For the families of first-generation college students, universities can seem unfamiliar and inaccessible. New terminologies and processes can alienate students and their parents, who want to be able to provide support and guidance to their children. Two faculty members at CSUDH are trying to change that dynamic through the Parent Leadership Academy—a forum through which parents can connect, share knowledge, and navigate CSUDH together. Assistant Professor Yesenia Fernández and Associate Professor Jen Stacy, both in the College of Education, pitched the idea of a parent academy for President Thomas Parham’s President’s Challenge competition in 2020. After their idea received funding, they ... Read More
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Homecoming 2022 Brings Toro Alums Back to Campus
CSUDH celebrated Homecoming 2022 on Saturday, Feb. 19, welcoming hundreds of Toro alumni and their families back to campus for a day of fun activities, reunions, and discovery. It was the first large-scale public event on campus since the resumption of in-person courses, and the first chance for many attendees to see all of the changes that have occurred on campus recently. “I couldn’t be more excited and elated to welcome home all these Toro alums, many of whom have not seen the transformation of the campus over the years,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham, who spoke at the event. “I’m thrilled to showcase not just the infrastructure changes, but to highlight the curriculum changes ... Read More
Irene Tung Earns Visionary Grant for Pregnancy Research
Assistant Professor of Psychology Irene Tung has been awarded a Visionary Grant from the American Psychological Foundation in the amount of $19,979. The grant, which seeks to support research that uses psychology to solve social problems, will fund Tung’s pilot study of emotional health and stress physiology during pregnancy for one year. Tung, who joined the CSUDH faculty in January 2022, began researching the impacts of early life stress on children’s development while earning her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. As she advanced throughout graduate school, she became interested in earlier developmental stages and how adverse experiences ... Read More
Fab Lab Teams with Toyota to Bring Dream Cars to Life
Students working in the fabrication labs in CSUDH’s Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) got an accelerated course in hands-on project management and design in 2021, when they partnered with Toyota USA for the company’s annual Toyota Dream Car USA Art Contest. Each year, children between the ages of 4 and 15 enter the contest, drawing fantastical images that illustrate the car of their dreams. In early 2021, Toyota’s Social Innovation Division approached CISE Director Kamal Hamdan with the idea of using the Science and Innovation Building’s fabrication labs to create 3D replicas of the winning entries. “The Dream Car Art Contest encourages youth to dream of the future of ... Read More
Holiday Toy Drives Showcase Toro Generosity
Generous members of the Toro community turned out for a pair of on-campus toy drives during the first weeks of December. The drives were sponsored by CSUDH’s Center for Service Learning, Internships and Civic Engagement (SLICE) and its Jumpstart program; and the CSUDH Police Department (DHPD). As a result, hundreds of children from underserved communities received holiday gifts. The SLICE/Jumpstart “Totes for Tots” drive was in its fifth year, said SLICE coordinator Miami Gatpandan. “We work with preschools in Compton and recognized that this was a real need for many of the children there. We’ve partnered with a lot of departments over the years, including the Office of External ... Read More
