CSUN Professor Emeritus of Biology Steven Oppenheimer revisits the successes of his work to provide broadly available scientific research experiences for students at all levels in a pair of linked papers published in back-to-back issues of the American Journal of Applied Scientific Research.
The first paper addresses research experiences at the “pre-college level”, recounting Oppenheimer’s work on The New Journal of Student Research Abstracts, an annual compilation of K-12 science projects that just published its 25th volume, and a linked research symposium. The second recounts Oppenheimer’s successes in recruiting and mentoring undergraduate researchers, and in including students as coauthors on peer-reviewed research articles. It gives particular attention to the virtual research experience he coordinated in the fall 2020 semester — and the students who participated in that virtual experience are coauthors on the paper. Both articles note the recognition Oppenheimer’s work has received from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Obama Administration.