CSUN’s BUILD PODER program, which supports undergraduate students interested in practical research experience as preparation for graduate study in the sciences, is now soliciting applications for the 2021-22 iteration of its program.
BUILD PODER is an award-winning NIH-sponsored initiative to promote undergraduate research experience and preparation for graduate school for CSUN and community college students from groups underrepresented in science careers. Participants undertake research projects with CSUN faculty mentors, receive training in research methods and lab techniques, and travel to scientific conferences to meet researchers across their chosen field. BUILD PODER provides a structured plan for project completion, tuition and summer research support, travel funds for conference attendance, and tutoring and preparation for the GRE.
Applications to BUILD PODER require a GPA of at least 3.0, a letter of recommendation, and status as a US Citizen, Permanent Resident, or under DACA/AB540. Applicants should be planning to complete their bachelor’s degree by 2023. Interested students should contact Alina Adamian for details. Informational sessions about BUILD PODER are scheduled at 3pm on September 25, October 9, and October 23, all accessible online via Zoom meeting. A video tutorial on the application process is also available on YouTube:
The following Biology faculty are seeking mentees through BUILD PODER:
- Lisa Banner, who studies the role of cytokines in interactions between the nervous and immune systems
- Chhandak Basu, who studies the potential of genetic engineering for developing stress-resistant plants, and plants that can produce biodiesel-like compounds
- Maria Elena de Bellard, who studies neural crest cell migration in development, in sharks, lampreys, and snakes
- Robert Espinoza, who studies thermal adaptation, diet evolution, sociality, and invasiveness in reptiles and amphibians
- Gilberto Flores, who studies microbial ecology in environments from hydrothermal vents to public restrooms
- Yoshie Hanzawa, who studies the genetic basis of flowering timing plasticity in plants
- Ray Hong, who studies genes underlying chemosensory responses in invertebrates
- Jonathan Kelber, who studies the molecular basis of tissue regeneration
- Sean Murray, who studies cell cycle regulation under starvation stress
- Jeanne Robertson, who studies the genomic and behavioral basis of speciation in crickets, reptiles, and amphibians
- Jeremy Yoder, who studies the coevolution of species that interact in mutually beneficial ways