Connections

Cal State LA researchers develop tool to help residents understand crime trends in Los Angeles

Cal State LA researchers collaborated with the City of Los Angeles’ Data Team to develop an interactive data visualization tool that helps residents understand crime trends in neighborhoods. The crime records were previously categorized by the Los Angeles Police Department’s reporting districts, which did not align with neighborhood boundaries. “This is critical information that will help residents better understand long-term crime trends in their communities,” said Eva Pereira, chief data officer for the City of Los Angeles. Dr. Jie Zhong, assistant professor of mathematics in the College of Natural and Social Sciences, and a team of student researchers worked on the project. Read more about the tool.

WellBeingU In the Garden series offers engaging wellness activities for students

Cal State LA students gathered in the Janice Cordova Garden of Well-Being for wellness activities connecting mindfulness, music, and art as part of the WellBeingU In the Garden series this fall. The programs offered students an opportunity to connect with one another and enjoy the relaxing garden space while learning to dance, meditating, painting, and de-stressing with furry friends. The event series, which will continue next semester, included Bachata and Horchata, Meditation and Motown, Art and Alternative, and Furry Friends for Finals, which allowed students to de-stress with therapy pets in the garden space. Learn more about WellBeingU.  

Cal State LA receives NSF grant to create a pathway to diversity program 

Cal State LA has been awarded an $880,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to increase diversity in STEM fields through recruiting and training the next generation of molecular simulation scientists. The three-year grant will help launch the Partnership for Research and Education in Chemistry (PREC) Pathway to Diversity Program, a collaboration between Cal State LA and the Molecular Software Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech. “Through this grant, we are excited to see the strengthening of the computational research infrastructure at Cal State LA,” said Dr. Olaseni Sode, the grant’s lead principal investigator and an associate professor of chemistry in the College of Natural and Social Sciences. Read more about the grant.

College of Business and Economics students place second in international business competition

A student team from Cal State LA’s College of Business and Economics placed second in an international business simulation competition this fall. The team of four information systems graduate students—Shah Akshat Utpal, Markus Just, Uriel Avila, and Sindhuja Dasaka—were coached by Dr. Ming Wang, professor of information systems. They put their real-world business skills to the test during the ERPsim Sustainability Challenge, competing against students from 19 colleges and universities from across the U.S., Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland using ERPsim on a real-time SAP S/4HANA platform, the very same software large enterprises use for resource planning. Read more about the competition.

Cal State LA awarded state energy agency grant for workforce development

The California Energy Commission has awarded Cal State LA a $500,000 grant for workforce development related to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). With California’s commitment to implementing ZEV transportation by 2035, there is a growing need to create and develop a workforce ready to meet the increased technical requirements and demands that support zero-emission fuel technologies. Cal State LA is a leading university in climate change and sustainability education and research. It is home to the Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, the largest such facility on a university campus in the United States that produces its own hydrogen on site via electrolysis. The three-year grant will help Cal State LA develop and implement a new training curriculum bridging skills gaps for future ZEV engineers and working toward the state’s goal of producing a viable workforce. Dr. David Blekhman, professor of technology in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, is the principal investigator of the grant. Read more about the energy grant.

Department of Communication Studies receives national award for oral communication course

College of Education professor wins research award

Dr. Robin Dodds, assistant professor of special education in the College of Education, received the 2022 Early Career Researcher Award from TASH, an international disability advocacy organization. The award honors the contributions of researchers early in their careers whose research focuses on the inclusion of people with significant support needs in the community in areas such as education, employment, community participation, family systems, and higher education.

History professor receives award for international scholarship

Dr. Sara Pugach, a professor in the Department of History in the College of Natural and Social Sciences, received a 2023 Faculty Development Seminar Award from the Council for American Overseas Research Centers. The council is a private nonprofit federation that supports advanced research, primarily in the humanities and social sciences, with a focus on the preservation and recording of cultural heritage and the understanding and interpreting of modern societies. Dr. Pugach is one of 42 seminar awardees selected from community colleges and minority-serving institutions who will attend Faculty Development Seminar programs overseas in 2023. Read more about the seminar award.

Department of Computer Science and Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing bring virtual reality to nursing training

The Department of Computer Science in the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology and the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing in the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services are collaborating on a pilot project to incorporate virtual reality into nursing training. The project creates a simulation that allows nursing students to interact with human-like virtual characters from diverse backgrounds who are exhibiting symptoms of hypertension. The goal is to give students opportunities to learn and practice the cultural competency skills necessary to deliver quality care to patients with diverse beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors and to avoid preventable mistakes. Read more about the VR nursing training.

Cal State LA partners with two Cal States, Biocom California Institute to launch new biomanufacturing technician program

Cal State LA has partnered with Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, and the Biocom California Institute to create a new biomanufacturing technician program. The universities and the Biocom California Institute, a statewide life science industry association, formed a consortium to create the Biomanufacturing Technician Certificate Program in response to the industry’s need for workers in the regional labor market. The program is scheduled to begin in January 2023. Read more about the program.

Documentary highlights basketball great and Cal State LA alum Raymond Lewis

A documentary film tells the story of Cal State LA alumnus Raymond Lewis, a basketball phenom from Watts, California, considered to be one of the best to have played high school basketball in Los Angeles. Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend explores Lewis’ journey from shining at Verbum Dei High to playing college basketball at Cal State LA in 1972-1973, and then being drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers. Lewis, who died in 2001, did not play a game in the NBA because of a contract dispute, leading many to believe he was blackballed from the league. Learn more about the documentary.

Men’s soccer receives National Championship rings 

Members of the 2021 NCAA Division II National Champion men’s soccer team received personalized championship rings at a ceremony during a home Cal State LA basketball game in University Gym this month. The rings are adorned with players’ names, a trophy, soccer ball, and other imagery celebrating the momentous achievement. The Golden Eagles who swept all 2021 titles—CCAA Regular Season, CCAA Tournament, NCAA Division II Super Region 4, and NCAA Division II—earned the University’s eighth national championship in history and first since 1981. The national title was the first for the men’s soccer program.