Fourth-year biology student Kimberly Randolph is the first CSUDH student to be named an African American Scholar of the Aquarium of the Pacific, an honor which includes a $10,000 scholarship and educational opportunities with the Aquarium. Randolph, originally from Modesto, Calif., is among ten exceptional California university students chosen for the 2023 award. Though she didn’t grow up on the coast, as a child Randolph became interested in marine biology thanks to the BBC Planet Earth series and the gift of a pet hermit crab. “I started doing my own research on how to recreate hermit crabs’ natural environments, and how it helps them thrive” she says. “It made me think that people ... Read More
environment
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
Seligson, Ken
Ken Seligson, Ph.D. Title: Assistant Professor Department: Anthropology Areas of Expertise Archaeology and anthropology, the Ancient Maya, human-environment relationships, Mesoamerica, ancient civilizations Professional Background Seligson is an archaeologist who has conducted fieldwork in Mexico, Honduras, and Spain. He specializes in human-environment relationships, conservation, and technology in the Maya lowlands of eastern Mexico. His forthcoming book, The Maya Marvel: Climate Change and Human-Environment Relationships in the Classic Maya Lowlands (2022) will be published by Oxford University Press. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation. He has ... Read More
