Research Opportunities

Students at UC Riverside have a distinct advantage in the multitude of opportunities available for participating in faculty research programs. Independent participation in such research helps students develop technical skills, explore areas of modern research, and learn how the world of research operates. In addition, working with faculty members gives students the opportunity to interact closely with professors, who, in turn, get to know the students.

To participate in undergraduate research opportunities on campus, students can

• • Check out the college and multicampus research opportunities listed

below and visit ucr.edu/research.html for other opportunities

• • Explore the undergraduate research opportunities portal at ssp.ucr.edu.
• • Examine research-specific Web sites posted by colleges and

departments

• • Contact departmental advisors directly
• • See the Internship Program under Career Center in the Services for

Students section in this catalog

Director: Michelle Raheja, Ph.D. 2006 Humanities and Social Sciences Building

• (951) 827-1799

michelle.raheja@ucr.edu; ccnn.ucr.edu

Provides opportunities for research collaborations with California’s native peoples and other Indian tribes that benefit tribal communities and expand scholarly knowledge. As UCR is a neighbor to more than 30 tribes in the surrounding area, the center particularly supports interdisciplinary and culturally sensitive research in collaboration with these communities.

Director: Brian Geiger, Ph.D., MLS INTN M1006

• (951) 827-5841; fax (951) 827-4120

cbsr.ucr.edu

Supports research and publication in bibliography and the history of the book. It manages five internationally renowned programs.

• • The English Short Title Catalog (ESTC) records every item published in

Great Britain and any British governed territories from the beginning of printing (1473) through the end of the eighteenth century. The catalog is searchable free of cost via the British Library at estc.bl.uk.

• • The California Newspaper Project (CNP) records surviving issues of all

newspapers published in California, freely available for searching at the cnp.ucr.edu.

• • The California Newspaper Microfilm Archive (CNMA) preserves and

stores approximately 100,000 reels of California newspaper microfilm from 1846 to the present. Accessible at cnma.ucr.edu.

• • The California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC) is a text-searchable

collection of more than 550,000 pages of digitized California newspapers from 1848 to the present. Accessible at cdnc.ucr.edu.

• • Un Catálogo Colectivo de Impresos Latinoamericanos hasta 1900

(CCILA) is a comprehensive union catalog of Latin American imprints through 1900. Searchable at ccila.ucr.edu.

Director: Nancy Guerra, Ph.D. Olmsted Hall, Third Floor 951 827-6421; Nancy.guerra@ucr.edu; chass.ucr.edu/centers/cfs

Focuses on significant advances in family theory, research, and application requiring an interdisciplinary perspective and intra- and cross-cultural approaches to family issues. Represents anthropology, education, history, sociology, and psychology.

Director: Georgia Warnke, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Political Science College Building South

• (951) 827-1555; fax (951) 827-6377;

ideasandsociety.ucr.edu

The Center for Ideas and Society is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to advancing humanistic studies and creativity at UC Riverside. The Center’s fellowships, research workshops, and public events strengthen the intellectual and creative life of the university. The center is committed to disseminating the results of its programs to the Riverside community and beyond.

The center also houses the Institute for the Study of Immigrant Religions and the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program.

Director: Christopher Chase-Dunn, Ph.D. 4111 Interdisciplinary Building South

• (951) 827-2062;

chriscd@ucr.edu; irows.ucr.edu

Organizes collaborative research among social, biological, and physical scientists on long-term, large-scale social change and its ecological, geographical and climatological causes and effects. Research foci include globalization; global inequalities; transnational social movements; urbanization and settlement systems; biotechnology and hegemony; the rise and fall of cities, states, and empires; and climate change.

Director: Jodie S. Holt, Ph.D.

