THE ODYSSEY
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS • CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
Volume 5
“FINGERPRINTING” CALIFORNIA WATER
Among all the outstanding academic
programs and research areas in the College
of Science and Mathematics at Fresno
State, none carries a more immediate
impact on the San Joaquin Valley’s
economic vitality and well-being other
than the study of the Valley’s water supply
in relation to the
environment.
Without a
sustainable
supply of
clean water for
agriculture,
municipalities,
and industry,
the San Joaquin
Valley’s economy
Student, Dr. John Suen
would not survive. The
latest trends of declining water quality
coupled with recent predictions of
changing climatic conditions in the future
make addressing these pressing water
issues more urgent than ever.
The College of Science and Mathematics
(CSM) is poised to take the technical
challenge in addressing a multitude of
water supply and water quality issues of
the San Joaquin Valley. Joining forces
with the College of Agricultural Science
and Technology, and the College of
Engineering, CSM has participated in
Fall 2006
establishing the California Water Institute
“Fingerprinting” California
at Fresno State, one of whose goals is to
Water
Watershed Monitoring
utilize advanced science and technology
Message from the Dean
to help solve water related problems in
New Faculty
the Valley and also in the entire state.
Retired Faculty
Professor John Suen from the CSM has
College Activities and
Events
taken the lead in water research and
Department Updates
project development by serving as the
Faculty Awards
Institute’s Chief Hydrologist.
Faculty Activities and
Suen set up a state-of-the-art stable
Research
isotope
analytical facility partly paid
Student Activities and
Awards
with a grant from the College. Using
Alumni Honored
isotopic techniques, he and his students
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are able to trace different origins of water
through the hydrologic cycle as well as
identify sources of water contamination,
such as dissolved nitrate. One example of
his highly recognized work is his groundbreaking study on the reliability of the
Sierra foothill’s water supply, which was
reported by the Fresno Bee in two news
articles (11-28-05; 7-18-06) — the first one
was also briefed by USA Today in their
Across the USA column (11-29-05); the
latter article was at the top of the front page
of the newspaper. Results of the study were
presented at the American Geophysical
Union conference, the largest earth science
conference in the world. The project was
the outgrowth of Suen’s community service
spirit combined with the encouragement
and support of Millerton Area Watershed
Coalition and the Sierra and Foothill
Citizens Alliance. It is a perfect example to
show how Fresno State serves the regional
community well.
Suen also collaborates with other
faculty members from colleges across
campus and continues to work closely
with government agencies, non-profits,
and local citizens’ group. “Studying water
is a multidisciplinary, multi-community
segment endeavor. We must be able to
work with a wide spectrum of society,”
Suen said. He is currently the lead scientist
for a critical study on salinity issues for
the State Water Board. Regarding water in
the foothills, his latest plan is to conduct
a thorough hydrologic characterization
study of fractured rocks using high-tech
equipment, such as ground penetrating
radar, three-dimensional tomography,
360-degree down-hole camera, and highspeed parallel computers. His partner for
this proposed state-of-the-art project is
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
a renowned federal government laboratory
operated by the University of California.
WATERSHED MONITORING AND HYDROLOGIC SIMULATIONS USING GIS
California State
University, Fresno faculty
and students are leading a
study to identify nutrient
sources impacting the
upper Fresno River and
Hensley Lake in Madera
County.
The reservoir has
a storage capacity of
90,000 acre-feet and a
water surface area of
about l.500 acres and
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
Office of the Dean
Science II, Room 301
2576 E. San Ramon, M/S ST 90
Fresno, CA 92740-8034
Office: 559.278.3936
Fax: 559.278.7139
www.csufresno.edu/csm
BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Department Office
559.278.2001
Science Building. Room 106
www.csufresno.edu/biology
was created for flood control,
irrigation, resource management
and recreation. In recent years,
excessive nutrient loading in the
watershed led to massive algae
blooms in the reservoir, causing
public concerns over continued
beneficial use of Fresno River
and Hensley Lake.
Supported by a grant from
the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency that is
being administered through the
CONTINUED,
WATERSHIED MONITORING
State Water Resources Control Board, the
research team seeks to identify nutrient
sources impacting the watershed and to
monitor water quantity and quality in the
Fresno River, its major tributaries, and
Hensley Lake.
Six sampling events at 24 sampling sites
were conducted during the 2003-04 water
year. Past and current land use patterns,
residential development, and the big storm
events were analyzed to determine the
sources of nutrient loading.
The field monitoring and hydrologic
modeling involved a combined use of
GIS, GPS and hydrologic simulation
programs. The simulations results were
calibrated using the
monitored data.
The results
indicated that:
1) The annual
contribution of
river water to
the lake was
significantly
decreased after
the year 2000 as a result of residential
development; 2) the dissolved oxygen in
the river was at critical (near minimum)
levels for potential beneficial uses (such
as swimming and aquatic life); 3) nutrient
concentrations in the river were always
lower than in the lake during the low flow
period, suggesting that the river water is
diluting the lake, with large amounts of
nutrients probably coming from big-storm
events in the watershed; and, 4) high
bacteria (total coliform and E. coli) numbers
prevailed in the middle and downstream
reaches of the river, documenting the
contribution of disease-causing bacteria
from the watershed.
These results are being used to
recommend restoration measures by land
managers (county, state, federal) and
property owners throughout the drainage
area. While this watershed, like many
others in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada
will never be restored to pristine conditions,
efforts such as water conservation, land
use and waste management, will hopefully
restore the water quality condition to
be above the critical levels designed for
recreation and other beneficial uses.
Information about Fresno State’s GIS
program is available at CSU Geospatial
Review: http://www.csufresno.edu/geology/
Faculty&Staff/Wang/Publicaton-CSUSpecial review2006.pdt
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
Department Office
559.278.2103
Science Building, Room 380
www.csufresno.edu/chemistry
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
Department Office
Peters Building, Room 381
www.csufresno.edu/math
Computer Science Department
Department Office
559.278.5709
Science II, Room 255
www.csufresno.edu/csci
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
Department Office
McLane Hall, Room 173
http://physics.csufresno.edu
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
Department Office
559.278.3086
Science II, Room 114
www.csufresno.edu/geology
PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Department Office
Science II, Room 312
http://psych.csufresno.edu
559.278.2992
559.278.2371
559.278.2691
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
Another year has elapsed, and as you can
see from the newsletter, our faculty, staff
and students have become increasingly
involved in campus, community and
academic life. The College of Science
and Mathematics held its “first-ever”
alumni reunion which was a wonderful
success. Alumni from around the globe
came together to reunite and reminisce of
their college experiences. Our departments
offered seminars, field days, and receptions
to honor outstanding alumni, emeriti, and
programs.
Our students have excelled in national
competitions and received top awards.
Many of them continue their academic
pursuits to some of our nation’s best
graduate and professional programs. We
will continue to do our part to ensure that
we create a better future by providing our
students with a strong education and the
foundation for lifelong learning.
As you can tell, the key ingredient to
our success is through our collaborative
research with our science partners, other
talents in the University, the business
community and throughout California. I
am delighted to report that the Central
Valley Science Center is becoming a
reality. This past year we added the
Downing Museum and the state-of-the-art
Science II building. We currently have
proposals to build the Science Partners
Building, a complex of buildings that will
bring partners from agencies together that
will work in collaboration with the College
on research issues. We will be adding
interactive “benches” to the Science II
landscape to enhance our student’s science
learning experience.
As we look to the future, the College
and the Central California Science Center
will be our primary focal point so we may
serve our community through science
education and collaborative research for
solving problems facing our region. With
Dr. Kin-Ping Wong
the high level of education and collaborative
ventures we are involved in, we will be able
to help Fresno and the Valley continue to
advance.
I would like to take this opportunity to say
farewell to our retiring faculty and staff and
thank them for their outstanding service and
dedication to the College. And, extend a
warm welcome to our new faculty and staff
who are joining our College family.
During the past 23 years of service I have
had the privilege to serve as Dean of the
College of Science and Mathematics and to
witness the fascinating changes the College
has undergone - from a teaching institution
to an institution engaged and excelling in
research and education on all fronts. The
research that our faculty and students are
involved in, and the collaboration with our
science partners enable us to help solve
many of the problems facing the Central
Valley. Providing students with research
opportunities allows us to provide the best
in science education for their academic
careers. With extensive support from
our students, partners from the state, and
private agencies, our faculty are carrying
out pioneering research in areas such
as biomedical physics, biotechnology,
forensic science, water and air quality, and
mental illness. The Central Valley is facing
tremendous problems with the quality of
air we breathe, the water we drink and a
shortage of well-trained doctors and health
professionals. The majority of our ongoing
research project’s focuses on problems that
we are facing as a community.
As a personal note, I am pleased to
tell you that I plan on retiring during
the summer of 2007, and offer to my
colleagues, friends, and mentors a sincere
“thank you” for all of the opportunities
that I have had during my tenure as Dean.
Although I will miss the challenges of
the College going into the future, it is
time for me to pursue my love of research
in the hopes of finding cures for cancer,
Alzheimer’s disease, blindness, and other
diseases that cause such pain and suffering
to our fellow humans.
The faculty, staff and students of the
College of Science and Mathematics look
forward to your continued support, guidance
and participation in educating our future
generation. Please feel free to contact my
office for a visit or to meet with our faculty
to explore ways that we can work together
to serve our students and find solutions to
our valley’s problems.
May you and your loved ones enjoy the
holiday season and have a very prosperous
New Year.
NEW FACULTY AND STAFF
The College of Science and Mathematics would like to welcome the following faculty and staff to our teaching family:
Biology:
Dr. Jason Bush, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, Canada; Expertise - Enhancing
drug sensitivity in melanoma cells through
proapoptotic pathways that subvert
chemoresistance mechanisms.
Dr. Ryan Earley, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Louisville; Expertise Integrative physiology, behavioral
neuroscience, and animal behavior
Chemistry
Dr. Melissa Golden, Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Texas A & M, College Station,
Texas; Expertise - Use of coordination and
organometallic chemistry to solve problems
related to biologically and industrially
relevant catalysts particularly those relating
to sulfer containing transition metal
complexes.
Dr. Kevin Miller, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, United Kingdom; Expertise Human identification, including
DNA typing from skeletonized remains of
highly degraded biological tissues.
Dr. Viswanathan Krishnan, Associate Professor
Ph.D in Physics, Indian Institute of Science:
Expertise - Physical Chemistry,
Biomolecular NMR, molecular biophysics
and computational studies.
Computer Science
Dr. Bo Hatfield, Associate Professor
Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University;
Expertise - Computer networks and
distributed systems; computer organization
and architecture; database systems.
Dr. Ming Li, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., The University of Texas, Dallas;
Focus - Quality of Service (QoS) in
Wireless Networks, Multimedia
Networking and Systems, Network and
Multimedia Security
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Dr. Bob Dundas, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley;
Expertise - Paleontology, faunal analysis,
paleoecology, biostratigraphy, mass
extinctions, and quaternary mammals.
Mathematics
Ms. Stacy Boyd, Staff
Physics
Ms. Lydia Duarte, Staff (part-time)
Dr .Charles Tenney, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill; Expertise - Medical XRay imaging and nuclear medicine imaging.
Mrs. Nancy Wright, Staff
Psychology
Dr. Amanda Adams, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Florida State University; Expertise Behavioral treatment for early childhood
autism; behavioral healthcare and change.
Dr. Jennifer Ivie, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Kansas; Expertise Quantitative methods, psychometric methods,
test building and evaluation, mathematical
reasoning, critical thinking and program
evaluation.
Dr. Amanda Mortimer, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Indiana University; Expertise Interface between clinical psychology and
neural science; anxiety disorders, memory
disorders, and learning
Dr. Sunde Nesbit, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Purdue University; Expertise Responses of driving angry individuals, and
validity of anger assessment tools.
RETIRED FACULTY AND STAFF
The College of Science and Mathematics would like to take this opportunity to extend our deepest “thank you” to the retiring faculty and
staff for their years of devotion to the mission of the college.
