Whether contending with torrential rains, viscous mud or venomous snakes, all under the din of screeching monkeys and the clatter of exotically feathered fliers, things in a densely vegetated rainforest can seem larger than life. But it was a wee creature that captured Erica Parra's imagination. “Once you really stop and observe them you realize they are not just ants but they are individuals who are working together to make their colonies function efficiently. And not only that, but they each have their own personality and mission, which in turn helps the environment that surrounds them,” Parra asserted. The California State University, Dominguez Hills senior, who is majoring in biology ... Read More
Features
Alumna Janice Schill: Education Provides Pathway to Service as U.S. Diplomat
Throughout her husband's nearly 30-year career as a United States diplomat in the State Department's Foreign Service, Janice Schill gladly lived for years at a time in places where he was assigned, such as South Africa, China, Jordan, and Fiji. “I've traveled the world [with my husband Jim]... I've learned a lot, accumulated a lot of information, knowledge, experience,” Schill remarked. To immerse herself in the rich cultures into which she was embedded and to contribute to their communities, she volunteered at local hospitals and schools. Unknowingly, she was laying a strong foundation for her own entry into the Foreign Service. Once her husband retired from the foreign service, ... Read More
Math Major Laura Ramirez Turns Challenge into Achievement
Some people just love a good challenge. But how about one that started in kindergarten and continued on through high school and college? That's exactly what Laura Ramirez has taken on. The junior majoring in mathematics at California State University, Dominguez Hills has struggled with math her entire academic life; and the difficulty it presents to her is precisely what she loves about it. “I struggled a lot in math, but I like that,” said Ramirez, who hopes to teach algebra in a high school located in an underserved community, such as the South Los Angeles neighborhood she grew up in. “It makes me feel like if I struggle, then I can help students when I teach, to see how they ... Read More
Making the Grade: Teacher Candidates Learn With Their Students in Summer Lab School
“It's alive!” a child's voice could be heard over the chatting and laughing of students excited with the soggy, messy task of turning old notebook pages and newspapers into usable paper. Over the din, Sasha Magidi ('13, B.A. liberal studies: math) kept them focused. “Double-timing with the sponges, triple time, and then every time the water starts coming out of the sponges you have to drain it,” she instructed and encouraged. In another room, teens were on their feet learning what looked to be dance moves. At the head of the class, Mario Romero had the class demonstrate positive, negative, zero and undefined graph slopes using arm movements. He then set them to work finding the slope ... Read More
Gary Reichard Appointed Interim Provost, Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. Gary W. Reichard has been appointed interim provost and vice president of academic affairs at California State University, Dominguez Hills effective Monday, August 5. "Dr. Reichard has more than 40 years of experience as an academic leader and faculty member and will provide the seamless and stable leadership necessary while we conduct a national search for a provost and vice president of academic affairs," said University President Willie J. Hagan. Reichard has over a decade of experience in the California State University system. He served as executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer of the California State University system from 2006 to 2009, provost and senior vice ... Read More