As many a student can attest, sometimes life gets in the way of school, thwarting goals and altering paths. This was certainly the case for Cesar Deleon. He faced circumstances that could have jeopardized his education altogether, but instead he met those challenges head on, and with the help of the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (USTAR) program the senior chemistry major at California State University, Dominguez Hills is preparing for graduate school, where he plans to specialize in organic chemistry with the goal of developing new medicine. Although a bright kid, Deleon was not all that dedicated to his school work. An ... Read More
Research
University’s STEM Scholars Garner Interdisciplinary Experience at National Conference
Thirteen years ago, a lone student from California State University, Dominguez Hills attended the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science's (SACNAS) National Conference at the urging of biology professor, Laura Robles, now acting vice president of Research and Funded Projects and emeritus professor of biology. This year, 24 research students from the university participated. With more than 275 exhibits, nationally renowned keynote speakers, myriad research presentation opportunities, and conference programming “specifically tailored to support undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and career professionals at each transition stage of ... Read More
Lyzbeth Becerra: Noyce Scholar Testing Research Waters to Aid Future as Teacher
California State University, Dominguez Hills Noyce Scholar Lyzbeth Becerra learned how to be a research scientist this summer–and in the process has taken major steps to become the best teacher she can be. Becerra was among the approximately 200 students from either within the California State University system or at other universities with a Robert Noyce Scholarship Program who were selected to participate in STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR), a summer internship organized by the Center for Excellence in Science and Math Education (CESAME) at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. STAR partners with national research labs to provide aspiring STEM (science, technology, engineering ... Read More
McNair Scholar Gabriel Jones: In his Element in Environmental Research
It would be fair to say Gabriel Jones wants to help save the world. But he's not doing it wearing a cape. The senior majoring in anthropology with a minor in geography at California State University, Dominguez Hills is working toward making positive changes in environmental justice and policy based on research. A lofty goal to be sure, but with the opportunities that being a scholar in the Ronald E. McNair Program at CSU Dominguez Hills provides him, he is well on his way to the education he will need to ensure his ability to attain that goal. Named after the late African-American physicist who perished in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the post-baccalaureate ... Read More
Fieldwork Enriches Education For Biology Major Erica Parra
Whether contending with torrential rains, viscous mud or venomous snakes, all under the din of screeching monkeys and the clatter of exotically feathered fliers, things in a densely vegetated rainforest can seem larger than life. But it was a wee creature that captured Erica Parra's imagination. “Once you really stop and observe them you realize they are not just ants but they are individuals who are working together to make their colonies function efficiently. And not only that, but they each have their own personality and mission, which in turn helps the environment that surrounds them,” Parra asserted. The California State University, Dominguez Hills senior, who is majoring in biology ... Read More