Not everyone is willing to unpack their past—particularly when it is traumatic or extreme. But Sonja Ulrich, lecturer of anthropology and behavioral sciences, unflinchingly owns her story and the hard-won lessons she has learned from her life experiences. For more than 30 years, she has been rebuilding herself in the aftermath of her tumultuous youth and involvement with the Rajneesh movement, which many experts describe as a cult. Born in Germany and raised by a single mother, Ulrich had what she describes as an “unstable” upbringing. Her mother, who faced many challenges as a single parent, became involved with European communes founded by Rajneeshees, followers of Indian guru Bhagwan ... Read More
CNBS
Telemundo: He Came to the U.S. without English, and Now Graduates with Top Honors in Physics
Source: Telemundo (video, Spanish) A Colombian immigrant arrived in Carson, California at the age of 16, speaking no English, and today he is graduating with top honors in physics. Norma Ribeiro tells us how now his career will literally take him to the stars. ... Read More
New Book Explores the Resilience of the Ancient Maya
Throughout human history, civilizations have had to adapt to ever-shifting environments in order to survive–whether sudden, catastrophic climate events, or gradual changes that span centuries. These human-environmental relationships are at the center of The Maya and Climate Change (Oxford University Press, Nov. 2022), a new book by CSUDH Assistant Professor of Anthropology Ken Seligson. Since 2010, Seligson has worked on archaeological excavations and mapping in the northern Maya lowlands of Yucatán, Mexico. He wanted to research and write a book shifting the focus away from the oft-cited “collapse” of the Classic Maya civilization, and instead toward their centuries of socioecological ... Read More
CSUDH Part of $1.8 Million National Science Foundation Grant
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded funding to six institutions from the California State University (CSU) system, including CSUDH, to help transform the early curriculum experience of historically marginalized students in computing. The alliance brings together CSUDH, CSU Fullerton, CSU Los Angeles, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and San Francisco State University, campuses which have identified that a disproportionate percentage of underrepresented minority students drop out of their computer science major in the first two years of study. The project's goal is for professors to show students through their initial coursework how the study of computer science can ... Read More
New Study Shows Indian Subcontinent Prone to Deadly Droughts
A new study co-authored by CSUDH Professor of Earth Science Ashish Sinha reveals that catastrophic droughts–unlike anything observed in the last 150 years–have regularly occurred in the Indian subcontinent throughout the last 1,000 years. The new data indicate that the region's current rainfall predictability could give way to decades-long drought. If this occurs before preventive measures are taken, it poses an enormous threat to human life. Sinha worked alongside an international team of researchers to develop the new rainfall record, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team analyzed oxygen isotopes in stalagmites from the Mawmluh cave, near the town of ... Read More
