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CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

Teacher Education

CISE Receives $7.6 Million to Create Hybrid Teacher Credential Program

October 16, 2020 By Kandis Newman

Middle School Teaching STEM(Carson, Ca.) California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has been awarded the first year of a $7.6 million multi-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to develop an innovative teacher education program that offers the unique opportunity to earn a multiple-subject and single-subject credential in one program. Most universities only offer these credentials in separate programs.

The Accelerated Preparation Program for Leaders in Education (APPLE) program will receive $4,946,297 over three years or $7,591.553 over five years to prepare approximately 350 teachers for the classroom.

CSUDH students who has gone through APPLE will teach in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) with the option of teaching in a multiple-subject in a K-6 grade classroom, a mathematics or science class in the 7th or 8th grade, or a math class in high school.

CSUDH’s Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) will manage APPLE in partnership with LAUSD Local District East, and LAUSD Local District South. APPLE participants are obligated to teach within these two local-districts.

Kamal Hamdan, an Annenberg-endowed professor and director of CISE who served as principal investigator for the DOE grant, says APPLE is especially designed for those who cannot afford to do traditional student teaching or a residency program. It enables participants to become teachers of record and earn full-time pay with benefits as they complete the program.

“I am extremely proud of our CSUDH CISE team for securing this grant. This is our first grant from this source, and the competition was tough. I am also extremely happy for the aspiring teachers who will benefit from this program, and our local schools,” said Hamdan. “APPLE will help them address an acute and persistent need for elementary teachers with a strong background in math and science, and for middle school single-subject math and science teachers.”

CISE and LAUSD will recruit teachers who are demographically similar to the students they will teach to increase achievement and retention, particularly those who demonstrate math or science content knowledge that exceeds that of a typical elementary teacher and aligns with expert recommendations.

Stipends will be available for summer training to attract talented teachers regardless of income. APPLE will also include foundational courses, observation and practice teaching before full-time teaching as university interns, support from instructional coaches, mentors during their internship year while they earn a preliminary credential, and support through a two-year induction as they earn a full credential.

APPLE also offers micro-credentials across multiple districts to increase the skills of in-service educators in cutting-edge STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) topics. In-service educators may also earn a micro-credential in fabrication technology, project-based-learning, or in computer science to add an authorization to their credential to teach computer science.

“The APPLE project will be a difference-maker. I guarantee it. This will affect the lives of over 100,000 students per year. This is huge for us and for LAUSD,” said Hamdan. “CSUDH rises to the challenge again. I could not be prouder!”

Introducing: New Faculty for Fall 2020

September 10, 2020 By Paul Browning

CSUDH sign

California State University, Dominguez Hills welcomed 29 faculty members this fall semester. Join the CSUDH Campus News Center in congratulating them on their new appointments!

College of Arts and Humanities

Fernando Severino

Fernando Severino, Assistant Professor, Communications

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of Minnesota
Master of International Affairs, Columbia University
B.S., Journalism, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Severino’s research areas and interests are in the intersection between mass media and international affairs, political communication, and journalism studies.

Prior to CSUDH:
Severino served as marketing communications specialist at 3M headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota.

What is he looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I want to engage students in meaningful conversations and learning experiences about the role of media in our lives. Also, I want to build a strong relationship with my colleagues in the Communications department and across the university to produce interdisciplinary research.”

Interesting/Fun Fact:
“I like spending time with my family (I am a dad of two). I love playing futbol (soccer), tennis, and biking!”

 

Tahereh AghdasifarTahereh Aghdasifar, Assistant Professor, Women’s Studies

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Cultural Studies, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies certificate, Emory University
M.A., Women’s Studies, Georgia State University
B.A., Middle Eastern Studies, Georgia State University

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Aghdasifar specializes in transnational feminism, queer theory and queer of color critique, cultural studies of space, and affect theory. Her work focuses on questions of sociality, opacity, and the economy. Her current book project, “Queering the Quotidian: Everyday Homosociality in Iranian Bra Shops,” is a large scale rhythmanalysis of bra shops in Iran, exploring how neoliberal encroachment on such spaces impacts women’s sociality. She is also conducting research for a new project exploring how queer of color installations and performances which refuse audience legibility facilitate modes of relationality outside of identity politics, and completing an article developing a transnational framework for understanding race and and regionality in the U.S. Iranian diaspora.

Prior to CSUDH:
Aghdasifar was a visiting assistant professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Loyola Marymount University. She has previously taught at Sonoma State University and Georgia State University.

What is she looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am most looking forward to meeting all of the amazing DH students in person once it’s safe to be back on campus.”

Interesting/Fun Fact:
“Outside of teaching, I love cooking and hosting dinner parties. I’m looking forward to being able to do it again!”

 

Stephen McFarlandStephen McFarland, Associate Professor of Labor Studies

Academic background:
Ph.D., Earth and Environmental Science, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
M.R.P., City and Regional Planning, Cornell University
B.A., English, Trinity College, Hartford

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Labor Geography, Space and Urban Social Movements, Labor-Community Partnerships, GIS and Cartography. His dissertation was a spatial history of union halls in the U.S labor movement, 1880-1970. Has published recently on landscape, memory, and Confederate monument removal. Currently researching the role of organized labor in urban climate justice coalitions, and the use of GIS, mapping, and spatial analysis by labor organizations.

