SPUR Team 5

SPUR Team 5

SPUR Team 5

SPUR TEAM 5

The presented report outlines a strategic initiative to transform the undergraduate research landscape at UC San Diego. The core objective of this initiative is to enhance student engagement with research opportunities by making these opportunities more visible and appealing, ultimately fostering a sense of purpose and alignment with students’ academic and career aspirations. 

The initiative seeks to address the challenge of increasing undergraduate awareness about research opportunities, boosting the number of qualified applications, and enhancing the overall research experience to make it more meaningful and aligned with students’ future career goals. 

The project emphasizes the evolving nature of careers and the workplace, highlighting the shift towards seeking meaningful work that resonates with personal purpose and aspirations. It notes that many individuals now experience multiple career paths throughout their lives, underscoring the importance of adapting to these changes.

The strategy involves conducting a design sprint to explore innovative ways to scale undergraduate research and its impact. The aim is to broaden the reach of research opportunities, making them more accessible and appealing to a diverse range of students, including those who might not have previously considered a research path.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

By delving deep into the problem statement, the team identifies a critical need to better connect the impact of research with meaningful work and purpose in a way that resonates with students. 

How might we help researchers present their opportunities to undergraduates to increase awareness, increase qualified applications, and improve research readiness.

The problem statement points out that many students do not spend enough time contemplating their career paths or the potential role of research in their futures.

Evaluate This Project
DISCOVER

This project strives to discover more about the evolving landscape of career development, emphasizing the significance of aligning career paths with personal values and meaningful work. It introduces the concept of career and life design, suggesting that students should view their career development as a journey of self-discovery, prototyping various experiences to find what resonates with them. Highlighting the importance of meaningful work, the report references statistics indicating a high value placed on purposeful work among younger generations.

DEFINE

The Triton Careers Passport is a pivotal solution, a tool designed to guide UC San Diego undergraduate students toward purposeful academic and professional endeavors. This digital passport facilitates a comprehensive approach to career readiness, incorporating activities, reflections, events, and a checklist for personal and professional development. It aims to bridge the gap between students’ self-perception and employers’ expectations by embedding competencies recognized nationally by employers into the passport.

The project further discusses the challenge of aligning meaningful work with academic pursuits and the importance of identity in career alignment. It emphasizes the need for empathy and understanding of students’ backgrounds to create inclusive spaces that embrace diversity. The Triton Careers Passport is a way to integrate these elements, fostering a community where students can explore and align their academic research with their personal values and career aspirations.

Overall, the project advocates for a holistic transformation in career services, leveraging the Triton Careers Passport to empower students to navigate the complex landscape of undergraduate research and career development with clarity, purpose, and a sense of belonging.

This report discusses strategies for improving undergraduate students’ preparation and application processes for research programs. It identifies key stakeholders, including students from diverse backgrounds and various on-campus undergraduate research programs. The report highlights a need to clarify the application process for research programs to ensure that these programs attract suitable applicants from their target groups. It also emphasizes the importance of integrating efforts with the collective impact framework, explicitly mentioning the Co-Curricular Record (CCR) and the power of storytelling in connecting students with research opportunities.

DEVELOP

A significant challenge addressed is the technical integration of a new “passport” prototype into the campus infrastructure. This passport is envisioned as a gamified course or app built by and for students to navigate their research journey more efficiently. Innovative solutions were found to enhance the PDF version of the passport, making it more user-friendly with clickable action items and scalable with new content.

The report discusses the importance of aligning research opportunities with the university’s competencies and how this alignment can help qualify these opportunities for inclusion in the CCR. It also proposes the integration of competencies into job descriptions for student employment, making these positions more relevant to the CCR and professional development.

Furthermore, the project introduces a prototype for a research-ready certification embedded in the Triton Careers passport, aiming to streamline students’ preparation process for and application to research positions. This includes a structured checklist and a platform for sharing success stories and fostering community and motivation among undergraduate researchers.

Summary and Key Takeaways

In conclusion, the report emphasizes the transformative power of integrating design thinking and life design principles into students’ exploration of research opportunities. It envisions a holistic approach to supporting students in their research endeavors, positioning these experiences as critical components of their broader educational and personal development journeys. Through this, the initiative aims to inspire students, enrich their narratives, and empower them to navigate their paths toward fulfilling careers and meaningful contributions to research.

