University Reports

Luis Alonso

Luis Alonso (English) presented a paper, “Cruel Optimism in Oz,” at the Children’s Literature Association Conference online in June 2021. His argument uses The Wizard of Oz to criticize our unregulated capitalist system of corporations controlled by elites, as represented by the wizard, who propagates the ideology of the American dream’s equal availability to all social classes.

Pablo Baler

Pablo Baler (Modern Languages and Literatures) curated a new exhibition, SCRAMBLE, at the dA Center for the Arts in Pomona, featuring the work of Argentine artist Atilio Pernisco, Nov. 13, 2021, to Jan. 2, 2022.

David Blekhman and Yuanyuan Li 

David Blekhman (Technology) and Yuanyuan Li (Marketing) presented a webinar on “Engineering and International Business” at the EAN University in Colombia on Nov. 23, 2021.

Choi Chatterjee

Choi Chatterjee (History) presented a webinar on “Santha Rama Rau’s My Russian Journey: A Footnote to History?” for the Gorky Institute of World Literature (Russian Academy of Sciences), Moscow, Russia, in Nov. 2021.

Elaine Draper

Elaine Draper (Sociology) presented a paper, “Genetic Screening, Social Inequality, and the Bandwagon Effect,” to the Honors College at Cal State LA in March 2021. She also presented the following: a paper on “Overcoming Barriers to the Legal Profession” at the annual American Sociological Association meeting in August 2020; a lecture about “Legal and Professional Skills in a Changing Environment” at the Cal State LA Pre-Law Society in September 2021; and a discussion regarding the legal profession on October 2020 to the State Bar of California Pathway to Law School Program, for which she serves on the Advisory Council. 

Domnita Dumitrescu

Domnita Dumitrescu (Emerita, Modern Languages and Literatures) delivered a presentation, “Novedades en el Diccionario de la Lengua Española (DLE),” at the annual conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, in Atlanta, GA, July 9, 2021.

Chuck Flores and Albert Jones

Chuck Flores and Albert Jones (Applied and Advanced Studies in Education), along with educational leadership doctoral alumna Marisela Cervantes, presented a webinar on “Innovating the development of teacher leaders with a focus on anti-racism and social justice,” for the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities on Oct. 28, 2021.

Marina Mondin and Fred Daneshgaran

Marina Mondin and Fred Daneshgaran (Electrical and Computer Engineering) co-organized the NATO Science for Peace and Security Advanced Research Workshop at the University of Malta in Valletta, Malta, Nov. 14-18, 2021. This was an invitation only international meeting of experts on cybersecurity that had the goal of setting the future direction of research and development on quantum communications and cryptography for NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

Khadija Monk

Khadija Monk (Criminal Justice and Criminalistics) has provided her expertise as a criminologist commenting on cases in six episodes of the A&E show, Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers in America, 2021. The series weaves the stories of five infamous serial killers together into a single narrative exploring the perfect storm of what was happening in culture, communications, law enforcement, media, forensics, and technology that allowed them to proliferate and evade capture.

Tuyetdong Phan-Yamada

Tuyetdong Phan-Yamada (Mathematics) delivered the following presentations virtually: “MyOpenMath and GeoGebra – Tools for Formative and Informative Learning Assessments” at the Mathematical Association of America’s MathFest, Aug. 7, 2021; “Teaching Introductory Statistics with GeoGebra,” at the U.S. Conference on Teaching Statistics, July 1, 2021; and “Interactive Online Tools for Distance Learnings,” at the California Mathematics Council Community Colleges-South Spring Conference, March 6, 2021.

Katherine Weiss

Katherine Weiss (Arts and Letters) presented a webinar on “Passing by, gazing upon: Outdoor Adaptations of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days and Come and Go,” at the Comparative Drama Conference, Oct. 14-16, 2021.

Daniel Crecelius

Daniel Crecelius (Emeritus, History) had his tribute to the famous Georgian historian and diplomat Gocha Japaridze, with whom he published several articles on Georgian mamluks in 18th century Egypt, included in the memorial to Dr. Japaridze’s career in Historical Collections, no. 8, 2021.

Domnita Dumitrescu

Domnita Dumitrescu (Emerita, Modern Languages and Literatures) coauthored the following articles: “Diversidad lingüística y obras lexicográficas,” in La diversidad del español y su enseñanza, ed. by N.H. Muñoz, J. Muñoz-Basols and C.S. Montes, Routledge, 2021, and “A manera de prólogo,” in El inglés y el español en contacto en los Estados Unidos Reflexiones acerca de los retos, dilemas y complejidad de la situación sociolingüística estadounidense, ed. by S. Betti and R. Enghels, 2020. She also authored a book review, “Exploring discourse practices in Romanian,” ed. by A. Vasilescu, M. Constantinescu, G. Stoica and J.R. White, in Language and Dialogue, vol. 1, no. 2, 2021.

