Growing up in East Los Angeles in the 1970s, Marisela Chávez had a front-row seat to the grassroots activism of the Chicano movement. Her parents, who had immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico as children, brought Chávez with them to meetings, marches, and political organizing events. “The organization was like an extended family,” says Chávez, now a professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at CSUDH. “I was little at the time, but seeds were planted in me. I saw very strong women who were speaking publicly and being active leaders.” Chicana Liberation: Women and Mexican American Politics in Los Angeles, 1945-1981 (University of Illinois Press, April 2024), is Chávez’ new book, and the ... Read More
Research
CSUDH Professor Uncovers Secrets About Snake Evolution
After almost a decade studying and researching the evolution of snakes, CSUDH Biology Professor Sonal Singhal has come to one undeniable conclusion. “Snakes are so cool!” Since 2014, Singhal has been one of the leaders of a project attempting to discover why snakes have been so successful in evolving traits that allow them to survive and thrive almost anywhere in the world. Their findings were published as the cover story of the February 24 issue of Science magazine. “Snakes are actually lizards if you use a technical definition,” says Singhal. “But if you look at them from an evolutionary perspective and how aspects of their biology are changing —what they eat, what they look like, ... Read More
Emerita Professor Wins Prestigious NEH Grant
CSUDH Emerita Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Patricia Kalayjian has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for her work creating a digital archive of the letters of 19th-century American author Catharine Maria Sedgwick. Kalayjian is the project director of the endeavor, and is working with fellow Sedgwick scholars Deborah Gussman, professor of American Literature at Stockton University in New Jersey, and Lucinda Damon-Bach, professor of English at Salem State University in Massachusetts. With the help of a small team of assistants, they are working to transcribe, verify, annotate, and cross-reference each of the thousands of letters ... Read More
Signal Tribune: As the City Prepares for Organic Waste Collection, North Long Beach Residents Show Initiative in Trial
Source: Signal Tribune A handful of residents in a North Long Beach neighborhood tried their hand at organic waste collection this summer, giving a glimpse into the assurances and obstacles of an upcoming state-mandated program. The week-long project was led by Cal State University Dominguez Hills student Amber Alvarado, who is studying to be an ecologist and environmental scientist. Alvarado visited nearly 20 homes in July and handed residents fliers on what food and yard items to collect and the benefits of collecting organic waste. Senate Bill 1383 took effect in January 2022, requiring cities to implement a mandatory organic waste collection program. ... Read More
Conference Aims to Reframe Ethnic Studies Education
In March, CSUDH hosted more than a dozen scholars from across the country for a three-day conference on Ethnic Studies Education. The event was made possible by a grant from the Education Research Conferences Program of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The conference, held from March 8-10, coincides with a contentious national debate over how educators should be allowed to address racial inequity in the classroom and what pedagogical tools they should be permitted to employ. Much of the work of Ethnic Studies Education–as well as dealing with the pushback from political leaders, faculty colleagues, and students–is something that educators in the discipline often ... Read More
