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The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

Staff

Water Wise & Life Friendly: Connie Vadheim Educates Community on Natives Plants

June 8, 2015 By Staff

Connie Vadheim, adjunct professor of biology, with Ecology Club member Yajaira Bautista.
Connie Vadheim, adjunct professor of biology, with Ecology Club member Yajaira Bautista.

Following one of California’s driest winters, South Bay gardeners will need to make some choices about their thirsty rose bushes and tomato plants.

The good news is that appropriate regional water-wise landscapes are not all cactus and rock gardens, according to Constance M. Vadheim, a CSU Dominguez Hills adjunct professor of biology.

“There are many drought-tolerant native shrubs that are evergreen or bloom with pretty flowers,” she said. “The lemonade berry, for example, has beautiful flowers, edible berries, and birds love it.”

For more than 10 years, Vadheim has volunteered her extensive hands-on knowledge of California’s native, water-wise plants with creative and practical lecture topics, such as “Solar Dyes: How to dye yarn using nothing more than water, cuttings from your garden, a large jar and the heat of the sun.” She grew up mostly in California with an early interest in flora and fauna, and she spent much of her professional career as an epidemiologist.

“When it was clear that climate change and habitat destruction were really getting out of hand, I had to do something, because these things were affecting public health. So, I went back to my love of plants,” she said.

She engages gardeners with her free talks at Madrona Marsh Nature Center in Torrance, El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach, and events with the city of Gardena. She is assisted by CSUDH professors and students from a range of departments – anthropology, biology, art and other disciplines – as well as the student Ecology Club.

“They are now designing a campus garden, and they do a lot of work at local preserves,” she said. “The university also has an important relationship with the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve.”

One very special patch of plants for Vadheim is the on-campus Garden of Dreams next to the Child Development Center.

“It’s a discovery garden for kids of all ages, and all of the plants are native to within 25 miles of campus or the Channel Islands,” she said. “When I designed it for the kids, I meant for it to be a safe place for them to get to know nature, and it includes edible currants; five different fragrant sages; buckwheats, which are good butterfly plants; a poppy bush and wildflowers.”

Regionally, Vadheim emphasizes the need not only to conserve water but to also focus on plants that are “life-friendly,” plants that normally grow in Southern California and have adapted over millennia to local conditions. Over the last couple of centuries, California natives have been supplanted by imports – palm trees, eucalyptus, cactus, pepper trees, bamboo – from similar Mediterranean climates, but these foreign plants are not attractive to local wildlife.

“There is a big push to be water wise, and that’s a good thing. But that’s just half the story. ‘Life-friendly’ means we need to think about the plants that are good for us and for birds, butterflies and pollinators,” Vadheim said

This does not mean, she emphasized, that gardeners shouldn’t enjoy a summer vegetable garden or favorite rose bushes.

“It’s not about denying yourself,” she said. “Things are going to have to change, but it’s all about making the right choices for your water budget.”

 – Laurie McLaughlin

Great Native Plants for Summer Color

Annual wildflowers (from seed)

Farewell to spring plant
Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia species)
Annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smaller flowering shrubs

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Goldenrods (Solidago species)
Goldenrods (Solidago species)
Gumplants (Grindelia species)
Gumplants (Grindelia species)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Native buckwheats (Eriogonum species)
Native buckwheats (Eriogonum species)
Indian mallow (Abutilon palmeri)
Indian mallow (Abutilon palmeri)
California fuschia (Epilobium canum)
California fuschia (Epilobium canum)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trees and large shrubs

Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis)
Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis)
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
Blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea)
Blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea)
Summer holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia)
Summer holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more plant varietals, visit Vadheim’s blogs:

Native Plants at CSUDH

Mother Nature’s Backyard

Summer native plant activities

Vadheim presents gardening talks at the Madrona Marsh Nature Center this summer:

Sat., July 11, 2015, 10 a.m.: Butterfly Gardens for Mid-Century Modern Homes

Sat., Aug. 1, 2015, 10 a.m.: Creating a Water-Wise Water Feature

For more information on these and other events at the Madrona Marsh Nature Center. Vadheim also suggests attending events presented by these organizations: California Native Plant Society, South Coast Chapter or Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve.

 

Poems

April 21, 2015 By Staff

This is the text version of the poems featured in National Poetry Month: 3 CSUDH poets share insights, teaching and their writing.

No time to Die

by Lucilla Maclaren Spillane

I thought I was dying
and I knocked at Death’s door.
As I lay in a bar,
like a rag on the floor,
and I promised for sure,
not to drink any more.

“I’ve not called your number,”
said a voice in my head,
or was it God saying
“It’s not time to be dead?”
I should promise for sure,
not to drink any more.

And then the voice told me:
“Now you’ve got to be strong,
And go back through your life
to where you first went wrong.”
So I promised for sure,
not to drink any more.

