In Student Organizations

GEMS Program

Mission: This program provides community building, academic and research support to encourage and improve the geological experience of disadvantaged and underrepresented marginalized (URM) students, such as Hispanic American, Latinx, Black, and Native American students at CSUN in the Department of Geological Sciences.
Peer Mentorship
Guidance in navigating and balancing academics with jobs and family
Assistance seeking and applying for academic scholarships and research support
Incentives for success and tutoring in Math and Chemistry
Incentives for better GPA performance
Assistance with Resume building (PDF)
Assistance with transition after B.S. degree to employment or graduate school
URM students make up more than 52% of undergraduate geoscience majors.
Develop skills in balancing time management
We seek to support and improve diversity at all levels in academia and society to provide equal representation and also to improve the diversity of scientific ideas, perspectives, and more innovative discoveries (e.g. Hofstra et al., 2020). See current diversity statistics at CSUN below. It's a starting point!

GEMS Program Student Success 2010 to 2020
- B.S. Graduates (30 + 12 in progress)
- Advanced to graduate schools M.S. or Ph.D. programs after CSUN GEMS (15)
- Hired in industry jobs after CSUN GEMS (15)
Dr. Dayanthie Weeraratne (GEMS Director) is a person of color, raised by a single mother, first-generation resident, and 2nd generation to college, who has risen out of poverty through her education and research which she loves passionately.
- Dr. Weeraratne's website: http://www.csun.edu/~dsw/.