Our mission is to guide and advance CSUN geoscience students through innovative research opportunities with CSUN faculty thereby creating a sense of community at CSUN as well as within the broader LA community.
◊ Background
The CSUN Department of Geology is passionate about mentoring underserved students in the Los Angeles area. CSUN is certified by the U.S. Department of Education as both a Hispanic Serving Institution and an Asian American Native American-Pacific Islander Serving Institution. In the CSUN College of Science and Math, 42% of undergraduate students are ethnic minorities and 33% are ethnic minorities in the Department of Geological Sciences. The LA ROCS program was founded in 2013 as part of an National Science Foundation Tectonics and Petrology/Geochemistry initiative. The LA ROCS program has since grown to serve the needs of CSUN students for the past seven years.
Since conception in 2013, LA ROCS has mentored over 50 students and all participants have successfully completed B.S. Geology degrees. Over 90% of former LA ROCS participants have careers in geoscience or are enrolled in M.S. or Ph.D. programs. Importantly, successful implementation of the LA ROCS program has created a community of geoscientists in the Los Angeles area which we will continue to build upon in 2020 and beyond as we enter a new phase of the program.
In this new phase of the LA ROCS program, we draw from past LA ROCS participants to create a network of geoscience mentors that can share their valuable experiences in graduate school and industry. We encourage CSUN alumni to apply be a mentor for aspiring junior geoscientist (application below). The LA ROCS “Roc Docs” will match mentors with current LA ROCS students based on academic/industry interest thereby tailoring mentor career goals to those of the students. LA ROCS participants will meet monthly with LA ROCS mentors to discuss topics such as balancing schoolwork and research, resume and thesis writing, preparing for graduate school and careers in the geosciences.
◊ Goals
Encourage aspiring CSUN geology undergraduate students, especially minorities and females, to pursue research projects with faculty mentors.
Broaden students’ understanding of career and graduate school opportunities in the geosciences.
Create a sense of community among underserved students with the goal of increasing retention in geoscience.
◊ Who Should Join?
We invite any CSUN undergraduate geoscience student to participate in the LA ROCS program and enjoy monthly meetings, seminars, and workshops. LA ROCS students work directly with Roc Docs to navigate research at CSUN and explore career opportunities beyond CSUN. The only requirement to joint the ROCS program is that prospective students have a faculty research mentor or are actively seeking a faculty research mentor.
◊ What We Do
LA ROCS meets regularly to discuss all aspects of undergraduate research and professional development.
Meetings focus on three general topics including:
Geoscience-related lectures aimed at CSUN research life.
Professional career development aimed at providing tools for success in industry and academia.
Seminars focusing on advancing careers of underserved students.
Together, these seminars and workshops are aimed at giving LA ROCS participants the tools to be successful at CSUN and beyond.
The LA ROCS program also encourages participants to attend and present their research at regional and national meetings (e.g., GSA, AGU). These meetings are an important venue for undergraduate students to be exposed to exciting research and to meet prospective graduate school advisors. Current LA ROCS participants can apply for travel funds* once per academic year.
*Contact Dr. Schwartz for more information about travel fund, joshua.schwartz@csun.edu