Whenever CSUDH student and aspiring playwright Wayne Sam needs inspiration or motivation, he glances over at an old typewriter that was given to him by his late grandfather. “He was a writer as well,” says Sam. “He really wanted me to write and pushed me forward. He promised me his old typewriter when he passed. It doesn’t work, but that’s not the point. It’s always there to remind me that there have always been people who believed in me.” All that motivation, inspiration, and belief has led to Sam being awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award at the inaugural Nathan Louis Jackson Playwriting Awards, part of the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival. He won for his ... Read More
Staff
2024 Faculty Awards Honor Six Outstanding Educators
2024 Faculty Awards Recognize Six Outstanding Educators The 2024 Faculty Awards Reception was held on April 30, with six members of the CSUDH faculty receiving honors for their contributions to the university. The awards are presented each year to selected faculty members for outstanding achievement in a variety of areas—from research and scholarship to lecturing and service to the community. The 2024 CSUDH Faculty Award recipients are: Jenn BrandtLyle E. Gibson Distinguished Teacher Award The founding faculty member in the Department of Women’s Studies, Jenn Brandt has been teaching at CSUDH since 2018. She has been one of the driving forces behind the program, developing the ... Read More
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
Staff Spotlight: Alex Oliva
Women earn only about one-fifth of the engineering degrees awarded by universities each year in the United States, according to data from the National Science Foundation. Cultivating an interest in engineering at a much earlier age is often touted as an effective way to bridge the gender gap. That’s how it worked for Alex Oliva, the only female building service engineer (BSE) on the CSUDH campus and one of the few across the entire CSU system. “I’ve always loved working with my hands and figuring out how things work,” says the 30-year-old Oliva, the eldest of three daughters. “My dad told all of us growing up that we should never have to rely on a man to do things for us. So, I was ... Read More
CSUDH Ranked First in the Nation for Social Mobility
CSUDH has been ranked first in the nation on CollegeNET, Inc.’s 2023 Social Mobility Index, a benchmark for universities according to how effectively they graduate students from low-income backgrounds into good-paying jobs. The 2023 Social Mobility Index (SMI) includes 1,198 four-year institutions. Four other CSU campuses placed among the top ten. The Index utilizes five variables in making assessments, including tuition, economic background, graduation rate, early career salary, and university endowment, with the greatest emphasis put on tuition and economic background. CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham noted that excellence, affordability, and accessibility are key components of ... Read More