I took my second chance
and I got up and run
back through all the old bars,
and it wasn’t much fun,
as I’d promised for sure,
not to drink any more.

The voice never left me,
and I kept straight and right,
as I re-ran my years,
With no reason to fight,
because never for sure,
did I drink any more.

Then the voice called me
And here’s what it said:
“I’m calling your number,
it’s time to be dead.”
And now it’s for sure,
I’ll not drink any more.

I Saw Death on the Third Street Promenade

by Randy Cauthen

wearing a creamcolor suit and
muttering at his blackberry and
eating a five”‘dollar widget of chocolate
with shades on to keep from meeting
the homeless veterans eyes

once I saw him once
I started recognizing him
everywhere I went

saw him at WaMu at the ATM
Death goes to my same bank

saw him exchanging jokes
with the ex”‘SAVAK agents
at the Coffee Bean in Tehrangeles
he had four espressos

I saw Death in Sams bookstore
leafing through Gibbon
Death licks his finger to turn the page
then doesnt buy the book
the bastard
I should read Gibbon

I saw Death in Ocean Park
ogling the coeds in their one”‘pieces
well ogling everybody
including me
thats what bad taste Death has

Second Genesis

by Jade Harvey

He said, “Let us make man in our image and likeness let us give him dominion over all the earth.” He blessed them. Man and woman, he blessed them saying, “Let you then be fruitful and multiply.” He saw all he had made and, behold, it was very good.
Evening passed and morning followed.

On the seventh day he rested, and while he rested, another schemed. Evening passed and morning followed. A new creation. The plan, set a man against all of this. Make evil of the favored ones.
Peace passed and fear would follow. The first day.

It took in the man and the woman and gave them the invitation. An apple in the middle of the forest of plenty, it became the harbinger of all things to come. He made man and woman to understand, and this invited greed.
Bliss passed and science would follow. The second day.

It set the fangs of the serpent against the man, and put superiority between man and the creatures in his dominion, and again, between man and his beloved, and again, between man and his fellow man.
Dominion passed and master-hood would follow. The third day.

It divided the people, with language and prayer it divided them, setting confusion on the people and religion on the world. Laying misunderstanding in the heart and hate in the world. It set them on one another.
Understanding passed and slavery would follow. The fourth day.

It saw the confusion of the people, and set it ablaze. By sowing mistrust and anger, it brought violence. On the heels of this violence, it brought dominion, and lordship and assimilation. It saw the degradation of entire worlds.
Calm passed and war would follow. The fifth day.

It set on the world a good man with good intentions. In his hands were placed the medium of destruction. It did nothing. It said nothing. Man saw how dangerous it was, and in their refusal to heed reason, they tried to tame it.
Creation passed and destruction would follow. The sixth day.

On the last day he watched as they suffered, and gloated as they died. In their millions, they died. The gluttonous rich, and suffering pauper, all given the same radiating grave.

Political Science Department Hosts Panel Discussion on Human Trafficking

April 7, 2015 By Staff

Human Trafficking flyerThere is a big open secret here on this campus and throughout the cities beyond. Something that impacts all of us. You might see glimpses of this crime in the neighborhood or in the local grocery store. They look like ordinary people; actual chains do not bind them, but they are nevertheless enslaved.

Human trafficking, in its many forms and variants, is alive and thriving throughout every community in Southern California, and the world at large. Indeed there are more people alive and enslaved today than ever in this planet’s history

On Tuesday, April 14, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., the Department of Political Science at California State University, Dominguez Hills will present an open forum exploring, learning and discussing the questions: What is human trafficking in the 21st century, and what can we do to help raise awareness and strive towards alleviating it once and for all?

Led by political science faculty members Brenda Riddick, Sovathana Sokhom and Maria Montero, a panel that will include an FBI agent, a representative from the Los Angeles Police Department, Jennifer Whyte, director of the CSUDH Women’s Center, and a student survivor of human trafficking will discuss current prevalence of exploitation of children and adults, and the multi-million dollar industry of contemporary slavery in the L.A. area.

The State of California Department of Justice cites human trafficking as the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprise. California, as a populous border state with a significant immigrant population and the world’s ninth largest economy, is one of the nation’s top four destinations for human trafficking.

The Loker Student Union is on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St. in Carson. Parking in campus lots is $5 payable at kiosks located in each lot. Click here for the campus map.

For more information, call (310) 243-3435.

STEM teachers in training celebrates Pi Day with Gage Middle School

March 17, 2015 By Staff

STEM Lab School teachers, aides and mentors at Pi Day Olympics
STEM Lab School teachers, aides and mentors at Pi Day Olympics
Pi Day Olympics
Pi Day Olympics was educational and fun.