Prior to CSUDH:
McFarland served as an assistant professor of geography at the University of Tampa. He has also served as a visiting assistant professor of urban studies at Queens College, and guest faculty in geography at Sarah Lawrence College.

What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I’m looking forward to being a part of a vibrant and growing urban public university with a strong commitment to social and racial justice – and a top-notch archive of labor and social movement materials in the Holt Labor Library Collection!”

Interesting/fun fact about him:
“While in Florida, I took an interest in community gardening, permaculture, and urban ‘food forests.’ It will be interesting seeing what grows in a very different climate!”

 

Katie DowseKatie Dowse, Assistant Professor, Theatre Arts

Academic background:
M.F.A., Theatre Design, Temple University
B.A., Theatre Design, Environment & Ecology, Pitzer College

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Professor Dowse is interested in the relationship in theatrical costume design between historical accuracy of a time period and audience expectations. Her most recent projects have been set in time periods that the majority of the audience was alive for, or of which film footage and photography of that time period is readily available. There is a delicate balance between what is factually correct and what the human mind remembers. This is all within the context of the script, subject matter, and what best serves the production. She has several upcoming productions that explore this phenomena of nostalgia.

Prior to CSUDH:
Dowse served as an assistant professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and as an instructor at Temple University. She continues to be engaged in freelance costume design.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to working with CSUDH students. I’m really excited to encourage their passions, and expand their technical and design opportunities in the Theatre and Dance department.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I work as a freelance costume designer outside of CSUDH, so I typically have at least one project going for that. Outside of work, I love to bake and decorate cakes!”

 

Maleda BelilgneMaleda Belilgne, Assistant Professor of Global Africana Literature

Academic Background:
Ph.D., English, Duke University
M.A., English, Duke University
B.A., Hunter College

Research interests and current projects:
Belilgne’s research centers on 20th and 21st century African American and African Diaspora literature, spatial theory, and sound studies. She is working on a book that explores the connection between spatial imagining and the aesthetics of unreality in African American narrative. The book looks at representations of non-speech sound that alter the experience of space and introduce elements of the fantastic.

Prior to CSUDH:
Belilgne served as assistant professor of Africana Studies and English at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

What is she looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am excited to teach and research in a diverse community of students and scholars. The DH student body has a wealth of life and cultural experience, and I feel privileged to share my research and learn in this environment. I also look forward to getting acclimated to L.A. I’m a lifelong New Yorker, so my experience of urban living is all about density, height, and spatial organization. L.A. has a fantastical and chaotic quality that is intriguing.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I love to bike ride! I also love reading mysteries. I am especially partial to Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins series, which got me interested in Los Angeles.”

 

Kerry ShannonKerry Shannon, Assistant Professor, History

Academic background:
Ph.D, History, University of California, Berkeley
M.A., History, University of California, Berkeley
M.A., Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
B.A., History & Asian Studies, Whitman College

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Shannon is a historian of modern East Asia. His current research examines the advent of public health systems in Japan and Korea at the turn of the twentieth century.

Prior to CSUDH:
Shannon was a visiting lecturer at UC Berkeley, and an adjunct lecturer at the University of San Francisco.

What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am excited to work with students and colleagues in order to better understand how the investigation of the past can lead to a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the present.”

Interesting/fun fact about him:
“Before entering graduate school, I taught English in Japan. I have also worked for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. If you’re interested in similar professional opportunities, let’s talk!”

 

Iara MantenutoIara Mantenuto, Assistant Professor, English

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Linguistics, UCLA
M.A., Linguistics, Syracuse University
M.A., Teaching Italian as a Second Language, Università per Stranieri di Siena, Italy
B.A., Italian Language and Culture, ICoN Università di Pisa, Italy

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Mantenuto’s research focuses on documenting and revitalizing undescribed languages and offering theoretical analyses based on novel data deriving from fieldwork. Her interests lie in morphology, syntax, fieldwork, typology, variation and syntax/semantics interface. She enjoys every facet of the work, from creating a relationship with a community, to learning about the speakers with whom she works, including their culture and customs, to learning the language and presenting it to others. She also cherishes the contributions she can make to linguistic theory in general.

Prior to CSUDH:
During graduate school, Mantenuto was a teaching assistant for Spanish and linguistics courses, and was the coordinator for the Test of Oral Proficiency at UCLA. She also served as a teaching mentor for T.A. training at the UCLA Center for the Advancement of Teaching, for the T.A. Program at Syracuse University, and for the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTA) Summer Program at Syracuse University. Before graduate school. She has also worked as a language instructor in Japan for the Italian Cultural Institute and Berlitz.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I look forward to shaping future generations of professionals, teachers, and academics. I look forward to showing our students how linguistics offers a foundation for a wide variety of exciting career opportunities, which include, but are not limited to, teaching, computer science, forensics, social justice, data analysis, and more.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“In my free time I cook Italian food, I enjoy spending time with my infant son, and I am involved in activist work in L.A.”

College of Health, Human Services and Nursing

Samira MoughrabiSamira Moughrabi, Associate Professor, Nursing

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Nursing-Biobehavioral, UCLA
M.S., Nursing, Cardioplumonary specialty, UCLA

Post-master’s Certification, CSU Los Angeles
B.S., Nursing, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Moughrabi’s research interest centers on the biopsychological determinants of cardiovascular health risks and behaviors among minority and underserved population. More specifically, her research examines the relationship between psychological distress and enhanced production of inflammatory markers, and adherence to prescribed therapy. She is also interested in enhancing academic success, leadership, and professional advancement in underrepresented students. Through multiple grants, she helped numerous students advance to graduate education and attain leadership careers. In addition, Moughrabi has been very involved in promoting evidence-based practice in nursing through her mentorship of students to design, implement, and publish projects that have improved the quality of patient care.