Biology
Dr. David Chesemore
Dr. Bert Tribbey
Mrs. Virgie Walmsley
Mr. John Stebbins
The Odyssey, Page Two
Chemistry
Dr. Stanley Ziegler
Dr. Ronald Marhenke
Dr. Howard Ono
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Dr. Art Barabas
Ms. Vengie Balli
Mathematics
Dr. Ron Wagoner
Psychology
Dr. Thomas Breen
COLLEGE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
BIOLOGY EMERITI RECEPTION
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN
RESEARCH (COR) HONORS
PROGRAM
The Biology Department held a reception
on February 10, 2006 to honor eight of
its faculty who were recently bestowed
with emeritus/emerita status, i.e. those
who had retired since 2001 including four
faculty members retiring in the 2005-06
academic year. Seventy-five Alumni,
current students, current and emeriti
faculty, staff and friends came from the far
reaches of the State to laud the academic
Dr. Joyce Weber, Dr. Karen Carey, Dr.
Dave Grubbs, Dr. Helen Gigliotti
Dr. Madhu Katti, Dr. David Chesemore, Dr. Ron
Evens, Dr. Dick Haas, Dr. Bill Collin, Dr. Dave
Grubbs, Dr. Fred Schreiber, Dr. Howard Latimer
accomplishments of: Lorraine Wiley (Plant
Physiologist), Fai Cheuk (Microbiologist),
William Collin (Virologist), David
Grubbs (Ecological Physiologist),
Stephen Ervin (Ornithologist), Vivian
Vidoli (Neurobiologist), Bert Tribbey
(Aquatic Ecologist) and David Chesemore
(Vertebrate Ecologist). Collectively they
had contributed 262 years of service as
university faculty; instructed well over
1000 formal classes; instructed nearly
40 semesters of special programs, such
as Man/Woman/Humans and the Natural
Environment, South Pacific Semester and
London Semester; contributed 44 years
of administrative service as a Department
Chair, Associate Dean, or Dean; chaired
the thesis committees of 106 Master’s
graduates, in addition to serving as
committee members for numerous others;
and secured well over $10 million in
external grant support for research activities
and student development.
Their commitment to maintaining quality
science education for their students and
to serving the university and the region
provide high benchmarks of achievement
for the current Biology Department faculty
to emulate.
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
FIRST-EVER ALUMNI RECEPTION
On April 21-23, 2006, the College of
Science and Mathematics held its “firstever” alumni reunion at the new Science
II Building Courtyard. Over two hundred
alumni joined in the weekend celebration
reuniting with former classmates and
professors, attending
dinners, receptions,
and participating in
field trips and tours.
Dr. Kin-Ping
Wong, Dean of the
College of Science
and Mathematics
Dr. Kin-Ping Wong
welcomed the
alumni to the
Dean’s Reception, and recognize longtime alumnus’ Mr. Jack Catich, 1939;
Mr. Frederick Trauger, 1949, Mr. John
Bedford, 1949;
and Mrs. Alice
Koligian, 1947.
The alumni
and guests
also had the
opportunity to
sing “happy birthday” to Mr. Frederick
Trauger who was celebrating his 90th
birthday.
Dr. Michael
Botwin raffled off
numerous door
prizes and Dr.
Kenneth Fugelsang,
head wine maker of
the California State
University, Fresno
Dr. Michael Botwin
Enology program,
provided a wine
tasting experience for all, and information
on Fresno State wines. Entertainment was
provided by the President’s Quintet.
On Saturday evening the festivities
continued with dinner at the Smittcamp
Alumni House and entertainment by the
President’s Quintet, the Fresno State Jazz
Club, the
Chinese Lion
Dancers, and
the Fresno
State Salsa
Dance Club.
As an
incentive
to involve all members of the faculty, a
friendly competition was held to see which
department within the College of Science
and Mathematics
would have the
most alumni in
attendance. The
Department of Earth
and Environmental
Science walked
away with the
award. Dr. Fraka
Dr. Karen Carey,
Harmsen accepted the Dr. Fraka Harmsen
award winning check
on behalf of the Department of Earth and
Environmental Sciences from Dr. Karen
Carey.
Six minority students participated in
the Career Opportunities in Research
(COR) Honors program, sponsored by
the National Institute of Mental Health.
These students completed intensive
research training and professional
development over the year. COR Honors
students attended the national Career
Opportunities in Research conference
in Atlanta, GA in November where they
presented their research and met with
recruiters from top doctoral programs.
All COR Honors students presented
their research at the Central California
Research Symposium and the Psychology
Research Symposium. COR student,
Marcel Garcia, who was mentored by
Lorin Lachs, was awarded the Outstanding
Research award at the Central California
Research Symposium. In addition, all
COR students received faculty sponsored
travel grants to present their research at
regional and national conferences. Two
COR Honors scholars were selected to
be student delegates at the CSU Channel
Islands Undergraduate Competition in
May 2006. COR student Marcel Garcia
won second place in this statewide
research competition. In addition,
students were required to participate
in summer research internships. COR
Honors students completed internships at:
University of Maryland in Neuroscience;
University of Oregon (specialty in atrisk Latino youth), Duke University
(specialty in adolescent mental health).
This summer COR Honors scholars will
be participating in research internships at
the University of California, San Francisco
in Neuroscience, and Oklahoma State
University in Organizational Psychology.
All three graduating COR Honors seniors
were accepted into graduate school. In
addition, Marcel Garcia received a RISE
scholarship.
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND
MATHEMATICS HOSTS CALIFORNIA
STATE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE AND
MATHEMATICS DEANS ANNUAL
MEETING
The College of Science and Mathematics
had the pleasure of hosting the Science
Deans Annual Meeting at Tenaya Lodge on
October 27. Science Dean’s from the 23
campuses of the California State University
system attended the meeting to discuss
issues and solve problems related to the
area of science and mathematics.
Five retiring science deans were honored
during the dinner on Friday evening:
Dr. Marion O’Leary, CSU, Sacramento;
Dr. Vida Kenk, San Jose State; Dr. Kolf
Jayaweera, CSU Fullerton; Dr. June
Boffman, CSU Stanislaus; Dr. Edward
Carroll, CSU, Northridge; and, Dr. Thomas
Meyer, CSU Bakersfield. The event ended
with a field trip to Yosemite National
Park on Saturday with Dr. Keith Putirka
(Professor of Earth and Environmental
Sciences) as guide.
The Odyssey, Page Three
COLLEGE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS, CONTINUED
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND
MATHEMATICS HOSTS TOP-DOG
RECEPTION
Top Dog festivities on October 13
began with the College of Science and
Mathematics hosting a reception to honor
Mr. Herb Depp a graduate of the Earth
and Environmental Science Department,
PSYCHOLOGY EMERITI RECEPTION
The Department hosted a reception for
emeriti on April 21 in conjunction with
the College of Science and Math’s Alumni
Celebration. Seven emeriti and their
guests attended: Alan Button, Samuel
Franklin, Harrison Madden, Merry West,
James Smith, Frank Powell, and Raul
Bettencourt. Fifteen faculty and the Dean
and Associate Dean of Science and Math
attended the emeriti reception.
Mathematics of Presidental Elections:
Sorting Through the Red/Blue Divide,”
presented by Dr. Peter Tannenbaum;
“Forensic Science: Using Science to Solve
Crimes,” presented by Dr. Eric Person; and,
a Downing Planetarium Show presented by
Dr. Steven White. Free books were available
to the teachers along with raffle prizes and
five $400 Classroom Improvement Awards
(CIA).
Winners of the CIA awards are featured
below:
RISE SYMPOSIUM
Mrs. Herb Depp, Dr. Kin-Ping Wong,
Dr. Fraka Harmsen, Mr. Herb Depp,
Dr. Bruce Blackerby
formerly the Geology Department.
Mr. Depp, Vice President of Boeing
Programs for General Electric’s
Aircraft engines in Seattle received the
Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Top
Dog ceremonies during the evening event.
During the reception, each Department
Chair within the CSM provided a brief
overview of their department’s activities
and accomplishments. The event ended
with a tour of the Department of Justice
Crime Lab.
The 1st Annual RISE Symposium took
place October 6th, 2006. It consisted of
posters from all 8 of our second-year RISE
students, based on their research either at
Fresno State or at their summer research
experience institutions. Over 100 people
took part in the symposium. Refreshments
and poster boards were generously supplied
by the Dean of the College of Science &
Mathematics.
These 8 students are all currently applying
for PhD programs in their fields of interest
at top-notch institutions. We are very proud
of all our RISE students, they are the best
that Fresno State has to offer!
The MBRS-RISE program is sponsored
LIFE HISTORIES AND FISHERY
by the National Institutes of Health. Its
main mission is to identify high-performing
ECOLOGY OF SHARKS, RAYS,
students from minority-serving institutions
DEEP-SEA FISHES AND CORALS
in order to pipeline them into PhD programs
On September 28, the Biology
in biomedical and behavioral sciences. We
provide research experiences, conference
Department’s graduate program in
travel, a weekly Pathways to Success class,
Marine Science hosted a seminar on
seminars by world-class scientists, a GRE
“Life Histories and Fishery Ecology
prep class, and many other benefits to our
of Sharks, Rays, Deep-sea Fishes and
students.
Corals” presented by
Currently the RISE program, ran by
Dr. Greg Cailliet of the
Drs. Alejandro Calderon-Urrea, Alice
Moss Landing Marine
Wright, Saeed Attar, and Jim Prince, have
Laboratories. Dr. Cailliet’s 12 students pursuing degrees in biology,
research and interests
chemistry, psychology, and economics.
are in ecology and life
For more information, contact our
history of both bony fishes administrative assistant, Tracy Klippert, at
tklippert@csufresno.edu, or 559.278.8148.
and chondrichthyans,
especially those in the
SCIENCE AND MATHEMATIC
deep sea.
California State
TEACHERS APPRECIATION EVENT
University, Fresno is
On Thursday, October 26 the College of
part of a seven-campus
Science and Mathematics hosted a “Science
Dr. Greg Caillet
consortium that operates
and Mathematic Teachers Appreciation
and administers Moss
Day” to say “thank you” to science and
Landing Marine Laboratories, located
mathematic teachers throughout our fivecounty area.
in Moss Landing, CA., overlooking the
The event
Monterey Bay. Through this consortium
began with a
Fresno State offers an undergraduate
reception in
degree option and graduate degree in
the Downing
marine science in conjunction with
Planetarium
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Dr.
for teachers
Larry Riley is the graduate advisor for
to reunite
the Marine Science program: lriley@
with other teachers and professors from the
csufresno.edu
College of Science and Mathematics.
Four seminars were offered during
the
event: “The Fate of Chemical
MATH DEPARTMENT HOSTS
Demonstrations in a post 9/11 World,”
ANNUAL MATHEMATICS FIELD DAY presented by Dr. David Frank; “The
The Mathematics Department’s Annual
Mathematics Field Day was held on
Saturday April 22 during Vintage Days.
This year, the first time that middle school
students were included, resulted in 410
students participating.
The Odyssey, Page Four
L to R: Steve Reynolds, Porterville High School;
Pauline Phillips, Kingsburg High School;
Reggie McLean, Kastner Intermediate School;
Bruce Dawson, Kings Canyon Middle School;
and, Michael Mirigian, Clovis West High School
THE DOWNING PANETARIUM
OFFERED SAFE VIEWING OF THE
RARE
MERCURY “TRANSIT” ACROSS
THE SUN
The Downing Planetarium at California
State University, Fresno and the Central
Valley Astronomers Club offered safe
viewing of the planet Mercury when
it passed across the face of the sun on
November 8.
The rare transit began at 11:12 a.m.
and ended at 4:10 p.m. The deepest
transit occurred at 1:41 p.m. The Central
Valley Astronomers, Fresno’s amateur
astronomy club set up safe solar observing
instruments from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Dr. Frederick A. Ringwald, Associate
Professor of physics at Fresno State and
director of the Campus observatory,
reminded observers not to look directly at
the sun when Mercury passed by it, but to
use safe solar observing instruments like
those that were in place at the planetarium
on Wednesday.
