California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, Calif., June 10, 2014 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) will hold a presentation and awards ceremony on Friday, June 20, for students participating in the Project ACCESO Summer Research Institute. The ceremony culminates a three-week program that partners students from CI, Oxnard College, Ventura College and Santa Barbara City College with CI faculty members to conduct intensive research in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. The event will take place from 5-7 p.m. at the Aliso Hall Plaza on the CI campus.
Forty-five students organized into teams representing 15 different projects will present their research discoveries. The projects include:

• Researching winning algorithms for Nim games (based on mathematical strategy) and implementing them on the Android platform

• Developing carbon-neutral alternatives to current industrial processes (includes a study of the role bacteria can play in creating cement)

• Applying physics and chemistry principles to develop new materials for use in electronic devices such as transistors, batteries and solar cells

• Developing nucleic-acid-based drugs, specifically RNA molecules, for use in the treatment of viral infections and cancer diseases

• Assessing genes at a molecular level – examining their sequences and determining mutations associated with disease

• Assessing potential adaptive evolution of muscles that whales, dolphins and porpoises use for swimming

• Collecting local insects and assessing plant preference behaviors

• Investigating occurrence of longest subsequences meeting specific criteria within sequences of numbers

• Using lasers and electro-optical equipment in experiments

• Modifying or developing new laboratory experiments for general chemistry courses

• Mathematically deriving the Fourier Series and investigating some real-world applications

• Studying the sandy beaches biome, particularly ecology and challenges associated with stressors such as rising sea levels, erosion and human disturbance.

Awards will be presented to all of the student research assistants, and several special recognition and appreciation awards will be announced.

The Project ACCESO Summer Research Institute aims to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students seeking degrees in STEM disciplines and to help them develop critical skills necessary for success. The Institute is open to students from CI and its regional community colleges. This is the sixth year that students have taken part in a research institute at CI.

Project ACCESO is funded by the Department of Education through the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (HSI-STEM) grant program. CI is using the nearly $6 million grant to increase the number of underserved students who are succeeding in and graduating from STEM majors, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in STEM, and developing critical STEM skill sets, such as critical thinking, analytical reasoning, scientific literacy and interdisciplinary communication.

Limited parking is available on campus with the purchase of a $6 daily permit; follow signs to the parking permit dispensers. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CI Vista Bus to the campus; the cash-only fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from approximately 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.

For more information contact Connie Baker at 805-437-3599 or connie.baker@csuci.edu.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

A regional consortium led by Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) has been awarded a $13.2 million grant from the California Department of Education. VCCCD will serve as the fiscal agent for the multi-year project called “Ventura County (VC) Innovates.” The project is designed to better prepare future workers and leaders for the local workforce, develop project-based career technical education curriculum, provide work-based learning opportunities for all students, and address skill shortages in high-demand, high-growth industries and occupations. Goals focus on creating sustained career pathways from high school through community college, increasing articulation agreements between high schools and community colleges, increasing dual enrollment opportunities for high school students, and increasing employment and career opportunities for all students.

The regional consortium includes VCCCD, seven high school districts representing 15 high schools, three adult schools, and over 50 employers and community partners. Participating districts and school partners include Simi Valley Adult School; Ventura Adult and Continuing Education; Conejo Valley Adult School; Conejo Valley Unified School District (Newbury Park High School, Thousand Oaks High School, Westlake High School); Fillmore Unified High School District; Moorpark Unified School District (Moorpark High School, Community High School); Ojai Unified School District (Nordhoff High School); Santa Paula Unified School District (Santa Paula High School); Simi Valley Unified School District (Royal High School, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley High School, Apollo Continuation School); Ventura Unified School District (Buena High School, Foothill Technology High School, Ventura High School); and the Ventura County Office of Education.

The VCCCD Board of Trustees will take action to accept the award at its Board meeting on June 17 at the District Administrative Center in Ventura. “The Board congratulates staff and our community partners on their collaborative efforts, which have resulted in a successful outcome,” stated Board Chair, Art Hernández. VCCCD Chancellor, Dr. Jamillah Moore, commented, “We are proud to be in a position to partner with our colleagues in education to make a difference for years to come.”