Prior to CSUDH:
Moughrabi was an associate professor and graduate program lead faculty at California State University, Northridge. She has also served as assistant professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am excited about the high diversity among students and employees. I plan to pursue funding opportunities to help underserved students succeed and advance their education. I also look forward to serving and making contributions at the department, college, and campus levels.”  

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I love nature and enjoy planting, hiking, and going on scenic road trips.”

 

John Spruill IIIJohn Spruill III, Communication Sciences and Disorders Program Coordinator

Academic background:
Dual-title Ph.D., Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences-Gerontology, Purdue University
M.A., Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Hampton University
B.A., Political Science, Hampton University

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Spruill’s research interests lie in all aspects of diversity and its importance in the Speech Language Pathology. He does not have any projects currently active, but is looking forward to new collaborations, especially while being presented with the most recent societal challenges.

Prior to CSUDH:
Before coming to CSUDH full-time, Spruill served as a faculty instructor at California State University, Los Angeles, as well as a part-time CSUDH instructor.

What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“
I am looking forward to new experiences with the students and faculty, and learning new things that will assist me in being as effective as I can possibly be”

Interesting/fun fact about him:
“
Outside of teaching, I am a husband and father who deeply cherishes time with my family, as well as a creative with active projects in the music and television worlds.”

 

Angélica López-FraireAngélica López-Fraire, Assistant Professor, Department of Child Development

Academic Background:
Ph.D. Developmental Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz
M.A. Psychology, California State University, Los Angeles
B.A. Ethnic Studies, Psychology and Language, University of California, Riverside

Research Interests/Current Projects:
López Fraire is interested in how children learn in informal settings, such as participating in everyday activities of their home and families (tending to younger siblings, helping with household chores, translating for adults, etc.). She studies how those values are related to cognitive skills that children bring with them to the classroom. Currently, she is working on a manuscript for a study that examines cultural differences in children helping in school-like settings and in values related to helping at home.

Prior to CSUDH:
Prior to joining the faculty at CSUDH, López Fraire was an associate professor of psychology at Marymount California University.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am very excited to become part of a growing university and department. Having grown up in the South Bay, I am also very excited to be working with a diverse group of students and community in a region that I consider home.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I enjoy being outdoors very much. I am a new mom and am always looking for new activities/adventures to engage in as a family.”

 

Jeremy GreenJeremy Green, Assistant Professor, Health Sciences

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Health Policy and Management, Yale University
B.A., Economics, University of Chicago

Academic Focus:
Green is interested in the application and extension of case teaching methods to contemporary topics, and quantitative methods in health policy, economics, and management. He is currently working on integrating the COVID-19 pandemic into the health administration curriculum.

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Green’s recent research interests have related to immigrant health, in relation to variation in pre-migration environments, globally. For example, he has estimated the long-term, transnational effects of peace agreements and political violence, on immigrant health and social outcomes.

Prior to CSUDH:
Green has held research and teaching positions at Princeton University and Saint Louis University.

What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I’m excited about the university’s focus on undergraduate teaching and the opportunity to develop new graduate programs.”

 

Tracy Ann Becerra-CulquiTracy Ann Becerra-Culqui, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy

Academic Background:
Ph.D, Epidemiology, UCLA
M.S., Public Health, UCLA
B.S., Occupational Therapy, USC

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Becerra-Culqui’s research interests are in the area of maternal and child population health, etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and access to services and treatment by people with ASD. Current projects include finishing manuscripts in access to prenatal vaccines, the prenatal influenza vaccine and ASD, and perceived gender and outness in the workplace among gender non-conforming adults. In the future, she hopes to be involved in research on early childhood life experiences, disparities and its impact on altering the trajectory of health from a life course perspective.

Prior to CSUDH:
Becerra-Culqui served as a postdoctoral research fellow, epidemiology/health services researcher at Kaiser Permanente Southern California

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I already love that DH embraces diversity and communicates it in so many ways, for the benefit of students and society. I am looking forward to contributing to that mission of providing accessible education to students and preparing them to serve diverse communities.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I like to exercise and cook nutritious meals for my family. I love to spend my time outdoors exploring with my 2-year-old son.”

Margarita Villagrana, Associate Professor, Master of Social Work

Carolyn Oudiz, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology

 College of Business Administration and Public Policy

Sarah BrittoSarah Britto, Assistant Professor, Public Administration

Academic background:
Ph.D., Criminology & Criminal Justice, Florida State University
M.S., Criminology & Criminal Justice, Florida State University
M.L.I.S., Library & Information Science, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
B.A., Criminal Justice, Louisiana State University

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Professor Britto’s research focuses on the forces that shape crime-related public perceptions, with an emphasis on the role of radicalized and gendered media representations. In addition to public-perception research, she has also studied gender inequality and violent criime, and the use of restorative justice with violent crimes. She is currently working on a project on the portrayal of offenders, victims, and criminal justice professionals in Canadian crime dramas, and on a project exploring public attitudes toward guns and gun laws.

