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</p><div id="attachment_51165" style="width: 970px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-51165" src="; alt="快活林性息 received a $3 million, five-year grant from the NSF to create ESTUDIO: Excellence in Student Training for Undergraduates, Diversity Initiative Office. The program designed to inspire new generations of researchers while expanding the opportunities for research to those students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Photo by Lee Choo." width="960" height="641" srcset=" 300w, 768w, 960w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">快活林性息 received a $3 million, five-year grant from the NSF to create ESTUDIO: Excellence in Student Training for Undergraduates, Diversity Initiative Office. The program designed to inspire new generations of researchers while expanding the opportunities for research to those students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Photo by Lee Choo.</p></div>
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<p style="font-weight: 400;">California State University, Northridge, has received a $3 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to lay the foundation for what university officials hope will be an ongoing effort to encourage research by 快活林性息鈥檚 undergraduate students across disciplines and to provide support to faculty who want to expand research opportunities for their students.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The money is to support the creation of ESTUDIO: Excellence in Student Training for Undergraduates, Diversity Initiative Office. The program designed to inspire new generations of researchers while expanding the opportunities for research to those students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淲e鈥檝e already established centers and best practices in a variety of STEM arenas,鈥� said 快活林性息 <a href="; professor Gabriela Chavira, one of the architects of the new program. 鈥淭he goal is for ESTUDIO to serve students across disciplines to learn and experience research.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">快活林性息 Associate Vice President for <a href=" and Sponsored Programs</a> Christopher Sanford pointed out that research 鈥渋s an important skillset that you can take with you, irrespective of your career path.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to Chavira, those working on establishing ESTUDIO include <a href=" engineering</a> professor Crist Khachikian and Melanie Bocanegra, associate vice president for <a href=" success</a>.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淲e all know that research is a high-impact practice,鈥� Khachikian said. 鈥淚n some pockets of the campus, this practice is really well developed 鈥� the students know what they want and the faculty know what they want 鈥� and they are working together to create an environment where undergraduate research is taking place. But, in other areas, the process is not as organized. We are trying to make these opportunities more systemic, more pervasive across campus.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Khachikian and his colleagues said ESTUDIO will tap into the best practices of many programs on campus that already offer undergraduate research opportunities 鈥� 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 快活林性息 students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">ESTUDIO also will provide an environment where faculty can mentor and network to develop an undergraduate research program that meets the needs of their discipline.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淚n a sense, we鈥檙e putting together a 鈥榖rain trust鈥� so that a professor who isn鈥檛 part of any of those programs can learn from their colleagues to develop their owns strategies with their students,鈥� Khachikian said.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Bocanegra said the program also will serve as a central location and resource for undergraduates to explore and discover research opportunities.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">聽鈥淭here are a lot of students on campus who are unsure about what research is and what programs are out there where they can learn how to do and participate in research, particularly if they aren鈥檛 in STEM,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e, as a campus, need to provide a place for them 鈥� particularly since so many of our students are first-generation college students 鈥� to explore what their interests are 聽and find other students who have done research and who can share their experiences with them.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥溈旎盍中韵� already has a reputation as an institution that takes research, and research opportunities for our students, seriously,鈥� Bocanegra said. 鈥淣ow, we鈥檙e taking it to the next level to ensure that as many of undergraduate students, regardless of their major, have an opportunity to do research.鈥�</p>
California State University, Northridge, has received a $3 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to lay the foundation...