More than 200 people attended the May 5 opening that celebrated PICTURE Cultural Art's second exhibition, “On Being Human: Love, Faith, Shame, and Hope.” Guests included many of the local and international artists, who made themselves available to students and the campus community. The gallery and its environs were visited by members of the press, who gave the exhibition wide pre- and post-exhibition coverage in the Daily Breeze and in local Asian media. The exhibition was the result of a global call to art that resulted in 840 submissions from five continents. From these submissions the PICTURE Cultural Art Board chose 95 pieces that best represented the breadth and depth of Love, ... Read More
Archive
Ryan Traylor: Moving Beyond Disability, Finding a Purpose
Ryan Traylor is a communications major and an intern in the Office of Communication and Public Affairs at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome as a child, he has overcome many challenges while moving toward becoming a college graduate, and is discovering new strengths and a direction for his life. As told to staff writer Joanie Harmon I had normal development from birth, but I stopped talking at two years old. My mother was concerned and took me to several doctors for a medical evaluation because she felt something was wrong. Initially my diagnosis was autism, based on my lack of speech, a dislike of being held, and staring into space. This ... Read More
Esther Castillo: Alumna Returns to CSU Dominguez Hills to Teach
By Erin Hardy, Class of 2011, B.A., communications For many students, California State University, Dominguez Hills is a great place to learn, make new friends, and form relationships that will last a lifetime. Alumni of the school often return to lecture, sponsor students and participate in school activities. To alumna Esther Castillo (Class of '07, B.A., sociology), the opportunity to return to her alma mater offered her the chance to see the school from a brand new perspective–as a professor. “Working at Dominguez as a part-time instructor this spring has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career. The exchange of knowledge that my students and I have ... Read More
CSU Dominguez Hills Takes Top Honors at Systemwide Research Competition
Three students from California State University, Dominguez Hills took top honors at the 25th Annual CSU Student Research Competition, a systemwide event featuring the best academic projects from approximately 225 students at 21 of the 23 CSU campuses held at CSU Fresno on May 6-7. The category of Humanities and Letters was dominated by CSU Dominguez Hills as John Garcia, a junior majoring in Chicana/o studies, and David Marks, a graduate student in the Humanities Master of Arts External Degree (HUX) program, both took first place in their respective grade levels. Bree Nguyen, a junior majoring in business administration with a concentration in finance, was the only undergraduate entry ... Read More
Cathy Jacobs: Ornithologist Creates a Bird’s-eye View of “the Big Picture”
While recalling her experiences of growing up in rural environments across the United States, Cathy Jacobs says that her career as an educator was inspired by a childhood spent outdoors. “I've been a naturalist since I could remember,” she says. “I was always catching snakes and wading in ponds, catching tadpoles. When I was a kid, I used to watch the salmon spawn in the riffles of the Sacramento River. You used to see all these dorsal fins in the river at night, and I remember watching this enormous sturgeon - it must have been about six or seven feet long - come up to the surface and go back under.” Jacobs, who has won the Excellence in Service Award at California State ... Read More
L. Mark Carrier: Multitasking Expert Keeps Focus on Students
Despite a research specialty on multitasking, Dr. L. Mark Carrier tends to keep his focus on one common goal: the success of his students and faculty. As a third-time chair of the psychology department, he works to give his colleagues the support that he has received in being nominating and winning the California State University, Dominguez Hills 2011 Presidential Outstanding Professor Award. “I try to stay faculty-centered,” he says. “I support them and give them what they want because I know that will ensure student and departmental success.” Carrier says that he uses an interactive approach with his students as well, giving them a chance to share with him the best ways for them ... Read More
Janine Gasco: Reliving that ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment, One Student at a Time
When on vacation in Mexico as 20-year-old college drop-out, Dr. Janine Gasco came to a realization that eventually evolved into her life's work. Upon viewing ancient pyramids and ancient Mesoamerican sites, particularly the ruins of Teotihuacan near Mexico City, she realized that she had found an answer to the question of where to focus her studies. “I just remember being floored, so completely impressed and curious,” recalls the associate professor of anthropology and this year's winner of the Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award. “I thought, 'How terrible is it that I don't know anything about what's going on in the country next door? That's what I'm going to ... Read More
University Partners with Home Depot Center, LA Galaxy for Student Intership Program
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), The Home Depot Center, and LA Galaxy launched a new internship program this spring for two CSUDH students to work in the areas of sales, marketing and event presentation with the LA Galaxy, while earning a stipend and credits towards graduation. The new program is exclusive to CSUDH students, and will become an annual opportunity for undergraduates. The interns are working with the LA Galaxy front office to market the May 14 LA Galaxy vs. Sporting Kansas City match to the CSUDH community, including students, alumni and administration. On the LA Galaxy web site, a web page, www.lagalaxy.com/toros, has been created for the CSUDH ... Read More
Terry McGlynn: Biology Professor Seeks the Social Creature in Insects
Through his work with ant societies in the rainforest, associate professor of biology Dr. Terry McGlynn has been able to show students the benefits of altruism within a species, in the hopes of teaching them about more than just insect behavior. “In a way, social insects are the pinnacle of evolution,” says McGlynn, who is this year's winner of the Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Award. “There's this popular image that in insect colonies, individuals sacrifice themselves for the whole. But social insects are animals, just like we are. It is more often that it is in their [individual] interest to work for the benefit of the group. “In social insect ... Read More
Emily Magruder: Giving Students the Tools to Think
Although one of Dr. Emily Magruder's students described her teaching technique as animated and “dance-like,” the humanities lecturer–who holds a certificate in theatre and dance, as well as a bachelor's degree in English, from Princeton–doesn't let her classes waltz by with subpar work. “The perception is that I have high expectations, but that I will help students meet them,” says Magruder, who is this year's winner of the Lyle E. Gibson Dominguez Hills Distinguished Teacher Award. Magruder, whose research interests includes women and inheritance, children's literature, and law and literature, says that what she enjoys most about teaching humanities is that she is not confined to ... Read More