“One can easily harm one’s eyes if
one observes the transit improperly,”
Ringwald said. “All there will be to
see will be a little black dot on the sun,
as Mercury passes in front of it. All
solar observing must be done through
telescopes equipped with safety-certified
solar filters placed securely over the
front of the telescope’s tube. Even then,
these filters must be checked carefully
for scratches or holes in their coatings
every time they are used.” He noted
that inexpensive digital web cams and
TV cameras, which can project a filtered
image of the sun on the screen of a laptop
computer or TV monitor, now provide
safer observation.
Transits of Mercury occur on average
about 13 times per century, in either May
or November. The most recent one was
in 2003, although it wasn’t visible from
Fresno, Ringwald said. The last Fresno
view was November 15, 1999. The next
transit of mercury will be May 9, 2016.
Dr. Ringwald is a nationally renowned
physics expert whose projects include use
of the prestigious NASA Hubble Space
Telescope and the University’s Campus
Observatory to study exotic magnetic
stars.
BIOLOGY
CHEMISTRY
Chemistry continued to provide an
excellent educational program for students
and for the community at large. Selfstudies of the B.A. in Chemistry, B.S.
in Chemistry and M.S. in Chemistry
programs were completed as was the
external review. The review process will
continue in the fall with reviews by the
campus Undergraduate and Graduate
committees and the development of action
plans. The Department also continues to
move ahead in offering the Master of
Science in Forensic Science which has
now been submitted to the Chancellor’s
Office for final approval. This program
will be led by Dr. Eric Person and by the
new faculty member, Dr. Kevin Miller. It
is anticipated that the first class of students
will be accepted for the fall of 2007.
Computer Science relocated to the
College of Science and Mathematics and
moved to the Science II building in August
2005. The physical move was somewhat
difficult; however, the problem was resolved
about mid-way through the fall semester.
The cultural differences between the two
Colleges have required the faculty become
familiar with different procedures, different
opportunities, and different personnel.
Overall the move has been a good one for
the Department. The Department also
conducted two searches for new faculty.
The Department had not conducted a
search in nine years and needed to clarify
the future direction of the Department. At
least two new faculty members will join the
Department in the fall and a potential new
software engineering faculty member will
join the Department in the Fall 2007.
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCES
Earth and Environmental Science
continued to expend a $13,000 grant
for recruitment of new majors into the
environmental science and geology degree
programs. Faculty morale has continued
to improve with teamwork as a key
component. The move to Science II has
provided the department with opportunities
to create displays that are both educational
and appealing to the general public and
K-12 students including the 30’ mural
of the San Joaquin Valley approximately
70 million years ago, the depiction of
the history of the universe and earth in
a stairwell; a display of life size sabertooth cat from the LaBrea Tart Pit; and
interactive display of earthquake, tsunami,
and volcanic events; and a number of
hands-on activities such as feeling the
weight of a meteorite. The revision of the
B.S. in Geology was completely revised in
the fall 2005. Parallel to the joint degree
program with the University of California
at Riverside (UCR), the Department
faculty developed a B.S. degree program
in Environmental Science to be offered
entirely at Fresno State without any
residence requirement at UCR. This
program was approved by the Academic
Senate in spring 2006. The Department
successfully hosted the fifth Environmental
Science Seminar Series during the spring
semester of 2006. The number of research
grants and contracts continues to increase.
In the past year, the faculty has submitted
funding proposals and pre-proposals with
budgets totaling over $3,616,760. The
alumni reunion was highly successful
for the Department and resulted in many
rewarding contacts and resources. The
Department was awarded $20,000 from
the College for the highest percentage of
alumni attending the event.
MATHEMATICS
The Mathematics Department’s Annual
Mathematics Field Day was held on
Saturday April 22 during Vintage Days.
This year, the first time that middle school
students were included, resulted in 410
students participating. The Interdisciplinary
Mathematics Colloquia brought to campus
several well-known and gifted mathematical
speakers. In December, several Math
majors took the William Lowell Putnam
mathematics competition exam, an
extremely difficult test with the median
score nationwide being zero. Two students
from the Department did quite well. Math
held their Second Annual Convocation this
spring. Approximately 300 participants
(students, family, faculty and staff) were in
attendance.
PHYSICS
Physics faculty continue to receive
external funding from NSF, NIMH,
NASA, National Research Council,
Fulbright Foundation, and other agencies;
current totals are over $800,000. For
such a small department, this is an
outstanding achievement. The total
number of attendants to the Downing
Planetarium since the opening of the
facility exceeded 170,000 this year.
Last year alone over 2,000 visitors per
month visited the Planetarium. The
Biomedical Physics Special Major has
been extremely successful and a new
faculty member, Dr. Charles Tenney will
complement the program. Important
collaborations with the Veterans
Administration Central California
Health Care System, St. Agnes Medical
Center, the Environmental Protection
Agency, and the California Department
of Health have been established. In
collaboration with EPA and the California
Department of Heath, California State
University Fresno will become part of a
national network (RadNet) of radiation
monitors. Construction of the off-campus
observatory continues with anticipated
completion in the spring 2007.
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology’s major accomplishment
was hiring four new tenure-track
faculty in the areas of clinical
psychology, applied behavior analysis,
and quantitative psychology. The
Department hosted a social psychology
conference in March, Career Journeys
in Social Psychology featuring eight
internationally recognized researchers.
The School Psychology Program
received full accreditation status from
the National Association of School
Psychologists and the Commission on
Teacher Credentialing. Nine students
completed the Honors Program and
presented their research at the Central
California Research Symposium. Six
minority students participated in the
Career Opportunities in Research
Honors Program sponsored by the
National Institute of Mental Health. The
Department held their annual Research
Symposium in May and approximately
75 students, faculty, and guests attended.
The Department received approval from
Dr. Welty for the Applied Behavior
Analysis option graduate program, and
the Interdisciplinary Cognitive Science
major is moving ahead. Graduates from
the Department of Psychology have been
admitted to major graduate programs,
including the University of California,
the University of Iowa, the University
of Kansas, Ohio State University,
and Alliant University, in addition to
California State University, Fresno.
DEPARTMENT UPDATES
Biology has successfully met or exceeded
its 600 FTES target each semester and
maintained its curriculum to support
timely progress to degree in four options
within its B.S. degree (Ecology &
Evolutionary Biology; Molecular, Cellular
& Developmental Biology; Organismal
& General Biology; and Physiology &
Anatomy) for approximately 600 identified
majors. The graduate program remains
strong with about 65 active students
pursuing the M.S. degree. Current
external grant support to departmental
faculty funding scholarly activities
during the 2005-2006 academic year was
approximately $2 million, above the $1.5
million average/year for the preceding
four years. The Department successfully
initiated the NIH-sponsored MBRS-RISE
program to support students interested
in biomedical and behavioral research
careers, and the successful renewal of the
MBRS-SCORE program to support faculty
engaged in biomedical and behavioral
research. The department continues to
be successful in advancing students into
professional schools, medical, dental and
pharmacy, at the rate of 3-8 per year in
each profession. In addition, about 3-5
students on average enter Ph.D. programs
each year, from both the undergraduate
and graduate programs. The individual
departmental faculty members have
assumed larger advising roles for student
majors and pre-professional students and
continue to support special mentoring
programs for minority students, e.g.
Faculty Mentoring program, McNair
Program and Louis Stokes Alliance for
Minorities Program. In addition the
faculty plays an active role in career
advising. The faculty has maintained
productive research programs, continued
service and a strong commitment to
quality teaching despite the increased
workload demands. The Department
completed the Program Review and
Self-Study and Review Team Site Visit.
Two new tenure track faculty were hired
within the department from four formal
searches. The Department also initiated
a new graduate degree, the Professional
Science Master’s (PSM) degree in
biotechnology. Finally, the department
developed extensive documentation for the
department’s safety program.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
The Odyssey, Page Five
FACULTY AWARDS
FORENSIC SCIENCE PROGRAM
DIRECTOR ERIC PERSON
RECOGNIZED BY NATIONAL ACADEMY
Dr. Eric Person, an assistant professor
of chemistry and director of the Forensic
Science Program at California State
University, Fresno, has received an award
from the American Academy of Forensic
Sciences.
As an expert in the investigation of
illicit drug labs, Person was recognized
aspects of addictive behaviors and
contextual reasoning. Their focus is on
both the cognitive psychology of these
areas and on the cognitive neuroscience
underlying the relevant behaviors.
An oft-honored professor and mentor,
Sharps is the author of numerous
publications on visual cognition and
related topics. He has consulted on
issues of eyewitness identification in
more than 150 criminal cases.
MBA AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Dr. Eric Person
for his excellent video presentation on
a new method being used for the illegal
production of methamphetamine. The
award is given by the national association
for regional work. The northwest region
selected Person for the award as the best
presentation at its regional meeting.
Person joined the Fresno State faculty
in June 2005. Previously he worked as
a forensic scientist with the Washington
State Patrol Crime Laboratory Division
from 2001-05. His research interests
are clandestine laboratory investigations
and the diversion of pharmaceuticals,
and enhancement of forensic chemistry
education resources.
PROVOST’S AWARD FOR
DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN
RESEARCH
In the blink of an eye, a gunman
emerges and witnesses agree that he
is about to shoot a woman. Is this a
homicide in progress? What seems like
an obvious “yes” quickly changes to
“no” in psychologist
Matthew J. Sharps’
research lab at Fresno
State. The reason?
When the staged
scene is replayed
slowly on tape for
research subjects,
the suspect clearly
is holding a cordless
Dr. Matthew Sharps
drill, not a gun. Sharps,
winner of the 2005 Provost’s Award
for Distinguished Achievement in
Research, conducts research on
eyewitness identification of people and
of weapons, and on how crime scenes
are remembered and interpreted. These
findings may prove to be critically
important in improving the training
of police officers, Homeland Security
personnel, security guards and others.
Aided by sophisticated neuroscience
apparatus and capabilities in the new
Science II building, Sharps and his
students conduct research in cognitive
The Odyssey, Page Six
Dr. Lynnette Zelezny, Professor and Chair
of the Department of Psychology, received
the MBA
Award of Excellence from
the Fresno
Merchant’s
Association.
This award is
presented to
MBA scholars
of distinction that were
nominated
by faculty in
Craig School
Dr. Lynnette Zelezny
of Business for
the Graduate Dean’s Medal in Business.
2006 PROVOST’S AWARD FOR
GRADUATE TEACHING AND
MENTORING
Dr. Alejandro Calderón-Urrea received the
Provost’s Graduate Teaching and mentoring
Award for 2006. Dr. Calderón-Urrea is
an associate professor of biology who is
strongly committed to mentoring students
and was the principle investigator for a
grant that helps train minority students for
biomedical study and employment.
Students, Dr. Alice Wright
allowed her to study the effect of vine
root aeration on table grape productivity.
Wright says the research will help scientists
and farmers understand what happens to
bacteria and what the microbes are doing
to the chemicals, which may eventually
help them make decisions regarding what
kinds of chemicals to use. Results also may
lead to innovations in bioremediation and
the genetic engineering of microorganisms
to degrade persistent pollutants. Highly
regarded in the classroom as well as the
laboratory, Wright received the 2005
Provost’s Award for Graduate Teaching and
Mentoring.
2005 CLAUDE LAVAL, JR. AWARD
Dr. Alejandro Calderón-Urrea is a hightech scientist, who uses a sophisticated
four-dimensional microscope and
advanced computer software in a
laboratory. And instead of studying
microchips, biologist Calderón-Urrea
is focused on designing new methods
to protect plants by understanding the
process of programmed cell death in
plants. He can use this knowledge to
help farmers protect their plants against
parasitic nematodes, which are tiny,
thread-like worms that attack root systems.
Calderón-Urrea says the management
PROMISING NEW FACUTLY AWARD
Dr. Alam Hasson, an assistant professor
of chemistry, has mentored economically
disadvantaged high school and university
students in the McNair Program. He is an
expert in atmospheric chemistry who has
established an internatinally recongized
research program at the university and
organized Air Quality Action Day to draw
attention to the Valley’s air pollution issues.
