Sarah Lacy really likes a “good brow ridge.” She thinks “it’s hot!” In class, Lacy, a new assistant professor of anthropology at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), and her anthropology students call that facial characteristic a “supraorbital torus,” which was sported by Neandertals around 40,000 years ago. They have also given the long-extinct human species a “sexy” social media presence with Lacy posing with their skulls in a series she calls “Hot Hominin of the Day.” “I dress a bit unusual, and my students were joking about it. They thought I should create an ‘Outfit of the Day’ blog. It seemed a little frivolous, so I came up with a way to have fun with that idea, ... Read More
College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences
Alumnus Victor McKamie Helps MAP a Better Life for Those with HIV/AIDS
“For a lot of our clients, they felt they had zero, then they became infected with HIV, and felt they had less.” For the past 28 years, Victor McKamie (’98, B.A., sociology; ’01, M.S., public administration), executive director and CEO of Minority AIDS Project (MAP) in Los Angeles, and his colleagues have been successfully showing their clients with that feeling of having “less” that they have so much "more;" more to accomplish, more to give, and more reason to live. The not-for-profit organization was founded in 1985 by Archbishop Carl Bean and members of Unity Fellowship of Christ Church in Los Angeles California. It is the first community-based HIV/AIDS organization established and ... Read More
CSUDH Student Ramneek Kaur Honored for Spreading HOPE
For Ramneek Kaur, helping others requires a lot of hard work, and plenty of hope. Kaur, a cellular and molecular biology major at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), is providing hope in her own way, as president of the Homeless Outreach Promoting Empathy (HOPE) student organization. HOPE’s outreach involves providing hygiene kits, medical care, and assistance for homeless individuals—up to three times per month—by organizing events in areas where homelessness is prevalent. “My passion for community involvement comes from growing up and realizing the issues surrounding our community, and seeing people struggle for basic needs, like hygiene items,” said Kaur, who ... Read More
Research Scholars Achieve First Place at SACNAS Conference
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) research scholars Chad Thomas and Adrianna Perez took first place for their poster presentations at the Society for the Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Conference from Oct. 19 to 21 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The conference is considered one of the largest annual gatherings of minority scientists in the country. Thomas, a cell and molecular biology major and a Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) scholar, presented his research “NMR Methods in the Structure Elucidation of Bioactive Alkaloids from Mostuea brunonis.” Perez, a ... Read More
The Downside of Cellphone Addiction
Most people can't leave home without their cellphone. We're addicted to them and we know it. So, what's the downside? I’m as guilty as the next person, I can’t be without my cell phone for more than a few minutes. In fact, I have two cell phones. It doesn’t bother me, but research is now showing too much phone use can lead to potentially serious psychological disorders such as extreme stress, anxiety, depression and more. We observed an interesting experiment in our story on cell phone addiction that demonstrates the potential for problem. We’ll also have some tips to find out if you are really addicted to your phone, and then what you can do about it to try to break the ... Read More
