Student-Faculty Research Collaborative

Explore, discover, and be inspired through research and creative activities

Welcome! Our Student-Faculty Research Collaborative site offers resources to support your undergraduate and graduate research efforts, including information for students, faculty, and staff. Below you will find some of the excellent research taking place at Chico State. Navigate to the side menu to find information about opportunities, including ways to fund undergraduate research. 

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Featured Undergraduate Research at Chico State

We’re celebrating undergraduate research with a rotating series, highlighting the diversity of research taking place on our campus. Below you’ll find our Q&A with Chico State faculty and students who share their current projects and what they’re learning from their faculty and student collaborations. 

Research in Exercise Physiology

Dr. Ryan Perkins

Student Researcher: Gracie Dupuis

What is the focus of your research or what are you trying to understand?

Dr. Perkins: My research agenda in Exercise Physiology follows a clinical path by exploring the physiological blueprints of disease and how exercise may be used as a tool to protect human health. For example, many of my recent projects investigated the cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of exercise in aging individuals and those with type 2 diabetes. More recently, I have become interested in how not meeting sleep recommendations impairs health. In fact, one of my current graduate students is preparing to initiate a study that aims to explore how reducing sleep acutely may elicit an inflammatory response and if aerobic exercise mitigates these effects. To accomplish this line of work, I leverage my clinical and biotechnique training ranging from maximal cardiovascular exercise tests coupled with EKG, to microscopy and biochemical assays.

What have you learned from the undergraduates who are working with you on the research?

Dr. Perkins: I became interested in human research as an undergraduate student and was fortunate to have a mentor that provided opportunities for me to learn and get engaged. Since joining Chico State, it became clear to me early on how enthusiastic and curious our students are. Being exercisers themselves or having friends/family with various medical conditions, I find it very interesting how many students have a personal interest in my line of work. Having that personal connection seems to make participating in my projects particularly meaningful. I prioritize creating opportunities for students because watching them develop high-impact skills and identify professional interests is incredibly rewarding for both them and me as a mentor.

What are you learning while working on this project with your faculty mentor? What might you suggest or what advice would you give to students to encourage them to seek out opportunities to do undergraduate research?

Gracie: Working on this project with Dr. Perkins has greatly enhanced my knowledge of the work and dedication that goes into developing and conducting research. I have learned many essential skills pertaining to research including understanding literature, working in a laboratory setting, collecting data, analyzing data, and interpreting findings. This project has elevated my experience at Chico State by providing hands on learning opportunities outside the classroom; allowing me to explore potential interests and future career paths. Students who are interested in undergraduate research opportunities should reach out to professors within their field of interest. Most research studies require a great deal of time and energy to execute, meaning a majority professors are looking for assistance and would be more than happy to involve you in their projects.

North State Ambassadors (link to website here)

Karen Schreder, M.A., D.Ed.

What have you learned from the undergraduates who are working with you on the research? 

Dr. Schreder: I have learned so much! Their questions and their perspectives on the research and our data provided depth and new directions. The work is so personal and meaningful to them. It has provided a springboard towards deeper conversations, new research and readings, and for all of us, a greater understanding and passion for this work. We are going to continue it with several of the students, as they have discovered a passion for research, discovery and sharing about their rural places and selves.

What do you enjoy about supporting undergraduate research?

Dr. Schreder: I love working with and learning from the students. Supporting each other—each of them has a different talent that they bring to this work, and it helps with all aspects of research and presentation of the work.​

Follow on Instagram @chicostatestudentambassadors

The Impact of Undergraduate Research on Learning and Identity