• (951) 784-6962;

bgdirector@ucr.edu

Consists of more than 40 acres of gardens along the eastern boundary of the campus. The landscaped areas around campus buildings demonstrate the use of a wide assortment of plants that grow well in the inland area of Southern California. Established for teaching purposes, the Botanic Gardens provide plant materials for anthropology, art, biology, botany, conservation, ecology, entomology, morphology, ornamental horticulture, plant pathology, photography, and taxonomy. They also provide plant materials for research projects and for the testing and exhibition of plant species introduced from all parts of the world.

15 / Introducing UC Riverside

Director: Michael Allen, Ph.D. michael.allen@ucr.edu; ccb.ucr.edu

Supports the conservation and restoration of species and ecosystems by facilitating the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of scientific information. The center identifies new and existing research priorities in conservation biology and inaugurates new research programs. Many activities of the center are regional, centered on the diverse species and habitats that form the natural heritage of Southern California.

Director: Chun Ning (Jeanie) Lau, Ph.D. jeanie.lau@ucr.edu

The Center of Nano-Scale Electronics, Phenomena, and Technology (CONSEPT) focuses on exploring novel electronic, optical, thermal, and mechanical phenomena that emerge in nanoscale systems, and exploiting these phenomena for next-generation devices and systems. Researchers explore novel materials such materials as graphene, carbon nanotubes, magnetic systems, and topological insulators as well as nanomechanical systems and chemical and biological sensing.

Director: Mark Hoddle, Ph.D.

• (951) 827-4714;

mark.hoddle@ucr.edu; cisr.ucr.edu

Entomologists, botanists, biologists, nematologists, and plant pathologists from UCR head collaborative efforts with other UC scientists as well as with state and federal government researchers to define and implement critical research on pests introduced into California that present risks to public health, urban environmental quality, natural resources, managed and unmanaged ecosystems, and economically important plants.

Director: Natasha Raikhel, Ph.D. Genomics Building genomics.ucr.edu

Supports faculty in diverse disciplines participating in genomics-related research, which has enormous potential for applications to improve human health, agricultural sustainability, and the environment. Contains advanced technology in DNA sequencing, microarray construction and analysis, visual microscopy, bioinformatics, and proteomics. Encompasses the following two centers.

Director: Karine Le Roch, Ph.D. karinel@ucr.edu; cdvr.ucr.edu

The mission of the Center for Infectious Disease and Vector Research is to develop and implement technologies that will alleviate the medical and economic burden exacted by infectious diseases and vector-borne diseases in human and plants. The Center achieves this through cross- disciplinary research by combining expertise in molecular biology, nanotechnology, gene silencing and genomics-based sciences. Our goal is to provide practical solutions within therapeutic and economic time frames.

Director: Julia Bailey-Serres, Ph.D. cepceb.ucr.edu

An interdisciplinary research center uniting plant cell and molecular biologists with computational scientists, engineers, bioengineers, chemists, and nanoscientists in cutting-edge plant systems-based research aimed at understanding and manipulating complex processes at the molecular and cellular levels in the context of the whole organism. A hub for research on plant stress responses, developmental biology, and epigenetic mechanisms and the application of chemical and synthetic biology. Projects range from basic discoveries to the translation of knowledge to agriculture and human biology.

Director: Christiane Weirauch, Ph.D. cibc.ucr.edu

The mission of the Center for Integrative Biological Collections is to advance research and teaching in biodiversity and to provide support for the management of natural resources by fostering an interdepartmen- tal alliance among UCR’s world-class natural history collections. This is accomplished through integrated and transformative approaches across UCR collections that leverage novel systems in communication, relational databases, data mining, geo-referencing, outreach, and advocacy.

Director: Zhiwei Zhang Ph.D. 1337 Olmsted Hall

• (951) 827-6002

collaboratory.ucr.edu, zhiwei.zhang@ucr.edu Provides statistical consulting services in areas including bioinformatics, agricultural field trials, health studies, ecological studies, entomological studies, sociological studies, marketing studies, industrial experiments, quality and reliability studies, and product and process development studies. Clients include the campus research community and off-campus agencies from all disciplines who use statistics. The collaboratory develops collaborative research relationships as well as research publications. It also provides financial support and consulting experiences to UCR undergraduate and graduate students.