Prior to CSUDH:
Britto was a professor of justice studies at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“
We are in the midst of a national movement to address racial injustice in our criminal justice system, and I look forward to working with CSUDH students, the criminal justice professionals of the future, to explore ways that they can be part of a more just society.”

Diego AvalosDiego Avalos, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Administration

Academic background:
Ph.D., Justice Studies, Arizona State University
M.A., Sociological Practice, California State University, San Marcos
B.A., Criminology and Justice Studies, California State University, San Marcos

Academic Focus:
U.S. Borderlands and Social Movements, Border Policing and Criminalization, Social Justice, Critical Race Theory, and Activist Research Methods.

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Avalos is currently finishing a project that examines migrant workers’ organizing strategies to navigate the emergence of internal borders and border policing measures – many miles inland from the designated international border across the U.S./Mexico borderlands.

What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“As a community-based scholar with years of experience organizing with construction workers, incarcerated women, and youth of color across San Diego County youth centers, I am most looking forward to collaborating with CSUDH student activist and community members in the area.”

Interesting/fun fact about him:
“During the summer of 2019, my friends and I would get together on Wednesdays for ‘Wu-Tang Wednesdays’ to watch new episodes of the series Wu-Tang: An American Saga and nerd out on Wu-Tang trivia.”

College of Education

Amina AmXn HumphreyAmina AmXn Humphrey, Assistant Professor, Liberal Arts

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Race and Ethnic Studies/Qualitative Research, UCLA
M.A., African American Studies/Children’s Literature, UCLA
B.S.E., English and Special Education, Henderson State University

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Humphrey is passionate about curriculum and instruction. Her research and teaching interests are framed in social justice, including the following areas: African American studies; children’s literature; literacy; the social and cultural contexts of education; culturally responsive teaching and learning; critical race theory; critical race feminism; qualitative research; and action research. Her latest book is titled “Reading Black Girls’ Hair: Race and Empowerment in African American Children’s Picture Books.” (DIO Press, 2021).

Humphrey’s photography (artist’s name Amina AmXn) was featured in the 2020 African American Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural Guide, presented by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Prior to CSUDH:
Humphrey was an assistant professor of education and child development at Whittier College.

 

Susan PorterSusan Porter, Associate Professor, Special Education Department

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Education, UC Davis
M.A., Special education, University of the Pacific
B.A., Psychology, UC Davis

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Porter’s current work includes investigation of technological tools (including bud-in-ear and video feedback) to increase student-teachers’ inclusive practices in clinical practice settings. She is also investigating district and schools’ policies and challenges related to Response-to-Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) implementation, especially at the secondary level. Porter’s dissertation research investigated the effects of Tier 3 interventions for English Language Learners who were also struggling readers.

Prior to CSUDH:
Prior to joining the faculty at CSUDH, Porter served as department chair/associate professor for National University, San Diego, as department chair/tenured associate professor at the University of Redlands, and as an assistant professor at CSU Chico.

Prior to her higher education experience, Porter served as a consultant at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). During this time, she recommended state policy on standards for bilingual teacher preparation and for teachers of English Language Learners, convened and facilitated advisory panels for the purpose of developing teacher preparation standards and test specifications, oversaw accreditation visits, and represented CTC at state legislative hearings on issues pertaining to teacher preparation policies. She has more than 15 years of K-12 special teaching experience in public and non-public school settings and over 10 years of experience working with struggling readers in private practice settings.

Interesting/fun facts about her: 
“When I had more time, I was an avid rower and competed in national and international master’s competitions. Currently, I ride Elliptigo to satisfy my need for speed and exercise!”

 

Nallely ArteagaNallely Arteaga, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Education, UC Riverside
M.A., Education, USC
B.A., Sociology, UC Santa Barbara
B.A., Chicanx Studies, UC Santa Barbara

Research Interests/Current Projects:
As a critical race scholar, Arteaga’s research examines the racialized pushout of Black and Latinx students into alternative schools. Her work unpacks inequitable policies and practices in the K-12 school system that result in school pushout that are supported by deficit framed ideologies that often result in internalized racism, anti-black racism, and linguistic racism.

Prior to CSUDH:
Before arriving at CSUDH, Arteaga was a lecturer at UC Riverside, and a high school teacher

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am formerly from Huntington Park, just a few miles from campus, and I’m excited to return to work with students from my own community. As a first-generation Latina and daughter of immigrant parents, I see myself in the amazing students at CSUDH.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I enjoy swimming and running with my dog, Marvo.”

College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences

Justin ValliereJustin Valliere, Assistant Professor, Biology

Academic Background:
Ph.D, Plant Biology, UC Riverside
B.A., Biology, Green Mountain College

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Valliere is a plant ecologist whose research is motivated by a lifelong fascination in plants and a passion for conservation. The goal of his research is to explore the impacts of human-caused global change on native plant communities, identify mechanisms of change, and inform land management and ecological restoration. Valliere’s research approach integrates bio-geochemistry, community ecology, ecophysiology and soil ecology, and he utilizes observational studies, manipulative field experiments, and greenhouse studies. This allows him to address hypotheses at multiple scales, from plant traits to community- and landscape-level patterns. More recently, Valliere researched how a physiological approach can inform ecological restoration in the highly biodiverse and threatened plant communities of Western Australia.

Valliere’s past research has explored how different drivers of global change (air pollution, drought, invasive species) impact native plant communities of California. He has also studied how we can best restore native ecosystems in the face of global change.

