Thanks so much for stopping by to read our latest newsletter! Our department continues to be very busy, both on campus and in the community. We have a wonderful series of speakers lined up for our STAR Seminar series, and we continue to investigate and inform our surrounding world with field trips, presentations and outside classrooms. We've had a dynamic year, with outstanding professional accomplishments from our faculty and students.
Progress on the new Hall of Science has been moving forward at an exciting pace! In September, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Hunt Construction celebrated completion of the structural foundation with a topping-out ceremony. Students, Faculty, and Staff from the university community were on hand to sign the last steel beam before it was placed and secured to the building. The giant hole that existed a year ago where PH3 used to be is rapidly resembling a beautiful new and modern science facility -- you can share in our wonder and pride by monitoring the progress online.
We've had a banner year in terms of faculty accomplishments and accolades! Despite the budget woes, our programs continue to improve and our faculty reach greater milestones. This year, Bill Ritz was awarded CSTA's The Margaret Nicholson Distinguished Service Award and William Straits was awarded the Ukleja Center Award for Ethical Leadership. Tom Kelty, Jim Kisiel, and Bill Straits were all awarded tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. Jim Kisiel was awarded a grant from the Spencer Foundation to examine the relationship between science teachers and informal science institutions. William Straits and Susan Zwiep were awarded a grant for a project entitled the Bell Gardens Partnership. This will allow them to work with one elementary school for three years, providing focused professional development in the area of science education. Our STAR seminar series continues to shine. This year we continued our international reach, bringing in Wang Su, Director of the Centre for Science and Technology Education at the China National Institute for Educational Research. She graciously spoke with our students about Science Education programs and teaching in China. Our students continue to flourish. Please read about our award winners and stars in two different articles highlighting their accomplishments.
We maintained our tradition of an active summer with several ongoing programs. The Young Scientists' Camp brought in hundred of campers to pursue the mystery behind some fun physical phenomena and the Verizon Foundation provided additional generous funding to bring Science Camp to some very worthy and needy kids in Long Beach. The Head Start on Science Program held two jam-packed sessions this year, introducing pre-school teachers to exciting tools and techniques that can be utilized to bring science into the preschool classroom.
As you have probably heard, the California State University is facing an unprecedented budget shortfall. More than ever, the donations we receive help us to secure quality educational means that directly benefit our students. We are especially grateful to those foundations and individuals that have donated to us this past year. These grants and donations help us to provide excellent instruction to our students and enable them to participate in beneficial, hands-on research. This year, we had several students present research at national conferences and collaborate with faculty on projects! We are so thankful to be able to offer these opportunities to students and could not have done it without our gracious and venerable donors. Thank you! As you read this newsletter, we hope that you will consider making a donation to our program.
If you are an alumnus, let us know what you're up to! We love to keep in touch with our students. We hope you enjoy our newsletter and if you have any suggestions or comments, please pass those along via email (adelavan@csulb.edu).
- Laura Henriques, Chair