2005 PROVOST’S AWARD FOR
GRADUATE TEACHING AND
MENTORING
From the time she was in junior high,
biologist Alice Wright knew she was headed
for a science career. She loved “exploring
things” through laboratory experiments, so
she set her sights on research. Today, this
research revolves around microbiology
and agro-chemicals. She is investigating
how agricultural practices such as chemical
applications and irrigation methods affect
microbiological communities and individual
microbes that live in the soil and how
microbes affect the chemicals applied to
the soil. With funding from the Agricultural
Research Initiative and California
Agricultural Technology Institute, she is
studying genetic diversity of pesticide
degradation of agricultural soils. In
addition, a major award from the California
Department of Food and Agriculture has
Dr. Alejandro Calderón-Urrea
of nematode pests is a major problem
facing agricultural production in the San
Joaquin Valley and other agricultural
centers worldwide. Nematodes cause an
estimated $10 billion a year loss to U.S.
agriculture and nearly $100 billion in
losses worldwide. With a four-dimensional
microscope,
Calderón-Urrea and his research
team can take pictures over the 14-day
development of a nematode. Later,
these photos are used to create a fourdimensional image. “You can see it
happening in front of your eyes,” says
Calderón-Urrea. “It’s really cool.”
Awarded the Claude Laval, Jr. Award
in 2005 for his project, Calderón-Urrea
works with 10 graduate and undergraduate
students on the research, which he
estimates will take five to10 years to
complete if all goes well.
FACULTY ACTIVITIES AND RESEARCH
APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS AT
FRESNO STATE
ABA Training
Our Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
training includes an undergraduate
track and a Master of Arts Option in
the Department of Psychology. Both
meet the academic content required for
certification by the national governing
body for behavior analysts, the Behavior
Analyst Certification Board (BACB).
Upon graduation, students are eligible
to sit for certification examinations.
People with this certification can become
vendors with the state-funded centers for
the developmentally disabled or work in
schools, homes, group homes, or business
environments. Behavior analysts design
and implement behavior change programs
by focusing on, and rearranging, the
outcomes of both appropriate and problem
behavior. Our training gives students
coursework in theoretical foundations,
basic research, and applications for
behavior analysis. Undergraduate classes
can be applied to both the psychology
major and to the ABA track. For more
information on the undergraduate track,
contact Criss Wilhite: crissw@csufresno.
edu. For information on the graduate
option, contact Dr. Jennifer Austin:
jaustin@csufresno.edu.
Introducing ART-C: Autism
Research and Treatment
Center
With the support
of the Department
of Psychology
and the College
of Science and
Mathematics, Dr.
Amanda Adams,
the newest faculty
addition to the
ABA Program,
has developed the
DR. AMANDA ADAMS
Autism Research
and Treatment Center (ART-C) on campus.
The Center will employ research from
ABA to deliver treatment for children
with autism. ABA
is the treatment
intervention
recommended by
the U.S. Surgeon
General for children
with autism. ART-C
will initially provide
intensive early
student Cassie
intervention services Graduate
Muratore and Jackie
to a few young
children ages two to four. The facility
is housed in the Science Two complex.
For more information regarding ART-C,
contact Dr. Amanda Adams: aadams@
csufresno.edu
Positive Parenting
For the past four years, the ABA
program has contracted with the
Central Valley Regional Center for the
Developmentally Disabled (CVRC) to
provide Positive Parenting Classes. Each
semester, parents of children with autism
and other disabilities enroll in a nine-week
course and are taught to identify skills
their children can learn, how to teach those
skills and how to respond to their children
in ways that minimize problem behavior.
Classes are taught in both English and
Spanish. Dr. Adams, Criss Wilhite,
ABA graduate students and behavior
analysts in the community are currently
developing a model to extend this training
to professionals and paraprofessionals
who deliver ABA services. Courses will
be offered through the Department of
Graduate student Rocio Carbajal,
Jonathan
Psychology and through The Division
of Continuing and Global Education.
The population targeted for this training
includes community care home managers,
QMRPs, community care home and nursing
home workers and educational aides. For
additional information, please contact Criss
Wilhite: crissw@csufresno.edu.
BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES IN
IRRIGATED SOILS
A. MOHAN, V. GUTIÉRREZOSBORNE (GRADUATE STUDENT), J.
BAKER (UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT),
A. D. WRIGHT, PROFESSOR
Aerating irrigation water increases crop
production and our goal was to examine
how this practice influences the soil
bacterial communities. We hypothesize
that the process will increase bacterial
populations that are compatible with
enhanced crop production. Crops were
irrigated by pumping water through drip
tape which is buried eighteen inches
below the soil surface. Six control
sites were irrigated without aeration
and six experimental sites were aerated
with venturi-type injectors. Control
and experimental samples were grown
in separate parts of the same field. The
soil type, level of irrigation, agricultural
treatments (including fertilization and
pesticide treatments) were identical. Soil
samples were collected over six months
from 12 sites arranged in a grid pattern.
Total DNA was extracted from
the each of the soil samples and the
concentration of DNA was determined
spectrophotometrically. We found that the
aerated soils showed a significant increase
in DNA concentration.
To determine if the change represented
a change in the community structure, we
amplified the DNA fragment in bacteria that
codes for the small subunit of ribosomal
RNA in the soil samples. We sequenced 80
clones from the control soils and 68 clones
from the aerated experimental soils. This
limited sampling provided clues as to how
different the two populations were but
did not define the bacterial communities.
We found significant differences in the
sequences from the two soil communities.
Microbial identities of 32% of the strains
sequenced in the aeration and the control
was very similar or identical. Identities
of 68% of the organisms were unique
to each treatment. These differences in
community structure were confirmed by TRFLP analysis of the amplified ssu rRNA
fragment from the extracted DNA. This
suggests that the process of aeration alters
bacterial populations in soil and that a
specific community of microbes that are
compatible with enhanced crop production
are stimulated.
Also, just last month at SACNAS
(Society for the Advancement of Chicanos
and Native Americans in Science) annual
meeting in Tampa Florida, Tony Toribio
(undergraduate student) a poster and won
an award for it! This poster may be seen
outside of Room 226 in Science I. Art
Johnson a graduate student in the lab was
also an author.
CAREER JOURNEYS IN SOCIAL
PSYCHOLOGY
LOOKING BACK TO INSPIRE THE
FUTURE
Professors Robert Levine, Aroldo
Rodrigues and Lynnette Zelezny of the
Psychology department are completing
an edited book, to be published by
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, in August,
2007. The book will be comprised
of first-person accounts of the career
journeys of some of the most important
social psychologists of the last two
generations. Each of the authors describe
their personal career journeys, focusing
on the main people and events that
influenced their paths, the major turning
points, the main decisions, and how the
Back: Dr. Robert Levine, Dr. Aroldo
Rodrigues, Front: Dr. Lynnette Zelezney
lessons they learned along the way can
help future social psychologists. The
book grew out of two remarkable events,
the Yosemite Conferences of 1997 and
2006. In the first of these conferences,
the Department of Psychology
brought together nine legendary social
psychologists to reflect upon the history
of the field which they themselves
were so responsible for creating. The
conference participants were Elliot
Aronson, Leonard Berkowitz, Morton
Deutsch, Harold Gerard, Harold Kelley,
Albert Pepitone, Bertram Raven, Robert
Zajonc and Phillip Zimbardo. Each of
these participants contributed chapters
to a subsequent book, Reflections on
One Hundred Years of Experimental
Social Psychology (Rodrigues & Levine,
1999). This new book emerged directly
out of the second Yosemite Conference
in the Spring of 2006. On this occasion
participants were asked to focus on the
course of their own careers. The invited
scholars were Robert Cialdini, Edward
Diener, Alice Eagly, Aroldo Rodrigues,
Robert Rosenthal, Shelley Taylor, Harry
Triandis, and Bernard Weiner.
Each of the eight presenters at Yosemite
II contributed chapters to this book.
Also in the book are chapters from six
of the presenters at Yosemite I: Morton
Deutsch, Harold Gerard, Harold Kelley,
Albert Pepitone, Bertram Raven and
Philip Zimbardo. The book will serve as
an important document of how successful
social psychologists have dealt with the
challenges, the opportunities, and the
setbacks in several decades of work in
social psychology. It will also constitute
an inspiring source for students of
psychology who may learn from the rich
experiences of social psychologists who
have become leaders in the field.
The Odyssey, Page Seven
FACULTY ACTIVITIES AND RESEARCH, CONTINUED
DEATH TO PESTS
Biologist Calderón-Urrea is focused on
designing new methods to protect plants by
understanding the process of programmed
cell death in plants. He can use this
knowledge to help farmers protect their
plants against parasitic nematodes, which
are tiny, thread-like worms that attack root
systems.
Calderón-Urrea says the management
of nematode pests is a major
problem facing agricultural
production in the San Joaquin
Valley and other agricultural
centers worldwide. Nematodes
cause an estimated $10 billion
a year loss to U.S. agriculture
and nearly $100 billion in losses
worldwide.
With a four-dimensional
microscope, Calderón-Urrea
and his research team can
take pictures over the 14-day
development of a nematode.
Later, these photos are used to
create a four dimensional image.
Dr. Alejandro Calderón-Urrea
“You can see it happening in front of your
eye,” says Calderón-Urrea. He works with
ten graduate and undergraduate students
on the research, which he estimates will
take five to ten years to complete if all goes
well.
ECONOMIC COSTS OF CRIME AND
OF ADDICITIVE BEHAVIORS
The human and economic costs of
crime and of addictive behaviors are everincreasing problems in California and
around the world. Much of the scientific
focus on these issues has addressed the
biology and the sociology of crime,
with surprisingly little current scientific
attention to the thinking and memory
processes involved in such at-risk areas as
eyewitness identification, police training
for high-risk environments, memory and
decision-making in crime situations,
and the decision processes that lead to
and maintain the processes of addiction.
Professor Matthew J. Sharps and his
students, working in the Department of
Psychology Laboratory in Cognitive
Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience,
are in the process of addressing these
crucial issues, using state-of-the-art
equipment for the systematic simulation
of forensically relevant stimuli and for the
precise recording of both psychological
and physiological responses in context.
This work has led to a number of published
articles and presentations, including some
of the first research ever published on
eyewitness identification of forensically
important objects such as vehicles,
weapons, and explosive devices in context.
This research has further resulted in what
is probably the first neuropsychologically
sound cognitive characterization of the
decision process involved in the initiation
and maintenance of addictive behaviors.
Sharps’ paper with recent CSUF graduate
and current doctoral candidate Adam
B. Hess, Memory and interpretation of
complex crime scenes, was honored as
Best Research Paper presented to the
annual conference of the Society for Police
and Criminal Psychology in 2005, and
Hess and current CSUF student Marcel
Garcia, with co-authors Sharps and Kristin
Wagner, won this year’s Best Student
Paper Award of the Society for Police and
Criminal Psychology in 2006 for the paper
“Eyewitness Identification and Visual
Allocation in Crime Scene Evaluation.”
Working closely with the community,
The Odyssey, Page Eight
with colleagues in drug treatment and
prevention services, and with colleagues in
the Fresno Police Department, Sharps and
his students in the College of Science and
Mathematics, Department of Psychology
continue to address the cognitive and
neuropsychological bases of crime,
addictive behaviors, and methods by which
these problems can be more safely and
effectively reduced.
The Fulbright Program was established
in 1946 under legislation introduced by
Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The
Fulbright provides an opportunity for future
leaders and professionals to observe and
better comprehend the institutions, cultures
and societies of other countries and peoples.
The program is sponsored by the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the
United States Department of State.
FRESNO STATE SCIENTISTS PART OF
$12.5 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT TO
STUDY ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
AND GLOBAL WARMING
GEOLOGISTS HELP POLICE WITH
MURDER INVESTIGATION
Dr. Fraka Harmsen (Department of Earth
and Environmental Sciences) and Dr. Alam
Hasson (Department of Chemistry) are
part of a team of scientists and engineers
from eight institutions who have received
a $12.5 million grant from the National
Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) to fund an Interdisciplinary
Scientific Environmental Technology
(ISET) Cooperative Research and Education
Center.