Michael Haussler

Michael Haussler (Curriculum and Instruction) contributed a seven-part haiku sequence and an essay to the anthology, When the Virus Came Calling: COVID-19 Strikes America, Golden Foothills Press, Sept. 4, 2020. The book has been nominated for The Raul Yzaguirre Best Political/Current Affairs Book as part of the International Latino Book Awards 2021 competition.

Barry Hibbs

Barry Hibbs (Geosciences and Environment) coauthored an article with student M. Merino on “Reinterpreting models of slope front recharge in a desert basin,” in the Geosciences Journal, v. 10, no. 8, Aug. 3, 2020. He also authored the article, “Long term climate change and environmental implications of aquifer flow capacity in arid groundwater basins,” and coauthored an article with student G. Clifford, “Evaluation of water isotopes and nutrient loading in urban runoff at a Southern California residential site,” in Groundwater Sustainability, Hydro-Climate/Climate Change, and Environmental Engineering, eds., S. Ahmad and R. Murray, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2020. He also coauthored an article with student C. Peralta, “Comparison of bacteria and nutrient loading in subsurface storm drains receiving flows from groundwater seepage and dry weather urban runoff,” in Watershed Management 2020 – A Clear Vision of Watershed Management, eds., R. LaPlante and J. Ramirez-Avila, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2020.

Steve LaDochy

Steve LaDochy (Emeritus, Geosciences & Environment) coauthored a paper, with student Antonio Santana and Todd Hall of the National Weather Service, entitled “The changing climate of Los Angeles: Highlights from the last three decades,” which was presented at the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Annual Meeting, Oct. 15, 2021. The paper received the President’s Outstanding Undergraduate Paper during the meeting.

Timothy C. Lim

Timothy C. Lim (Political Science) authored a book, The Road to Multiculturalism in South Korea, Routledge, Dec. 2020. This book aims to capture the complicated development of Korea from a monoethnic to a multicultural society, challenging the narrative of “ethnonational continuity” in Korea through a discursive institutional approach.

Roger Lee Mendoza

Roger Lee Mendoza (Management) authored the following two juried articles: “Continuity and change in the drug supply chain:  Actors, actions, and aversions,” in the Journal of Medical Economics, vol. 24, no. 1, on May 26, 2021, and “Cross-country experiences and lessons in nutraceutical health marketing in the United States, China, and India,” in Health Marketing Quarterly, vol. 37, no. 4, on July 20, 2021.

Sarah Minslow

Sarah Minslow (English) co-edited the book, Denial: The Final Stage of Genocide?, with J. Cox and A. Khoury, Routledge, Sept. 22, 2021. She also authored a book chapter, “Beatrix Potter World, Hill Top Farm, and a Legacy of Conservation,” in Storybook Worlds Made Real: Essays on Places Inspired by Children’s Literature,” eds., K.M. Jackson & M.I. West, McFarland & Co., Feb. 7, 2022, and a book review of Table Lands: Food in Children’s Literature by K.K. Keeling and S.T. Pollard, for the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 2, 2021.

Minyoung Noh

Minyoung Noh (Accounting) authored an article, “Culture and annual report readability,” in the International Journal of Accounting & Information Management, vol. 29, no. 4, Oct. 18, 2021. This study aims to examine the effect of state culture on the readability of narrative disclosures in annual reports based on firms located in all 50 states of the U.S.

Tuyetdong Phan-Yamada

Tuyetdong Phan-Yamada (Mathematics) authored an article, “Pythagorean Triples for Integer Eigenvalues,” in the MathAMATYC Educator Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, fall 2021, and coauthored with L. Nhiayi an article, “Examining Possible LU Decomposition,” in the North American GeoGebra Journal, vol. 9, no. 1, June 16, 2021.

Lauri Scheyer

Lauri Scheyer (Emerita, English) edited the book, Theatres of War: Contemporary Perspectives, Bloomsbury, Oct. 2021. This collection discusses more than 30 international plays and case studies from different time periods, which are all set in a backdrop of war.

Henry D. Schlinger

Henry D. Schlinger (Psychology) authored the guidebook, How to Build Good Behavior and Self-Esteem in Children, Book Depository, June 2021. This practical guidebook will teach parents, caregivers, and practitioners how to solve any behavior problem with principles based on behavior science. He also authored an article, “The Impact of B. F. Skinner’s Science of Operant Learning on Early Childhood Research, Theory, Treatment, and Care,” in the Early Childhood Development and Care journal, vol. 191, Jan. 17, 2021.

Gregory Stevens

Gregory Stevens (Public Health) coauthored the book, Vulnerable Populations in the United States, 3rd Edition, Wiley, Feb. 2021. This edition provides a general framework for studying vulnerable populations and summarizes major health and health care disparities by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and health insurance coverage.

Katherine Weiss

Katherine Weiss (Arts and Letters) authored a peer-review article, “‘Of her tenacious trace’: Samuel Beckett and Contemporary Art,” in the Journal of Beckett Studies, vol. 30, no. 2, 2021.

