Abstract
The University of La Verne, a private Hispanic-Serving Institution located in eastern Los Angeles County, promotes a positive and rewarding life for its students through four core values: ethical reasoning, diversity and inclusivity, lifelong learning, and civic and community engagement. Within the Natural Science Division in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), one of the primary and shared pedagogical methods to promote lifelong learning has been to emphasize experiential techniques and problem solving and to provide our students with the skills needed to be successful in graduate studies and industry. For example, all students in the biology department conduct a capstone research project, which provides the opportunity for one-on-one work with a faculty mentor/advisor to address a contemporary research question.