Prior to CSUDH:
Valliere has served as a research fellow at the University of Western Australia, and as a postdoctoral fellow for the La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science at UCLA.

What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I’m really looking forward to working with students at Dominguez Hills and guiding them in research. I really enjoy introducing students to concepts in ecology and getting them excited about exploring the ecosystems and plants in their own communities.”

Interesting/fun fact about him:
“I’m an avid hiker and amateur photographer of plants/flowers. I also enjoy tending my ever-growing cactus and succulent collection.”

 

Kaylie Amanda CarbineKaylie Amanda Carbine, Assistant Professor, Psychology

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Psychology, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience and Health Psychology, Brigham Young University
B.S., Psychology, Cognition, Brigham Young University

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Carbine uses electroencephalography (EEG) to examine brain/neural responses to food. Her research is mainly focused on testing how neural responses to food are affected by nutritional properties of food, are affected by individual characteristics, such as weight and eating tendencies); are affected by external health behaviors, such as exercise, sleep, and diet; and how they predict food intake and eating behaviors.

Prior to CSUDH:
Carbine was a graduate student and Instructor at Brigham Young University.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am really excited to get to know the students at CSUDH- I’ve heard so many wonderful things about them. I am most excited to interact with them in my research lab. I think EEG is an amazing tool that is uniquely positioned to answer a wide variety of research questions and I look forward to being able to introduce and teach students this new skill so they can answer their own research questions and expand on their research and academic skills.

Interesting/fun facts about her:
“I am a tap dancer and danced with a tap dance company throughout my undergraduate career. I am also a certified scuba diver and love it!”

 

Jessalyn BolkemaJessalyn Bolkema, Assistant Professor, Mathematics

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Mathematics, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
M.A., Mathematics, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
B.A., Italian Language and Culture, ICoN Università di Pisa, Mathematics, Hope College Italy

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Bolkema’s research is in coding theory: the mathematics of reliable transmission or storage of information. This work involves a broad spectrum of tools and techniques, drawn from graph theory, algebra, combinatorics, information theory, topology, and beyond, and the research questions she works to address live at the interface of theory and practice. Bolkema is enthusiastic about collaborations with students and colleagues in mathematics, computer science, and engineering. Her current topics of interest range from quantum error correction to iterative algorithms on graphs to combinatorial properties of path algebras.

Prior to CSUDH:
Bolkema served as a visiting assistant professor at Harvey Mudd College.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am so happy to be joining the amazing CSUDH community. I’m really looking forward to getting to know my colleagues and students, and I can’t wait to get some student research projects going.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“My not-strictly-mathematical interests include hiking and biking, sewing and crafting, playing cello, and hanging out with my cats.”

 

Amy SewartAmy Sewart, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Academic Background:
Ph.D. and M.A. in Psychology (clinical), UCLA
B.S., Psychology and Sociology, Florida State University

Research Interests:
Sewart’s research interests include anxiety disorders, exposure therapy, reward and threat learning, translational clinical psychology, and evidence-based psychotherapy.

Prior to CSUDH:
Sewart served as a doctoral student at UCLA, and as a clinical psychology intern for the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“Fostering the next generation of psychological scientists and clinicians.”

 

Ali JalooliAli Jalooli, Assistant Professor, Computer Science

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Michigan Technological University
M.S., University of Malaya
B.S., Staffordshire University

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Jalooli’s research interests are in the areas of “Internet of Things” and cyber-physical systems, mobile computing and cybersecurity, and ad-hoc and heterogeneous wireless networks. In the past several years, he has focused on the optimization of vehicular networks, which are the backbone technology to implement emerging connected and autonomous vehicles in smart cities.

Prior to CSUDH:
Before joining CSUDH, Jalooli was a researcher and instructor in the Department of Computer Science at Michigan Technological University.

What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to working with talented students on interesting projects to solve real-world problems.”

 

Sanaz Rahim MoosaviSanaz Rahim Moosavi, Assistant Professor, Computer Science

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Information and Communication Technology, University of Turku, Finland
M.Sc.: Information Technology – Networked Systems Security, University of Turku, Finland

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Rahimi Moosavi’s research interests include lightweight cryptographic techniques, information security, security and privacy Issues in Edge Computing, IoT systems, e-Health, biometrics, and Blockchain. Her technical abilities have been in the field of scalable and lightweight security solutions for IoT systems. Rahimi Moosavi has been extensively working on peer authentication and authorization, ley management systems, and secure end-to-end Communication on which she has received several research excellence awards, including two from Nokia Foundation.

Prior to CSUDH:
Rahimi Moosavi served as a post-doctoral researcher at UC Irvine in the Department of Computer Science.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I look forward to joining a diverse community of students and faculties at CSUDH. True reward comes from watching students learn, inspiring them to believe in their capabilities, and engaging students in research projects.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I cannot imagine my life without working out!”

 

Cynthia H. Sanchez TapiaCynthia H. Sanchez Tapia, Assistant Professor, Mathematics

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Mathematics, UC Irvine
M.Sc., Applied Mathematics, UC Irvine
M.Sc. Pure Mathematics, Research Center in Mathematics (CIMAT), Mexico
B.Sc. Mathematics, Universidad de Colima, Mexico

Research Interests/Current Projects
Sanchez Tapia’s research is focused primarily on modeling phenomena in the biological and medical sciences. She is interested in a diverse number of biological disciplines. During the last few years, she has focused her research on the evolution and dynamics of cancer, the emergence of drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy, as well as to discover optimal treatment protocols. More recently, Sanchez Tapia has been involved in the analysis of enzymatic biological circuits.