The ISET Center will cooperate
with NOAA’s Earth Science Research
Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado and is
aligned with NOAA’s mission to provide
the data needed to address specific climate
and weather related concerns, such as
hurricanes, droughts, tornadoes, global
warming, and ecosystem degradation. The
ISET Center will provide opportunities
for underrepresented students to study in
NOAA related sciences.
The Center will perform research in
areas including: sensor science and sensor
technology for oceanic and atmospheric
applications; analysis of global observing
systems that includes numerical and
physical research and analysis of hurricanes;
and information technology tools for
data fusion, data mining, and geospatial
modeling and analysis.
Drs. Harmsen and Hasson will soon begin
recruiting undergraduate and Masters level
students to work on research projects related
to atmospheric pollution in the San Joaquin
valley. Financial support will be available.
FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR GRANT
Dr. Steve Blumenshine (Biology) received
a Fulbright Scholar Grant and will spend
six months in Thailand, starting in July,
to conduct research on the sources and
consequences of impaired water quality
in the Gulf of Thailand and its major
tributaries. He will conduct statistical
analysis of water quality patterns, which
will help identify where and when
water quality is particularly sensitive to
impairment for municipal and recreational
use.
The work will be in collaboration with
Middle: Dr. Steve Blumshine
research faculty of the Aquatic Resources
Research Institute at Chulalongkorn
University in Bangkok.
The Department of Earth and
Environmental Sciences has completed
a forensic investigation of samples of
soil recovered from a van abandoned
in southwest Fresno and suspected to
have been involved in the disappearance
and murder of a Hanford woman. The
mineralogy of the soils may link the van to
a location at the crime scene.
Dr. John Wakabayashi examined the
Dr. John Wakabayashi
texture and composition of the soil
material under the microscope. Dr. Keith
Putirka further analyzed the soil material
using X-ray Diffraction (XRD). XRD is
one of the most powerful tools available
for identification of crystalline materials
and is commonly used to identify the
mineral components of a soil. XRD can
be used as a tool for identification and
comparison of certain kinds of trace
evidence, which is a general term for any
small piece of physical evidence that links
a suspect to a crime scene.
Forensic geology studies vary in scope.
The use of geologic materials is becoming
commonplace in criminal and civil cases.
A common type of investigation involves
identifying a material that is key to a case
- for example, examining pigments in a
painted picture or material in a sculpture
when authenticity or value is at issue.
Identification is also important in questions
of mining, mineral or gem fraud to
determine if the material is what its sellers
claim it to be. And, identification of fireresistant safe insulation on a person or
individual’s property may provide probable
cause for further investigation.
Dr. Fraka
Harmsen,
Chair of the
Department
of Earth and
Environmental
Sciences, added
that “Another
new developing
area of forensic
geology is its use
in intelligence
work. For
example,
Dr. Fraka Harmsen
in 2001 a
geologist was able to identify the rock
outcrop and location where Osama
bin Laden had just been filmed in
Afghanistan.”
FACUTLY ACTIVITIES AND RESEARCH, CONTINUED
GRAVATIONAL PHYSICS
Dr. Douglas Singleton’s research area is
theoretical particle physics, gravitational
physics and quantum field theory. In the
past three years Dr. Singleton’s research
focus has been
in the area of
gravitational
physics.
He has
collaborated
with Dr. Merab
Gogberashvili
on higher
dimensional
gravity
Dr. Douglas Singleton
theories
called “brane
world models” which seek to explain
why the gravitational force is many of
orders of magnitude weaker than the
other fundamental forces in Nature. Dr.
Gogberashvili is one of the founders of
brane world models, and he has made
two research visits to the Fresno State
physics department through an internal
CSM International Activities Grant and
an external COBASE grant. Dr. Singleton
has recently begun a collaborative project
with Dr. Emil Akhmedov of the Institute
for Theoretical and Experimental Physics
in Moscow to study Hawking radiation. Dr.
Akhmedov had a research visit to Fresno
State on a CSM International Activities
Grant in Spring of 2006. Dr. Singleton
has had several MS student collaborators
while at Fresno State: Akira Kato, Danny
Dhokarh, and Sergio Aguilar-Rudametkin.
Each of these students has published at
least one journal article, and has attended
and given talks at national conferences.
Currently, Dr. Singleton is working with
a new graduate student, Dan Tennant, on
Hawking radiation and similar effects
within the quasi-classical approximation.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF RADIATION
Dr. Huda visited Hiroshima, Japan for
two months this past summer. His project
was supported by several institutions, i.e.,
the CSM International Activities Award,
Friends of the Hibakusha, Hiroshima
International Council for the Health Care
of the Radiation-Exposed (HICARE:
http://www.hiroshima-cdas.or.jp/HICARE/
en/15/2006_12.html), and the Radiation
Effects Research Foundation (RERF). The
RERF is the scientific research institution
focused on the study of health effects of
radiation in the survivors of the atomic
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The
RERF is a bi-national
organization supported
by the governments of
Japan and the United
States. RERF’s research
is conducted for peaceful
purposes to understand
the health effects of
radiation for the benefit
of all people.
Dr. Amir Huda
Dr. Huda’s project was
to learn of the new areas of research in
the study of health effects of radiation and
to make a DVD to be used as a teaching
tool in the USA. The project grew quite
a bit while he was there and he ended up
filming over 30 hours of interviews with
scientists, A-bomb survivors, and high
school students. Dr. Huda visited Nagasaki
as well as the Peace Memorial Museums
in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along
with Hiroshima University and Nagasaki
Medical College. Dr. Huda is currently
in the process of editing those interviews
into a three-part series; the first of which
is ready for distribution. The title of the
series is “After the A-Bombs.”
IMAGING OF A SINGLE ARTIFICIAL ATOM AND DETECTION OF A SINGLE
PHOTON
by Kin Ng, Professor of Chemistry
The detection of a single molecule, a single
atom, or a single photon, was a formidable
goal for many spectroscopists to reach
but is now an experimental reality, due to
technology advancements achieved over
the years. During the past several years I
have spent the summer doing the research
at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in
Tennessee, with the Laser Spectroscopy
and Micro-instrumentation Group*. The
image picture above shows the fluorescence
emission of single quantum “dot” (“artificial
atom”) -- indium phosphide (InP) semiconductor, nano-particles of ~3 nanometer
diameter. The emission turns on-and-off,
resembling the flashing of Christmas Light.
The flashing behavior is believed by many, to
be characteristic of an excited atom (exciton)
and is observation of emission dipole. The
emission patterns shown are “donut” and
“cateye”. The donut pattern is produced by
the effect similar to the radio antenna effect
in generating radio-frequency intensity. The
orientation of the emission dipole for the
donut is in vertical (perpendicular) to the
viewing axis, whereas the emission dipole
for the cateye is in horizontal to the viewing
axis. The tilting angle of the particle can be
determined by evaluating the image patterns.
In theory, only rod-shape particles may result
in the types of dipole images. It is believed
quantum dots, however, should be ball-shape.
The images thus indicate the InP particles are
actually rod-shape. We theorized that multiple
dots have stuck together in formation of the
rod. Unlike many experiments of this type
that were done at liquid-gas temperature and
reduced pressure, our experiment was done
in ambient condition of room temperature
and atmospheric pressure. The specimen was
prepared by spraying the solution on glass
cover-slip. We employed a laser-excitedtotal-internal-reflection-fluorescencemicroscopy system for imaging the particles.
The emission intensity of the InP rod is many
times greater than that of an InP quantum dot
and the emission is much longer lasting also.
The donut ones are particularly bright and the
emission lasted up to tens of minute long.
A “quantum” particle may possess atom-like
IMAGING OF A SINGLE ARTIFICIAL ATOM AND DETECTION OF A
SINGLE PHOTON, CONTINUED
behaviors. When an atom receives laser
excitation, a transition dipole is created.
The excited atom thus emits a photon
for returning to its ground state. The
detection of single photons emanated from
a particle in question, is signature-proof
the particle is quantum substance. We
took knowledge that photons are quantized
particles -- if we have two sensitive
enough detectors simultaneously looking
at one single photon, only one detector
sees it but the other one will not. We thus
set up a challenging spectroscopic and
electronic system to do “anti-bunching”
for photon-count correlation experiments.
The emission comes from a single particle
is imaged and simultaneously split into
two paths for the two detectors. The
correlation histogram above shows the
anti-bunching dip at time zero (x-axis scale
is nano-second; y-scale is relative photon
count). The strong photon-antibuching dip
observed is a signature of non-classical
light emission, indicates these InP particles
are single-photon emitters and behave like
an atom. Single-photon emitters are the
main component needed in development
of quantum communications and quantum
computers.
*Drs. B. Shaw, B. Whitten, K. Meyer, T.
Zeng.
MENTOR COSTS AND BENEFITS
Dr. Lynnette Zelezny, Professor and
Chair of the Department of Psychology,
and Andrea Salazar, MBRS-RISE fellow
and Psychology Honors Scholar, presented
an applied social psychological paper
“Mentor Costs and Benefits” at the annual
meeting of
the Western
Psychological
Association in
Palm Springs,
California in
spring 2006.
Abstract:
Research
on mentoring
traditionally
is focused
Dr. Lynnette Zelezny, Andrea Salazar
on protégée
success. This study was unique because
it examined costs and benefits from the
perspective of the mentor. A confidential
e-mail survey was administered to 120
mentors (faculty, staff, and students) in
the CSU Fresno Mentoring Institute. The
questionnaire included both quantitative
and qualitative items. Descriptive analyses
were conducted using SPSS.
Major quantitative findings:
• Mentors strongly agreed that the
benefits of mentoring outweigh the
costs.
• Mentors have a strong desire to
help underrepresented or first
generation students move toward
educational success.
• Mentors did not think that they
were more effective with students
that shared their ethnic/cultural
background.
• Mentors did not volunteer to
mentor for university recognition.
Qualitative analyses also revealed
several important themes.
• Mentors most often reported
they gained the most satisfaction
from helping others and enjoyed
working with students
• Mentors most often reported the
greatest cost was time; however,
SEE
MENTORING COSTS AND BENETIFS, PAGE 10
The Odyssey, Page Nine
FACUTLY ACTIVITIES AND RESEARCH, CONTINUED
MENTOR COSTS AND BENEFITS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
many viewed this as an investment
not a cost. Some mentors reported
that frustration, disappointment,
and emotional energy were costs.
• Mentors were most often
motivated because they wanted
to help students. Many mentors
had a mentor in their educational
experience. Mentors were often
recruited by other mentors at the
university.
Recommendations made to the
Mentoring Institute based on these survey
data for future implementation:
1. Focus on greater benefits vs.
costs to recruit new mentors.
2. Capitalize on the power
of personal referrals among
faculty and staff as an
additional recruitment tool.
Student Biography – Andrea Salazar
A valedictorian from Bullard High School and
Fresno City’s Honors College, Andrea Salazar
came to Fresno State as a National Institute
of Mental Health Career Opportunities in
Research scholar where, under the supervision
of Dr. Lynnette Zelezny, she conducted applied
evaluation research for the CSU Mentoring
Institute, which she presented in April at the
annual meeting of the Western Psychological
Association in Palm Springs, California.
Last summer she completed an internship
in neuroscience at the University of San
Francisco Medical School, where she worked
with Alzheimer’s patients. Currently a RISE
scholar and a Psychology Honors student,
Andrea will be applying for doctoral programs
in neuroscience this fall.
PLANETARY GEOLOGY INSTITUTE
HELPS VALLEY SCIENCE TEACHERS
The Science and Mathematics Education
Center in the College of Science and
Mathematics offered a two-week intensive
professional development institute in
planetary geology for current and future
science teachers. The program, funded by
the National Science
Foundation, NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory
and school districts,
culminated with a visit
to the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena
for a close-up look
at Mars Rover and
Voyager missions.
Details are available
from Dr. David M.
