CSENND’s Partnership with Primarily Undergrad Institutions

One of the broader impact initiatives of CSENND is to extend research and education opportunities to students at primarily undergraduate institutions, which are often overlooked as a source of talented students for STEM Programs, despite their history of success in highly ranked programs across the country.

Ricardo Vazquez, one of the research faculty members of CSENND, maintains a long-standing partnership with one of these institutions, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) – Cayey. “UPR Cayey will always hold a special place in my heart, as it is the UPR campus closest to my hometown, and many of my family members and childhood friends pursued their studies there.” As a part of this partnership, Dr. Vazquez visited UPR-Cayey last summer, hosted by Professor Robert Ross, to recruit students for summer programs like the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). The objective is to offer students the opportunity to be involved in research at R1 universities and ultimately provide them with the skills and experience necessary to become top-tier candidates for graduate programs in STEM fields.

We look forward to hosting students from Puerto Rico this coming summer, as well as students from other primarily undergraduate institutions, as part of the CSENND REU.