The six-week stay early this summer also happened to include several weeks of analyzing snail shell density, dissecting fish in search of parasites and studying crayfish anatomy. For a budding research scientist like Lopez, a biology major, it couldn’t have been better.
And it was all free thanks to an opportunity offered through the CSU Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU-LSAMP), a program funded by the National Science Foundation and CSU Chancellor’s Office to broaden participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Lopez, who was born in Stockton and grew up in Ceres, spent most of his time at the San Miguel Biological Station, working with professors and students from other CSU campuses on a variety of research projects. The students formed groups, devised their own projects, conducted research and wrote papers on their results, with guidance and support from the faculty.
“My favorite part of the whole trip was talking and hanging out with other scientists and my peers in the group,” Lopez said. “That was interesting, establishing a rapport with people from other parts of California.”
While Lopez had conducted some research at CSU Stanislaus, this was his first opportunity to do international fieldwork and to manage research projects from start to finish.
The international aspect was invaluable, Lopez said. The students spent one week traveling around the capital and meeting people, not unlike what they might do at an international research conference. They also spent a week staying in the home of a host family — a challenge for Lopez, who does not speak Spanish, but a welcome one.
“In some sense, it’s similar to trying to communicate science to the general public,” Lopez said. “You have to be able to translate it and fill in the gaps for the other people to understand.”
Program Offers Support, Opportunities
Lopez is one of four CSU Stanislaus students in the past three years to conduct international research through LSAMP, according to Melanie Martin, a CSU Stanislaus professor and director of the university’s LSAMP program. He is the second student from CSU Stanislaus to participate in the Costa Rica summer research program, which is offered through CSU Monterey Bay.
The program provides academic support and opportunities for students who face or have faced social, educational or economic barriers to STEM careers. It also offers textbook and graduate record exam (GRE) reimbursement for academically qualified students, career and graduate school information, and more.
“One way we do this is to find paid opportunities for students to get hands-on experience using the skills they are learning in the classroom, transforming them from students to scientists,” Martin said. “The CSU statewide LSAMP and the CSU Stanislaus program are looking for ways to expand our international opportunities for students in the next few years.”
Lopez will soon graduate from CSU Stanislaus with a bachelor’s degree in biological science and a concentration in genetics. He’ll then move on to a research internship at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
There, Lopez will study vertebrate and invertebrate genome sequencing with Professor Wes Warren. He said he’d encourage other students to participate in LSAMP, attend meetings and take advantage of the many opportunities the program offers.
“You’ll experience things you wouldn’t have been aware of in the first place,” Lopez said. “You can find opportunities like the Costa Rica program, other summer research programs in the U.S., paid internships to do research at your own campus, and tutoring. Anyone who needs help can get help.”
For more information on LSAMP at CSU Stanislaus, contact Melanie Martin at (209) 667-3269 or mmartin@csustan.edu.