October 2021 Newsletter

We're Back On Campus!

Eighteen months ago, the sudden shift to online instruction was a surprise to everyone. Our college worked hard to create virtual alternatives to classes, labs, and our everyday services. Now, all these months later, we are inching back to safe and normal campus life. Fall 2021 brings us back to the classroom, back to the lab, and, most importantly, back together.

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Making Herstory

For the first time ever, the majority of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics' Departments and Programs are chaired by women. In Fall 2021, with the addition of Dr. Lora Stevens (Geological Sciences) and Dr. Lijuan Li (Chemistry and Biochemistry), CNSM has 5 women leading our 7 departments and programs.

 

From left to right:

• Dr. Lora Stevens, Department of Geological Sciences
• Dr. Dessie Underwood, Department of Biological Sciences
• Dr. Christine Whitcraft, Environmental Science and Policy Program
• Dr. Lijuan Li, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Dr. Lisa Martin, Department of Science Education

In addition, Dr. Stevens and Dr. Li are the first-ever female Chairs of their respective departments.

Throughout history, brilliant women in STEM have kept in step with their famous male counterparts – without the pay, recognition, or respect afforded to the latter. Following in the footsteps of trailblazing female scientists, the high achieving women of today are speeding ahead and their work is helping to close the gender gap in STEM fields.

At CNSM, the power of women in STEM is clear in our day-to-day operations. Our female STEM leadership infuse unique perspectives and brilliant research in their fields of study, all while reflecting a large section of our diverse student population. CNSM's determination to improve gender equity in STEM fields continues to yield undeniable results:

• As of Fall 2020, roughly 60% of our freshmen CNSM class are women seeking STEM degrees.
• During the 2019-2020 academic year, CNSM awarded 297 bachelor's degrees and 56 master's degrees to women.
• Our Physics program regularly ranks as the nation's leader in awarding physics degrees to women.

While systemic issues persist, every step toward gender equity in STEM is worthy of celebration. Join us in congratulating these five extraordinary STEM leaders in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics!

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Jensen SAS Center Provides Flexible Support for Students

Pre-biology student Luis wants to go to medical school. But first he needs to pass calculus in order to declare his biology major. Fortunately, Luis can get additional help at the alumni-supported Jensen SAS Center. "Walking into the SAS Center is a very welcoming experience. Sometimes professors don't have enough office hours to make sure I fully understand the material. I want to go to medical school and one day be a surgeon, so understanding this is really important to me."

The James L. Jensen Student Access to Science and Mathematics (SAS) Center provides students with multiple vital resources including academic advising and planning, and career counseling in addition to tutoring. They help thousands of students every year, raising test scores and grades, increasing student retention in CNSM, and making sure our students are prepared for successful careers in their field.

 

With Fall 2021's pivot back to campus, the SAS Center has adapted to offer CNSM students a combination of virtual and in-person services.

Over the course of the campus closure, many students discovered that reaching out virtually was more effective for them. CNSM serves both traditional and non-traditional students and the need for more flexibility often arises. For re-entry students and students that must work to support themselves, physically coming on to campus to seek advising services can be a substantial barrier. Being able to provide tutoring and advising services virtually made the Jensen SAS center more inclusive of and more accessible to a larger group of students.

"This semester, we are excited to combine what we have learned over the past two years to offer both online and in-person tutoring services to help students both on and off campus," says Valerie Bagley M.Ed., Student Support Coordinator at the Jensen SAS Center. "All of the services in SAS and advising are both virtual and in-person components which we hope will be sustainable beyond the pandemic response as we are eager to find new ways to reach our science and math students."

The James L. Jensen Student Access to Science and Mathematics (SAS) Center has been there to help CNSM students by providing essential tutoring and advising services since its inception in 1997. Named after Dr. Jensen, Dean of CNSM from 1993-1995, the Jensen SAS Center is supported by the college and gifts from friends and alumni.

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Back to the Lab

 

Dr. Ari Martinez, an ecology professor in the Biological Sciences Department, had a specific vision of how he would be setting up his newly established lab.

