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
College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences
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
Second Chances for Applicants Shut Out of Crowded CSU Campuses
This is the season for second chances at the 23-campus California State University system. Because of overcrowding, about 28,000 otherwise eligible students were shut out of all the CSU campuses to which they applied this year. But a new policy now offers potential freshmen and transfer students a second chance to attend a CSU. If their high school grades and test scores meet basic requirements, these students can enroll at a campus that has room for them. About 5,000 students so far are taking advantage of the new opportunities at the nine campuses that are part of this safety net. That is only 18 percent of those who were offered the opportunity. Many students have ignored it. Some ... Read More
Cal State Dominguez Hills Wins Federal Grant for HIV-Infection Prevention Pilot Program
Cal State Dominguez Hills, in Carson, has received a $656,000 federal grant to set up a program to improve the access young gay African American men have to an anti-viral drug treatment program that can help prevent HIV infection. The National Institutes of Health awarded the grant to sociology professor Matt Mutchler this week to address the disproportionate rate of new HIV infections among young black men. A daily drug protocol called PrEP can reduce the risk of contracting HIV by as much as 99%, research has shown. Mutchler, the director of the CSUDH Urban Community Research Center, will develop a pilot program called PrEP-Talk that pairs friends with a counselor to discuss the ... Read More
