The Neo-Assyrian empire was a mighty superpower that dominated the near east for 300 years before its dramatic collapse. Now researchers say they have a novel theory for what was behind its rise and fall: climate change. The empire emerged in about 912BC and grew to stretch from the Mediterranean down to Egypt and out to the Persian Gulf. But shortly after the death of the king Ashurbanipal around 630BC, the empire began to crumble, with the grand city of Nineveh sacked in 612BC. By the end of the seventh century BC, the empire’s fall was complete. Now scientists say the reversal in the empire’s fortunes appears to coincide with a dramatic shift in its climate from wet to dry – a ... Read More
College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences
A Helping Hand: CSUDH Alumna Uses Her Past to Inspire Others
“I’ve come a long way,” said CSUDH alumna Teresa Ramirez, reflecting on her college and career path. A first-generation Mexican-American born in Torrance, and raised in Compton, Ramirez was the first member of her family to pursue a college education. Ramirez was a self-described “shy, quiet, somewhat naïve” first-year college student. By the time she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Ramirez had developed “the confidence that I needed to be a leader, someone who can communicate without being afraid.” Ramirez traces much of her success to being awarded a CSUDH Presidential Scholarship, the university’s premiere scholarship program, in recognition of her outstanding ... Read More
John Price Receives Fifth DOE Grant to Continue Proton Research
John Price, professor of physics and interim dean of graduate studies and research at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), conducts original research in nuclear physics with his students, and their success has kept the funding coming in. Price recently received a three-year, $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to expand “Nuclear Physics with Short-Lived Beams,” his ongoing experimental nuclear physics program in proton research. This is the fifth grant the DOE has awarded Price for the program since 2007. The funding covers research costs for Price and his students, including travel to the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in ... Read More
CSUDH Addresses Lack of Student Diversity in Biotech with Keck Grant
(Carson, CA) - California State University, Dominguez Hills’ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has received a $275,000 grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to purchase state-of-the art biotechnology equipment and use it to address the lack of diversity of underrepresented students in life science majors. “We are excited and grateful to have the support of the W.M. Keck Foundation,” said CSUDH Assistant Professor of Chemistry Patrick Still, who co-wrote the grant with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Arumugam Thangavel and Associate Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair Kenneth Rodriguez. “This additional investment by Keck will help elevate the university’s profile as a ... Read More
Katy Pinto Recognized with CSU System’s Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award
(Carson, CA) –Katy Pinto, a professor of sociology at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), has been honored by the California State University (CSU) with the Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award (FILA) for her innovative approach to student advisement that encourages self-advocacy and professional development. Pinto was one of 19 CSU faculty members to receive the award, which honors faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership to advance student success. Awardees receive $5,000, as well as $10,000 allocated to their academic department in support of ongoing innovation and leadership to advance student achievement at the CSU. “I was ecstatic when I heard I ... Read More
