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College of Social Sciences

COSS Emerging Scholars 2025-2026 Projects

The College of Social Sciences (COSS) Emerging Scholars is a high-impact program created to foster an inclusive and supported mentorship experience for undergraduate students. COSS Emerging Scholars provides you with funded undergraduate research and creative experiences that directly apply to your existing interests or help shape your research, academic, or professional interests.

This program is inclusive of all undergraduate COSS majors in good academic standing (2.0 GPA or higher)
It has a particular emphasis on students who have traditionally been excluded from research opportunities and/or may not have envisioned themselves as student researchers/scholars.
  • During either a semester or over the academic year, you will work alongside a COSS faculty mentor on a research, creative, or community outreach project designed by the faculty member.
  • You will be eligible for a scholarship award processed through the Office of Financial Aid ($4,000 for the entire academic year or $2,000 for one semester).  You do not need to have completed the FAFSA to be eligible.
  • When you apply, you will be able to note which project(s) you prefer. 

If you have any questions please see our FAQs and/or contact Dr. Luis Fernando Macias (luisfernando@csufresno.edu). 
FAQs

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Amelia Bick

Required Qualifications: No experience required outside of course research skills.

Preferred Qualifications: Literature review development, survey development/deployment, data management, data collection, data analysis, data science, data evaluation.

Skills to Acquire: Literature review development, survey development/deployment, data management, data collection, data analysis, project management, data science, data evaluation


Amber Crowell

Required Qualifications: Data analysis

Preferred Qualifications: Data management, community engagement, creative work, project-based community outreach and work, ability to speak and write Spanish. 

Skills to Acquire: Literature review development, survey development/deployment, data management, data collection, data analysis, project management, The ability to effectively communicate in writing and orally; critical thinking skills; both collaborative and independent research experience; and experience working as a member of a research team.

espana

Required Qualifications: Literature review development.

Preferred Qualifications: Data management, data analysis, community engagement.

Skills to Acquire: Literature review development, survey development/deployment, data management, data analysis, project management, community engagement, data evaluation.


Michael Eze

Required Qualifications: Democracy, Interdisciplinary, Cultural Awareness, Critical Thinking, Intellectual History

Skills to Acquire: Literature review development, data management, data collection, data analysis, project management, community engagement, data evaluation, creative work, project-based community outreach and wor

Justin Myers

Required Qualifications: Data collection, data analysis, creative work.

Skills to Acquire: Data collection, data analysis, creative work

Nkenna

Required Qualifications: Data management, data collection

Preferred Qualifications: Literature review development, data analysis

Skills to Acquire: Literature review development, data management, data collection, data analysis

Melanie

Required Qualifications: Reading or research in the social sciences (e.g. for upper division classes); some awareness or thinking about organizational behavior and/or the interactions or relations between countries through formal study, reading, and/or following news.

Preferred Qualifications: Literature review development, one or more courses successfully completed in international relations (e.g. PLSI 120) or about organizations.

Skills to Acquire: Literature review development, data collection, data analysis, writing, communication, and organizational skills.

Cecilia Ruesta

Required Qualifications: Community engagement, creative work, project-based community outreach and work, Interest in social justice issues.

Preferred Qualifications:  Eagerness and openness to connect with local student/community organizers.

Skills to Acquire: Project management, community engagement, creative work, project-based community outreach and work, Leadership, and advocacy skills.

Everette

Required Qualifications: Commitment to learning and time management.

Preferred Qualifications: literature review development, survey development/deployment, data management, data collection, data analysis, project management, and some working proficiency of Spanish (i.e., reading and speaking).

Skills to Acquire: Literature review development, survey development/deployment, data management, data collection, data analysis, project management, The ability to effectively communicate in writing and orally; critical thinking skills; both collaborative and independent research experience; and experience working as a member of a research team.