Xianhui Bu, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Thomas Gredig, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy were among the recipients of 2009 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF). According to the agency, CAREER awards are the "most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations." Bu received $597,707 for his five-year project titled "Synthesis, Structures, and Properties of Crystalline Boron-Based Porous Materials," and Gredig was awarded $449,871 for his five-year program on "Morphology Control to Build 3D Magnetic Nanostructures and Tune Organic Solar Cells."
Geography Department Chair Vincent Del Casino published Social Geography (Wiley-Blackwell), which explores how urban and rural spaces are organized in ways that construct and maintain social inequality. Del Casino is also book review editor of the journal Social and Cultural Geography and co-edited the book Mapping Tourism with Stephen Hanna.
College of Engineering Dean Forouzan Golshani and Professor Wayne Dick (Computer Engineering and Computer Science) are guest editors for a special issue of IEEE Multimedia. An Accessible Lane on the Information Superhighway appeared in the October-December 2008 issue addressing the topic of accessibility and assistive technologies.
Faculty member Rigoberto Rodriguez (Chicano and Latino Studies) was listed by Stay Connected OC as one of the 2008 Latino OC 100. The distinction recognizes unsung heroes as well as some of the most influential and successful people who are part of or serving Orange County's Latino community. Rodriguez has been involved in Leadership Development and Capacity Building, a CSULB program that is helping Spanish-speaking residents involved in volunteer-based organizations enhance their leadership skills and bolster their ability to address pressing issues within their communities. He was honored on January 20 at the Delhi Community Center in Santa Ana.
Film and electronic arts major Golnar Fakhrai received an award from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), an association of the most accomplished cinematographers in the world. Fakhrai was one of four students nationally to earn an honorable mention for outstanding achievement in student filmmaking. She was invited to the ASC annual awards dinner, one of the major events of the awards season.
Jason Stentz, a 2005 film and electronic arts media studies graduate, recently sold a feature-length screenplay, Midnight, that will begin production this spring. Information on Midnight, an action/drama, is featured on the Empyreal Entertainment Web site.
CSULB's California Repertory Company has once again been nominated for a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. The Kentucky Cycle Part II was nominated for Best Ensemble Performance. California Repertory Company was the only acting company associated with a university to be nominated.
John Lacey (Accountancy) has been selected for CalCPA's 2008-2009 Outstanding Educator Award. CalCPA is the California professional body of all licensed CPA's. Lacey will receive the award at the June 2009 Annual Meeting. Additionally, CalCPA is nominating Lacey for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (AICPA) Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award. The final recipient of this award will be announced soon.
