When on vacation in Mexico as 20-year-old college drop-out, Dr. Janine Gasco came to a realization that eventually evolved into her life's work. Upon viewing ancient pyramids and ancient Mesoamerican sites, particularly the ruins of Teotihuacan near Mexico City, she realized that she had found an answer to the question of where to focus her studies. “I just remember being floored, so completely impressed and curious,” recalls the associate professor of anthropology and this year's winner of the Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award. “I thought, 'How terrible is it that I don't know anything about what's going on in the country next door? That's what I'm going to ... Read More
Research
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
Emily Magruder: Giving Students the Tools to Think
Although one of Dr. Emily Magruder's students described her teaching technique as animated and “dance-like,” the humanities lecturer–who holds a certificate in theatre and dance, as well as a bachelor's degree in English, from Princeton–doesn't let her classes waltz by with subpar work. “The perception is that I have high expectations, but that I will help students meet them,” says Magruder, who is this year's winner of the Lyle E. Gibson Dominguez Hills Distinguished Teacher Award. Magruder, whose research interests includes women and inheritance, children's literature, and law and literature, says that what she enjoys most about teaching humanities is that she is not confined to ... Read More
Africana Studies Students and Faculty Present at National Black Studies Conference
Faculty and students from the Department of Africana Studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills attended the 35th Annual National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) Conference held in Cincinnati, Ohio, in March. Through a variety of forums and presentations, the conference provided opportunities to exchange ideas, network and learn the latest scholarship in the field. For undergraduate students from CSU Dominguez Hills, the NCBS conference afforded an opportunity to do graduate-level research on major issues in the African and African Diasporic communities and present it to a world-class audience of peers and academics. Ricco Garrett (senior, Africana studies), presented ... Read More
Herman J. Loether (1930-2011): Sociologist Established Tradition and Campus Research
Dr. Herman J. Loether, emeritus professor and founding faculty member of the sociology department at California State University, Dominguez Hills, died of cancer on March 25. During his 30 years at the university, Loether established the Social Systems Research Center (now known as the Urban Community Research Center) and is the only CSU faculty member to be honored as a CSU Outstanding Professor Award nominee at two different campuses; at CSU Los Angeles in 1965, and at CSU Dominguez Hills in 1973 and 1984. Upon arriving at CSU Dominguez Hills in 1967, Loether established the campus's Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) chapter. He had served as advisor for the AKD chapter at CSU Los Angeles, and ... Read More