Dr. David Andrews
Andrews, director of the
center, e-mail at davidan@csufresno.edu.
SUPPORT OF CONTINUOUS RESEARCH
EXCELLENCE (SCORE)
Faculty and student research in
biomedical and behavioral areas
has increased dramatically with
the establishment of the Support of
Continuous Research Excellence
Program (SCORE). Under the leadership
of biologist Shirley Kovacs, coupled
with the active involvement of a team
of science faculty members Alejandro
Calderon-Urrea, Jim Prince, Jorge Benitez,
Maurice Cohen and Christine Edmondson,
the program has brought Fresno State
more than $5 million from the National
Institutes of Health. SCORE’s purpose is
to develop biomedical research faculty
at minority-serving institutions who are
committed to improving competitive
research programs and increasing the
number of underrepresented minorities
professionally engaged in biomedical
research. These lofty goals are achieved
in part by providing financial assistance
to competitive developing research
programs in all areas of biomedical and
behavioral research at institutions with
significant underrepresented minority
student enrollments. The program supports
faculty-initiated, scientifically meritorious
research projects, including pilot research
projects. Support for faculty participating
in these projects is preparatory to seeking
more substantial funding from other NIH
research programs.
The Odyssey, Page Ten
APPOINTMENT
PRESENTATION
Dr. Kin-Ping Wong, Professor of Chemistry
and Dean of the CSM was appointment to the
National Science Foundation’s Panel on “Partners for Innovation Programs” on Nov. 2006
He made a presentation at the Second International Conference of Ocular and Angiogenesis in
London, England in June 2006.
Dr. Lynnette Zelezny, Professor and
Chair of the Department of Psychology,
presented “Social Exchange and Executive
Mentoring: Analysis of Cost, Benefits, and
Control Across Stakeholders” at the International Congress of Applied psychology
in Athens, Greece in July 2006.
WISDOM FROM VOLCANOES
SPSS DEMYSTIFIED: A STEP-BYSTEP GUIDE TO ANALYZING AND
UNDERSTANDING DATA
Earth and environmental scientist Keith
Putirka takes research beyond the lab to
study volcanic rocks in the Sierra Nevada
Professor Yockey described the purpose
mountains north of Yosemite, Yellowstone
of his book: “My intention in writing this
National park and Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
book was to create a user–friendly guide
According to Putirka, “Volcanic rocks
to analyzing
bring up from the depths things that
data in SPSS,
humans could not possibly bring up,”
without
helping scientists better understand what
shying
brings magma to the surface.
away from
Putirka and a fellow researcher are
important
building a
issues
case for the
such as the
new volcano
presentation
formation model of effect
by tracing the
sizes and
incidence of a
statistical
mineral called
assumptions.
clinopyroxene.
Being
The varying
cognizant
Dr. Ronald Yockey
presence of the
of the fact that
mineral enables
students are often anxious when having
the scientists
to analyze data in SPSS, I’ve included a
to determine
number of features to help ensure success
exactly how
in this endeavor, including a consistent,
deep
magna
step–by–step approach to data analysis used
Dr. Keith Putirka
was formed.
throughout the book, an abundant use of
They have been studying the Springerville
screen shots of the SPSS software program
volcanic field in Arizona to track how
(to help students stay on track as they
magma has changed chemically as it
analyze the data on their own computer),
and call–out boxes to convey important
traveled up to the surface.
information in SPSS. My hope is that this
He also works with an international
text not only helps students conquer any
team of scientists on analysis of samples
fear they might have toward the subject
of volcanic rock. At Mauna Kea in
matter, but that in the process they discover
Hawaii, the largest mountain on our
that analyzing data in SPSS can actually be
planet, scientists send him rock samples to
fun!”
examine. The latest findings of Putirka’s
By Ronald D. Yockey, Associate Professor
research were published in Geochemistry,
Department of Psychology.
Geophysics and Geosystems.
NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS
California State University, Fresno is
MASTERS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
preparing students for careers in the rapidly
(M.BT.)
growing field of forensic science.
Implementation of a New Type of Graduate
The two-year Professional Master’s of
Degree—the Professional Science Masters Science degree in forensic science is the
In Fall 2005, the Master’s of
only program of its kind in the central
Biotechnology (M.Bt.) was launched under San Joaquin Valley and is drawing strong
the auspices of the Biology Department.
interest. Applicants include recent college
graduates from throughout Valley, the
Dr. Alice Wright serves as the Program
Sacramento area and Southern California,
Director, with the assistance of Dr. Shirley
practicing scientists interested in a career
Kovacs who is the PI of the feasibility
change to forensics and practicing forensic
study and implementation grants from
scientists trying to develop their careers.
the Council of Graduate Schools/Sloan
The multidisciplinary program includes
Foundation and from the CSU system-wide
study
in natural sciences such as chemistry,
biotechnology organization (CSUPERB).
biology,
physics and mathematics, and in
Representative of a new type of
social
sciences
such as criminology and
interdisciplinary, applied Master’s degree
law.
developed by the Sloan Foundation, termed
In addition to classroom instruction,
the Professional Science Master’s (PSM)
students
are involved in research and
Degree, the M.Bt. program began with
collaboration
with local crime laboratories,
3 students in Fall 2005 and gained an
and
must
complete
a research internship
additional 4 students in Spring 2006. There
in
a
crime
lab
or
other
science laboratory.
are 15 new students admitted for the Fall
They
also
must
complete
a master’s thesis
2006 cohort.
or
project.
The degree combines science and
Hallmarks of the new program are
business coursework with a required
personalized hands-on learning, low
internship experience and either a
faculty-student ratio and personal contact
project or thesis component that applies
with practicing forensic scientists, said Dr.
biotechnology tools to a business or
David Frank, chair of the Chemistry
agency problem or to an entrepreneurial
Department.
opportunity.
“Our students work with professors who
To generate internships and projects
have real-world experience in nationally
through contact with regional businesses
accredited crime laboratories and have
and agencies, the PSM programs hired an
internationally recognized research
Associate Director, Tambra Bane, who,
publications,” he said.
with faculty assistance, has successfully
”They may collaborate with practicing
developed student internship opportunities
forensic scientists in the California
with regional agricultural and health
Department of Justice Crime Laboratory
businesses for the M.Bt. students.
in the campus science complex and with
Fresno County crime labs,” he said.
MASTERS OF FORENSIC SCIENCE
For more information on the new
professional master’s degree contact
New master’s program develops
forensic scientists Dr. Kevin Miller
real-life ‘CSI’ scientists.
at 559.278.2311 or Dr. Eric Person at
A new master’s degree program at
559.278.2170.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS
MEDALIST’S AWARDS
2006 DEAN’S UNDERGRADUATE
MEDALIST
Susan Andrea Look completed her B.A.
in Chemistry with a 3.82 GPA. She is the
recipient of the Kenneth
W. Chan Memorial
Scholarship, the
Floyd R. Burke
Scholarship and the
Tokalon Scholarship.
Ms. Look was an
officer in Caduceus
and the Chemistry
Club. She has many
hours of service in
helping out struggling
students by taking
on lab partners.
Ms. Susan Andrea Look
Ms. Look has also
implemented a mentoring program to help
guide lower division students with their
pre-medical preparations. She worked as an
academic research associate at University
Medical Center and as a research assistant
in the chemistry lab at Fresno State. She
will start medical school in the fall at Loma
Linda University.
FRESNO STATE PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR
RECEIVES SECOND PLACE HONORS AT
CSU STUDENT RESEARCH
COMPETITION
Fresno State psychology major Marcel
Garcia received second place honors at the
20th annual California State University
Student Research competition, held May
5-6, 2006 at California State University,
Channel Islands.
Garcia was one of eight students
representing Fresno State, and his award
comes just weeks after receiving first
place for the best oral presentation
(undergraduate) at the Central California
Research Symposium, held at Fresno
State’s University Business Center. At
2006 DEAN’S GRADUATE MEDALIST
By: Charles Radke Thesis Consultant in the Division of Graduate Studies at Fresno State.
Before Justin Costa became a high-caliber scientist, he was a Fresno State dropout
tending bar in the British Virgin Islands. “Then September 11 happened, the tourism
industry went south and my job with Club Med fell through,” Costa says.
Costa returned to Fresno and was looking for a job when he heard of
an entry-level position in a College of Science and Mathematics research
lab. “It was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was work and I decided to
take the offer when it came,” he says. His ambivalence quickly changed to
enthusiasm.
“It literally took me one minute in the lab to know that research was
what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” Costa says. He’s now well on
his way to the rest of his life, conducting research at the National Human
Genome Research Institute and heading to a M.D./Ph.D. program at Mount
Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He will simultaneously earn a
medical degree and a Ph.D. in some area of biomedical nanotechnologies.
It was in the lab at Fresno State in 2001 that Costa’s life began to turn
around. During his first few months on the job, he read everything he could
about cancer, molecular biology and biochemistry. Then he re-enrolled
at Fresno State and Science and Mathematics Dean Dr. K.P. Wong gave
Justin his own project, a “serious piece of research with large potential
Mr. Justin Costa
therapeutic applications.” Costa began researching a remedy for cancer,
which would become his master’s
thesis.
In discussing his research, Costa,
27, explains that many of the newest
and most promising cancer therapies
target blood vessels around a tumor
rather than the tumor itself. If you
can stop blood vessels from growing
to a tumor, he says, you can starve
the tumor of nutrients so it will die.
Costa investigated this idea in relation
to a centuries-old Chinese remedy for
cancer using the seeds of a rare palm
tree, Livistona chinensis, the Chinese
Fan Palm.
“For my thesis, I was able to show that the seeds make a chemical that can stop blood
vessels from forming,” Costa says. “I was able to look at the chemical in atomic detail with
several analytical instruments and offer a model to explain how the chemical works.”
Costa’s findings have direct therapeutic applications to cancer and many other diseases.
The chemical from Fan Palm seeds offers a cancer therapy that could one day be
administered to patients in pill form.
These days, Costa works in applied medical molecular genetics at the National Human
Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Md. “Basically, I knock out genes in zebrafish one
by one,” he says. “Then I look for developmental defects in the fish that resemble human
diseases. We can use the zebrafish as a model for the human disease, and in some cases,
map the mutations back onto the human genome.”
In his research, Costa uses many of the techniques he learned in Wong’s lab at Fresno
State. “I have always thought that cancer and development share common themes and are
very different ways of looking at similar processes,” he says. As a result, his transition
from research in cancer to research in development was “very easy.”
Costa credits Wong, who gave him the job that changed his life; Dr. Fred Schreiber,
who taught the first biology class he ever took; and Dr. Alejandro Calderon-Urrea, his
first graduate professor who gave him a “ton of encouragement” and helped him get his
National Institutes of Health fellowship. Looking to the future, Costa says, “No matter
where I end up, I’ll be doing research of one kind or another.”
SOCIETY FOR POLICE AND CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY (SPCP) AWARD
Mr. Marcel Garcia
CSU Channel Islands, Garcia received the
second-place award in the undergraduate
session of the Behavioral and Social
Sciences category.
As part of Garcia’s presentation,
“Effects of Lexical Competition on
Audiovisual Integration in Speech
Perception,” he investigated the perceptual
integration of audiovisual information
in speech perception. This is important
to explore, he writes, “because of
possible implications this research has in
understanding how the representations
of spoken words in memory affect not
only auditory, but also audiovisual speech
perception.”
Garcia, who graduated in May of 2006
with a B.A. in psychology, lists Dr. Lorin
Lachs as his faculty mentor. He is also a
2006 McNair Program Scholar.
Adam B. Hess, recent CSUF graduate and current doctoral candidate at Alliant
International University in Fresno, and current CSUF student Marcel Garcia, together
with co-authors Kristin Wagner and CSUF mentor Professor Matthew J. Sharps, received
top honors from the Society
for Police and Criminal
Psychology for Best Student
Research Paper presented at
their Annual Conference in
Washington, DC, October 27,
2006. The paper, Eyewitness
Identification and Visual
Allocation in Crime Scene
Evaluation, addressed issues in
the scanning and interpretation
of complex, high-hazard
environments such as active
crime scenes. This CSUF
research has provided new
Adam Hess, Dr. Matthew Sharps, Marcel Garica
information of significant
potential importance for the
training of law-enforcement and security personnel in the field identification and cognitive
processing of hazards such as explosive devices and weapons.
