| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.84 |
| Liaison | Stephanie Del Rosario |
| Submission Date | May 26, 2022 |
California State University, Fullerton
AC-5: Immersive Experience
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
John
Bock Professor / Director Anthropology / Center for Sustainablity |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes
A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution:
The Southern California Ecosystems Research Program (SCERP)
SCERP offers undergraduate Biology students opportunities to perform independent research and prepare for graduate school in ecology and environmental biology. This program was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (2002-2016) and is currently funded by philanthropic donations directly to the program. SCERP scholars receive up to two years of training for students to pursue their own research in conjunction with a faculty mentor, mentored travel to scientific conferences to present their research, and develop a plan to reach their career goals. SCERP scholars receive some summer support, research and travel funds during the academic year, and are eligible for CSUF funding opportunities through NSM Inter Club Council, Associated Students Incorporated, and the Faculty Development Center. SCERP scholars enroll in an intensive summer field ecology course (Biol 301) and must be available full-time during the month of June. Scholars work on developing their research approximately 10-20 hours a week during the remainder of the summer. During the academic year scholars participate in research 8-12 hours per week. Each scholar develops and completes an independent research project that culminates in a senior thesis. SCERP scholars enroll in Biol 480E that meets one hour a week and helps students prepare for conferences, write their research proposal, and develop resumes and career goals. CSUF Biology majors interested in careers in ecology, environmental industry, government agencies, or graduate school in biology, ecology, or environmental biology are eligible for SCERP. Students from ethnic groups under-represented in ecology are especially encouraged to apply (including African-American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American). http://www.fullerton.edu/scerp/
The Urban Agriculture Community-based Research Experience (U-ACRE) Project
This project is a collaboration between Cal State Fullerton, Santa Ana College, Fullerton College, and UC Santa Barbara. The project has been continually funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hispanic Serving Institutions Education Grants program as well as other sources. U-ACRE uses urban agriculture as a lens to understand complex issues facing our community, including food and housing insecurity, nutritional sufficiency, environmental justice, and sustainable development. We do this by engaging our students in community-based research, where our partners take a major role in identifying specific problems, and actively contribute to the research design. This approach has been shown to benefit communities and other participants through being agents of change, and it has important benefits to U-ACRE students, 90% of whom are members of historically underrepresented groups. Students who engage in research demonstrate higher levels of interest in science, and higher rates of success and retention. Undergraduate research has also been shown to be effective at reducing the achievement gap between students of underrepresented groups and others. http://sustainability.fullerton.edu/u-acre/
Student and faculty researchers in the “Engineering Wildfire Mitigation” project are designing a wireless, solar-powered sensor hub that relays information to a central processing station for data analysis and generation of fire alerts. The idea is to use machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify and prevent hot spots.
Dr. Carrie Lane of the Dept. of American Studies offers a multi-week "HSS Food and Sustainability Study Abroad Program in Copenhagen, Denmark" where students learned about urban planning and policy strategies Denmark is using to manage its increasingly diverse population. Recent courses include: "Diversity in Denmark" and "Danish Foodways and Sustainability".
SCERP offers undergraduate Biology students opportunities to perform independent research and prepare for graduate school in ecology and environmental biology. This program was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (2002-2016) and is currently funded by philanthropic donations directly to the program. SCERP scholars receive up to two years of training for students to pursue their own research in conjunction with a faculty mentor, mentored travel to scientific conferences to present their research, and develop a plan to reach their career goals. SCERP scholars receive some summer support, research and travel funds during the academic year, and are eligible for CSUF funding opportunities through NSM Inter Club Council, Associated Students Incorporated, and the Faculty Development Center. SCERP scholars enroll in an intensive summer field ecology course (Biol 301) and must be available full-time during the month of June. Scholars work on developing their research approximately 10-20 hours a week during the remainder of the summer. During the academic year scholars participate in research 8-12 hours per week. Each scholar develops and completes an independent research project that culminates in a senior thesis. SCERP scholars enroll in Biol 480E that meets one hour a week and helps students prepare for conferences, write their research proposal, and develop resumes and career goals. CSUF Biology majors interested in careers in ecology, environmental industry, government agencies, or graduate school in biology, ecology, or environmental biology are eligible for SCERP. Students from ethnic groups under-represented in ecology are especially encouraged to apply (including African-American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American). http://www.fullerton.edu/scerp/
The Urban Agriculture Community-based Research Experience (U-ACRE) Project
This project is a collaboration between Cal State Fullerton, Santa Ana College, Fullerton College, and UC Santa Barbara. The project has been continually funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hispanic Serving Institutions Education Grants program as well as other sources. U-ACRE uses urban agriculture as a lens to understand complex issues facing our community, including food and housing insecurity, nutritional sufficiency, environmental justice, and sustainable development. We do this by engaging our students in community-based research, where our partners take a major role in identifying specific problems, and actively contribute to the research design. This approach has been shown to benefit communities and other participants through being agents of change, and it has important benefits to U-ACRE students, 90% of whom are members of historically underrepresented groups. Students who engage in research demonstrate higher levels of interest in science, and higher rates of success and retention. Undergraduate research has also been shown to be effective at reducing the achievement gap between students of underrepresented groups and others. http://sustainability.fullerton.edu/u-acre/
Student and faculty researchers in the “Engineering Wildfire Mitigation” project are designing a wireless, solar-powered sensor hub that relays information to a central processing station for data analysis and generation of fire alerts. The idea is to use machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify and prevent hot spots.
Dr. Carrie Lane of the Dept. of American Studies offers a multi-week "HSS Food and Sustainability Study Abroad Program in Copenhagen, Denmark" where students learned about urban planning and policy strategies Denmark is using to manage its increasingly diverse population. Recent courses include: "Diversity in Denmark" and "Danish Foodways and Sustainability".
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
SCERP: Transformative Experiences in Ecology and Environmental Biology
https://news.fullerton.edu/spotlight/2021-outstanding-professor-lecture-transformative-experiences-in-ecology-and-environmental-biology/
Fighting Infernos Before They Start
https://titanmag.fullerton.edu/fall-winter-2021/fighting-infernos-before-they-start/?utm_source=csuf-news&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=titan-mag-fall-winter-2021
Denmark Study Abroad program
https://spark.adobe.com/page/dtsLAsWPN42PA/
https://news.fullerton.edu/spotlight/2021-outstanding-professor-lecture-transformative-experiences-in-ecology-and-environmental-biology/
Fighting Infernos Before They Start
https://titanmag.fullerton.edu/fall-winter-2021/fighting-infernos-before-they-start/?utm_source=csuf-news&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=titan-mag-fall-winter-2021
Denmark Study Abroad program
https://spark.adobe.com/page/dtsLAsWPN42PA/
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.