CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

Environmental Science

Toros Educate West Carson on Pollution Risks

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CSUDH student Armando Garcia at a recent DAAC open house.
CSUDH graduate student Armando Garcia shares air quality research at an open house event at the Del Amo Action Committee office last month.

Cynthia Babich, founder of the Del Amo Action Committee (DAAC), doesn’t mince words when assessing the environmental hazards that have put residents of West Carson—predominantly low-income residents of color—at significant risk for decades.

“We’re choking here. We’re absolutely choking,” Babich said during a recent community open house, referring to the findings of a DAAC health report on airborne contaminants. In fact, air pollution is just one of many environmental risks that residents face.

The DAAC office stands just a few blocks south of the Del Amo Superfund Site. The office was founded in 1994 to inform residents about the high levels of soil and groundwater contamination—the sad legacy of decades of neglect by a synthetic rubber plant that operated at the Del Amo site from 1943 to 1972.

West Carson has a second Superfund site on land owned by Montrose Chemicals near the junction of Del Amo Boulevard and Normandie Avenue. Montrose was once the largest producer of DDT in the United States.

The improper disposal of toxic chemicals in unlined waste pits and evaporation pools—benzene, chlorobenzene, and DDT, among others—created widespread contamination of the soil and groundwater supply in West Carson and adjacent areas of the South Bay.

“We’re facing a 5,000-year cleanup here,” Babich said. “It’s really longer than that, but that’s how long it’ll take just to make the groundwater safe. Not everyone understands this. That’s why we need to continue our work.”

New partnerships and a new generation of researchers are vital to advancing the work of the DAAC, says Margaret Manning, a longtime consultant who supervises the organization’s internship program. In recent years, students from CSUDH have increasingly stepped in to fill that need.

“We’re so close to CSUDH, and the environmental issues we address are so complex. Students really ought to be here,” said Manning, a former adjunct assistant professor at CSUDH who received her master’s degree in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding from the university.

Armando Garcia, a second-year graduate student in environmental science, interned at DAAC before joining the staff as a research consultant. He specializes in the collection and analysis of air pollution data, and his research was included in the DAAC’s recent health report.

“I grew up in Lennox, next to LAX. That’s what made me interested in the subject of airborne contaminants,” Garcia said. “My ultimate goal is to apply what I’ve learned to communities like this, communities like my own. People just don’t know how bad it is here.”

DAAC Director Cynthia Babich speaks with a West Carson resident at last month's community open house.
DAAC Director Cynthia Babich, right, talks to a West Carson resident during last month’s community open house.

Tianjun Lu, an assistant professor of Earth Sciences at CSUDH, mentored Garcia and introduced him to the DAAC. “The university is not only a partner but a hub for community action and engagement,” Lu said. “I encourage all my students to apply their coursework to resolving local problems.”

CSUDH students from several disciplines have found ways to contribute their expertise to the DAAC’s work. Bryan Castro graduated in 2019 with a degree in history. His internship at the Gerth Archives and Special Collections under its director Greg Williams introduced him to the work of the DAAC.

“I’m currently in the process of digitizing VHS recordings that date back to the mid-1990s,” said Castro, who is also a member of the DAAC board. “These tapes contain important footage of soil excavations and contamination testing, EPA meetings, and other documentary evidence of health risks facing residents of West Carson.”

Archiving empirical data provides an important resource for scholars, says Williams, who has had discussions with a few environmental groups about their digital collections. “Access to this data allows students to track how local environments have improved or degraded over time, while also offering them interesting ideas for future research projects.”

Orji Ulu Ezieme completed his M.Sc. in environmental science at CSUDH in 2021. He interned with DAAC in 2019 and has since joined the organization as a research consultant. His recent work includes a grant-funded truck count to assess the impact of commercial truck traffic on air pollution in West Carson.

“West Carson is already overly congested with traffic, and it’s only getting worse,” Ezieme said. “And yet, we’re getting more and more commercial warehouses. Our truck research found nine hotspots in the area where airborne particulate consistently registers higher than the acceptable level.”

The collection of truck traffic data is critical, says Babich. Companies operating in West Carson do so based on conditional permits. Only a certain amount of truck traffic is allowed. Collecting traffic data helps document violations that could prevent the renewal of these permits.

“When a permit comes up for renewal and we have a record of violations, then maybe that company gets replaced by something else,” Babich said, adding that the stakes are higher than most people fully understand.

