunity to do research.
According to the press release, CSUN Associate Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs Christopher Sanford pointed out that research “is an important skillset, irrespective of your career path.”
In addition to helping students learn about research, the five-year grant will also support the creation of the Excellence in Student Training for Undergraduates, Diversity Initiative Office (ESTUDIO).
ESTUDIO will provide an environment where faculty can mentor and network to develop an undergraduate research program that meets the needs of their discipline.
“We’ve already established centers and best practices in a variety of STEM arenas,” said CSUN psychology professor Gabriela Chavira, one of the architects of the new program. “The goal is for ESTUDIO to serve students across disciplines to experience research.”
Chavira is helping to establish ESTUDIO along with civil engineering professor Crist Khachikian and Melanie Bocanegra, associate vice president for student success.
Khachikian and his colleagues said ESTUDIO will tap into the best practices of many programs on campus that already offer undergraduate research opportunities — including Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research (PODER) and Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-RISE), both designed to encourage CSUN students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Bocanegra said the program also will serve as a central location and resource for undergraduates to explore and discover research opportunities.
“There are a lot of students who are unsure about what research is and what programs are out there where they can learn how to do research, particularly if they aren’t in STEM,” she said. “We, as a campus, need to provide a place for them — particularly since so many of our students are first-generation college students — to explore what their interests are and find students who can share their experiences with them.
“CSUN already has a reputation as an institution that takes research, and research opportunities for our students, seriously,” Bocanegra added. “Now, we’re taking it to the next level to ensure that as many undergraduate students, regardless of their major, have an opportunity to do research.”
#CSUN received a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to support the creation of ESTUDIO, an initiative to expand research opportunities to #Matadors in STEM. https://t.co/HrTU04BMWh pic.twitter.com/q6RaAi2GaM
— Cal State Northridge (@csunorthridge) November 15, 2022
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