The California Career Pathways Trust was established in 2013 by the State Legislature under Assembly Bill 86 to provide a one-time competitive grant to K-12 schools and community colleges that will better prepare students for the 21st century workplace. Groups throughout the State of California competed for $250 million in available grant funding. State officials received 123 eligible applications requesting approximately $709 million. VC Innovates was one of 12 grant recipients in the category receiving up to $15 million.

America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College is now accepting enrollment for its Junior Safari Summer Camp program, which runs June 16 through August 8 for children ages 6-13 years. Junior Safari Summer Camp allows campers the unique opportunity to interact with the Zoo’s animal collection while participating in age appropriate science-based learning experiences. Camp activities include animal presentations, handling opportunities, art projects, and science projects. Activities occur within the safety of Zoo grounds under direct supervision of trained camp staff. Camp hours run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with “early bird” and “night owl” options available. All camp sessions begin with a drop-off/sign-in with a camp counselor.

Age groups and themes for summer 2014 include:
6-7 years of age, June 16-20, Planet Superheroes
6-7 years of age, July 7-11, Zookeeping 101
6-7 years of age, July 21-25, Animal Detectives
8-10 years of age, July 28-Aug 1, Wacky World of Wildlife
8-10 years of age, June 30-July 3, Wild in the City
11-13 years of age, July 14-18, Animal Dream Jobs
11-13 years of age, Aug 4-8, Zookeeping 101

For detailed information, camp availability, and registration forms, visit the “Teaching Zoo” at www.moorparkcollege.edu/zoo or call (805) 378-1441.

Are you a middle school student curious about career possibilities and interested in exploring them? Do you like to invent things or build houses? Do you dream of becoming a rocket scientist, work for CSI, or become a millionaire? Ventura College’s Summer Career Institute will give you the resources needed to put you on the fast track to charting plans for the future. The camp’s main focus is to expose students to real world encounters in career and technical education. College faculty and staff will provide participants an opportunity to explore exciting careers in the fields of criminal justice, robotics, business, and drafting and architecture.

The Summer Career Institute is free and runs July 7-10, 2014, from 9 a.m. to noon each day. Register now to reserve your spot! Applications are available at http://www.venturacollege.edu/careerpathways/camp.shtml. For additional information, contact Celine Park, Ventura College, at 805.289.6058 or by email at cpark@vcccd.edu.

Interested in serving on Fillmore High School’s 2014-2015 Site Council? If so, please contact Barbara Lemons at (805) 524-6100 or blemons@fillmore.k12.ca.us to have your name placed on the Site Council ballot. Parents of Fillmore High School students will receive a ballot in the summer registration packet.

Fillmore residents Juan Villalobos and Armando Vidal each received a $1,000 Southern California Edison Green Jobs Initiative Scholarship. These scholarships were established by Southern California Edison for students studying science, including physics, chemistry, geology, mathematics, and chemical or mechanical engineering. (20 of these $1,000 Green Jobs Initiative scholarships were awarded in total.)

Also in March, Fillmore resident Christopher Salazar was awarded a $1,000 Eileen Taylor Phoenix Scholarship. Phoenix scholarships are awarded to select re-entry students based on their academic goals and progress, along with their financial need who are returning to school to learn new skills in order to be competitive in the marketplace or who are returning to school after an extended break.

Ventura, CA - On May 19, Ventura College will graduate its 50th class of nurses as 43 students receive their nursing pins, symbolic of service to others, by veteran registered nurses during an emotional ceremony whose roots date back 1,000 years to the Maltese Cross worn by crusaders.

The pinning event kicks off a celebratory year that honors Ventura County’s oldest nursing program with the inaugural distribution of the Paul and Bessie Carter Nursing Scholarship totaling $20,000, and receipt of a $65,000 program grant from the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation for the nursing assistant program.

Events honoring alumni and current nursing program students will be held throughout the year-long celebration, culminating May 2015.

“Just in the past 14 years, Ventura College has produced more than 1,700 nurses. You can’t enter a patient floor in any hospital in the county and not find several of our graduates. We are proud that our program is known for its rigor, and our graduates are known for their high level of skills, knowledge and compassion,” said Sandra Melton, PhD, RN, nursing director.

