Employees at California State University, Dominguez Hills who live in the Inland Empire aren't worried about the rising costs of gas, wear and tear on their vehicles, or the stress of a long commute to work. Since January, eight residents of cities as far from campus as Moreno Valley, Chino Hills, and Beaumont have been sharing the ride with the university's Employee Vanpooling Program. “CSU Dominguez Hills employees can spend hundreds of dollars on gas each month traveling to and from work,” says Cynthia Jones-Hunter, employee transportation specialist, Transportation Services. “By participating in the Employee Vanpooling Program, employees can save significant money on gas, reduce wear ... Read More
Environmental Science
New desert tortoise species named for former CSUDH biologist
A new species of desert tortoise has been named for the late Dr. David J. Morafka, who taught in the biology department from 1972 to 2002. The discovery was made by researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, the Royal Ontario Museum in Ontario, Canada, the California Academy of Science, the University of Arizona, and Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, after a lengthy study on the historical identification and taxonomy of the desert tortoise found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of California, Arizona and Mexico. Since its initial discovery in 1861, the desert tortoise, also known as the Agassiz's land-tortoise or by the scientific name ... Read More
Cathy Jacobs: Ornithologist Creates a Bird’s-eye View of “the Big Picture”
While recalling her experiences of growing up in rural environments across the United States, Cathy Jacobs says that her career as an educator was inspired by a childhood spent outdoors. “I've been a naturalist since I could remember,” she says. “I was always catching snakes and wading in ponds, catching tadpoles. When I was a kid, I used to watch the salmon spawn in the riffles of the Sacramento River. You used to see all these dorsal fins in the river at night, and I remember watching this enormous sturgeon - it must have been about six or seven feet long - come up to the surface and go back under.” Jacobs, who has won the Excellence in Service Award at California State ... Read More
Terry McGlynn: Biology Professor Seeks the Social Creature in Insects
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
CSU Dominguez Hills Hosts Third Annual Labor and Social Justice & Earth Day Fair
The California State University, Dominguez Hills Labor Studies Program and Labor Studies Club presents the Third Annual Labor, Social and Environmental Justice Fair on Thursday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the east walkway of the Loker Student Union. The fair - with the theme “Healthy Jobs for a Healthy Planet” in honor of Earth Day - is free and open to the public. “Anyone who is interested in becoming involved in labor, social justice and/or environmental work, or simply wants to learn about social justice and labor campaigns is invited to attend the fair,” said Vivian Price, Ph.D., Labor Studies Program coordinator and advisor for the fair. The daylong fair, which is ... Read More
