Melina Abdullah (Pan African Studies) was recently selected as the recipient of the YWCA’s 2016 Racial Justice Award. She was honored at the 14th Annual Women for Racial Justice Breakfast in Pasadena on Oct. 17, 2016.
Talia Bettcher (Philosophy) has been appointed to serve as vice chair of the L.A. Transgender Advisory Council, as announced by the City of Los Angeles on Mar. 15, 2016.
Roberto Cantú (Emeritus, Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies) was elected to the editorial board of the University of Oklahoma Press, Chicana and Chicano Visions of the Américas Series, 2016.
Mario Castaneda (Curriculum and Instruction) was selected as a recipient of the Pepperdine University’s 2016 CABE Visionary Award, Mar. 24, 2016. He was recognized for his “alumni service in accordance with the mission of the California Association for Bilingual Education to advance bilingual education and to provide quality educational experiences for all students.”
Elaine Draper (Sociology) was appointed to the State Bar of California Advisory Council for the Pathway to Law School Program, 2016. The Sierra Club Board of Directors awarded her a Certificate of Appreciation in honor or her “years of outstanding leadership” preserving and protecting wildlands, wildlife and the environment. She also received the 2016 University-wide Exceptional Service to Students Award from Cal State LA.
Krishna Foster (Chemistry and Biochemistry/MORE Programs) was named a Minority Access National Role Model in recognition of her exemplary achievements in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Foster was acknowledged during the Minority Access Inc.’s 17th Annual National Role Models Conference, Washington, DC, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2016.
Frank A. Gomez (Chemistry and Biochemistry), principal investigator, received a $375,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to educate tomorrow's leaders in the interdisciplinary field of paper microfluidics. The three-year grant will focus on transforming current curriculum and generating new knowledge by developing and integrating course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) into courses in the University’s Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biological Sciences.
Shirley Gray (Mathematics) has been selected by the Southern California-Nevada Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) as the 2016 winner of the Distinguished College/University Teaching of Mathematics Award. She has been nominated by the section for the prestigious national Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award. The fall meeting of the Southern California-Nevada MAA Section was held at Cal State LA on Oct. 22, 2016. Gray was also invited to give a plenary talk at the event.
Rebecca Joseph (Curriculum and Instruction) has been selected as one of 30 Unsung Heroes of Los Angeles County by the California Community Foundation in honor of the foundation’s 100th anniversary. She was also featured as one of 30 inspiring Angelenos in a photo exhibit at the LA Plaza, which was displayed through April 2016.
Cheryl Koos (Political Science/History) was named by the American Council on Education (ACE) as an ACE Fellow for academic year 2016-17. Koos was selected for the award based on her academic credentials and potential for administrative leadership, the recommendations of professional colleagues, the judgment of interviewing teams of senior administrators, and overall qualifications as measured against the standards of the ACE Fellows Program.
Namhee Lee (Modern Languages and Literatures) was elected as chair of the Korean Special Interest Group of American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), 2016. As chair, Lee will lead the entire nation’s Korean language education, development of policies of Korean language teaching, and K-16 Korean instructors who are all covered by ACTFL. Lee was also recently awarded $20,000 for his project titled, “The Roles that Human Relationship Plays in Contract Making between U.S. and Korean Business Entities.”
Allison Mattheis (Applied and Advanced Studies in Education) and KiMi Wilson (Curriculum and Instruction) were selected as 2016 Concha Delgado Gaitan Early Career Presidential Fellows by the Council on Anthropology and Education. They have received a travel grant to attend the Nov. 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
Tona Rodriguez-Nikl (Civil Engineering) was selected as this year’s recipient of the Sikand Faculty Endowment for Research in Urban Sustainability, by the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology, Cal State LA, Aug. 2016.
Heidi R. Riggio (Psychology) received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Western Psychological Association during its annual WPA meeting in Long Beach, Apr. 28-May 1, 2016.
Gay Yuen (Emerita, Curriculum and Education) was presented a Women’s History Month Leadership Award at a community event hosted by Assemblymember Ed Chau in the City of Monterey Park, Mar. 18, 2016. She was recognized for her contributions to the cultural and societal makeup of California.