Julie Albright

Julie Albright (Sociology) secured a $30,000 grant from Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) to provide $500 scholarships for students who completed the professor’s civic learning courses. iMasons is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals motivated to make a better connected world for everyone.

Daniel Crecelius

Daniel Crecelius (Emeritus, History) was inducted into the Class of 2021 Hall of Honor at Lutheran High School North, his alma mater, in recognition of his distinguished career. The induction dinner was held at the Norwood Hills Country Club, St. Louis, MO, on Oct. 2, 2021.

Robin Dodds

Robin Dodds (Special Education and Counseling) was among 30 educators selected to participate in the BranchEd 2021 Open Educational Resource Summer Institute on July 5, 2021. She created a three-unit module titled, “Bridging the Transition from Early Intervention (EI) to Preschool,” focused on preparing teachers to work with families from culturally diverse backgrounds and support them as their child with a disability prepares to enter school.

Jane Dong

Jane Dong (Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology) has secured a $300,000 grant from the College Futures Foundation (CFF) to create new baccalaureate pathways aimed at increasing transfer student success in science, technology, engineering and math fields. The grant will establish the Successful Transfer and Retention program at Cal State LA, which supports CFF’s work to ensure that more students who reflect California’s diversity will complete a bachelor’s degree. The program will also be coordinated by co-principal investigators Daniel Galvan, director of acceleration initiatives and student engagement, and Rupa Purasinghe, chair of the Department of Technology.

Elaine Draper

Elaine Draper (Sociology) was appointed by the National Science Foundation to the Science and Technology Studies Advisory Panel in 2021. The American Sociological Association appointed her to chair its Public Understanding of Sociology Awards, which she presented during the annual ASA meeting in Aug. 2021. She also recently received the University-wide Exceptional Service to Students Award from Cal State LA.

Anthony Hernandez and Andre Ellis

Anthony Hernandez (Applied and Advanced Studies in Education) and Andre Ellis (Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) secured a $55,000 grant from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and Coalition of Urban Serving Universities to support a university-community partnership aimed at leveraging the assets of Black, Latino, and Indigenous adult learners. As part of the grant, Cal State LA will partner with Promesa Boyle Heights to identify and eliminate barriers hampering the success of adult learners of color in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Thomas Johnson

Thomas Johnson (Procurement) was recognized as Advocate of the Year at the 21st Annual State Agency Recognition Awards ceremony on April 28, 2021. This award recognizes three advocates throughout the state of California for exemplary work and success through outreach efforts, performance measurements, and notable improvements. During the virtual event, Cal State LA was also presented the Governor’s Award for demonstrating excellence and innovation in providing contracting opportunities to small businesses and disabled veterans business enterprises.

Sonya Lopez

Sonya Lopez (Civil Engineering) was presented a $10,000 National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Engineering Education Award for the Sustainable Recycled Water Recharge Program in June 2021. The NCEES Engineering Education Award recognizes engineering programs that encourage collaboration between students and professional engineers. This student design project developed a solution for water sustainability in a large metropolitan city in the United States. In addition to Professor Lopez as project lead, the faculty team included John Elias Shamma, senior design instructor; Howard Lum, senior design instructor; Jiansheng Song, senior design instructor; Rupa Purasinghe, senior design coordinator; and Mark Tufenkjian, department chair.

Roger Lee Mendoza

Roger Lee Mendoza (Management) received the Love of Learning Award from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi in Sept. 2021. This annual award comes with a citation certificate and grant to support teaching and professional development activities of the selected lifetime members of this international honor society.

Sandra B. Sharp

Sandra B. Sharp (Emerita, Biological Sciences) was appointed to serve on the Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) Board of Directors, 2021. HMRI is a nonprofit, independent biomedical research organization dedicated to finding diagnostic tools and treatments for serious diseases that affect millions of people each year.

Angela Vergara

Angela Vergara (History) joined the Board of Editors of the American Historical Review (AHR), for the term 2020-2023. AHR is the official publication of the American Historical Association. She was also elected to the Executive Council of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), for the term 2021-2023. LASA is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America.

William Wong

William Wong (Social Work) has been selected as one of the 100 Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) advocates for the 100th Anniversary of the Child Welfare League of America, March 25-29, 2020. Wong was recognized for his contributions to promoting child well-being and advancing the field of child welfare.

Howard Xu

Howard Xu (Biological Sciences) secured a $100,000 grant from the Amgen Foundation to establish the community education component of the Cal State LA BioSpace incubator, which is leading the University’s efforts to promote a thriving bioscience ecosystem in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA BioSpace will partner with the California Community Colleges Statewide Offices of Life Sciences/Biotech and Business & Entrepreneurship, in order to educate and inspire women and ethnically diverse community college students to pursue leadership careers in biotechnology through bioentrepreneurship.