After securing sufficient start-up funding, Dr. Martinez would recruit grad students with the necessary field research experience who would develop more analytical skills. In turn, they would support undergraduate students as they developed field research skills for themselves—all of which would happen under his direction. The perfect ecosystem of an academic lab.

But that was before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. With it came the campus closure and suspension of travel and fieldwork.

For the Forest Fear Lab, creatively named in reference to the work Dr. Martinez leads studying alarm calls from different species of birds when predators are near, this was devastating. Their impending trip to the Amazon for new data collection was canceled. And there was no way to know when travel and fieldwork could resume.

The three graduate students that had already signed onto his lab luckily didn't lose too much ground. Their focus could shift exclusively to data analysis. "These graduate students already had plenty of experience in the field. Fortunately, it turned into a big positive because they were able to work with existing data and develop those necessary data analysis skills," Dr. Martinez said.

 

It was a different story for undergraduate students. "For most undergraduates, data analysis work is a bit premature for their level of academic development. It's too abstract. They need to be in the field collecting data and developing those skills first. Data analysis just wasn't helping with their academic growth," Dr. Martinez said.

As we start the Fall 2021 semester, Dr. Martinez is thrilled to be welcoming three undergraduate students back into the Forest Fear Lab. Now, his undergraduate students are able to understand what they're doing because being back in the field allows them to have tangible experiences.

 

For Dr. Martinez, welcoming students back to his lab has been very rewarding—for both the students and for him. "During the campus closure, connections with students felt fragmented or sporadic. Now that we're back together (for the most part), we are able to make these connections and everybody feels more confident in their position in the lab and the field," Dr. Martinez explained.

Moving forward, Dr. Martinez is committed to fully engaging students, impressed by their enthusiasm for research even through the campus closure. "I can't imagine what undergrads have gone through. It is so impressive that they are willing to do fieldwork given whatever situations they were dealing with at home. I'm thoroughly impressed by the resilience of these students."

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Scholarships Support Future Educators

 

Austin Ring is excited to be back on campus. So excited, in fact, that he isn't only on-campus Mondays through Fridays, but Saturdays as well.

The excitement of "back-to-school" is something Austin will be experiencing throughout his life— he is currently in the last year in the mathematics & statistics department, finishing a Mathematics Education bachelor's degree.

Coming back after the campus closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly special. For him, the time away was discouraging, "It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to the all the in-person relationships I was developing with the Navigators organization on-campus, and to the in-person relationship I was developing with my professors and classmates. It was really hard."

Austin was also struggling financially. When Austin found out he would be receiving the Loyd and Ginnie Wilcox Mathematics Teaching Preparation Scholarship, it felt like a blessing. "It came at literally the best time. I was at the bottom of my barrel. My finances were really low, and I didn't know how I was going to pay rent."

The Loyd and Ginnie Wilcox Mathematics Teaching Preparation Scholarship was established by Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox to support passionate students who aspire to become secondary education Mathematics teachers. Austin's goals lined up with this scholarship perfectly. He knew he wanted to be a math teacher after volunteering in a youth mentoring program with his church for three years. And he is very clear about the immense impact the scholarship and the Wilcox's have had on his life.

"I can't express in words how grateful I am. This support allows me to walk more with confidence. There are people out there in the world with the heart to give, and you don't really see that as much anymore. So, I'm very grateful."

Austin attributes his success foremost to his faith, and also to the professors in CNSM's Mathematics and Statistics Department and the Science Education Department. "My professors did a really great job at what they're called to do, and they were very nurturing. They taught us math—they gave us the history behind it, and they taught us how to really think about mathematics. And the mathematics education classes were also very helpful. They make sure you'll have a professional portfolio, and they focus on the common core. They did a really good job in preparing us that way."

After finishing up at CSULB, Austin will work with a collegiate ministries' organization at CSULB for two years before embarking on his teaching career. As he looks forward, Austin is proud of his time at the Beach, "As busy as school is, life is short and college goes by fast. It's really important to build community and find friendships that can last a lifetime."

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Thank You!

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