Project Team Members

This team collaborated during the SPUR 1.0 program term to further the understanding of a problem statement and develop a potential solution. We recognize the collaborative work of the individuals who furthered our community’s knowledge of scaling paid undergraduate research.

  • Daniel Movahed, TRELS Program Manager
  • Hassan Akmal, Executive Director, Career & Professional Development, Career Center 
  • Maricela Alvarado, Director of Online Student Experience
  • Stephanie Li, Student, Cognitive Sciences
  • Boning Yang, Data Science/Cognitive Sciences
  • Lisa Liu, Computer Science / ICAN
  • Neda Emdad, Student, Cognitive Sciences (Design & Interdisciplinary Sciences )/ Junior Designer Program
Team 5 Project Evaluation

Thank you for evaluating this and other SPUR Team projects. Each evaluation takes approximately 2-minutes to complete.

Please review the story and answer the five questions based on your knowledge, experience, and perspective. Your feedback will help us to learn, work, and develop ideas that will impact paid undergraduate research opportunities at UC San Diego.

SPUR TEAM 5

The presented report outlines a strategic initiative to transform the undergraduate research landscape at UC San Diego. The core objective of this initiative is to enhance student engagement with research opportunities by making these opportunities more visible and appealing, ultimately fostering a sense of purpose and alignment with students’ academic and career aspirations. 

The initiative seeks to address the challenge of increasing undergraduate awareness about research opportunities, boosting the number of qualified applications, and enhancing the overall research experience to make it more meaningful and aligned with students’ future career goals. 

The project emphasizes the evolving nature of careers and the workplace, highlighting the shift towards seeking meaningful work that resonates with personal purpose and aspirations. It notes that many individuals now experience multiple career paths throughout their lives, underscoring the importance of adapting to these changes.

The strategy involves conducting a design sprint to explore innovative ways to scale undergraduate research and its impact. The aim is to broaden the reach of research opportunities, making them more accessible and appealing to a diverse range of students, including those who might not have previously considered a research path.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

By delving deep into the problem statement, the team identifies a critical need to better connect the impact of research with meaningful work and purpose in a way that resonates with students. 

How might we help researchers present their opportunities to undergraduates to increase awareness, increase qualified applications, and improve research readiness.

The problem statement points out that many students do not spend enough time contemplating their career paths or the potential role of research in their futures.

Evaluate This Project
DISCOVER

This project strives to discover more about the evolving landscape of career development, emphasizing the significance of aligning career paths with personal values and meaningful work. It introduces the concept of career and life design, suggesting that students should view their career development as a journey of self-discovery, prototyping various experiences to find what resonates with them. Highlighting the importance of meaningful work, the report references statistics indicating a high value placed on purposeful work among younger generations.

DEFINE

The Triton Careers Passport is a pivotal solution, a tool designed to guide UC San Diego undergraduate students toward purposeful academic and professional endeavors. This digital passport facilitates a comprehensive approach to career readiness, incorporating activities, reflections, events, and a checklist for personal and professional development. It aims to bridge the gap between students’ self-perception and employers’ expectations by embedding competencies recognized nationally by employers into the passport.

The project further discusses the challenge of aligning meaningful work with academic pursuits and the importance of identity in career alignment. It emphasizes the need for empathy and understanding of students’ backgrounds to create inclusive spaces that embrace diversity. The Triton Careers Passport is a way to integrate these elements, fostering a community where students can explore and align their academic research with their personal values and career aspirations.

Overall, the project advocates for a holistic transformation in career services, leveraging the Triton Careers Passport to empower students to navigate the complex landscape of undergraduate research and career development with clarity, purpose, and a sense of belonging.

This report discusses strategies for improving undergraduate students’ preparation and application processes for research programs. It identifies key stakeholders, including students from diverse backgrounds and various on-campus undergraduate research programs. The report highlights a need to clarify the application process for research programs to ensure that these programs attract suitable applicants from their target groups. It also emphasizes the importance of integrating efforts with the collective impact framework, explicitly mentioning the Co-Curricular Record (CCR) and the power of storytelling in connecting students with research opportunities.

