Training and Educating Students
Learning how to create knowledge through critical inquiry and research is a key component of a UC education, and our funding contributes to that mission through support for both graduate and undergraduate students. Since 2009, our programs have invested more than $45 million to fund over 700 graduate students and dozens of undergraduates across all ten campuses. Participation in interdisciplinary and multicampus research provides UC students with unique opportunities to study timely and relevant real-world problems so that the next generation of researchers is prepared to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.
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Graduate student support is a crucial component of all our grant programs, and mirrors the breadth and diversity of our funding portfolio. Targeted opportunities for dissertation research, including fellowships for cancer research and in-residence training at the UC national laboratories, provide students with unique opportunities to be mentored by world-class researchers and help students to make timely progress in completing their degrees.
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Undergraduate students gain access to internships, help collect and analyze data, build biodiversity toolkits, study dark matter and conduct community engagement and outreach activities with the collaborative awards we fund. These activities enrich their classroom education and train them in valuable skills for careers in health care, education, government, engineering and more.
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Professional development opportunities go beyond the technical training and content expertise gained through these research activities. Conference presentations, teamwork, community engagement and networking across disciplines, campuses and career stages made possible through our collaborative funding all enhance career outcomes for UC students, and help prepare generations of engaged Californians to contribute effectively to improving our world.
