For 20 undergraduate students at USC, stem cell research is more than the topic of a lecture or an article in a textbook. It’s the focus of a comprehensive two-year program designed to prepare juniors and seniors for careers in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.

Known as USC COMPASS: Creating Opportunities through Mentorship and Partnership Across Stem Cell Science, the program launched in summer 2023 as a multidisciplinary collaboration among three USC schools: the Keck School of Medicine, the Viterbi School of Engineering, and the Dornsife College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences.

The program is supported by a $2.9 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the voter-created state agency that distributes public funding to support stem cell research and education. CIRM established a total of 16 COMPASS programs, including several at University of California, California State University, and community college campuses. USC is the only private research university to host a COMPASS program.

“A major goal of the program is to increase diversity in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine,” said USC COMPASS Program Director Senta Georgia, a principal investigator at the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and an assistant professor of pediatrics and stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at USC.

“We want COMPASS to point the way to stem cell careers for undergraduates with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and who may have encountered previous barriers to success,” said USC COMPASS Program Co-director Francesca Mariani, an associate professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, and integrative anatomical sciences.

The program starts with a four-week summer “boot camp,” which provides an immediate opportunity to learn on hands-on laboratory techniques, develop academic and career skills, and bond with their cohort.

“I’ve never been in a research lab before, so I was nervous about how my first experience would be in a lab,” said Brandon Barnes, a human biology major with a minor in health administration. “But it’s a really guided approach and teaches you a lot of information and a lot of lab techniques pretty quickly. The second day we were here, we came straight into the lab and did some small things with pipetting. And once we started pipetting more, we got straight into working with mouse embryonic stem cells, and that was the coolest thing.”

After completing the boot camp, the students match with research laboratories, where they spend the remainder of the first summer and continue to work for 10 hours per week during junior year.

“Over that summer, when we were deciding which labs we want to work with or what we want to focus on, it was the first time that I was actually able to consider what type of research I want to do, rather than being desperate to just get into a research lab and have those qualifications,” said Chris Young, a biological sciences major pursuing a progressive master’s degree in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. “So I would say COMPASS gave me the confidence and the ability to actually start thinking about what I want to do, and it’s providing me the tools for how to achieve those things. I feel like I’ve gained confidence as a researcher and as a student. This is probably the best decision I made in college, being a part of COMPASS.”

During their senior years, students can choose to continue these laboratory research internships, or to explore other stem cell-related interests. For example, students can spend the second summer interning at biotech companies, or can commit their entire second year to training experience in USC’s cell manufacturing facility.

During their junior and senior years, COMPASS students also pursue 12 units of required course work and electives, which partially meet the requirements for a minor in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.

In addition, the students conduct bioinformatics or bioengineering projects, capstone projects culminating in a public symposium, and community outreach projects.

The students also participate in workshops and seminars covering topics ranging from research ethics to laboratory skills to imposter syndrome. Guest speakers from a variety of industries also share their career paths and advice.

“In this program, I was genuinely surprised by how multifaceted being a researcher is,” said Henry Le, a human biology major. “Being a researcher is not only about knowing the science, but also about learning to become a leader. It’s about being a person who is high-integrity and a person who is able to communicate science effectively and translate that into the real world. And in so in many ways, being trained as a researcher prepares you for all aspects of your life.”

To guide the students through these experiences and to prepare them for the next steps in their academic and professional careers, the program relies on a strong network of academic and professional mentors. USC faculty or staff provide one-on-one mentorship, and external mentors from the biotech industry offer additional guidance.

“Having so many different mentors and different avenues of support has been really beneficial to me,” said Maddie Pierce, a biomedical engineering major pursuing a progressive master’s degree in medical device and diagnostic engineering. “I’m a first-generation student, so I really appreciate any insight into what I can do with my future. COMPASS exposed me to a lot that I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to know about if I wasn’t in the program.”

While participating in COMPASS, the students earn summer stipends, academic year stipends, and a tuition credits to offset their living and educational expenses. This allows them to concentrate on developing themselves as researchers, without the pressure to find additional employment to support themselves.

In summer 2025 and summer 2026, the USC COMPASS program will welcome two additional cohorts of 10 rising juniors and incoming transfer students. To continue in summer 2027, the program will require either a renewal of CIRM funding or philanthropic support.

“For many of our undergraduate students, the COMPASS program has been completely lifechanging,” said Charles (Chuck) Murry, Chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. “We’re grateful to CIRM for their vision and partnership in opening this pathway to success for USC’s talented and diverse undergraduates, who are poised to become tomorrow’s leaders in regenerative medicine.”