CSUN BUILD PODER Accomplishments to Date (2014–2021)

Since 2014, 329 students have participated in BUILD PODER. To date, the program has achieved the following outcomes:

Of all 329 students who have participated in BUILD PODER, 279 (84.8%) are from racial and ethnic minority groups and 21 (6.4%) students are of mixed heritage. Of all BUILD PODER students, 200 (60.8%) are first-generation college students
Of all 329 students who have participated in BUILD PODER, 194 (59%) have earned a bachelor’s degree thus far
Of the 194 BUILD PODER students who have earned a BA/BS thus far, 118 (60.8%) have gone on to graduate or post-baccalaureate programs, among whom 108 (91.5%) are from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and 75 (63.6%) are first-generation college students
Student Annual Follow-up Survey shows that among students, there was a significant increase in research self-efficacy as well as understanding of research ethics and the role and importance of diversity
Exit surveys show that BUILD PODER students are significantly more likely to a) be confident about their research abilities, b) see themselves as part of a campus community, c) have a sense of belonging, and d) more likely to pursue a scientific-related career than non-BUILD PODER science majors.

Over 120 faculty members from CSUN (across 5 colleges and 22 departments) and 4 community college partners participated in mentor training that focuses on working with diverse undergraduate students
BUILD PODER currently has 91 faculty mentors
BUILD PODER offered 16-hour training in critical frameworks and mentoring as well as follow-up trainings. Online training modules are being developed and tested
Impacts include:

223 manuscripts, 438 conferences, and 196 grant applications since 2018 (many of which were produced with BUILD PODER students)
12 pilot projects funded. Of these projects, 8 were completed; 5 received over $400,000 each in NIH grants (Return on investment of 8:1)
18 workshops hosted in 2019 and 2020 focusing on grant writing, community-partnered participatory research, and biomarkers and statistics. The workshops were viewed by more than 500 faculty and students

BUILD PODER