The Odyssey, Page Eleven
STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS, CONTINUED
THIS 20-YEAR-OLD FRESNO STATE GRAD IS A REAL WHIZ
JOHN MAHAJAN MADE IT IN 2 YEARS, BUT HE’S NOT DONE.
By Denny Boyles, The Fresno Bee
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Spend a few minutes with John Mahajan
and the idea that the 20-year-old is about
to graduate from Fresno State with a
biology degree doesn’t seem as crazy as it
sounds.
Mahajan is a study in perpetual motion.
John Walker/The Fresno Bee
Jenny and Kash Mahajan are the proud parents of a
20-year-old son, John, graduated from Fresno State.
He earned his biolody degree in just two years.
He’s happy, animated, talkative and
intelligent.
If you’re lucky, in eight years he just
might be your doctor.
Shortly after 10 a.m. today, Mahajan will
make California State University, Fresno,
history as he accepts a bachelor’s degree
just two years after accepting a high school
diploma.
Mahajan said he didn’t plan to be
one of the fastest graduates to ever call
Fresno State his alma mater, and he never
imagined that he would graduate only
two weeks after his older brother, Jay,
who started at the University of Southern
California when John Mahajan was 16 and
in the 11th grade.
Plans change, though.
Mahajan, a Smittcamp Family Honors
College student and a 2004 graduate of
Clovis West, finished high school with a
grade-point average well over 4.0 and a
whopping 51 advanced placement credits
from honors courses.
Today, he will graduate from Fresno
State with a bachelor of science degree
in biology and a 3.87 GPA.
As he sat for his first class in September
2004, Mahajan already had sophomore
standing and became a junior during his
first few months in school.
That first semester, Mahajan carried 14
units, slightly above-average for college
students. Every semester after that he
enrolled in at least 20 credits worth of
classes and completed a grueling 23 units
this semester to qualify for graduation.
Why the rush? Mahajan said it was less
about being in a hurry and more about
the reality that he still has many years of
school ahead of him.
“I want to be a doctor, and I know that I
have eight or more years of school
left,” Mahajan said. “I also knew I
couldn’t rush medical school, so I thought
The Odyssey, Page Twelve
I would just do as much as I could here.”
Doing as much he could meant sometimes
taking the prerequisite for a science course
in the morning, then taking the next level
that afternoon. During his
last semester, Mahajan had days when he
was in class more than 12 hours, with just a
one-hour break in the afternoon.
Mahajan said his schedule over the last
two years was manageable, but Fresno
State professors called it amazing.
“I’ve been teaching for 20 years, and I
can’t remember another biology major
that has come in from high school and
finished in such a short time,” said
Shirley Kovacs, chairwoman of the biology
department. “It’s even more amazing when
you consider how difficult it can be to
schedule your courses.”
Kash Mahajan, John’s father, said that
after 20 years of watching his son develop,
he isn’t surprised.
“I knew he would be done with college
quickly, though even I am surprised
that it only took two years,” the elder
Mahajan said. “But he has his own
mind. You can’t tell him ‘don’t work so
hard’ because he wouldn’t listen.”
Kovacs said because of prerequisites and
limited class space, some students take
five or more years to complete the biology
major.
“We’ve even had junior college transfers
that had to spend three years working
toward that degree because they simply
couldn’t get the classes scheduled,” Kovacs
said. “Doing this degree program in the first
place is a challenge. It would be difficult to
finish in four years. To do it in two years is
very dramatic.”
Mahajan said what made the difference
for him was the Smittcamp Family Honors
College, a limited scholarship program that
offers priority registration, limited class
sizes, individual attention from professors
and even regular interaction with Fresno
State President John Welty.
He said that program was also the main
reason he chose Fresno State over other
schools, including University of California
campuses.
“I was actually set to go to UCLA when I
visited the Honors College,” Mahajan said.
“I have friends at other colleges that never
see their professors. Here, you can walk into
their offices and they know your name.”
Kovacs said that as proud as she is of
Mahajan, he has taken a path that wouldn’t
work for every student.
“There are a lot of students who are
anxious to run forward to the next step;
that’s not unusual,” Kovacs said. “What is
unusual is for someone to actually be able to
do it. John has done it, and done it well.”
Now that his whirlwind trip through
college is coming to an end, Mahajan
said he is ready for a break -- sort of. He
will take a few weeks off before heading for
Argentina for a summer research program.
Then he will wait to hear whether he has
been accepted to medical school.
The reporter can be reached at dboyles@
fresnobee.com or 559.441.6659.
ALUMNI HONORED
TOP DOG AWARD
GE EXEC HERB DEPP NAMED
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS
Herb Depp, vice president of Boeing
Programs for General Electric’s Aircraft
engines in Seattle, received California
State University, Fresno’s Distinguished
Alumnus Award
at the Top Dog
Alumni Awards
Gala on Friday,
October 13, at
the Save Mart
Center.
Depp
received his
bachelor of
science in
geology from
Fresno State
in 1966. He is
Mr. Herb Depp
internationally
recognized as an expert in aviation
interfacing (ensuring delivery of GE
jet engines to Boeings assembly lines),
aviation marketing and sales, and is a
Vietnam War veteran.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award is
the highest honor given by the Fresno
State Alumni Association, presented each
year to one of the Top Dog awardees.
They are chosen from each school or
college, the Division of Student Affairs,
athletics and the Henry Madden Library.
OUTSTANDING SCHOOL
PSYCHOLOGIST FROM DISTRICT III
On February 17, 2006 Christina
Borges was honored as the Outstanding
School Psychologist from District III
by the California Association of School
Psychologists at their annual conference in
Monterey, CA. Ms. Borges is an alumnus
of the M.S. in School Psychology Program
at California State University. Since her
graduation in 1996 she has been employed
as a school psychologist for Central Unified
Dr. Marilyn Wilson, Christine Borges
School District. The CSU, Fresno school
psychology faculty regards her as one of
our finest field supervisors for practicum
students. She models best practices in
assessment, intervention, and consultation.
Her practice follows professional ethical
and legal guidelines at all times. Chris has
provided excellent service to the university
and to the field.
Recently Ms. Borges basically singlehandedly revived our local affiliate, last
year and has launched CVA-CASP into a
new era. Her devotion to the field is evident.
She has put a great deal of thought, time,
and energy into making CVA-CASP an
organization school psychologists will want
to join for professional development. She
has especially excelled in outreach to the
future school psychologists at the three
training programs in our area.
OUR SUPPORTERS
The College of Science and Mathematics gratefully acknowledges the following friends who have provided support for
scholarships, teaching grants, and other academic activities in the college. Donors to our college help provide the highest
margin of excellence that keeps the college at the forefront in science education.
Dr. Thomas Barfknecht
Dr. Barbara Basden
Dr. David R. Basen
Christopher Daniel Bencomo, M.D.
Mrs. Julie K. Bryant
Mr. Robert H. Bryant
California Academy of Family Physicians
Dr. Karen T. Carey
Mr. William Chan
Mrs. Helene E. Chan
Dr. Donald Chesemore
Mr. John Chesemore
Mrs. Sarah Chesemore
Mrs. Becky Chesemore
Mr. Allan Cohan
Mrs. Joan Da Costa
De Benedetto Ag
Mrs. Elizabeth S. DeMonte
Mr. Brent L. DeMonte
Dr. Silvia Margarita Diego
Dr. John R. Donaldson
Mrs. Shirley Donaldson
Dow Agro Sciences
Ms. Amy Durham
Graciela Esquivel-Aguilar, M.D.
Joan Estrada
Mr. Robert F. Gallup
Emilio Garcia, DDS
The Gas Company
Mr. Kenneth R. Geringer
Mrs. Sandra Gillen
Dr. Particia L. Grilione
Ms. Roxanne S. Hinds
Ms. Setsuko Hirasuna
Mrs. Phyllis C. Hughes
IBM Corporation
Sergio D. Llic, M.D.
Mrs. Debra S. Janzer
Kanagawa Citrus Company
Kary Karahadian, DDS
Vanvilai Katkanant
Mrs. Carolyn Jane Kidder
Dr. Shriley Kovacs
Maurice LeBlanc
Mr. Douglas Lee
Mr. John R. Maerzke
Dr. Andrew Maxwell
Mr. Glenn W. McFall
Monsanto Compnay
Dr. Gerardo A. Munoz
Mrs. Angela Munoz
Adriana Padilla, M.D.
Pegasus Risk Management
Mr. William P. Person
Dr. Floyd J. Judd
Proteus
Mr. Dale T. Reitz
Carolos Santivanez, M.D.
Dr. Kenneth D. Schmidt
Kenneth D. Schmidt & Associates
Dr. Frederick E. Schreiber
Ramona Scott Realty
Mr. Linn Warren Shipley
Mr. John Shockley
SRI International
Mr. Robert L. Starkweather
Mr. Fredereick Dale Trauger
Ms. Elizabeth R. White
Dr. Hugh Williamson
Dr. Michael Zender
The above list of donors reflects contributions received since the printing of the last newsletter and includes those who gave $100 or more during the
past year.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND RECIPIENTS
The following students enrolled in the College of Science and Mathematics have been awarded scholarships in amounts ranging from
$500 to $2000. The scholarships were made possible by support from our generous donors like you who support science education and
research.
Professor Kenneth Chan Memorial
Karen C. Pelham
Megan R. Bailey
Nicole M. Martinez
Khavong Pha
Rebecca Anne Bellamy
Shaylene Marie Scott
Janeth R. Rangel
Kaweah Kathleen Byroads
Mitch Arthur Thompson
Dora Anna Rendulic
Sierra Lynn Daniels
Cheunjit Katkanant Memorial
Marya Ivana Rendulic
Pedro Garcia
Melany R. Klauser
Jourdan Leigh Ritchey
Alison Nicole Hummer
Clay Biology Teacher Education
Ariel Carolina Rosa
Anae Brianna Otto
Sierra Lynn Daniels
Kelsie Tyler Scruggs
Kathleen Rose Richardson
Amanda Leigh Houston
Jaspreet Singh
Martha Hilda Rodriguez
Jarvis Kenneth Jensen
Pritha K.Singh
Christa Janel Verdegaal
Janna Elias Mahfoud
Denise Laura Villegas
Jodiann Marie Wilson
Kathleen Rose Richardson
Jessica A. Weidenbach
Harry C Burbridge
Martha Hilda Rodriguez
Milton J Lindner Memorial
Kevin W. Matthews
Dana Geology Scholarship
Jason Alan Marshall
Kenia Velasco
Douglas A. Deflitch
Neva W Hollister
Jean S Hirayama
Marlon M. Jean
Daniel John Kulibert
Takako Kurimoto
Downing Scholars
Physics Millennium Scholarship
Jon R Dews Physics Research
Galen N. Balcom
Daniel Moncrief Tennant
Veronica Lee Fletcher
Michael Dominic Cassinerio
Pickford Memorial Psychology
Ken Schmidt Hydrogeology
Todd L. Johnson
Hilary Grace Casner,
Sana Alsaoudi
Katelyn Elizabeth Kelly
Corin Elizabeth Clark
Lee J Cronbach Psychology
Juan Pablo Moncayo Arteaga
Melissa Lousie Dittmar
Marcel Garcia
Felix R.Perez
Tammie Lynn Fay
Lewis and Virginia Eaton Pre-Med
Amanda Jean Wilson
Ashley Jean Gosney
Larua Renee Contreras-Clark
Dr Edward V Tenney
Georgianna MacDowell
Mark A. Heisser
Ashley Layne Jensen
Julia J. Matthews
Liliane D Wells
Mike Scott Stephens
Joshua J. McDonald
Felipe Calzada
Floyd R Burks Memorial
Rica Lorriaine McGinnis
Janet Marie Campbell
Christopher Stephen Delgado
Andrea G. Salazar
Nhuthuy Thi Can
Stephanie Delgado
Tomoe Suyama
Kristin Carraway
Youhans Teklia Ghebrendrias
Lisa June Winter
Brenda Castro
Anthony Patrick Grillo
Nicole M. Martinez
Megan Lee Collins
Mark Gutierrez
Shaylene Marie Scott
Ashley V. Cortez
Christina Lousie Kwock
Leonid Vydro
Shenna Marie Edmonds
Amalia Madrigal
Ralph McCoy Award In Botany
Ola Mahmoud Farah
Ariza Elizabeth Shammaa
Nicholas Evan Blanchard
Christoper Gordon Fisher
Mark Christopher Sorenson
Roger L Bailey Memorial
Viola G. Frazier
Stephanie Renee Underwood
Mary Ann Krating
Martha Leticia Gabriel
Leonid Vydro
Professor Frank Morris Memorial
Sebastian Garcia
George Van Vleet Jr Memorial
Joshua David Belden
Sarah Teklia Ghebrendrias
Marlow Faynette Gardner
Sarah Marie Hinson
Samantha A. Hopkin
Komal Preet Kau
Ward and Oma T Miles Memorial
Brianne C. Jackson
Sebouh Peter Krioghlian
Matthew J. Middione
Karla Bridgitte Jimenez
FumikoYamamoto
Jason Littleton
Grilione Environmental Science
Jamie E. Mackechnie
Jordan Jill Anderson
Harjit Mann
The Odyssey, Page Thirteen
DONOR PROFILE
DR. FRED SCHREIBER
Former Biology Department Chair
Dr. Fred Schreiber is giving to Fresno
State in hopes of inspiring students to
“discover” botany and in tribute to two
former faculty colleagues who were
models of inspiration to future botanists.
