CLU puts focus on student research

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(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Sept. 23, 2008) California Lutheran University has created an Office for Undergraduate Research to coordinate, highlight and increase student investigations.

The first event the office will host will be CLU’s 5th Annual Student Research Symposium from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, in Ahmanson Science Center’s Richter Hall. The free event will showcase the work of 15 students in various subjects. Many of the students spent their summers working full-time with faculty mentors on their projects. The range of topics includes pathogens in kitchen sponges, robotics and treadmill walking. It is open to the public.

Headed up by Director Michele LeBlanc, Ph.D., the new Office for Undergraduate Research is also working to provide additional project funding, disseminate results and place students in research-based internships. It is also organizing workshops and discussion groups for students and faculty to help students carry out their projects and to help faculty integrate more investigations into their classes. The office will also coordinate CLU’s annual Festival of Scholars, a spring series of public presentations and performances that showcase the research and achievements of students and faculty, as well as smaller research seminars.

The office will launch a Web site at http://www.callutheran.edu/OUR within the next week with event information, research project summaries and profiles of student researchers.

In a separate research venture at CLU, faculty helped launch the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences, an online peer-reviewed publication promoting scholarly student investigation of psychology, sociology, political sciences and gender studies throughout the world.

Rainer Diriwaechter, Ph.D., a CLU psychology professor, is the editor of the new Journal of Integrated Social Sciences as well as editor of the psychology division. Professors Jose Marichal, Ph.D., and Jonathan Cordero, Ph.D., are in charge of the political science and sociology divisions, respectively. The Editorial Board includes more than 40 scholars from throughout the United States as well as Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Scotland, Serbia and Switzerland.

The journal, which is located at http://www.jiss.org, is now accepting submissions for its first issue slated for publication in March. Its goal is to provide top student researchers with an opportunity to publish their results and help launch their careers.
 
CLU has made research a priority because it improves students’ critical thinking skills, makes their education more relevant and connects them to the world. It also provides more opportunities for meaningful student-faculty interaction.