DEVELOP

A significant challenge addressed is the technical integration of a new “passport” prototype into the campus infrastructure. This passport is envisioned as a gamified course or app built by and for students to navigate their research journey more efficiently. Innovative solutions were found to enhance the PDF version of the passport, making it more user-friendly with clickable action items and scalable with new content.

The report discusses the importance of aligning research opportunities with the university’s competencies and how this alignment can help qualify these opportunities for inclusion in the CCR. It also proposes the integration of competencies into job descriptions for student employment, making these positions more relevant to the CCR and professional development.

Furthermore, the project introduces a prototype for a research-ready certification embedded in the Triton Careers passport, aiming to streamline students’ preparation process for and application to research positions. This includes a structured checklist and a platform for sharing success stories and fostering community and motivation among undergraduate researchers.

Summary and Key Takeaways

In conclusion, the report emphasizes the transformative power of integrating design thinking and life design principles into students’ exploration of research opportunities. It envisions a holistic approach to supporting students in their research endeavors, positioning these experiences as critical components of their broader educational and personal development journeys. Through this, the initiative aims to inspire students, enrich their narratives, and empower them to navigate their paths toward fulfilling careers and meaningful contributions to research.

Project Team Members

This team collaborated during the SPUR 1.0 program term to further the understanding of a problem statement and develop a potential solution. We recognize the collaborative work of the individuals who furthered our community’s knowledge of scaling paid undergraduate research.

  • Daniel Movahed, TRELS Program Manager
  • Hassan Akmal, Executive Director, Career & Professional Development, Career Center 
  • Maricela Alvarado, Director of Online Student Experience
  • Stephanie Li, Student, Cognitive Sciences
  • Boning Yang, Data Science/Cognitive Sciences
  • Lisa Liu, Computer Science / ICAN
  • Neda Emdad, Student, Cognitive Sciences (Design & Interdisciplinary Sciences )/ Junior Designer Program
Team 5 Project Evaluation

Thank you for evaluating this and other SPUR Team projects. Each evaluation takes approximately 2-minutes to complete.

Please review the story and answer the five questions based on your knowledge, experience, and perspective. Your feedback will help us to learn, work, and develop ideas that will impact paid undergraduate research opportunities at UC San Diego.

SPUR TEAM 5

The presented report outlines a strategic initiative to transform the undergraduate research landscape at UC San Diego. The core objective of this initiative is to enhance student engagement with research opportunities by making these opportunities more visible and appealing, ultimately fostering a sense of purpose and alignment with students’ academic and career aspirations. 

The initiative seeks to address the challenge of increasing undergraduate awareness about research opportunities, boosting the number of qualified applications, and enhancing the overall research experience to make it more meaningful and aligned with students’ future career goals. 

The project emphasizes the evolving nature of careers and the workplace, highlighting the shift towards seeking meaningful work that resonates with personal purpose and aspirations. It notes that many individuals now experience multiple career paths throughout their lives, underscoring the importance of adapting to these changes.

The strategy involves conducting a design sprint to explore innovative ways to scale undergraduate research and its impact. The aim is to broaden the reach of research opportunities, making them more accessible and appealing to a diverse range of students, including those who might not have previously considered a research path.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

By delving deep into the problem statement, the team identifies a critical need to better connect the impact of research with meaningful work and purpose in a way that resonates with students. 

How might we help researchers present their opportunities to undergraduates to increase awareness, increase qualified applications, and improve research readiness.

The problem statement points out that many students do not spend enough time contemplating their career paths or the potential role of research in their futures.

Evaluate This Project
DISCOVER

This project strives to discover more about the evolving landscape of career development, emphasizing the significance of aligning career paths with personal values and meaningful work. It introduces the concept of career and life design, suggesting that students should view their career development as a journey of self-discovery, prototyping various experiences to find what resonates with them. Highlighting the importance of meaningful work, the report references statistics indicating a high value placed on purposeful work among younger generations.

DEFINE

The Triton Careers Passport is a pivotal solution, a tool designed to guide UC San Diego undergraduate students toward purposeful academic and professional endeavors. This digital passport facilitates a comprehensive approach to career readiness, incorporating activities, reflections, events, and a checklist for personal and professional development. It aims to bridge the gap between students’ self-perception and employers’ expectations by embedding competencies recognized nationally by employers into the passport.

