Students at California Polytechnic State University will soon be able to learn about and work with cutting edge technology and procedures while securing paid internships. Click here to learn more about internships.

The State of California recently received a $1.4 million grant that will allow students to learn about stem cell research techniques. While Cal Poly will begin teaching the techniques in the fall, about 10 students will be placed in summer internships at research laboratories throughout the state. Those interns will be working with embryonic stem cells, according to an article by The Tribune.

The grant is part of a $16 million award in stem cell research funding to The California State University system, and is from an almost $3 billion bond for stem cell research approved in 2004. About 10 other CSU campuses also received money.

The funding will allow around 10 Cal Poly students to participate in internships each year for the next three years. The research centers the students will study at include the Salk Institute in San Diego, the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and UCSB.

Applications for internships will be evaluated by a Cal Poly faculty committee and certain students. The university will use grant money to pay the interns for their work.

Cal Poly also plans to offer three new classes that teach stem cell research techniques without actually partaking in actual research. The courses are in cell transplantation, tissue engineering and biomedical imaging. The classes and internships are targeted toward students studying biological science, bioengineering and animal science.