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2006 Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Conference |
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Faculty News |
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California State University, Dominguez Hills • 1000 E. Victoria Street • Carson, California 90747 • (310) 243-2547 |

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Volume I, Issue II |
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November 2006 |
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Contact Us California State University, Dominguez Hills Web Page: |
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Dean Charles F. Hohm |
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Message from the Dean Greetings from the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences (NBS) at California State University, Dominguez Hills. I hope that you enjoy this newsletter. I think you will be impressed with the amount of work being done in the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences. We are hiring seven new faculty this year: three biologists; a chemist; the Chair for the Earth Sciences Department; a sociologist, and one computer scientist. In addition, a new Masters Degree program in Computer Science has been approved and will start in Fall of 2007 and a Biochemistry degree is under consideration at the Chancellor’s Office. We are also pleased that a new science/health profession laboratory building has been placed on the Chancellor’s Office five year capital outlay for 2008-09. The labs in the Natural Science & Mathematics (NSM) and Social & Behavioral Sciences(SBS) buildings will be housed in the new building. Faculty and administrators from the College are visiting other campuses in the LA Basin to see how new science buildings are configured. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or news that you would like included in future issues of the NBS Newsletter. Our phone number is 310 243-2547 and my email is chohm@csudh.edu. Best Regards, Charles F. Hohm |
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More NBS News |
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The goal of the center is to improve the customer service for students who need advising for their major. Advisors from the College of Liberal Arts, Benito Gomez, and Natural & Behavioral Sciences, Mounitra Chatterji, assist students through their academic careers at CSUDH. They advise students with questions regarding their class schedule and on lower division transfer of credits. Full Story |
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“Minority Scientists: Where are they and why should we care?” was the name of a talk presented by Dr. Thomas Landefeld (Biology) at the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) Conference held in Miami from October 21st through the 24th. CSUDH is a participating member CUMU whose conference was held on the CSUDH campus last year. Full Story |
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Ten MBRS RISE scholars and one Earth Science student attend the 2006 Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Conference. The annual conference was held in Tampa, Florida, October 26-29, 2006. The conference featured career advancement workshops, scientific symposia, exhibitors, student presentations and noted scientists. The conference is designed to provide resources for students that are pursing advanced degrees in the sciences. The conference workshops include topics such as pursuing a doctoral degree, how to select an academic specialty, and applying for graduate school. Throughout the conference informal mentoring occurs and many opportunities for formalized mentoring. The exhibits include colleges, universities, government agencies, laboratories, research hospitals and more. The exhibitors interact with and recruit minority students for graduate school, research internships, financial aid, fellowships, summer programs and post-doctoral positions. The oral and poster presentations provide students the chance to meet, share research, and receive guidance from professional scientists. Full Story For more information regarding the Minority Biomedical Research Support, please click here: |

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Abraham, Erick, Onyeka, Shannon, Sylvia, Julissa, Cheyenne (left to right) |
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Kathy' poster presentation: Kathy Nugal |
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The Urban Community Research Center’s (UCRC) current projects focus on harm reduction in relation to substance use and infectious disease risk, including HIV and hepatitis C. One grant, funded by the Department of Health Services State Office of AIDS, funds the evaluation of Senate Bill 1159, which authorizes over-the-counter sales of syringes at approved pharmacies. The research team, a UCRC collaborative effort with researchers at UCSF and UCSD and community partners, will investigate the impact of SB 1159 on HIV risk, HIV infection, needle stick injuries among law enforcement and waste management personnel, crime in the vicinity of pharmacies, unsafe syringe disposal, and rates of illicit drug injection. In other news, research on overdose among injection drug users in Los Angeles carried out by Dr. Bluthenthal, Director of the UCRC, and graduate students in his Research Methods seminar led, in part, to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ approval of a pilot project to publicly distribute Naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of opiate overdose. In addition, the journals Addiction and American Journal of Public Health recently accepted articles of Dr. Bluthenthal’s for publication. Full Story |
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Dr. Ricky Bluthenthal, UCRC Director |
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College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and NBS Student Services Center |
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NBS Faculty Publications for Fall 2006 |
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Urban Community Research Center (UCRC) |
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Recent NBS Events: Science Society Ice Cream Social National Chemistry Week “Your Home - It’s all Built on Chemistry” |
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Minority Access, Inc. is a nonprofit educational organization that supports and recognizes individuals as well as institutions/organizations that promote diversity. By recognizing those individuals and institutions, a network of commitment is established and celebrated during annual meetings and further interactions. As a result, the support of minority-based activities and issues, for example, health disparities, is strengthened. This is especially important for the Student Role Models as they indeed represent the future of our society. A number of former CSUDH U*STAR students have been selected as Student Role Models and have continued to succeed after receiving the award. |
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MAI (Minority Access, Inc.) Conference with Dr. Thomas Landefeld |
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Dr. Thomas Landefeld (l) at the MAI Conference on September 19, 2006. |
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Jianchao (Jack) Han |
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John Keyantash Assistant Professor Earth Sciences |
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Karen I. Mason Assistant Professor Psychology |

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John W. Price Physics |
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Laura Robles & Research Academic Programs |
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Sean Sather-Wagstaff Assistant Professor |
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Tilly Wang Assistant Professor Chemistry |
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Please click on link for full list of publications: |
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Mohsen Beheshti Computer Science |
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Matthew Jones Assistant Professor Mathematics |
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Serban Raianu Professor and Chair Mathematics |
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Dr. Wai Yan Pong Assistant Professor Mathematics |
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Donations If you would like to make a contribution/donation to the College of Natural and Behavioral Science in general, or a specific department/program, please send a check to the following address: College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, Deans Office Attn: Khanh Vanpetten Please make your check payable to CSUDH Foundation, with a note on the "For" or "Memo" segment indicating what department you wish to support. |
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The Computer Science Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) is accredited by the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB). The curriculum is designed and evaluated using the recommendations of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Full Story |
New Masters of Science Degree in Computer Science (MSCS)
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Department News |
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Student Research in Cluster Computing |

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Miriam Knof, Administrative Assistant, (l) with Psychology student Mario Carrasco. (r) |
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Clare Weber Assistant Professor Sociology |
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Dr. Rod Hay (Associate Dean, College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences; Professor of Geography) traveled to Zambia for two weeks in September to perform a final evaluation of the USAID Consortium for Southern African Food Aid Emergency. C-SAFE was a development relief project aimed at feeding vulnerable populations and improving infrastructure after the severe droughts experienced in southern Africa since 2001-2002. |
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Dr. Sofia Pappatheodorou (Associate Professor of Chemistry) is the 2006 Recipient of the Agnes Ann Green Distinguished Service Award. This award was given to Dr. Pappatheodorou as a member of the Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society in recognition of his or her outstanding service and commitment. It is reserved for those members who have devoted their time and effort to the well-being and goals of the Section and its relationship to the National ACS. |



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Dr. Laura Robles (Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Professor of Biology) traveled to England to present a poster at the International Society for Ocular Cell Biology at the University of Cambridge’s Homerton College. The poster was entitled “Rho Signaling Mediates Cytoskeletal Rearrangements in Octopus Photoreceptors” by Laura Robles, Shaunte Grey, and Shannon Grey. In July and August, Dr. Robles will be giving a talk entitled “Lights on in the Octopus Retina: Cells Change Shape and Proteins Move” at the World Congress of Malacology/UNITAS Malacologica. The congress will be held in Antwerp, Belgium. |