The project further discusses the challenge of aligning meaningful work with academic pursuits and the importance of identity in career alignment. It emphasizes the need for empathy and understanding of students’ backgrounds to create inclusive spaces that embrace diversity. The Triton Careers Passport is a way to integrate these elements, fostering a community where students can explore and align their academic research with their personal values and career aspirations.

Overall, the project advocates for a holistic transformation in career services, leveraging the Triton Careers Passport to empower students to navigate the complex landscape of undergraduate research and career development with clarity, purpose, and a sense of belonging.

This report discusses strategies for improving undergraduate students’ preparation and application processes for research programs. It identifies key stakeholders, including students from diverse backgrounds and various on-campus undergraduate research programs. The report highlights a need to clarify the application process for research programs to ensure that these programs attract suitable applicants from their target groups. It also emphasizes the importance of integrating efforts with the collective impact framework, explicitly mentioning the Co-Curricular Record (CCR) and the power of storytelling in connecting students with research opportunities.

DEVELOP

A significant challenge addressed is the technical integration of a new “passport” prototype into the campus infrastructure. This passport is envisioned as a gamified course or app built by and for students to navigate their research journey more efficiently. Innovative solutions were found to enhance the PDF version of the passport, making it more user-friendly with clickable action items and scalable with new content.

The report discusses the importance of aligning research opportunities with the university’s competencies and how this alignment can help qualify these opportunities for inclusion in the CCR. It also proposes the integration of competencies into job descriptions for student employment, making these positions more relevant to the CCR and professional development.

Furthermore, the project introduces a prototype for a research-ready certification embedded in the Triton Careers passport, aiming to streamline students’ preparation process for and application to research positions. This includes a structured checklist and a platform for sharing success stories and fostering community and motivation among undergraduate researchers.

Summary and Key Takeaways

In conclusion, the report emphasizes the transformative power of integrating design thinking and life design principles into students’ exploration of research opportunities. It envisions a holistic approach to supporting students in their research endeavors, positioning these experiences as critical components of their broader educational and personal development journeys. Through this, the initiative aims to inspire students, enrich their narratives, and empower them to navigate their paths toward fulfilling careers and meaningful contributions to research.

Project Team Members

This team collaborated during the SPUR 1.0 program term to further the understanding of a problem statement and develop a potential solution. We recognize the collaborative work of the individuals who furthered our community’s knowledge of scaling paid undergraduate research.

  • Daniel Movahed, TRELS Program Manager
  • Hassan Akmal, Executive Director, Career & Professional Development, Career Center 
  • Maricela Alvarado, Director of Online Student Experience
  • Stephanie Li, Student, Cognitive Sciences
  • Boning Yang, Data Science/Cognitive Sciences
  • Lisa Liu, Computer Science / ICAN
  • Neda Emdad, Student, Cognitive Sciences (Design & Interdisciplinary Sciences )/ Junior Designer Program
Team 5 Project Evaluation

Thank you for evaluating this and other SPUR Team projects. Each evaluation takes approximately 2-minutes to complete.

Please review the story and answer the five questions based on your knowledge, experience, and perspective. Your feedback will help us to learn, work, and develop ideas that will impact paid undergraduate research opportunities at UC San Diego.

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Indigenous knowledge and advocacy is now seen as vital to the fight against climate change

As nations develop strategies to combat climate change, they're beginning to turn to solutions from the indigenous communities that have been on the front lines of the efforts to protect the planet.

A 2021 report from the indigenous rights organization, the ICCA, details just how much the rest of the world depends on indigenous communities for preserving planetary health.

"In Latin America and the Caribbean, Indigenous and tribal peoples manage between 330 and 380 million hectares of forest," the ICCA report said. "Those forests store more than one-eighth of all the carbon in the world’s tropical forests and house a large portion of the world’s endangered animal and plant species. Almost half (45 per cent) of the large ‘wilderness’ areas in the Amazon Basin are in Indigenous territories and several studies have found that Indigenous peoples’ territories have lower rates of deforestation and lower risk of wildfires than state protected areas."
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