“The Boys and Girls Club in West Carson is located right next to the Montrose Superfund Site and Jones Chemical, which is a chlorine transfer station. We’re just one accident away from people dying.”

Babich adds that environmental risks are not just a West Carson problem. “The chances of a member of our community moving into another contaminated area are very high. We’re not just teaching residents about specific examples of environmental abuse. We’re teaching them to question authority and be engaged.”

Staff Spotlight: Ricardo Magallanes

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Ricardo Magallanes

As the Chemical Hygiene Officer for the CSUDH Environmental Health and Safety Department, Ricardo Magallanes is responsible for making sure that students, faculty, and staff are safe while on campus and working with chemicals. This can mean everything from working with administrators to develop good hygiene policies to maintaining accurate inventories of the chemicals that are stored here.

To that end, he says he spends most of his days “going through emails, conducting lab inspections, leading a variety of safety training events, reviewing CSUDH safety programs—and going to lots of meetings.” Magallanes has been at CSUDH for three years, and is proud of the work he’s done building up and improving its safety programs and policies.

A graduate of CSU Long Beach (CSULB), Magallanes had already been working in the environmental field when he started college, but he had never thought about pursuing such work as a career. It was while at CSULB that he found his calling.

“My third year at Long Beach, I was required to pick a major,” he recalls. “My counselor asked what I like to do and what I worked in. I said that I loved music and playing guitar, but I couldn’t see myself making money with it. He suggested that I try out Environmental Science & Policy as a major. I took one course from the program and never looked back!”

Since graduating from CSULB with a degree in Environmental Science and Policy, Magallanes has held a variety of related jobs in both the public and private sector. He’s spent the bulk of his career working in university safety positions, having spent time at UCLA, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and CSULB before coming to Dominguez Hills.

Magallanes appreciates the atmosphere on the CSUDH campus, saying “it still has that small-college feel even though it’s in a major urban area.” He enjoys working with the students and the community engagement aspects of his position, and takes pride in “making sure that students operate in a safe manner, whether in a research or instructional setting.”

When he’s not working, Magallanes’ favorite place to spend time is at the beach. He considers himself an adventurous person by nature, and loves hopping in his car and “driving someplace new,” as he puts it. Other favorite pastimes include “reading, a glass of whiskey, smoking cigars, and working out.”

Although he would happily trade jobs with Philip LaPolt, Dean of the College of Natural & Behavioral Sciences, if he had the chance, Magallanes is happy where he is at. “I enjoy the challenge of solving new and potential problems at Dominguez Hills,” he says.

Fun Facts About Ricardo Magallanes

Favorite movie:
The Count of Monte Cristo

Favorite book
The Brothers Karamazov, “The Grand Inquisitor” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

First concert/last concert/best concert:
Vans Warped Tour/A Perfect Circle/Tool in Phoenix, AZ on Halloween

Favorite song:
“Wherever I May Roam” by Metallica

Favorite food? Least favorite?
Fave: sushi; least fave: onion

What is one place you’d like to travel that you’ve never been to?
Japan

If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you?
Christian Bale

What is one superpower you would like to have?
Teleportation

Describe yourself in three words:
“Adventurous, Ambitious, Driven”

CSUDH wins $100,000 Getty Research Grant for PST Initiative

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CSUDH wins $100,000 Getty Research Grant for PST Initiative

(Carson, CA) – California State University, Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) University Art Gallery has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Getty Foundation. The funds will be used to conduct research related to the gallery’s contribution to the next Pacific Standard Time initiative in 2024, which this time focuses on the relationship between art and science.

Entitled “Brackish Waters Los Angeles,” the CSUDH project will revolve around the concept of brackish water sites, areas where fresh and ocean water intermix. The exhibition will explore this notion both literally, with scientific research into Southern California’s waterways, and metaphorically, as an ‘in between space’  of great change and possibility, tracing the intricate ways ecology, culture, and community intersect.

“We’re excited that CSUDH is being included in this extremely prestigious program,” says Aandrea Stang, CSUDH Art Gallery director and co-curator of the project. “”We’re very honored to have our proposal accepted by the Getty Foundation, and are excited for the opportunities this will give our students.”

