Chemistry Lecturer Barbara Belmont has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Trailblazer in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society. Belmont, an analytical chemist from Pasadena, is “thrilled and humbled” by the accolade, which recognizes her excellence in teaching, as well as activism with Out to Innovate, a professional society dedicated to LGBTQ+ visibility in the sciences, mentoring, and scholarships for students. Having taught at CSUDH since 2002, Belmont is passionate about sparking students’ curiosity in the sciences and adopting pedagogical best practices in her lectures and laboratories. She is also a firm believer in the value of ... Read More
STEM
Fab Lab Teams with Toyota to Bring Dream Cars to Life
Students working in the fabrication labs in CSUDH’s Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) got an accelerated course in hands-on project management and design in 2021, when they partnered with Toyota USA for the company’s annual Toyota Dream Car USA Art Contest. Each year, children between the ages of 4 and 15 enter the contest, drawing fantastical images that illustrate the car of their dreams. In early 2021, Toyota’s Social Innovation Division approached CISE Director Kamal Hamdan with the idea of using the Science and Innovation Building’s fabrication labs to create 3D replicas of the winning entries. “The Dream Car Art Contest encourages youth to dream of the future of ... Read More
CSUDH Receives Millions in Federal Department of Education Grants
Several impactful campus programs got a major boost recently, as California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) was awarded four grants from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Together, the grants will provide millions of dollars in support for a host of innovative programs. GEAR UP Two of the DOE grants are for the GEAR UP program, which allows CSUDH to partner with local school districts, providing and supporting student success services at underserved middle and high schools. The new grants will allow CSUDH to partner with Compton Unified and Hawthorne Unified school districts. The seven-year grants provide $735,000 per year for the Compton GEAR UP program, and $638,000 ... Read More
Class of 2021 Scholars Reflect on the Toro Experience
Graduates from the Presidential Scholars Program, the McNair Scholarship Program, and the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship share their Toro experiences, inspirational faculty mentors, future plans, and more. Raquel Serrano, Women's Studies: Mellon Mays Scholar Inspirational Mentor(s): Associate Professor of Women’s Studies Jenn Brandt. See below. Scholarship Takeaways: Through the Mellon Mays program Raquel has traveled, networked, and advanced her skills as a scholar. She calls the experience “one of the best things to happen in my life.” Campus Life: Raquel enjoyed many opportunities at CSUDH that helped “sky-rocket” her success. Next Move: Raquel has been accepted into ... Read More
Anthropology Student Rubi Landa Awarded National Science Foundation Fellowship
While the pandemic may have put a damper on anthropology student Yesenia “Rubi” Landa’s plans to travel abroad to research the water management strategies of the Maya, her thirst for knowledge still resulted in sound data-driven conclusions. As an undergraduate researcher at CSUDH, Landa has examined climate change data gathered in Cerro Hul, a small Maya site in the Puuc region of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. She worked under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Anthropology Kenneth Seligson. “My research was conducted to estimate the total water storage capacity of underground cisterns – known as Chultuns – at Cerro Hul, and whether they would have been enough to support the ... Read More