The popular program attracted the support of the late Bessie Carter, who used the bulk of her estate to establish a scholarship fund with the Ventura College Foundation. In early May, four students each received $5,000 from this new scholarship program. The recipients include Angie Salcido, Shannon Franco and Benjamin Romero III, all from Ventura, and Rashea Paquette of Oxnard.

More reason to celebrate is the $65,000 grant from the Dorothy D. Rupe Nursing Program fund at the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation in support of the certified nursing assistant program. The foundation’s grants are awarded to programs providing quality entry-level healthcare training for students, thereby creating economic opportunity for individuals, as well as increasing the availability of certified nursing assistants and home health assistants in California communities demonstrating a critical need in the workforce.

“The program support and scholarship funds we are receiving create a tremendous ripple effect that touches so many lives, from our program’s students, graduates and their families, to all the patients and their loved ones. Nursing changes lives in a profound and positive way,” said Melton.

An 80-year Ventura resident of modest means, Bessie Carter passed away in 2012 at 100 years old. She and her husband worked as civil servants at the Naval Base Ventura County before retiring in the 1960s. “They are proof that you don’t have to be wealthy to create a lasting legacy,” said Norbert Tan, executive director of the Ventura College Foundation.

For more information about scholarship funds and other giving opportunities, contact the Ventura College Foundation at www.venturacollege.edu.

The Ventura College registered nursing program offers an associate’s degree in nursing science, and is accredited by the California State Board of Registered Nursing, and the National Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation provides financial support to the students and the programs of Ventura College to facilitate student success and grow the impact and legacy of Ventura College as a vital community asset. The Foundation also hosts the Ventura College Foundation Marketplace, an outdoor shopping experience held every weekend on the Ventura College campus east parking lot. For more information, contact Norbert Tan at (805) 289-6160 or ntan@vcccd.edu. Or visit www.venturacollege.edu/foundation.

Camarillo, CA - More than 1600 CSU Channel Islands (CI) candidates for graduation will receive degrees in separate morning and afternoon ceremonies on Saturday, May 17, including CI students who have completed their degrees in business and psychology in partnership with Santa Barbara City College and the first graduating nursing class from the CI and Cottage Health System extended campus located in Goleta, California.

The morning ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. and will include the following academic programs:
Applied Physics, Biology, Business, Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, Biotechnology/MBA, Chemistry, Communication, Computer Science, Economics, Environmental Science & Resource Management, Information Technology, Mathematics, Nursing, and Spanish.

The afternoon ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. and will include the following academic programs:
Anthropology, Art, Chicana/o Studies, Credentials (teaching), Early Childhood Studies, Education, English, History, Liberal Studies, Performing Arts, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.

Students eligible to receive degrees or credentials include candidates from fall 2013, spring and summer 2014. A live Web streaming of the ceremonies will be available by visiting: http://go.csuci.edu/live. Students and guests attending the ceremonies can use #cigrad on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, App.net, Vine, and Google+ to be featured on our official Tagboard at http://go.csuci.edu/cigrad.

For more information, contact commencement@csuci.edu or 805-437-3100, or visit www.csuci.edu/commencement.

MASTERS

Master of Science in Biotechnology & Bioinformatics
Nishita Reddy Avula, Sukhada Bhojane, Blake Broaten, Dominique Burns, Kate Caves, Brandon Chackel, Kali Cottingame, Stephanie DeSanti, Adam Dudik, Surbhi Dutta, Maribel Espinoza, Jesus Fajardo, Grant Gabrelow, Zonia Garcia Gonzalez, Derrick Hau, Valerie Hennes, Daniel Hynes, Chuan Jiang, Daniel Joseph, Kusum Kumar, Rex Lacambacal, Arumugapradeep Marimuthu, Daniel McCoy, Aja Meng, Petronela Mikhaltsevich, Artemis Naderkhani, Arthela Osorio, Shane Patao, Shwetha Phatarpekar, Joshua Plat, Eric Samuels, Joseph Saweres, Brook Sell, Jay Sharma, Mandana Shirdast, Shivangi Shirpurkar, Michael Silva, Suharika Thotakura, Kim Tran, Takahiro Watanabe

