Research, academic inquiry and creative activity are intrinsic to the CSU. They are key elements of a high-quality education where students have the opportunity to engage with course content, develop and test hypotheses, and push boundaries.
The CSU is distinctive in making directed research—a high-impact practice—available to undergraduate students who work with faculty scholars on meaningful, rigorous and innovative directed research and creative projects. Students develop critical skills that serve both their future career and the workforce needs of California and the global economy.
Chevron Gift Supports STEM Scholarship and Skills at Fresno State
Chevron has made a $450,000 donation to support STEM programs at California State University, Fresno.
To help Fresno State produce qualified graduates who meet industry needs, Chevron dedicated part of the gift to develop a Process and Control Automation Academy that will be led by a multidisciplinary team of faculty from the Lyles College of Engineering and Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
Another portion of the gift will be allocated to the Physics Outreach program in the College of Science and Mathematics. The program gives Fresno State students pursuing a career in K-12 education the opportunity to enhance their skills by teaching science in a real classroom.
Dale and Katy Carlsen Nurture the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs at Sac State
A new interdisciplinary entrepreneurship program is being established at Sacramento State, thanks to a $6 million gift from Dale and Katy Carlsen. The future 10,000-squarefoot facility, which will be named the Dale and Katy Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and housed in the University Library, will include entrepreneurship education and programs for both students and the community. The center will advance the university’s mission of creating a talent pipeline to serve a growing and diverse region.
Bringing Light to the Developing World Through Hands-on STEM Education
In a unique partnership, students and teachers at California State University, East Bay are mentoring students at Winton and Cesar Chavez Middle Schools in nearby Hayward in building “solar suitcases.” These portable, solar-powered kits provide light and power for schools, orphanages and refugee centers in the developing world. Hands-on learning experiences like these demonstrate the impact that STEM education can make on children and highlight careers.
MUFG Union Bank Provides Funding to Encourage Entrepreneurship by Women in STEM Majors
MUFG Union Bank has made a $37,500 gift to the Zahn Innovation Platform (ZIP) Launchpad at San Diego State University to develop strategies for recruiting and engaging women in STEM entrepreneurship.
The ZIP Launchpad is a startup incubator that helps SDSU students, faculty and staff build successful businesses from early-stage ideas. While innovation has been cultivated across many disciplines during ZIP Launchpad’s seven-year history, women do not become entrepreneurs at the same rate as men. The MUFG funding will be used to develop deeper relationships with women who are STEM majors and encourage them to apply to the ZIP Launchpad.
Keck Foundation Grant Establishes Freshman Research Initiative
With a $325,000 grant from W.M. Keck Foundation, San José State University is launching the Freshman Initiative: Research to Engage Students (FIRES). The program’s goal is to engage undergraduate students in scientific research from the very beginning of their time at SFSU. Students will investigate research questions in on-campus laboratories, perform cutting-edge research and learn how to be part of a scientific community.
Gift From Two HSU Biology Professors Will Fund Student Research in the Sciences
To encourage undergraduate student-led research in microbial ecology, Humboldt State University biology professors Patty Siering, Ph.D. and Mark Wilson, Ph.D. have established the Siering/Wilson Research Endowment with a $15,000 gift. Partners in life and work, Siering and Wilson have served on the HSU biology faculty since 1998 and have frequently collaborated on research projects. The award, which will be open to undergraduates in the College of Natural Resources & Sciences, will give preference to students who collaborate with faculty mentors on their research.
Donors Expand Shark Lab Fleet
Shark enthusiasts Robert Boldt and Anthony Mederer provided funding that allowed California State University, Long Beach’s famed Shark Lab to purchase a new surveying vessel. The latest, and fifth, Shark Lab aquatic vessel has been dubbed Mustelus, after the genus name of the smoothhound shark. “Most universities don’t have these kinds of resources,” says Shark Lab director Chris Lowe, Ph.D.. “These are the tools that give our students a leg-up on the competition.”