Director: Prudence Talbot, Ph.D.

• (951) 827-5689;

stemcells@ucr.edu; stemcells.ucr.edu

Focuses on understanding the basic mechanisms that control stem cell function and deciphering how the tremendous potential of stem cells can be used to improve human health. Researchers at the center have expertise in many different fields including developmental biology, cancer biology, endocrinology, biomaterials for tissue regeneration, micro/ nanotechnologies to control differentiation, neuroscience, toxicology, skeletal tissue repair, endothelial cell differentiation, osteogenesis, differentiation of microglia, brain development, neural crest cell differentiation, and bioengineering.

Director: Donald Suarez, Ph.D. 450 West Big Springs Road Riverside, CA 92507

• (951) 369-4815;

ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=53102000

The only research facility in the nation devoted to the study and amelioration of salinity-related agricultural and environmental problems.

Director: Jerome S. Schultz, Ph.D. A220 Bourns Hall

• (951) 827-2111; fax (951) 827-6416;

engr.ucr.edu/CBR.html

The Center for Bioengineering Research partners the Department of Bioengineering faculty with other UC Riverside engineering and science departments. Focal areas include cellular control and regulation, biophotonics and medical laser applications, in-silico biosystems and biomolecular modeling, bio-nanotechnology, microfluidics for bioanalyses, rational drug design and high throughput screening. Introducing UC Riverside / 16

Director: Matthew Barth, Ph.D. 1084 Columbia Avenue Riverside, CA 92507

• (951) 781-5791; fax (951) 781-5790

info@cert.ucr.edu; cert.ucr.edu

A model for partnerships among industry, government, and the academic community, CE-CERT is one of California’s premier facilities for research into air quality, transportation, and energy efficiency. The research mission includes transportation systems, emissions and fuels, renewable energy, environmental modeling and policy, and atmospheric processes.

Interim Director, Dr. Alexander Balandin balandinece.ucr.edu; www.cnse.ucr.edu

Engineers, physicists, computer scientists, neuroscientists, biologists, chemists, and biomedical scientists explore nanoscale materials, such as organic compounds, carbon nanotubes, and magnetic materials, for use in nanoelectronics, spintronics, sensors, and biomedical devices to develop new or improved technologies. The center is jointly funded and administered by the Bourns College of Engineering and the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

Director: Bir Bhanu, Ph.D. Engineering II, Room 216

• (951) 827-3954; fax (951) 827-2425;

cris.ucr.edu

Promotes interdisciplinary research for developing computer systems that are flexible, adaptive, and intelligent. Involves an interdisciplinary team of faculty from Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Psychology, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, and Management. The goal is the research and development of autonomous/ semiautonomous systems with sensing capabilities that can communicate and interact with other intelligent (biological and artificial) systems.

Co-Director: Nosang Myung, Ph.D. Co-Director: Sadrul Ula, Ph.D. Main Campus: Materials Science & Engineering Building, Room 204 Off Campus: 1084 Columbia Ave, Riverside, CA 92507

• (951) 781-5676

The Winston Chung Global Energy Center (WCGEC) will advance solutions for today’s energy storage demands, while developing far- sighted energy storage research and energy-use strategies for tomorrow’s applications. Bridging the gap between industry and academia, the center will contribute to the economic, social and environmental health of communities around the world. This innovative center will:

• • Foster a premier academic environment of research and discovery in

sustainable energy, with a focus on storage issues;

• • Educate a diverse and distinguished engineering workforce that is dedi-

cated to addressing global energy needs;

• • Offer tools and training that will increase the capacity of public and

private planners, architects, engineers, utilities and developers to design and build energy-efficient community projects;

• • Reach out to global organizations and businesses as a partner in foster-

ing clean energy storage solutions; and

• • Inspire leadership and community action to address energy storage is-

sues in California and the world.