Master of Science in Biotechnology/Master of Business Administration (dual degree)
Kenneth Connell, Sam Dabestan, Armaun Emami, Dustin Fishel, Deborah Gaines, Bora Kim, Emmanuel Manasievici, Mai Nguyen, Anthony Palanca, Ryder Paredes, Erik Petersen, Luella Roma, Gregory-Thomas Stanger, Vincent Sui, Mirela Todorova, Jonathan Weitz, Sherine Yassa

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Dr. Sunghee Nam

Camarillo, CA - Dr. Sunghee Nam, a full-time CSU Channel Islands (CI) Lecturer in Sociology, has received the 2014 President’s Award for Innovations in Teaching and Learning. The award is presented each year to an individual who has made unique and significant contributions to the teaching mission of the University.

Nam, a CI faculty member since 2006, is well-known for developing service-learning courses that mutually benefit CI students and community members. In recent courses, she has led students in community-based research to create an oral history of Ventura County residents affected by the “Great Recession;” engaged CI and Oxnard College students in collaborative projects to ease transitions from community college to a four-year university; and exposed students to the impacts of globalization through an immersive service-learning travel course in South Korea.

“Dr. Nam is the prototype of the teacher/scholar who changes students’ lives,” said Provost Gayle Hutchinson. “Our campus is committed to encouraging students to become civically-engaged citizens of the world; Dr. Nam’s classes demonstrate what that can look like.”

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Holly Roepke

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will hold its 2014 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17.

About 800 students are eligible to participate in the ceremony in William Rolland Stadium.

Holly Roepke, an organizational leadership major from Thousand Oaks, will speak on behalf of the Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals program students. She began attending CLU in 1995 as a traditional undergraduate. She set records and earned numerous honors as a Regals soccer player, but had trouble finding her place academically while working several part-time jobs. With only a semester of classes remaining, she left CLU after the death of her faculty mentor. In 2011, she returned in the Professionals program. This time, she was the single mom of a 6-year-old son and was teaching physical education and coaching full-time. She struggled to schedule classes around her job, find childcare, buy books and groceries, and keep going after being laid off, but she succeeded with support from others.

Ryan Glatt, who decided to study exercise science after seeing how physical therapy helped his late mother, will speak on behalf of his fellow traditional undergraduate students. Participating in the Semester at Sea program gave the Simi Valley resident a global perspective and a desire to change the world for the better. He launched a club and organized a student service trip to provide aid in Haiti and tended bees in CLU’s sustainable education garden. He received a grant last summer to research childhood obesity by assessing lifestyle factors associated with toddler activity levels and has worked as a personal trainer. He develops educational programs for Agua Inc., a water filtration company that uses plant-based biotechnology, and will conduct fieldwork in Gambia for the company after graduation.

Music professor Wyant Morton, director of choral activities at CLU, will receive an Honorary Alumni Award. The Thousand Oaks resident joined the faculty in 1992 and chaired the Music Department for 15 years. He launched the university’s New Music Concert series in 2003 and founded Areté Vocal Ensemble, a CLU-based group of professional artists that focuses on new and unconventional works, in 2009. He has conducted the CLU Choir in performances at the Lincoln Center and in England, Italy, Norway and Sweden. He has received several awards at CLU including Professor of the Year in 2001 and the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2009.

Primo Custodio, a vice president for NBC Universal, will give the keynote address. The Chatsworth resident, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business management in 1999 and an MBA in management and organizational behavior in 2007 from CLU, serves on the School of Management’s Advisory Council. Since 2001, he has overseen human resources for NBC Universal’s studio operations, which includes post-production media services, engineering and technology, stages and back lot operations, facilities and finance. Custodio has managed the human resources team through six significant mergers and acquisitions.

Tickets are required for admission. For more information, call the Office of Academic Affairs at 805-493-3364.

Primo Custodio

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will hold its 2014 Graduate Commencement Ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, May 16, in William Rolland Stadium.

More than 600 students are eligible to receive master’s or doctoral degrees at the ceremony.

