By Stephani Cox
Staff Writer

A new research center will open, providing new opportunities for student-researchers during the winter quarter at California State University, Bakersfield.

The new California Energy Research Center is being created under Dean of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, Anne Houtman, and the director leading the effort is Robert Negrini, professor of geophysics.

The center will provide many opportunities toward energy research and sustainability for both students and faculty, “Students will be involved substantively as research assistants both associated with coursework and/or as paid researchers” Negrini said. “It will eventually also consist of a business and jobs ‘incubator’ that will serve as a launching pad for new small businesses in the energy field.”

The center will add to the already rich history of student participation in research,  Negrini says, like petroleum engineering, petroleum and groundwater geology, electrical engineering, cyber security, energy economics, energy conservation and sustainability and alternative energy production, to name a few.

“The CERC will enable us to expand our capability to do such work by hiring staff scientists and post-docs devoted to the projects and the students working on them,” Negrini said.
He said, “Best of all, all that research money and all those jobs will stay in Kern County rather than being framed out to other research centers outside of Kern County,” through the Energy Research Center.

“To me, I believe depending on the type of research it [CERC] could help with the pollution here and attract more professionals to Bakersfield,” Ikleel Moshref, 21, biochemistry major said.
“[The CERC can provide] opportunities to do research and work in a lab with people with the same goals and expose me to the possibilities to go into career wise.” Leny Umukoro, 21, biotechnology major said.

Negrini said he will spend the next couple of years writing grant proposals to help fund and build up the center.