Biology students at Cal State Dominguez Hills will soon be able to do their own DNA sequencing, seeing the molecular structures of plants, bacteria and other living things more closely than ever before. The Carson university's Department of Biology has won a National Science Foundation grant for $216,310 to purchase an Illumina MiSeq DNA sequencer. “We can do tons more experiments,” said Karin Kram, an assistant professor of biology who led a team that sought the grant. “One of the things I'd really like to do is have students in my microbiology classes identify microbes found on our phones. Now, we identify them to a genus level with biochemical tests. But, with this, we can identify ... Read More
College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences
Faculty Awarded NSF Grant to Enhance Research with DNA Sequencer
(CARSON, Calif.) - California State University, Dominguez Hills' (CSUDH) Department of Biology has been awarded a three-year, $216,310 National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation grant to enhance research and curriculum at the university with a next-generation DNA sequencer. The Illumina MiSeq DNA sequencer will significantly advance the university's research capacity and bolster faculty instruction, while enabling students to learn some of the latest biological research techniques and improving their graduate school opportunities and future success in bio-science fields. The NSF grant was awarded to a team of CSUDH faculty: assistant professors of biology Karin ... Read More
Toyota and CSUDH Dedicate Mobile Fabrication Laboratories
(CARSON, Calif.) - Four new mobile fabrication laboratories (fab labs) to help students build science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills will soon make their debut in Los Angeles County. California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) together with Toyota and the W.M. Keck Foundation came together to create the fab labs, which will become part of a global network of nearly 900 mobile labs that share common equipment and software. The unveiling and demonstration will take place Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. at CSUDH. The dedication event will include engaging science activities for local middle school students, and special remarks from Toyota representatives, CSUDH ... Read More
Karina Martinez Helps Advance Understanding of Invasive Species
It may have been brought to the United States from Europe in the 1860s for its flavor, but garlic mustard, a member of the Brassicaceae plant family, is now an invasive species in the forests of North America that is negatively impacting native flora and fauna. To help discover ways to eradicate the intrusive plant, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) biology student Karina Martinez spent the first 11 weeks of her summer in Harvard Forest, a 4,000-acre ecological research site and outdoor laboratory that has been administered by Harvard University since 1988. Her research focused on if the “Eurasian invasive duo,” garlic mustard and exotic earthworms, work in tandem to ... Read More
Ximena Cid Stands on ‘Path of Totality’ After Teaching STEM 0 Students about Total Solar Eclipses
On Aug. 21, Ximena Cid was standing with family and friends in Idaho on the “path of totality,” watching the bright morning sky dim to a twilight hue and feeling the air temperature steadily drop while the moon gradually blocked the sun's light from reaching Earth. Cid, an assistant professor of physics at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), was far from alone during her observation of the “Great American Total Solar Eclipse.” She joined millions of awe-struck Americans on the path's 70-mile wide swath of land stretching from Oregon to South Carolina from which the total eclipse of the sun was visible. “We tried to go to Oregon, but all along the path the hotels ... Read More