Prior to CSUDH:
Sanchez Tapia served as hill assistant professor at Rutgers University, and as lecturer and math CEO coordinator at UC Irvine.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I look forward to building new collaborations with faculty and students to contribute ideas and projects, such as the creation of seminars, new courses, and outreach programs for the benefit of the CSUDH family.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I love cooking and baking. I started creating my own recipes a few years ago. My goal is to create many delicious recipes so I could have my own recipe book.”

 

Tianjun (Luke) LuTianjun (Luke) Lu, Assistant Professor, Earth Science and Geography

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Planning, Governance, and Globalization, Virginia Tech
MURP., Master of Urban and Regional Planning, Virginia Tech
B.E., Urban Planning, Guilin University of Technology

Research Interests:
Lu’s research interests center on using geospatial analysis, data science, and sensor technologies to develop health-promoting cities and communities. To date, his scholarly contribution falls into three areas: quantifying spatial patterns of air quality for exposure assessment; assessing urban form’s impact on air quality; and measuring and modeling non-motorized traffic. Lu is currently working on developing next-generation urban air quality models with crowd-sourced and new data sources for the U.S., and exploring active transportation amid COVID-19. His overarching research goal is to ensure the work can improve neighborhood sustainability, inform urban policies, and engage communities.

Prior to CSUDH:
Lu served as a research Scientist for the Department of Civil Engineering and Environment at the University of Washington.

What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to learning from the fantastic colleagues and students at CSUDH and working to develop healthy and clean neighborhoods through partnerships with local communities, non-government organizations, tech-companies, and research institutions.”

Interesting/fun fact about him:
“I can draw water/color painting of architectures and landscapes. I tried multiple ways to be able to come to the US including winning a lottery ticket (~$800) right after I got my offer from the graduate school.”

 

Samantha LeighSamantha Leigh, Assistant Professor, Animal Physiology

Academic Background:
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine
M.S., Physiology, UC Irvine
B.S., Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Leigh is an animal physiologist interested in how organisms acquire energy based on their specified feeding mechanisms and digestive strategies. Her research uses a blend of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology to answer questions about digestive performance in response to varying ecosystem fluxes, mainly in marine organisms.

Leigh’s current projects include: understanding the mechanisms involved with the digestion and assimilation of seagrass in the bonnethead shark; investigating how the ingestion of microplastics by important marine food web foundation species impacts their physiological processes; and phylogenetic and functional analysis of the morphology of the spiral intestine in sharks.

Prior to CSUDH:
Leigh served as a postdoctoral researcher at CSU Fullerton.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to working with the students, both in the classroom as well as the lab. The incredible students are what drew me to CSUDH in the first place!”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I love communicating about science and have worked as a writer for the radio show the Loh Down on Science on NPR and served as a science mentor on the PBS Kids television show “SciGirls.”

University Library

Hannah LeeHannah Lee, Discovery and Systems Librarian

Academic Background:
MLIS, UCLA
MHOD, Fielding Graduate University
B.A., English, UCLA

Research Interests/Current Projects:
Lee is working on exploring the intersection of information (particularly digital information), technology, and accessibility with a focus on social inequalities and justice.

What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“The population at CSUDH is so diverse that I’m looking forward to helping as many people as possible. The library is such a key component in the life of a university. I want to use my skills and knowledge to make sure that the students and faculty of CSUDH know that libraries and librarians are here to help.”

Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I enjoy playing video games, cooking and baking, binge watching Netflix, and watching cat videos.”

 

Alumna Rhiannon Chavez Named LAUSD Teacher of the Year

September 2, 2020 By Kandis Newman

Alumna Rhiannon Chavez Named LAUSD 'Teacher of the Year'
Alumna Rhiannon Chavez with LAUSD students.

Hearing “Mrs. Chavez, we miss you!” from her 4th grade class encouraged Rhiannon Chavez to set up a weekly summer Zoom call to check in with her students. Some have shared their Lego creations, while others just talk about their day. One asked “Can we do this every day?” and she thought, “Wait, this is my summer vacation, too.”

Summer had been a welcome break for teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Like her colleagues, Chavez has had to adjust to online teaching methods during the pandemic, and her role at Gardena’s 186th Street Elementary School as teacher of the English Learning Development (ELD) class presented unique challenges.

Fortunately, the California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) alumna has a deep love of teaching and prides herself in creating holistic learning communities for her diverse students and their parents. This made the transition to online teaching much easier for Chavez, who achieved a nearly 100 percent student attendance rate on Zoom in the spring.

Rhiannon Chavez, ELD teacher at 186th Street Elementary School.
Rhiannon Chavez, ELD teacher at 186th Street Elementary School.

Chavez’s zeal and resourcefulness as a teacher has not gone unnoticed. This summer, Chavez learned that she was named a LAUSD 2020 Teacher of the Year. “I cried when they called me, and the faces of my students began running through my head,” she says. “I’m so honored, and the love of my kids just makes this greater. Teaching is challenging. There’s not a single day that is easy, but it’s a lot more rewarding when you have relationships with your kids and their families.”

