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
Research
Toros Showcase Scholarship at Student Research Conference
CSUDH convened its 18th annual Student Research Conference (SRC) on Feb. 22-24. The three-day event highlighted the extraordinary depth and quality of scholarly research by 330 undergraduate and graduate students in fields ranging from anthropology and history to chemistry and behavioral and social sciences. Cheyenne Cummings, an Earth Sciences lecturer and co-chair of the SRC, says the conference demonstrates the importance of research to overall student learning and provides crucial experience for students considering graduate and post-graduate education. “The SRC gives students the opportunity to learn how to present, which is one of the most amazing aspects of this program. It ... Read More
CSUDH History Woven into New Book about Los Angeles Street Groups
More than 30 years ago, CSUDH Professor Emeritus of Sociology John C. Quicker and alumnus Akil S. Batani-Khalfani began a sociological and historical deep dive into the origins of street groups in South Los Angeles. Their years of research, which began during their time together at CSUDH, have turned into a new book: Before Crips: Fussin’, Cussin’, and Discussin’ Among South Los Angeles Juvenile Gangs (Temple University Press, July 2022). In 1970, when Quicker began teaching sociology at what was then known as California State College Dominguez Hills, the campus and surrounding community were in the throes of change. It was five years after the 1965 Watts Rebellion, and only two years ... Read More
Mellon Mays Fellows Spend Summer Hard at Work
For many college students, summer is a time for relaxing and putting their studies behind them for a few months. But for three talented recipients of the 2022 Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, summertime meant conducting in-depth research that helped them prepare for graduate school. “The Mellon Mays Fellowship allows arts and humanities students from underrepresented backgrounds or who are studying underrepresented aspects of research to apply for funding to help get them to go to graduate school,” says Andrea Johnson, an assistant professor of history and faculty coordinator for the program. “We prepare them for what life will be like in the academy as they continue on with their ... Read More
New Study Shows Indian Subcontinent Prone to Deadly Droughts
A new study co-authored by CSUDH Professor of Earth Science Ashish Sinha reveals that catastrophic droughts—unlike anything observed in the last 150 years—have regularly occurred in the Indian subcontinent throughout the last 1,000 years. The new data indicate that the region’s current rainfall predictability could give way to decades-long drought. If this occurs before preventive measures are taken, it poses an enormous threat to human life. Sinha worked alongside an international team of researchers to develop the new rainfall record, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team analyzed oxygen isotopes in stalagmites from the Mawmluh cave, near the town of ... Read More