Under the guidance of Stang and exhibit co-curator Debra Scacco, artist and founding director of the Artist-in-Residence program at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), the research component of the project will include a pair of art and design classes structured around the exhibition. Stang explains, “We will take students out to various brackish water sites and talk to them about the art and art history aspects of the project. We’ll encourage students in the natural sciences to take the classes, so we can use them as field researchers to let us (artists) know what we’re not seeing in terms of the local environmental impact and other important scientific facts about the sites.”

An interdisciplinary advisory committee has already been formed for the exhibition, including art historians, scientists, and educational directors. Together, this group will develop research “that is guided by the history and present ecology of water in the region,” according to the exhibition’s proposal. When it opens in late 2024, the exhibit will be housed at the CSUDH University Art Gallery, located in an area of South Los Angeles where the proposal states “infrastructure has transformed local rivers into concrete channels, and where industrial contamination and ecological racism have plagued the surrounding communities for generations.”

Launched in 2007, the Pacific Standard Time initiatives have supported museums and arts organizations in the presentation of broad themes on display over an intense period of time, focusing the art world’s attention on Southern California. The original Pacific Standard Time event in 2011/2012 drew 1.8 million visitors to exhibitions at 60 institutions across the region. In 2017/2018, 2.7 million visitors participated in Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA activities at 70 institutions.

Daily Breeze: Cal State Dominguez Hills Earns $1.18 Million for Greenhouse Gas Reduction

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Source : Daily Breeze

CARSON — Cal State Dominguez Hills has received more than $1.18 million in performance payments for its successful efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, school officials said Wednesday.

The payments come from the Clean Energy Optimization Pilot, a four-year, $20 million effort administered by Southern California Edison.

The program was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission and launched by SCE in July 2019. It gives participating California State University and University of California campuses performance payments to identify and apply sustainable actions to reduce the release of greenhouse gases.

Along with CSUDH, Cal Poly Pomona and five UC campuses and medical centers are participating.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the first year of the pilot was shortened to nine months — from July 2019 to March 2020 — to reflect the amount of energy used by the campuses during normal operational capacity. During that time, CSUDH reduced its release of carbon dioxide by 14,281 metric tons, achieving the highest percentage of greenhouse gas reduction among the participants, officials said.

“We are all incredibly happy with what we have accomplished, and have exceeded our own expectations,” CSUDH’s Central Plant/Energy Manager Kenny Seeton said. “This was a wonderful opportunity for us to prove to the rest of the community what we can all achieve with the right support to combat climate change.”

Compensation for the campuses is funded through SCE’s cap-and-trade auction revenues and is based on actual metered results. Success is measured on greenhouse emissions avoided, rather than the standard method of measuring reduced energy use.

In 2019, under Seeton’s direction, CSUDH upgraded its natural gas absorption chillers with electric chillers, and one large natural gas boiler with eight small condensing staged boilers. The data showed a substantial reduction in natural gas usage of 57 percent, and the cooling tower water savings from the reduced thermal load resulted in a drop of 2.8 million gallons in water usage in one year.

The new electric chillers have contributed significantly to CSUDH’s greenhouse reduction and energy savings during the SCE partnership, as did new LED lighting and smart sensors that were installed on campus in both LaCorte Hall and Welch Hall.

In October 2020, the Central Plant launched a solar thermal project to heat water and gauge greenhouse reduction and monetary savings. The department also installed recycled solar panels and batteries in CSUDH’s Urban Farm to run such devices as scales to weigh produce and do research, and lights for the farm’s aquaponics tank.

“If we prove that solar thermal is viable, we will then create a pilot phase change project (matter changing from solid, liquid and gas) for thermal storage with the potential to store the excess hot water that we produce in the daytime,” Seeton explained. “If it works, we won’t need to burn gas in the boilers at night anymore.”

Central Plant is also finishing up the development of a condensate (liquid formed by condensation) recovery project for all air cooling and distribution units accessible through CSUDH’s extensive underground tunnel system. When complete, the university is expected to recover nearly 1 million gallons of water per year, which will be piped into the cooling towers.

“We’re doing what we can to maximize savings by tweaking the system, adjusting things, and taking advantage of all financial opportunities that come our way so we can maximize our (greenhouse) savings,” said Seeton. “We want the world to know that CSUDH is one of the leaders in energy efficiency and sustainability.”

CSUDH Receives $1.18 Million for Successful Reduction of Greenhouse Gases

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In 2019, the university upgraded its natural gas absorption chillers with electric chillers, and one large natural gas boiler with eight small condensing staged boilers.
In 2019, the university upgraded its natural gas absorption chillers to electric chillers, and one large natural gas boiler with eight small condensing staged boilers.

