Through his work with ant societies in the rainforest, associate professor of biology Dr. Terry McGlynn has been able to show students the benefits of altruism within a species, in the hopes of teaching them about more than just insect behavior. “In a way, social insects are the pinnacle of evolution,” says McGlynn, who is this year’s winner of the Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Award. “There’s this popular image that in insect colonies, individuals sacrifice themselves for the whole. But social insects are animals, just like we are. It is more often that it is in their [individual] interest to work for the benefit of the group. “In social insect ... Read More
College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences
Herman J. Loether (1930-2011): Sociologist Established Tradition and Campus Research
Dr. Herman J. Loether, emeritus professor and founding faculty member of the sociology department at California State University, Dominguez Hills, died of cancer on March 25. During his 30 years at the university, Loether established the Social Systems Research Center (now known as the Urban Community Research Center) and is the only CSU faculty member to be honored as a CSU Outstanding Professor Award nominee at two different campuses; at CSU Los Angeles in 1965, and at CSU Dominguez Hills in 1973 and 1984. Upon arriving at CSU Dominguez Hills in 1967, Loether established the campus’s Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) chapter. He had served as advisor for the AKD chapter at CSU Los Angeles, and ... Read More
Thomas Landefeld: Preparing Students to Tackle Health Disparities in the South
Professor of biology Thomas Landefeld presented, “Careers in the Sciences for Minority Students: How to Make the Right Choice and Then How to Be a Competitive Applicant” to students at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, Bennett College for Women, and Albany State University in Georgia last month. The students are members of National Institute of General Medical Sciences Minority Opportunities in Research (NIGMS MORE) programs. Landefeld notes that students in the South face similar health disparities in the medical field as the rest of the nation. However, these are more severe due to fewer educational opportunities and lower income levels. “Overall, the ... Read More
Jerry Moore: Anthropologist Selected to Edit Andean Studies Journal
Dr. Jerry Moore, professor of anthropology, has been selected to serve as editor of Ñawpa Pacha: Journal of Andean Archaeology, beginning in March and will serve for a minimum of two years. The publication, whose name means “antiquity” in the Incan language, is the oldest and most prestigious peer-reviewed journal on Andean studies, and was established in 1963 by the late John H. Rowe, a leading specialist on Peruvian archaeology at the University of California, Berkeley. “Over the last 47 years, Ñawpa Pacha has been the journal of record for archaeological research in this broad region with a complex and profound prehistory,” says Moore. “I am proud to contribute to that historic ... Read More
Ana Pitchon: Working Toward a Sea Change in Fishing Industry, Conservationism
Ana Pitchon, assistant professor of anthropology, presented a poster on the practice of forming stakeholder groups when designating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) during a session on the California State University’s Council on Ocean Affairs, Science and Technology (COAST) at the CSU Office of the Chancellor in Long Beach. Presentations from 20 of the CSU’s 23 campuses were shown during an annual meeting of CSU presidents on Jan. 25. Pitchon created “Competing ideologies, policy, and marine protected areas” with psychology major John Bunce. Their collaboration was the only student-mentor team that applied the social sciences to the study of the ocean at the event. Pitchon says that MPAs ... Read More
