California State University – Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU-LSAMP) is a comprehensive, statewide program dedicated to broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. It is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of the CSU Chancellor. Initiated in 1993-94, the CSU-LSAMP Alliance currently consists of all 23 campuses of the CSU. The types of activities offered to support each objective (listed below) have consistently been shown to facilitate the retention and progression of underrepresented minority (URM) students in STEM, and represent a set of well-established "best practices." In the current Phase (internally known as SPaRA I), substantial emphasis has been placed on engaging students in research activities and on activities designed to enhance graduate school preparedness. CSU, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) currently has one of the larger LSAMP programs with 150 anticipated students participating this year. The CSU-LSAMP @ Cal State LA is also supported by significant funding from the College of Natural and Social Sciences and the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at Cal State LA as well as the University. The program is open to all undergraduates majoring in the STEM disciplines and who plan to graduate in a timely fashion in a STEM discipline and then move into the STEM workforce or enter graduate programs in the STEM field.
LSAMP Informational Videos
LSAMP: Aiming High and Making a Difference
This video tells the story of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program, including the program's history, theoretical underpinnings, programmatic structure, and outcomes. The story is told primarily by LSAMP administrators, faculty, staff, current students, and alumni who were interviewed for the production. Although this video is suitable for student audiences, it is intended primarily for an audience that includes University leaders, STEM educators, policy makers, and others who are positioned to promote and support efforts to meet the nation's need for a diverse and able STEM workforce.
Becoming a Scientist or Engineer: Your pathway to the Future with LSAMP
Your Pathway to the Future with LSAMP is intended primarily for high school and lower division college students from racial/ethnic groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields. The goal of this video is to motivate these students to pursue majors and careers in STEM, and to encourage them to seek out LSAMP or other programs that provide support and enrichment experiences to help facilitate their success.
The videos have been produced as a project of the California State University - Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU-LSAMP), supported by HRD-0802628. Principal Investigator/Executive Producer: Juanita C. Barrena, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Biological Sciences, California State University, Sacramento. Co-Producer/Project Director: Michaeline J. Veden, M.A., Assistant Director, Academic Technology and Creative Services, California State University, Sacramento. Co-Producer/Director/Writer: Keith Rogers, Special Consultant, Academic Technology and Creative Services, California State University, Sacramento. Produced through the facilities of Academic Technology and Creative Services, California State University, Sacramento.
Overall Program Objectives
- To support students in "gatekeeper" courses in STEM with the goal of improving student performance and persistence in STEM.
- To support students as they transition into STEM disciplines (e.g. as first-time freshmen, transfer students, or newly declared majors) with the goal of improving persistence in STEM.
- To provide opportunities for students to engage in research projects and internships with the goal of encouraging continuation to graduate school and professional careers in STEM.
- To provide additional professional development and graduate school preparation activities with the goal of increasing the number of students entering graduate programs and professional careers in STEM.
- To continue ongoing LSAMP student support and exposure to career and research opportunities in STEM with the goal of increasing persistence in STEM and enhancing interest in pursuing graduate study and professional careers in STEM
- To document, disseminate, and replicate, undergraduate intervention models that increase access to, and success in, baccalaureate degree production in STEM fields and facilitate undergraduate admissions to STEM graduate programs.
Eligibility Criteria
- Be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident
- Be pursuing your first baccalaureate degree
- Be enrolled in an undergraduate major or pre-major in a STEM discipline (see next section for eligible majors)
- Be an individual who has faced or faces social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in STEM
- Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors at Cal State LA can apply
- Complete the new LSAMP student application when you first apply
- To remain in the LSAMP program after you have been accepted complete the continuing LSAMP student application each year until you graduate
Eligible Majors
- Applied Science
- Biology (BIOL)
- Chemistry & Biochemistry (CHEM)
- Civil Engineering (CE)
- Computer Science (CS)
- Electrical Engineering (EE)
- Exercise Science (EXER)
- Geology (GEOL)
- Mathematics (MATH)
- Mechanical Engineering (ME)
- Microbiology (MICR)
- Natural Sciences (NATS)
- Other Engineering/Technology (ENGR, EGRS. EGRU, AVAD, ITEC)
- Physics (PHYS)
Program Activities
- Orientation Meetings for New LSAMP Students
- Interdisciplinary Research Training Program
- Presentations and Publications of Research
- Travel Funds to Present and/or Attend Conferences
- Graduate School Preparation Activities
- Networking Activities
- Funding to Facilitate, Mentor or Train LSAMP Students in Leadership Skills or Workshop Facilitation
- LSAMP Academic and Career Advisement
- Transfer Support Activities
- Peer Mentoring Program
- Material Support (e.g. lab coats)
- Communications
- Attendance and Evaluation of Research Seminars On and off Campus
- Personal Statement and Resume Workshops
Undergraduate Application Procedure
- Complete the application form.
- If you have questions, please email lsamp@calstatela.edu.
Program Benefits
- Early registration – you get to register for your classes early if you meet the criteria and respond to the LSAMP email message.
- Career tailored advisement.
- Peer mentoring for transfer students- the mentees will develop a feeling of belonging, increase their self-confidence, and connect better with their majors; the peer mentors will develop leadership skills and receive a small stipend.
- Basic research training as early as your freshman year so that you can eventually join a STEM research group on or off campus.
- Interdisciplinary research training for students who are already in a research lab.
- Travel funds, stipends & reimbursement of other costs (i.e., travel to present or attend local, regional and national conferences, graduation application fees; some tests; graduate school application fees) – the amount of stipends and funding is dependent on the level of participation, specific program activity, and academic performance
- Workshops to help you successfully get into graduate school
- Facilitating internships that can lead to permanent STEM jobs
- Eligibility to apply to participate in the LSAMP Bridge to Doctorate Program - Two-year graduate fellowship at the master's level that covers the cost of tuition and fees, and provides funds for a stipend, supplies, and travel.
- CSU-LSAMP Statewide Recognitions