Corina Benavides-Lopez considers the principles of social justice – access, equity, rights, and participation – to be the most enduring values in her life. The assistant professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) also believes that social justice is at its weakest when narrowly applied, which is why Benavides-Lopez teaches its tenets as accessible for everyone. “I don’t feel that I have the right to choose what, or whom, is most important when it comes to addressing the critical issues around social justice in my research, or in the classroom,” she said. CSUDH has presented Benavides-Lopez with the 2019 Lyle E. Gibson Dominguez ... Read More
Features
David Puerta: Forging a Path in Biotechnology
When Forge Therapeutics COO and VP of Discovery David Puerta first set foot on the CSUDH campus, he wasn’t sure what kind of career he wanted to pursue. As a first-generation college student, his (and his parents’) initial goal had been to just get to college. After being recruited to play soccer for the Toros, he started classes with only a vague notion that he wanted to be involved in science. “I was always interested in science,” Puerta said, “but I didn’t know where you could go with that in terms of a career, outside of being a physician or dentist..” Due to a close relationship with his chemistry professor, Leonardo Martinez, Puerta began to focus his studies on biotechnology. ... Read More
For Mark Carrier, Service and Teaching Go Hand in Hand
Mark Carrier, professor of psychology, believes that good campus synergy results in abundant student and faculty achievement, and that’s why he has not shied from taking on distinctive leadership roles that have helped foster a collaborative learning environment on campus. Taking note of Carrier’s devotion to the university community, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has named him the 2019 recipient of the Excellence in Service Award. The honor recognizes faculty contributions to university governance and development, and acknowledges that service, both on and off campus, is an essential component of CSUDH’s mission. Carrier’s service paid dividends last year when ... Read More
Tree-Ring Lab Gives Students ‘Core’ Hands-On Experience
Education is all about empowering students, according to Parveen Chhetri, assistant professor in the Department of Earth Science and Geography at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). For the trio of student assistants working in CSUDH’s Tree-Ring Lab -- David “Skip” Saldana, Michelle Mohr, and Gabriel Angulo -- that means getting invaluable hands-on experience in the skills of dendrochronology, the dating and study of annual growth rings in trees. The Tree-Ring Lab is currently working on a project analyzing the history of drought events in California. By examining the thickness of trees’ yearly growth rings, they can deduce the amount of rainfall an area received in a ... Read More
Katy Pinto Helps Students Turn Research into New Knowledge
When she was a graduate student, Katy Pinto didn’t feel that her professors understood her research interests. Worse yet, she felt that she had to convince them that the populations she wanted to study—Latinx immigrants and ethnic minority groups—mattered enough to be considered as research topics. Now, as a professor of sociology at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), she lets her students decide what matters most. “I don’t want my students to feel the same way. I want them to know that their questions and ideas are important,” said Pinto, who has been teaching at CSUDH since 2007. “Instead of dismissing students’ research ideas outright, we work together to make ... Read More
