Matt Wedel, a former CSULB graduate student and current 
visiting artist and teacher, has a 16-foot-tall ceramic sculpture on display at the Long Beach Museum of Art. It took Wedel about seven months to complete the sculpture, titled Child (shown at right), and eight days to install. The installation was documented in the Museum’s most recent e-newsletter and on the LBMA website.
Where are they now? Several 2007 graduates and former President’s Ambassadors are making a name for themselves – and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) – outside of The Beach. Travis Buchanan, who graduated in December, has started working full time as a financial manager. Chris Bodziak, who also graduated in December, began working full time at Conoco-Phillips. Zaira Tinoco is working for Nestle' Corp.; Alan Schaefer is currently working for ESPN; Michael Sundberg, is attending Stanford Medical School; and Nicholas Pasqua is teaching English in Spain.
Inorganic Chemistry Professor Xianhui Bu's work was featured on the cover of the January 28 issue of Chemical Communications, a leading weekly journal of high quality research from across the chemical sciences. It is one of approximately 140 articles Bu has published in journals since 1990. The focus of the research in the Chemical Communications article was on the synthetic creation of new crystalline materials with molecularly sized holes permeating throughout the crystal. The framework surrounding these holes was designed from chiral molecules with the purpose of creating a porous chiral environment that can selectively sense and trap chiral guests for separation of racemic mixtures (i.e., a mixture of right-handed and left-handed molecules, often found for pharmaceuticals such as ibuprofen).
Geological Sciences Chair Stan Finney has been elected to serve as chair of the International Commission on Stratigraphy, an organization with more than 350 members from more than 50 countries. Finney will serve as chair from August 2008 through 2012. The commission, which is part of the International Union of Geological Sciences, promotes and coordinates long-term international cooperation in a number of stratigraphic topics and produces and distributes a variety of educational products, reference books, articles, posters and software programs. Its primary objective is to establish global standards for the more than 100 formally named time intervals (e.g., Cambrian, Jurassic, Quaternary) of the International Geologic Time Scale.
Associate Art Professor Fran Siegel traveled to South America during her sabbatical last year where she served as the U.S. representative of the 2007 IX International Bienal of Cuenca, Ecuador. The Bienal is a contemporary art exhibition that took place from April to June 2007, featuring internationally recognized contemporary artists from across the globe. Siegel’s three site-specific projects were awarded and commissioned by the U.S. Department of Cultural Affairs and were curated by Kristina Newhouse of the Torrance Art Museum. Siegel was also awarded a visiting artist residency at the American Academy of Rome during November December 2006.
Marianne Venieris, Director of the Center of International Trade and Transportation in University College and Extension Services (UCES), has been honored with the Diversity Leadership Award issued by Women in Transportation. The award, which was bestowed on January 23 at the Millennium Biltmore in Los Angeles, recognizes individuals or organizations that have exhibited outstanding and extraordinary efforts or initiatives in developing opportunities for women and minorities.
Chemistry Professor Stephen Mezyk, along with researchers from five other universities, is publishing a 130-page article in an upcoming issue of Chemical Reviews on the radical chemistry of MTBE, which is used in gasoline to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. In addition, Mezyk recently received a Cottrell College Science Award for $35,200 to continue his research on finding new ways to remove cancer causing nitrosamines from drinking water.
Jennifer Leitham, with the Music Department, and jazz percussion Professor Randy Drake can be heard on Alexandra Caselli's newest CD, Rough Edges, released late last year. Drake has also recorded music for television including, A League of Their Own, Overtime with Pat O’Brien and Beverly Hills, 90210. Leitham has also made a name for herself, performing well-known mucisians Mel Torme and Doc Severinson.