Primo Custodio, a vice president for NBC Universal, will give the keynote address. The Chatsworth resident, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business management in 1999 and an MBA in management and organizational behavior in 2007 from CLU, serves on the School of Management’s Advisory Council. Since 2001, he has overseen human resources for NBC Universal’s studio operations, which includes post-production media services, engineering and technology, stages and back lot operations, facilities and finance. Custodio has managed the human resources team through six significant mergers and acquisitions. He began his career with the company as human resources director for Universal Studios Hollywood in 1988.

Jason Peplinski, the director of educational services for the Simi Valley Unified School District, will speak on behalf of his fellow doctoral graduates. The Simi Valley resident is receiving a doctorate in educational leadership and completed his research on teacher prestige. He previously served as principal of Moorpark High School and Lincoln Elementary School and Santa Susana High School in Simi Valley. He taught for a decade before going into administration. He serves on CLU’s Board of Regents and chairs the Graduate and Professional Student Council.

Sean Worthington, assistant vice president of regional private banking in the Ventura office of Wells Fargo, will speak on behalf of the students receiving master’s degrees. The Oxnard resident is graduating with an MBA in finance. The Ventura County native was a member of the first freshman class at Oxnard High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Channel Islands. He joined Wells Fargo in 2005 after succeeding in the bank’s Forward Hire program and now manages the finances of nearly 400 affluent clients.

Tickets are required for admission. For more information, call the Office of Academic Affairs at 805-493-3364.

California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, CA - CSU Channel Islands (CI) will showcase the research and collaborative work of faculty and students at the Sixth Annual Student Research Conference on Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the John Spoor Broome Library on the CI campus. The event, sponsored by SAGE Publications, is free and open to the public. Please register to attend this event at http://go.csuci.edu/src.

The annual forum highlights the research, scholarship, creative activities and grants of CI faculty and students in a series of collaborative and individual exhibitions. There will be 30 faculty-student presentations and more than 100 posters representing students’ final projects, on a variety of topics, including:
• Effects of the Springs Fire on Plant Communities in the Santa Monica Mountains
• Electronic Cigarettes and Smoking Cessation
• Profiling of Human Normal and Cancer Cell Lines Using Phenotype Microarray Analysis
• Want to Know Who's At Risk for Internet Addiction? Click Here
• The Analysis of Mercury in local Seafood from Ventura Harbor to Long Beach Harbor
• Correlation of Surface Level Ozone (O3) and Weather Conditions in Camarillo California
• Impact of Storytelling on Students' Learning of Mathematics

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On Saturday, April 26th, Mountain Vista School held it’s bi-annual Community Service Day from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Around 75 students, parents, and staff participated in the event sponsored by the Mountain Vista School Site Council to provide students with appropriate community service activities and at the same time beautifying the school. The community service activities included greeting card making for our service men and women, bracelet making for foster children, reorganizing the ballroom, and weeding and planting around campus. A new flower garden was planted on the East side of campus near the kindergarten classrooms and mulch was spread in existing beds. City Councilman Tucker assisted in planting the new garden. Councilwoman McCall helped clean out and organize the ballroom. The students and parents were treated with a pizza lunch at the conclusion of the event. Mountain Vista staff would like to thank everyone who came out to help out.

Mountain Vista staff would also like to invite the community to come to our Open House and Art Show, Thursday, May 1st from 5:45 – 7:30 pm. The Mountain Vista Booster Club will be selling pizza and a drink for $2.00. We will be honoring Owens and Minor for their continued support of the Mountain Vista Art Program.

California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, CA - The Princeton Review has named CSU Channel Islands (CI) one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible “green” universities in its “Guide to Green Colleges,” released Thursday, April 17. The recognition adds to other environmental accolades for the University on the eve of the worldwide and campus celebration of Earth Day on April 22.

CI is one of 332 institutions recognized in the guide for its noteworthy achievements to integrate sustainability into its campus, classrooms and community. To produce the book, The Princeton Review partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council to survey roughly 2,000 of the nation’s 4,300 colleges. Of the 832 campuses that responded, 332 demonstrated practices that distinguished them as “green.”

