About

The Initial Ideas for the START Project

The START project was created to bring a friendlier, more transfer-receptive resource hub for students at CSUN. After looking up existing resources at CSUN, our idea shifted to providing research resources for CSUN transfer students with the focus on creating a transfer receptive culture. With the transition to providing research resources, the name STEM Transfer and Research Training (START) was established.

The START Office’s main goal is to build a transfer receptive culture, promote research opportunities, and offer information regarding graduate programs in the four colleges: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Health and Human Development, Math and Science, and Engineering and Computer Science. However, all transfer students are welcome to participate in our activities and utilize all these resources.

 

BUILD PODER, The HERE Center, and the START Office

Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research (PODER) is a large undergraduate biomedical research training program established in 2014 and funded by a $41 million, ten-year grant from the National Institutes of Health.

BUILD PODER laid out the framework, and the Health Equity Research and Education (HERE) Center was established to sustain and apply the best practices of BUILD PODER into the future with a particular emphasis on academic-community partnered research.

As part of BUILD PODER’s and the HERE Center’s shared goals to support students in research and professional development, the START Office was established. The Badge Project is the main component of the START Office where transfer students can have a place to grow and belong through workshops and community-building activities.