For generations, seasoned research scientists have worked with advanced materials characterization instrumentation including superconducting magnets, vibrating sample magnetometers (VSM), and low-level measurement lock-in amplifiers. However, at the Quantum Design Teaching & Materials Discovery Laboratory at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), undergraduate students have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience with state-of-the-art equipment typically reserved only for graduate students and advanced researchers at most other universities. A Quantum Design Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS®) VersaLab® is available to students as part of the Applied Physics curriculum and as a resource to perform undergraduate research.

CSUSM's enrollment reflects the population of the region that it serves. The majority of CSUSM students belong to groups underrepresented in STEM, with half of the student body made up of nontraditional returning students and transfers. Over half of all CSUSM graduates are the first in their family to earn a baccalaureate degree. Because every CSUSM Applied Physics major can work with the VersaLab as part of the Advanced Laboratory course, students from any background have access to learning how to perform state-of-the-art solid state physics research.

In addition to the instructional laboratory, many students have used the VersaLab in extracurricular research projects – from looking at the heat capacity of aerogels to determining the magnetic behavior of oxide ceramics. This has been a boon that students have leveraged to obtain research awards, apply to research internships, and gain admission to graduate programs at other universities. Moreover, several first-generation CSUSM alumni are now gainfully employed at Quantum Design, contributing to the manufacture of VersaLabs and other sister systems for an international clientele.