The California STEM Institute for Innovation & Improvement (CSI3), an institute within the Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) at California State University, Dominguez Hills, celebrated the “Ultimate Pi Day” at Gage Middle School in Huntington Park this past Saturday by hosting its inaugural Pi Day Olympics.

Celebrated every March 14, Pi Day was especially significant in 2015 because the date combined with a particular hour, minute and second –3.14.15, 9:26:53 a.m. – correlated to the first 10 digits of the most infamous mathematical constant, known as pi (Ï€).

“CSUDH CSI3 faculty, staff, and teacher candidates treated the kids to a wonderful STEM experience through the Pi Day Olympics,” CSI3 and CISE director Kamal Hamdan said, adding that it was much more than a learning day. “It was community engagement at its best. I felt the pride to be part of something special that CSUDH is doing at schools within its communities. We were all proud to be representing CSUDH.

CSI3 kicked off its Pi Day Olympics at that exact time, starting with the Pi Memorization Contest, which tested the talents of students from Gage and also Leimert Park’s Audubon Middle School to see how many digits of pi they could recite.

The day included the crowning of a king and a queen of Pi Day Olympics, plus various booths to engage in Pi Day activities, such as Pi Scramble, Pin the Pi on the Unit Circle, Making Pi Day Bracelets, a Pi-ñata, a Pi Eating Contest, and a booth for students to derive the origins of pi.

Gage is the location of one of CSI3‘s STEM Lab Schools, where teacher candidates lead math and science classes on weekends throughout the school year and four weeks in the summer to gain experience teaching. The prospective teachers are encouraged to try new approaches to engage students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities, such as putting on the Pi Day event.

Among those in attendance were the CSI3 Lab School team; teacher candidates from CSUDH’s Transition to Teaching Online (TTTO) and STEM Teachers in Advanced Residency (STAR) programs. Volunteers from the Noyce Scholars Program (NSP), the Math and Science Teacher Initiative Program (MSTI), Project Reach; Los Angeles Unified School District students, teachers and parents, and CSUDH faculty pitched in throughout the day.

“Pi Day Olympics were a great success,” said Hamdan. “A parent who is a project manager at another university within close proximity of CSUDH approached me and said: ‘What I want to know is why my university does not hold events like these in the community?’”

CSUDH Part of New Contract to Help Campuses Save Energy

February 16, 2015 By Staff

CO-signing
(Left to right) Chancellor’s Office representatives Michael Clemson, Elvyra F. San Juan, Heather Colbert, Steve Raskovich, Steve Relyea, CSUDH President Willie Hagan, Sr. VP Shell Energy North America Beth Bowman, CO representatives Linda Willoughby and Cary Silahian and CSUDH Central Plant Manager Kenneth Seeton during the signing of the contract at CSU Dominguez Hills on February 10, 2015.

Representatives from the California State University Office of the Chancellor and Shell Energy North America were on the CSU Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) campus on February 10 for a formal signing ceremony of an electrical energy procurement contract between the CSU system and Shell Energy North America (SENA) for campuses eligible to procure electricity through the CSU Direct Access program. President Willie J. Hagan hosted the signing in his conference room.

The CSU Direct Access program allows CSU campuses to purchase their own electricity through the open market. Currently, CSUDH is one of 10 CSU campuses participating in Direct Access: Bakersfield, East Bay, Fresno, Humboldt, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Marcos and Sonoma. The CSU Chancellor’s Office is also participating in the program.

Together the campuses plan to purchase an estimated $23 million in electricity annually though the contract with Shell Energy North America, and save more than $5.2 million each year over traditional utility service. Due to utility regulations of the Direct Access market, nine CSU campuses are currently unable to join; however if these remaining campuses could participate, the CSU could expect to save an additional $3.3 million.

CSUDH will save an estimated $250,000 through the CSU Direct Access program this year, a result of lower and more stable energy pricing. Over the next five years, the campus is estimated to save more than $1.5 million. The campus has also installed 560 kilowatts of solar power generation to reduce its reliance on the electrical grid and greenhouse gas emissions.

Executive Vice Chancellor/Chief Financial Officer Steve Relyea and Shell Energy North America Senior Vice President of West Region, Beth Bowman
Executive Vice Chancellor/Chief Financial Officer Steve Relyea and Shell Energy North America Senior Vice President of West Region, Beth Bowman

SENA was selected after responding to an open solicitation from the CSU for to provide energy purchase services through December 31, 2020. SENA has been the system’s purchaser of electricity for Direct Access campuses since January 1, 2010. A new solicitation was released as SENA’s current contract term ends on December 31, 2015.

The new contract guarantees that the CSU will meet its ambitious goal of 33 percent renewable energy by 2020, as well as prohibits direct purchases of dirty coal power. The CSU continues to reduce energy consumption and pursue cost saving efforts to support the policy of the board of trustees.

Article provided by the Office of the Chancellor Public Affairs

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