Source: Symmetry Magazine It took Ximena Cid three tries to pass her introductory physics class as an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. Most people would have given up after the first attempt, and certainly after the second. But “I'm really stubborn,” Cid says. She was especially stubborn about passing a class in which she was both the only woman and, as an Indigenous Chicana, the only person of color. “When people tell me I don't belong in places, or I'm not good enough, it really gets me fired up and motivated just to prove them wrong,” Cid says. Now, as an associate professor and chair of the physics department at California State ... Read More
Faculty
Education Students Create Books for Local Children
Students in the College of Education's (COE) Early Language and Literacy LBS 310 course do more than study how children's books contribute to early childhood literacy. By the time the course is over, students have written and illustrated their own books. It's all part of CSUDH's Project CYCLE: Crafting Young Children's Literary Experiences, which brings the university and local community closer together. The goal of Project CYCLE is to provide the young children and families of CSUDH's Infant/Toddler Center, Child Development Center, and the surrounding community with books to read at home. It also gives the teachers-in-training hands-on experience in creating useful early literacy ... Read More
Staff Spotlight: Fernando Goncalves
Long before most Toros are even awake, CSUDH grounds worker Fernando Goncalves is hard at work making the campus look great. For 11 years, he has arrived on campus at 5:30 a.m. every weekday to maintain and improve the landscape. “I really enjoy beautifying the campus for everyone to enjoy,” he says. Goncalves is responsible for maintenance of the grounds around Welch Hall, Extended Education, and the North Lawn. His regular “beat” includes one of the most engaging landscape features on campus: the Little Village located in between the Student Health Center and University Theatre. In fact, Goncalves helped design and create the tiny village in 2014, which he says is his proudest ... Read More
CSU Research Project Nurtures STEM Faculty
Faculty often face a steep learning curve when they begin their careers. In addition to juggling courses and research, they must navigate the complex maze of academia, its power structures, and its demands. For faculty from underrepresented populations, the experience can be especially isolating and discouraging. To address this, a collaborative CSU research project aims to improve retention and tenure for early-career, underrepresented, faculty in STEM by providing strengths-based training and personalized support. “CSU AGEP Alliance for Diversity and Strengths of STEM Faculty” implements, evaluates, and scales the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) ... Read More
Jessica Ramirez Named Jumpstart Site Manager of the Year
CSUDH Jumpstart Site Manager Jessica Ramirez has been named the inaugural winner of their national Site Manager of the Year Award. The award recognizes Ramirez' work in guiding the office at CSUDH in their partnerships with local schools, providing language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for preschool children in the local community. Jumpstart is a national early education organization with branches in 15 states and Washington, DC. The CSUDH office partners with Compton Headstart, offering assistance and programming in eight classrooms in three local preschools. “We bring in language and literacy development tools, curriculum, and activities that we work with or provide to ... Read More
