California produces more food than any other U.S. state, generating $67 billion in annual agricultural production value. The California State University plays a vital role in sustaining this industry, with CSU graduates filling more than 60% of degree-holding roles in California agriculture, spanning farm management, processing and policy.
The CSU Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) is cultivating the next generation of agricultural leaders through the ARI-NextGen Student Fellowship, supported by a five-year, $9.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture's NextGen competitive grant program. The grant provides 421 paid fellowships for college students to work in Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences (FANH) research and professional projects and USDA internships.
Led by ARI Executive Director David Still and ARI-NextGen Program Director Youngsook You, the fellowship pairs hands-on research with professional development and focuses primarily on training students to communicate their findings to audiences outside their disciplines. Through a series of workshops, fellows practice two- and five-minute research presentations, develop effective visual aids and learn to field questions about their work. Additionally, students who complete the fellowship receive research funding—$25,000 for graduate fellows and $11,000 for undergraduates.
"[Researchers] are trained on how to communicate to other scientists, which is important because we need to write grants and manuscripts and papers," Still said. "But if the public doesn't understand what we're doing and they don't support what we're doing, and the politicians don't support what we're doing, we have no more funding."
Taking Research to the Competition Stage
For two recent fellows, such communication skills have already paid off on the competition stage. Cal Poly Pomona graduate student Jocelyne Argueta joined the fellowship to develop and polish her research, which focused on improving the stability of lutein, a naturally occurring pigment with antioxidant properties that can be used as a natural yellow coloring in foods and beverages.
Throughout the fellowship, Argueta was encouraged to simplify her presentations and consider how someone without a food science background would understand her research. Argueta credits that feedback with helping her become more confident in explaining her work and answering questions—skills she put into practice when she won first place in the Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences category at the 2026 CSU Student Research Competition, which draws undergraduate and graduate student competitors across the CSU to showcase their research and creative work.
From left to right: CSU Assistant Vice Chancellor of Research Ganesh Raman, Jocelyne Argueta, SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson and SJSU Associate Vice President for Research Jessica Trask at the 2026 CSU Student Research Competition. Argueta won first place in the Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences category.
Cal State East Bay graduate student researcher Aa'ishah Riaz has similarly found that communicating science can be just as important as conducting it. Riaz’s research centers on polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme responsible for the browning seen in aging produce. She works with mushrooms to explore how the enzyme can be safely inhibited to potentially extend shelf life and reduce food waste.
Riaz won first place at the 2026 CSU Grad Slam, which challenges graduate students to explain their thesis or research in an engaging three-minute presentation for a general audience. She credits the fellowship's mentorship component with helping her refine her presentation while allowing her to retain autonomy over her work.
"[Dr. You] really helped me understand what would appeal to an audience member's eyes, because at that point, I had been thinking from my perspective, what makes sense to me as a researcher," Riaz said. "Everything I did was encouraged, and I ultimately had autonomy over it. I feel like that's really important in mentorship."
Aa'ishah Riaz at the ninth annual ARI PI Meeting in Sacramento, CA. Riaz participated in the ARI-NextGen Fellowship and also won first place at the 2026 CSU Grad Slam for her research on polyphenol oxidase.
Building Skills for California’s Workforce
While competition success provides one measure of those skills, the fellowship is ultimately designed to prepare students for industry jobs. Many ARI students will ultimately take their research experience into California's agricultural industry, Still said, making their ability to analyze complex information and communicate it effectively an investment in the state's workforce.
Argueta, who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in food science at UC Davis before returning to the food industry, has already considered how she could put that philosophy into practice. While previously working in food production, she suggested teaching employees the science behind processes like mixing ingredients in a particular order rather than simply asking them to follow instructions.
"If they have a better understanding of why they need to do it, that's going to help them prevent problems because they'll be able to think for themselves rather than just follow instructions," Argueta said. "I hope that once I return to the food industry, I'll take what I learned from ARI: Teach others. Don't just keep the knowledge for yourself."
As Riaz continues her master's research, she also hopes to challenge the idea that science belongs only to scientists.
“A child walking on the sidewalk, looking at a blade of grass—that is science. Yet somewhere along the way, we got this convoluted notion that science is so much more than that,” Riaz said. "A lot more good could come into the world if we just knew how to communicate science a lot better. ARI makes sure to push its students to break down really complex systems into manageable bites for audiences who don’t have that background."
Learn more about the CSU Agricultural Research Institute.