The study responds to a growing interest among students in attending colleges that practice, teach and support environmentally responsible choices. In a 2013 Princeton Review survey of nearly 10,000 college applicants, 62 percent said a college’s environmental commitment was important.

The “Guide to Green Colleges” lauds CI for utilizing its natural campus setting to engage students and faculty in study of how environmental issues interact with social, economic and societal issues. More than 65 percent of CI students take sustainability related courses. In addition, the guide commends CI for its efforts to purchase local food, significantly reduce water and energy consumption, boost recycling rates, and promote biking, carpooling and sustainable living among students and employees.

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California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, CA - CSU Channel Islands (CI) will host the Sixth Annual Conference for Social Justice in Education, Saturday, April 19, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Grand Salon. The annual event brings together Ventura County teachers and learners for a day of discussion, sharing, planning and action to promote equal opportunities for learning in our schools and communities.

The conference is free and open to the public. Teachers, students, parents, administrators, counselors, youth advocates, activists, and paraprofessionals are encouraged to attend. Anyone interested in social justice in education or learning about it is welcomed. Lunch is provided for participants who register in advance. Participants should register in advance at http://education.csuci.edu/justice-conference/registration.htm.
This year’s theme, “Cultivating Mentorship in Schools & Society,” highlights the essential processes of networking, of building a common agenda, and of creating opportunities for collaborative impact to achieve social justice by and through education. The focus on mentoring is designed to broaden our perspectives on what education is, where it occurs – and how it can serve the goal of social justice. The conference features keynote speaker Maria Elena Plaza, Director of Certificated Human Resources & Public Relations for the Oxnard School District. Break-out sessions, which will be held in Del Norte Hall, will examine an array of issues relevant to our county and promise to be thought provoking. During lunch, participants will hear from a panel of community leaders who have facilitated change in the county through mentorship.

Free on-campus parking is provided. Once on campus, follow the directional signs to the designated parking lot. Free parking is also available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CI Vista Bus to the campus; the cash-only fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every hour and half-hour, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.

For more information, visit http://education.csuci.edu/justice-conference or contact Kaia Tollefson, Project Vista Director at 805-437-3125 or kaia.tollefson@csuci.edu.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The Eighth Annual Festival of Scholars at California Lutheran University will showcase a range of work by undergraduate and graduate students from Monday, April 28, through Saturday, May 3.

This scholarly work includes a variety of traditional research, creative work and the application of theory to real-life situations. The projects reflect months or even years of focused work with faculty mentors.

For example, biology major Tori Dahl from Anoke, Minn., created a poetry collection to serve as an interdisciplinary resource to be used in elementary classrooms to increase awareness about the aims of the environmental movement. Los Angeles resident Shannon Taylor, a doctoral student in the Graduate School of Education, studied the relationship between spiritual formation and leadership development in higher education, focusing particularly on women who are entering and graduating from college in record numbers. Psychology student Aaron Waters of San Anselmo measured the expression of gratitude for a good deed as a predictor of resilience and thriving in undergraduates. Annika Weber, a biochemistry major from Denver, Colo., investigated a compound called pentachlorophenol that is used as a pesticide and disinfectant to better understand its possible toxic and carcinogenic effects.

Faculty members will present brief summaries of recent sabbatical projects. Psychology students will present their research into advances in the understanding of brain function. Sociology and criminal justice students will present results of their research on the influence of religious and gender differences regarding attitudes on homosexuality and capital punishment and discuss the subculture of street basketball and people’s attitudes towards government surveillance.

The Piano Quintet, Saxophone Quartet and Clarinet Quartet Honors Ensembles will present a concert representing the culmination of their work for the academic year.

Multimedia major Gustavo Youngberg from Thousand Oaks will show “Edgar Allan Poe Seen Alive,” which features animations of famous literary figures that he created by colorizing and transforming old photos.

Political science students’ presentations on perspectives on global citizenship and civic engagement will include discussions on obesity in America, government transparency and the public trust, and how members of Congress engage with their constituencies through social media.

For a complete schedule of events, go to callutheran.edu/fos. CLU’s Office for Experiential Learning, Research and Faculty Development is presenting the free festival. For more information, call 805-493-3795.