California Lutheran University Students Excel with Summer Research Fellowships

When the spring semester ended in May, over 50 students at California Lutheran University opted to stay on campus to conduct in-depth research with faculty mentors. Through the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, students from all class years and a wide range of majors — including theatre, religion, psychology, biology, chemistry, physics, math and more — collaborated with faculty to explore a research topic of their choosing.

Many of the students and faculty will continue their research during the 2025-26 academic year and present their findings at regional and national conferences; some will publish their findings. 

“The program is all about experiential learning, so our students aren’t just assistants helping faculty with their research; they’re full collaborators in the process,” said Andrea Sell, Ph.D., director of Research Development and Support. “This kind of faculty-student collaboration with close, hands-on mentorship helps students realize they’re not just passive consumers of knowledge, they’re capable of making real contributions to their fields.” 

Throughout the eight-week program, students attended weekly professional development workshops on topics such as presenting research, networking and ethical decision-making. They also learned to conduct literature review and contextualization, develop research questions, analyze and interpret data, and strengthen their collaborative and teamwork skills.

The range of skills the students gained has the added benefit of helping them in graduate programs and their careers.

The following is a sampling of the students’ impactful research projects that illustrate the program’s academic rigor and varied areas of study:

Khusanjon Bobokhojaev, a junior, collaborated with Physics Associate Professor Sebastian Carron, Ph.D., on an ongoing research project focusing on refining data analysis techniques to improve the sensitivity of searches for supersymmetry (SUSY) experimental signatures — a theoretical framework that extends the Standard Model by proposing that every known particle has a corresponding “superpartner.” Through honed selection criteria for simulated collision data and a machine-learning model, their research, titled “Optimizing Event Selection Algorithms for the Search for Supersymmetric Top Quark Pair Production in Dilepton Channels at the CMS Experiment — LHC,” supports the global effort at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. “Our goal is to push the boundaries of what the Standard Model can explain and explore possible pathways to a deeper understanding of the universe,” Bobokhojaev said.

Junior Crisstal Negron, partnered with Criminology and Justice Studies Assistant Professor Jose Alfredo Torres, Ph.D., on a research project that gives visibility to Latine college students with incarcerated parents. “This is a marginalized student population that is often overlooked in both education and criminal justice discussions. Understanding their challenges and strengths can inform more inclusive institutional policies, challenge harmful stereotypes and help create educational environments that uplift rather than exclude,” Negron said.

Senior Mia Calderon and Psychology Professor Jodie Kocur, Ph.D., continue to explore the experiences of autistic college students. Their project is called “Fostering Inclusion: Autistic College Students’ Insights on Social Challenges and University Support.” Calderon noted that autistic college students often lack adequate support for their social struggles, making this research valuable for developing more effective support programs that promote a more inclusive and supportive college environment.

Since 2017, participation in the Cal Lutheran Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program has more than doubled; however, the student’s close collaboration with a faculty research mentor has remained a core feature, providing one-on-one experiential learning and expert guidance in the research process.

“Cal Lutheran is deeply committed to expanding access to meaningful learning opportunities, and the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program is no exception,” Sell said. “Thanks to generous support from donors and university endowments, students receive funding to fully participate in the program, allowing them to focus on research without needing to manage a part-time job.”

Students in the program will present at the Cal Lutheran Student Research Symposium on Oct. 18. The community is invited to attend this free event.