Seven undergraduate and graduate science students from California State University, Dominguez Hills gained valuable experience participating along with 1,700 undergraduate students, and 400 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists from more than 350 colleges and universities nationwide at the 2012 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) held at the San Jose Convention Center in November. The four-day professional conference, now in its 12th year, is the largest for biomedical and behavioral sciences, attracting more than 3,000 participants–including students, faculty and administrators–and is aimed at encouraging underrepresented minority students to ... Read More
Archive
Danny Brassell Reads Between the Lines to Inspire
Danny Brassell is big on reading, but he is no book snob. The California State University, Dominguez Hills professor of teacher education pointed out that there are myriad forms of reading materials, from newspapers and magazines, to electronic readers as well as the Internet, emails and even text messages. It doesn't matter to him what people read, he just wants them to get turned on to reading. “Reading doesn't just mean it's in a really old book,” said Brassell, a librarian's son. “If people want to read Sports Illustrated on the toilet, that's what they should be reading.” He also absolves readers from books they aren't enjoying. “If you don't like the first ... Read More
Digital Media Arts Grads Look to Crash Super Bowl with their Doritios Ad
It took 13 30 oz. bags, but with the director's clapboard on the final take sounding like the crunch of a Doritos Nacho Cheese chip, James Karroum and Calvin Ko called it a wrap on their entry into the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” ad contest. The recent Digital Media Arts graduates (Karroum in 2012, Ko in 2010) are among thousands of people across the country who are seeking to have their original ad for the popular snack food chosen and shown on millions of televisions around the world during Super Bowl XLVII. The contest includes $25,000 and a trip to the big game for five finalists, with two winners ultimately being selected for airtime, one of whom will get a chance to work for a ... Read More
Message of Marine Conservation is No Fish Tale
A bespectacled red crab, an anemone wearing headphones, a mariachi sea star, and even a shark with a pompadour landed themselves on the main floor of the of Aquarium of the Pacific (AOP) in Long Beach, delivering a message of marine conservation. These and other sea characters were portrayed in "Fish Out of Water: The Aquarium of the Pacific Project" on Nov. 18 and Dec. 2 by California State University, Dominguez Hills students from Teatro Dominguez, a multicultural theatre company directed by professor of theatre arts Bill DeLuca, and the companion multicultural children's theatre course (THE 339) taught by theatre arts lecturer Naomi Buckley, who directed the show. The project, ... Read More
University Faculty and Staff Celebrate their Alma Mater Ties
Many students who have passed through the doors of California State University, Dominguez Hills understand what makes it special. For more than 300 alumni, it's also a special place to work. To celebrate their common ties, 80 members from the university's faculty and staff gathered for a luncheon held in their honor in the Loker Student Union Ballroom on Nov. 29. Iris Baxter (Class of '90, B.S., health science) said CSU Dominguez Hills was the only place she ever considered working. She began as an adjunct professor in public administration in 1996, was hired as a full-time professor in 2001 and has taught public management, health services administration management, health policy, ... Read More
Claudia Rodriguez: Becoming a Lawyer Takes Elbow Grease
Visiting from Mexico at 18, Claudia Rodriguez only meant to stay in California for one summer. Instead, without means to return, she remained in America, went to college, and became a lawyer. The California State University, Dominguez Hills alumna (Class of '98, B.S., business administration; '00, M.A., behavioral science, negotiation and conflict management), said it was the heavy load of required units and rigorous coursework at the university that helped prepare her for law school. “The bachelor's got me into the critical thinking phase and the master's degree helped me with the writing,” she recalled. Rodriguez, who transferred from Los Angeles Harbor College with an ... Read More
The Bittersweet Truth about Chocolate
Criollo, forastero, trinitario. Varietals with fruity or woody notes. These aren't wine terms, but rather those regarding cacao–the raw form of chocolate. Cacao (cocoa), one of the world's largest soft commodities, is largely produced under complex if not controversial circumstances. The details were served to about 150 California State University, Dominguez Hills students, faculty, and staff during a lecture and chocolate tasting held in the Loker Student Union on Nov. 20. Guests tested their taste buds as they sampled various grades and varieties of finished chocolate handed out on paper plates. The novice chocolate aficionados were provided clues and encouraged to identify the ... Read More
University Celebrates Alumna and Olympic Champion on Carmelita Jeter Day
The fastest woman in the world, 2012 Olympic bronze, silver and gold medalist, and California State University, Dominguez Hills alumna Carmelita Jeter (Class of '06, B.A., kinesiology) slowed down long enough to spend the afternoon and evening at her alma mater on Nov. 20. During her first stop on the university's celebration in her honor–Carmelita Jeter Day, she shared insights about some of the hurdles in her Olympic quest and of her ultimate triumph to a large crowd in the University Theatre including Toro and area high school athletes as well as fans from the campus and the community. “I didn't make the team in 2008. In 2007 I was the [World] bronze medalist in the 100 meters and ... Read More
Faculty Highlights: November 2012
Our faculty members participate in conferences around the world, conduct groundbreaking research, and publish books and articles that contribute to their field and highlight their expertise. We feature those accomplishments in this section. Lynne Cook, professor of education, has been appointed to the National Advisory Committee of the National Center for Intensive Intervention at the American Institutes for Research. Established by the U.S. Department of Education, NCII seeks to address the national need to improve outcomes for students with disabilities who require intensive intervention due to persistent learning and behavioral problems. The committee comprises seven experts in the ... Read More
PEGS: Helping Graduate Students to Prepare for Thesis
Cleveland Goode made below-average grades as a University of Nebraska undergraduate student. But things improved dramatically years later in his graduate studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills with the help of the Promoting Excellence in Graduate Studies (PEGS) program. Now in the university's marital family therapy master's program, he has a 4.0 grade point average. “My writing abilities and the central tools that were needed, I didn't have them in undergrad. I was good at taking tests,” Goode revealed, adding that when he returned to school to pursue a graduate degree at age 51 he had some fears about the deficiencies in his academic writing skills. “[PEGS] was a really ... Read More