For its successful efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has received more than $1.18 million in performance payments from the Clean Energy Optimization Pilot, a four-year, $20 million effort administered by Southern California Edison (SCE).

Approved by the California Public Utilities Commission and launched by SCE in July 2019, the performance-based Clean Energy Optimization Pilot gives partnering California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) campuses performance payments to identify and apply sustainable actions to reduce the release of greenhouse gases. Along with CSUDH, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and five UC campuses and medical centers are participating.

Due to COVID-19, the first year of the pilot was shortened to nine months – from July 2019 to March 2020 – to reflect the amount of energy used by the campuses during normal operational capacity. During that time, CSUDH reduced its release of carbon dioxide (C02) by 14,281 metric tons, achieving the highest percentage of GHG reduction among the participants.

Kenneth Seeton, Central Plant/energy manager. CSUDH achieved the highest percentage of GHG reduction among the program's participants
Kenneth Seeton, Central Plant/energy manager. CSUDH achieved the highest percentage of GHG reduction among the program’s participants

“We are all incredibly happy with what we have accomplished, and have exceeded our own expectations,” said CSUDH’s Central Plant/Energy Manager Kenny Seeton. “This was a wonderful opportunity for us to prove to the rest of the community what we can all achieve with the right support to combat climate change.”

Funded through SCE’s GHG cap-and-trade auction revenues, compensation for the campuses is based on actual metered results, and success is measured on GHG emissions avoided, rather than the standard method of measuring reduced energy use. The rebate checks the partners receive are based on approximately $70 for each metric ton of C02 reduction. CSUDH will use its SCE performance payment funds to continue expanding its current projects that make the campus more energy efficient.

In 2019, under Seeton’s direction, the university upgraded its natural gas absorption chillers with electric chillers, and one large natural gas boiler with eight small condensing staged boilers. The data showed a substantial (57 percent) reduction in natural gas usage, and the cooling tower water savings from the reduced thermal load resulted in a drop of 2.8 million gallons in water usage in one year.

The new electric chillers have contributed significantly to CSUDH’s GHG reduction and energy savings during the SCE partnership, as did new LED lighting and smart sensors that were installed on campus in both LaCorte Hall and Welch Hall.

“Southern California Edison was extremely pleased with the first-year results from the first-ever GHG based pilot effort,” said SCE Senior Account Manager Lisa Hannaman. “CSU Dominguez Hills was a true leader in the pilot by reducing the highest percentage of GHG emissions. We can’t wait to see what more can be done as we work toward a clean energy future.”

CSUDH has a long-standing history of pursuing sustainable practices in all areas of the university and has made it a priority to implement innovative projects to help California meet its 2030 GHG targets, and new projects are continuously in development.

In October 2020, the Central Plant launched a solar thermal project to heat water and gauge GHG reduction and monetary savings. The department also installed recycled solar panels and batteries in CSUDH’s Urban Farm to run such devices as scales to weigh produce and do research, and lights for the farm’s aquaponics tank.

“If we prove that solar thermal is viable, we will then create a pilot phase change project (matter changing from solid, liquid, and gas) for thermal storage with the potential to store the excess hot water that we produce in the daytime. If it works, we won’t need to burn gas in the boilers at night anymore,” explained Seeton.

Central Plant is also finishing up the development of a condensate (liquid formed by condensation) recovery project for all air cooling and distribution units accessible through the CSUDH’s extensive underground tunnel system. When complete, the university is expected to recover nearly 1 million gallons of water per year, which will be piped into the cooling towers.

Upcoming projects for the Social and Behavioral Science Building include the same innovative LED lighting upgrades installed in LaCorte Hall and Welch Hall, and its HVAC system will be upgraded from its original pneumatic to digital controls.

Central Plant has relied on grants and outside entities for all its sustainability projects since Seeton arrived on campus in 2011, including the CSU Office of the Chancellor, which invests $3.3 million each year in CSUDH’s GHG saving projects.

“We’re doing what we can to maximize savings by tweaking the system, adjusting things, and taking advantage of all financial opportunities that come our way so we can maximize our GHG savings,” said Seeton. “We want the world to know that CSUDH is one of the leaders in energy efficiency and sustainability.”