Following Dr. Schreiber’s
Dr. Schreiber is endowing scholarships
example by endowing a
in
memory of Drs. Gina Arce, a Fresno
scholarship is just one way
you can financially support State botany professor from 1956 to 1996
the university’s mission of who died in 2004, and Lorraine Wiley,
who taught at Fresno State from 1972 to
educational enhancement
2001 and died in 2001.
that engages our students
and the region.
Dr. Arce was born in Cuba, but attended
To learn about other
high school and college in the United
ways to help, please
States, where she earned her bachelor’s
contact Roxanne Hinds,
and master’s degrees from Peabody
Development Director of
College in Nashville, Tenn. While
the College of Science
studying for her doctorate at Vanderbilt
and Mathematics. Call
University, Dr. Arce began raising a niece,
her at 559.930.9457 or
Marilyn, who was five when she arrived
559.278.8597 or contact
from Cuba.
her via e-mail at rhinds@
Although that was a time when childcare
csufresno.edu.
with non-relatives was difficult to come
by, Dr. Arce persevered and won her Ph.D.
in 1956.
She received her first – and only
academic appointment that same year to
Fresno State, where she specialized in
the study of algae, especially those that
adapted to extreme environments, such as
high-salt lakes and streams.
After retirement, Dr. Arce moved to
York, PA., to be close to her niece’s family.
She died in York in early 2004.
Dr. Wiley was raised in Sacramento and
remained tied to the area, even during
most of her nearly 30-year career in
Fresno, through her family, her husband
and her church.
She received her B.A. from Sacramento
State College and completed an M.S. and
Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis,
joining the Fresno State faculty in 1972.
She was the first African American female
faculty member in the College of Science
during her planned retirement in eight
years. But she died in July 2001 after a brief
illness.
Dr. Schreiber, who grew up in the central
San Joaquin Valley, received bachelor’s
and master’s degrees from Northern Illinois
University and his Ph.D. in entomology
from Ohio State University. At Fresno
State, whose faculty he joined in 1973, he
is renowned for his versatility, and teaching
courses across a broad spectrum of biology.
He also has devoted extensive time and
energy to teaching future teachers, and
in developing standards and programs to
stimulate students toward teaching careers.
He served as department chair from 2000
to 2004. He won a Jan and Bud Richter
Award of Excellence, presented to a faculty
member outside the Kremen School of
Education and Human Development
whose teaching, research or service leads
students into education careers.
Dr. Fred Schreiber
Dr. Schreiber also has been honored for
modeling the same kind of motivational
and Mathematics.
skills as Drs. Arce and Wiley. He was
Dr. Wiley’s expertise lay in plant
recognized for his teaching and service
physiology. She was proud of teaching so
contributions by the Dean’s Award for
many young people who have contributed to Excellence among the College of Science
the region’s agricultural achievements.
and Mathematics faculty in August 2000.
Dr. Wiley was dedicated to enhancing
“I was very saddened by the illnesses
opportunities for underrepresented minority and deaths of both of my colleagues,” says
students and served for several years as
Dr. Schreiber about why he chose to set up
a principal investigator for a California
the scholarships. “Over the two decades
State University systemwide grant from
of working together, we had become
the National Science Foundation. She
friends. Part of our friendship was based on
worked tirelessly to ensure that all students
the common values that we shared about
interested in any health career received the
teaching and mentoring students.”
support they needed to succeed.
Establishing the scholarships, he says,
Dr. Wiley had just purchased a new home “was an obvious step.”
that also could accommodate her mother
ALUMNI PROFILE
DR. R. BAY HUTCHINGS
Phone interview by Rebecca El-Bendary, staff, Office of the Dean, College of Science and Mathematics
Alumni from the College of Science
and Mathematics are very important to
us. In fact, our staff often takes the time
to visit with our graduates when they are
conducting business not only in the Central
Valley, but out of the area.
On a recent visit to Utah, our
Development Officer, Roxanne Hinds had
Dr. R. Bay Hutchings
the opportunity to visit with Dr. R. Bay
Hutchings, a 1942 graduate of the College
of Science and Mathematics, and learn
about his journey through life.
Dr. Hutchings has fond memories of his
experiences at Fresno State, and considers
the academic training he recevied to be
The Odyssey, Page Fourteen
excellent. His advisor, Dr. Burkholder,
had a positive influence on his academic
career, and encouraged him to make wise
and thoughtful decisions regarding his
future. Dr. Burkholder’s guidance assisted
Dr. Hutchings through the maze of classes
necessary to complete his goal of becoming
a medical doctor one day.
Dr. Hutchings has fond memories of
two of his classmates that lived in the same
apartment complex as he did. These three
friends considered Fresno a very “hot” place
to live, so to deal with the heat they would
wear swimming trucks underneath their
clothing. When classes were over, they
would head for a cool swim in the irrigation
canals. Dr. Hutchings considered his time in
Fresno as a wonderful life experience. He
had a great time, and reflects often on the
time he spent with these life long friends.
After completing his pre-medical
program, and graduating from Fresno
State, Dr. Hutchings traveled to France.
Unfortunately, while living in Paris World
War II broke out. He vividly remembers the
city being blacked out, no electricity, and
limited supplies. He returned to the United
States shortly after the start of the war to
attend medical school.
After returning to the United States, the
US Armed Forces contacted Dr. Hutchings
upon learning of his desire to become
a doctor and expressed their need for
physicians. Dr. Hutchings was accepted
into Boston University School of Medicine
where he received his medical degree.
After completing his medical training,
he returned to Fresno to open a successful
medical practice and continued his practice
for 35 years.
Several of Dr. Hutchings family
members reside in Fresno, so he enjoys
the opportunity to return for visits. Also,
his uncle was a professor at Fresno State
and his sister graduate from Fresno State.
He has a very strong connection with the
Fresno area.
At the present time, Dr. Hutchings is
writing his life history. He recalls the
many years of serving his church as one of
the most important aspects of his life. He
had the opportunity to serve on missions
in several countries, including France,
Switzerland and Africa where he supervised
a total of 135 missionaries, and became
fluent in French.
Dr. Hutchings is grateful for the wonderful
career he has enjoyed as a physician, and
the many opportunities to devote time to his
church.
IN MEMORY
PROFESSOR RECALLED FOR VAST ENERGY
COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER VOLUNTEERED AT HIS SON’S SCHOOL DAILY
JIM STEINBERG, THE FRESNO BEE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2006
A memorial service is planned Monday
for Dr. Tarek Alameldin, a Fresno State
computer science professor with an
international reputation in computer
graphics.
Mr. Alameldin died Monday of
complications from diabetes and
hypertension. He was 44.
Dr. Alameldin had served as assistant to
the dean for research and development in
the College of Science and Mathematics at
California State
University,
Fresno, where
details about
the pending
memorial
service will
be announced
Monday.
Professor
Dr. Tarek Alameldin
Walter Read,
chairman
of the university’s computer science
department, recalled that Dr. Alameldin
served as chairman of the computer science
and electrical and computer engineering
departments during a budget crisis in the
early 1990s.
Kin-Ping Wong, dean of Fresno State’s
College of Science and Mathematics,
worked closely with Dr. Alameldin once the
computer science department became part
of the college in July 2005.
Dr. Alameldin’s successful grants included
facial modeling and animation, the
university said.
“I feel really sad,” Wong said. “He was so
young, so energetic, so enthusiastic. He was
probably the top expert in this whole area
on computer graphics. Since he moved into
our college, he really, really helped me.”
Wong worked with Dr. Alameldin in
developing the role of computer graphics
in pattern recognition and its application to
airport and other security monitoring. The
analysis creates visual profiles to check
people entering high-security areas.
Dr. Alameldin was born in Cairo, Egypt,
where he did his undergraduate work
in computer engineering. He came to the
United States and earned master’s degrees
from Columbia University and from the
University of Pennsylvania, where he
also earned his doctorate, working with
Norman Badler, an international authority in
computer graphics research. Dr. Alameldin
became a U.S. citizen, Wong said.
He recalled his concern for Mr.
Alameldin’s long hours and driven work
schedule.
“You never saw Tarek walking slowly,”
said Gloria Riojas, secretary of the
computer science department. “He was
tireless. He always had multiple projects.”
Dr. Alameldin was a shrewd negotiator,
Riojas said, and won many grants -one for $5 million -- for Fresno State
research. Bargaining was a game he
played well and enjoyed.
Alumni Giving
“If you were selling something for a
dollar,” Riojas said, “he would get it
for 20 cents.”
Dr. Alameldin served as project director
for IQ Biometrics and the Central
Valley Dermatology and Laser Medical
Center until 2002. He was an adviser
for several private firms and an academic
advisory board member for the science
faculty at United Arab Emirates University.
Though he worked long hours as an
academic and researcher, he still enjoyed
a good time, Riojas said: “Even when he
was stressed, he was kind. ... Tarek
loved to laugh, but he was a serious
scholar.”
In addition to his university work and
research, Dr. Alameldin devoted 2 1/2
hours daily in the first-grade classroom of
his son Muhammad, offering help
to all students.
Dr. Alameldin’s family attended Friday
prayers at the Masjid Fresno, the Islamic
mosque, said Roula Sultan, who was with
the family. Family and friends were offering
special prayers, “asking God to rest his soul
and asking for mercy,” Sultan said.
The reporter can be reached at jsteinberg@
fresnobee.com or 559.441.6311.
Dr. Tarek Alameldin
Born: June 20, 1962
Died: Nov. 6, 2006
Occupation: computer science professor
Survivors: children Muhammad Alameldin
and Khalad Alameldin; parents Khalad
Alameldin and Samia Alameldin
Update your information:
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Fresno, CA 93740-8034
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Want to keep abreast of the College of
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The Odyssey, Page Fifteen
THE ODYSSEY
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
2576 E. SAN RAMON, M/S ST 90
FRESNO, CALIFORNIA 93740-8034
The Odyssey is published
for alumni and friends of
the College of Science and
Mathematics at California
State University, Fresno. To
make suggestions, inquires,
or to provide information
about your activities, please
contact Thea Beddingfield
at 559.278.5399 or e-mail:
theab@csufresno.edu.
Editor: Thea Beddingfield
Contributors:
College of Science and
Mathematics Faculty
and Staff
The Fresno Bee
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Communications
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