Citrus College students were introduced to programs aimed at helping those interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) take the next step in their education during the annual STEM Research Symposium.
Guest speakers and current students shared how research projects, transfer pathways and funded fellowships can provide Citrus students with valuable experience while preparing them for future careers.
Jessica, representing Charles R. Drew University, said her institution works to diversify the healthcare industry. “One of the things that is core to CDU is that we work to diversify the healthcare industry, so we want to make sure that there are different voices in healthcare,” she said. Jessica also emphasized the school’s mission to fight health disparities, including diabetes in BIPOC communities, high mortality rates among Black mothers and kidney disease research.
She encouraged students to carefully research their options. “You want to make sure that you find the right fit for you and the school that’s going to give you the best opportunities,” she said.
Citrus STEM student Nico Salazar shared his summer research through Cal State Fullerton’s physics program. His project focused on controlling and automating a scanning optical cavity for birefringence measurements, which involves how certain materials split light into two polarizations.
“My specific role was to create a LabVIEW diagram that could control the whole experiment, turn lasers off and on, record data, and log it for future analysis,” Salazar said. While his project was highly specialized and contributed to next-generation gravitational wave detectors, it also showed how Citrus students can engage in advanced research early in their academic careers.
Another program, introduced by Paul Webster of the Oak Crest Institute of Science, offers hands-on experiences funded by the National Science Foundation’s Pathways to STEM initiative. “This is a program open to all STEM students who are interested in finding out how their degree can be used in the real world,” Webster said.
Participants in his biology module spent six weeks working in a lab, traveled to Catalina Island for marine research and spent 10 days in Vermont studying forestry and waterways. Engineering students also visited Silicon Valley to meet professionals