Respect for different cultures is a primary focus for Chavez, and what helps guide much of her lesson planning. “My classroom is the most beautiful display of language and culture. I’ve had students from Egypt who speak Arabic, from Brazil who speak Portuguese, and even one from Cameroon who speaks French. It is amazing what these kids bring to the classroom,” she says.

Chavez calls her teaching style loud and dramatic. “That’s my personality, and my kids love it. We sing, we dance, we even do rap songs to math problems. I ask the kids to throw in some lyrics, then say ‘Get up. Let’s do our rap,’” she says. “It’s always fun, even while teaching online, where I still encourage them to share their ideas – because usually their ideas are better than mine.”

CSUDH Professor of Teacher Education Jeff Sapp is elated that Chavez is being honored for her work.

“I am so thrilled that Rhiannon will get the attention and celebration she deserves! She was an absolute joy to have in my classes during her credential program and I have followed her career closely,” Sapp says. “It’s just a joy to see your students be acknowledged like this, and this feels even more critical now with the pandemic. Teachers really need to be lifted up as we face the realities of COVID-19 and classrooms.”

Chavez has now been teaching the ELD class at 186th Street Elementary School for six years. She began her career in education as a substitute at Dana Middle School in San Pedro, where for nine years she was called in to work nearly every day. After getting married and having a child of her own, she decided she would rather teach younger kids and applied for CSUDH’s credential program. She completed the program and earned her credential in spring 2014.

The university helped Chavez get a student teaching position at 186th Street Elementary School. She began as a kindergarten teacher for eight weeks, before moving on to her master teacher Claudia Garcia’s 4th grade class.

“My master teacher had to take some time off, and since I had been a sub already, I kind of knew the ropes,” explains Chavez. She made a good impression, and when a position opened, Garcia recommended her to the school’s former principal, fellow CSUDH alumna Marcia Reed, who earned her teaching credential at CSUDH in 2003.

Reed has retired as principal but is still an educator. She has returned to CSUDH, teaching Culturally Responsive Teaching and Classroom Management as an adjunct professor, and also serves as the multiple subject clinical coordinator.

“Ms. Chavez is so deserving of this prestigious award because she builds relationships with excellence and love,” Reed shares. “Her students soar academically, artistically, and peacefully because she upholds high expectations, promotes active learning experiences, and builds relationships, relationships, relationships! Her students love her and they know she loves them. We are so proud of our Wise Owl Teaching Star!”

Chavez credits her CSUDH professors for many of the core principles she draws from while teaching, and those in the College of Education for actively helping her relaunch her career.

“Lilia Sarmiento (associate professor of teacher education) and Professor Sapp were incredible,” she says. “We weren’t just a student ID, or in a classroom to fill space. They really took the time to know us and asked about our thoughts and experiences. I learned so much about how to build relationships from them, because they built relationships with me. I can’t thank them enough.”

Toro Esports Uses Gaming to Mentor Local Students

July 30, 2020 By Paul Browning

Esports Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp.

The California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) Esports Association prides itself on being about more than just competition. They proved that once again during a first-of-its-kind Esports Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp in June and July. Association members served as mentors during the four-week event, held in partnership with Compton Unified School District, sharing their skills and knowledge with a group of 24 high school students.

The Compton students were hand-picked by teachers to participate in the camp, and came from all four of the district high schools. Coming together virtually in small groups three times a week, students and mentors worked on a lesson plan built around the popular game Overwatch.

Student shares her swag from the Esports Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp.
Student shares her Esports Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp swag.

They did more than just play the game – students focused their efforts on building positive online environments, creating content, building teamwork and communication skills, and developing digital media.

STEAM Education is an approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.

Students also got to hear from guest speakers from the world of esports and gaming, discussing topics like diversity and inclusion, building a toxic-free digital environment, being health-conscious, and social justice in gaming. The camp concluded with a student-hosted Overwatch tournament, which they set up and conducted all on their own, using the skills they’d learned over the past four weeks.

The entire event was a huge success, says Ruben Caputo, CSUDH Esports academic advisor and general manager. “Everybody loved the camp, and it really spoke to what makes us different. The students felt like superstars,” he says. The event also tied directly into the CSUDH Esports Association’s mission, which focuses on four concepts: competition, academics and research, entertainment, and community.

Formed in 2017 out of an ad hoc group of gamers who hung out at Loker Student Union, the CSUDH Esports Association has quickly carved out a niche on campus, and currently boasts almost 150 members. They compete with other associations in a variety of games, including Overwatch, Rocket League, League of Legends, Valorant, and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. Under Caputo’s direction, the academic components are considered just as important as the competitive aspects of gaming.

Members of the CSUDH Esports Association don’t just learn how to win at various games, they also develop technical and non-technical skills that are highly sought-after by employers, says Caputo. “We build self-efficacy, develop communication skills, improve strategic thinking, encourage adaptability, and try to build a positive digital culture. The intangibles are as important as the actual hard gaming skills they master.”

Esports Summer S.T.E.A.M Camp mentor and student community.
Lesson plans built around video games helped students compete during Esports Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp.

The Compton Unified students who participated in the camp were helped in their learning by a computer loan program that the district arranged. Thanks to an in-kind gift in gaming laptops, the school district was able to supply equipment to students in the program, which allowed them to code and compete at a high level.

“It was a really great experience,” says Caputo. “When the student gets to take a gaming laptop like that home and their parents and siblings can actually witness what they’re doing, it’s pretty special. I received thank you emails from parents, saying how they had started to bond a little more with their kids in a new area. That was really neat to hear, because it tells you a lot about how gaming can help our students connect with and give back to the community.”

CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham is a big supporter of the CSUDH Esports Association, having helped establish a successful esports program while in his previous position at UC Irvine. He wants esports at CSUDH to serve as “a strategy and not an outcome.” As Parham says, “gaming requires the mastery of certain hard and soft skills that benefit students directly. The goal is to use gaming as a strategy to help students learn those skills that will help them to better manage the rigors of a university education.”

Parham says that the Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp is a model for what he would like to see the CSUDH Esports Association do going forward. “This is one of the ways that we can help dissipate the digital divide, not just in terms of the equipment, but in the skills and learning that take place through that gaming culture that are then directly transferable into the workplace or school.”

The CSUDH Esports Association’s relationship with the community is also at the heart of its next big endeavor. BLITZ 2020 – a 24-hour “speed running” marathon to raise funds to benefit the East Side Riders Bike Club charity in Watts. For those not in the know, speed running involves gamers attempting to complete games in record time; CSUDH has the first such team in the nation, and their event will be the first collegiate speed running marathon in the U.S.

The speed running marathon can be viewed on the Twitch channel of TheGamersEDU, a co-sponsor of CSUDH Esports, at https://www.twitch.tv/thegamersedu

The marathon will occur on August 7-8, and Caputo has been pleasantly surprised by the attention it has received in the gaming community. “We sent out submissions for anybody to join us,” he says, “and we have people from Australia, Asia, and Europe who will be joining us, playing in our channel, bringing their followers, and donating funds. Everyone’s very excited about it.”

President Parham is excited that with events like the S.T.E.A.M. Camp and the speed running marathon, the association has shown itself to be dedicated to the community and is working to break down barriers. “Gaming has taken a lot of heat because it’s not very diverse,” he says. “If you want to get a more diverse community, you’ve got to go to places where diverse communities are, like CSUDH and Compton Unified. We now have people not only participating in gaming, but being trained in it, so we can dissipate digital divides, increase diversity, and teach the skills necessary to better succeed at the university.

“For me, it’s a win-win. I will do anything I can to help our students succeed, to graduate and make that change, so we certainly need to embrace esports in that way. It’s not just about students playing games!”

CSUDH Awarded $2.9 Million NSF Grant to Create a Master Teacher Fellows Program

June 2, 2020 By Paul Browning

(Carson, CA) – The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) Foundation a grant of more than $2.9 million to create a Master Teacher Fellows program, with the goal of developing exemplary teacher-leaders in science and mathematics for high-need K-12 schools.

The Master Teacher Fellows (MTF) program is a partnership between CSUDH, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) – Local District South, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The six-year grant was awarded through the NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.

The MTF’s goals are to increase participants’ content knowledge and pedagogical and leadership skills in mathematics and science. In turn, they will teach and work in LAUSD to help improve student achievement in low-performing, hard-to-staff schools that enroll high percentages of low-income students who are historically underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

“I am so happy for our university and for the thousands of K-12 students in high-need schools who will benefit directly and indirectly from this project,” said Kamal Hamdan, Annenberg-endowed professor, director of CISE, and principal investigator for the NSF grant. “The project has the potential to have a tremendous impact on the preparation of students, our future Toros, as they prepare for their undergraduate education at CSUDH.”

The Master Teacher Fellows program will be led by CSUDH faculty members Kenneth Rodriguez, assistant professor of chemistry; Kathryn Theiss, assistant professor of biology; and Kristen Stagg, assistant professor of mathematics, and content and instructional experts from LAUSD – Local District South and the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum.  

The Master Teacher Fellows program encourages participation by teachers with strong leadership potential, particularly those with similar demographics as the communities they will serve. The MTF will recruit 30 in-service teachers who will receive financial and other support as they complete a rigorous five-year program to achieve master teacher competencies.

MTF fellows will serve as role models to their peers, and for many young adults in the communities they serve, as well as inspire them to pursue a career or teach in a STEM subject, says Kenneth Rodriguez, assistant professor of chemistry at CSUDH.

“A fellow with leadership ability will inspire others to follow suit,” said Rodriguez. “During their five years in the MTF project, they will not only improve their teaching practice and the achievement of their own students, they will also inspire their peers to pursue professional growth so they too can have an impact on their own students’ achievements.”

The MTF will support one cohort of secondary mathematics and science teachers, and one cohort of elementary teachers, while testing the effectiveness of a research-based training model for master STEM teachers that encourages interdisciplinary, standards- and project-based approaches. As master teachers, the fellows will be prepared to collectively improve STEM teaching and achievement in 23 schools in South Los Angeles that enroll more than 18,200 students, of which 85 percent are low-income, 74 percent are Latinx, and 10 percent are African American.

The Natural History Museum will offer a three-day workshop about climate change in Southern California for each cohort, which will include a field trip for fellows to collect geologic evidence. The museum will also offer a one-week trip to an active dinosaur quarry in Utah to work alongside scientists collecting fossils, knowledge that they can share with student mentees and their peers.

“We at CSUDH recognize the critical need to transform STEM education and pave the way for teachers to engage and inspire the next generation of engineers, astronomers, mathematicians, physicists, and space explorers,” said Hamdan. “It is a challenge we have embraced and owned, and through the new project, we are going to lead the way in achieving such a transformation, so all children can achieve their aspirations.”

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