Fueling up for ‘greener’ living
Rendering of the University’s Hydrogen Fueling Station.
Cal State L.A. is poised to break new ground in the drive toward building a sustainable energy future this year, with the start of work on its Hydrogen Fueling Station.
The station, which will cost $4.5 million, is the first piece of infrastructure in the development of a sustainable energy engineering academic program. It will operate as both a teaching and research resource for the campus, allowing for the study of sustainably produced hydrogen and its commercial viability. The facility will also serve as a public station, open to those driving hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and buses in the Los Angeles area.
Funding for the project is coming from a variety of public and private sources, including a $2.2 million lead gift from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), a $475,000 federal appropriation, and a gift from the Automobile Club of Southern California. Fundraising for the balance of the project is still underway.
When complete the station will produce and dispense hydrogen fuel, making it one of the first such stations with an entirely sustainable product in the area. The fuel will be made with energy from wind and solar power.
Cal State L.A.’s station will be the closest station to downtown Los Angeles, and a cornerstone of California’s Hydrogen Highway. The University hopes to have the station in operation by summer 2010.
Stern MASS school building dedicated
CSULA President James M.Rosser joins Alliance President Judy Burton and Eva and Marc Stern during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, officially opening Stern MASS on March 26, 2009.
Cal State L.A. is a University of firsts. The University is home to thousands of first-time college students and graduates, the nation’s first Chicano Studies department, and the first charter high school to be founded on a CSU campus in Southern California.
It is the last accomplishment that brought University officials, city leaders and the administrators, educators, donors and students of the Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School (Stern MASS) together March 26 for a dedication ceremony of the new 34,000-square-foot facility.
Stern MASS is the product of a partnership between Cal State L.A. and the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools. Its enrollment is about 98 percent Latino/a, and next year’s enrollment, which will complete a buildup of a ninth- through 12th-grade student body, will be around 500 students.
In addition to housing classrooms, labs and a library, the school facility is home to the University’s Professional Development Center, wherein CSULA faculty members, and Stern MASS and other Los Angeles Unified School District teachers can gather to explore the best practices for K-12 schools.
Some of the collaboration already underway between Stern MASS, and the University’s Charter College of Education and College of Natural and Social Sciences include:
- Professor Kathryn Reilly’s arrangement for CSULA school counseling students to complete their practicum assignments by providing counseling services for Stern MASS students over a ten-week period.
- Professional development workshops for Stern MASS teachers on project-based learning, organized by professors Paul Narguizian and James Rudd.
- Stern MASS teachers enrolling in graduate and/or credential programs at CSULA. Four of the high school’s teachers are CSULA alumni.
For more information about Stern MASS, call (323) 987-2144 or visit its web site.
The science behind what you eat
Strawberries, dipped in a chocolate infused with vegetable nutrients, are prepared for competition in the Food Sciences lab in La Kretz Hall.
Ever wondered how the food you buy in stores is prepared? How do manufactures ensure that your soup has the right, creamy consistency? Who decides how to add fiber or omega 3 and when?
Those questions, and many more regarding the preservation, packaging and safety of food, make up the study of food science. It’s a field that looks at food from the time it hits industry to the time it lands on your plate.
And now, with the introduction of a Bachelor of Science degree in food science and technology, Cal State L.A. students are going to be able to delve into such topics more than ever before. The 180-unit program will start in fall 2009. Fifteen $3,000 scholarships from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are also available to students who enroll in the program.
Graduates of the food science and technology program will be prepared for both careers in industry  where starting salaries average about $45,000  and continued studying opportunities, said Kinesiology and Nutritional Science Professor Harmit Singh.
For more information about the program, visit the School of Kinesiology and Nutritional Science.
Expanded offerings, opportunities
Two additional upper division programs  an interdisciplinary biotechnology master’s program and a doctorate in educational leadership  are expected to start in fall 2009. Both programs are accepting applications, but still await final approval from the CSU.
The two-year master’s program in applied biotechnology is the result of collaboration with nearby Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Pomona, and is supported in part by the Sloan Foundation.
The program is designed to prepare graduates for work in the pharmaceutical, biologics, medical device or diagnostic industries by teaching students how a biotechnology product advances from concept to market. It will include a summer internship and second-year project in collaboration with the biotechnology industry.
The Department of Biological Sciences at Cal State L.A. will administer the program. For details, visit here.
The Charter College of Education’s independent Ed.D. program in educational leadership was authorized by the California Legislature in response to the urgent need for well-prepared administrators to lead the state’s public schools and community colleges.
The program specializes in preK-12 education, with an emphasis on system and school redesign, urban teaching and learning, and students’ special needs and services.
For details, call the Division of Applied and Advanced Studies in Education at (323) 343-4330 or go to its web site.
Education is the message from the pulpit
CSULA Vice President of Student Affairs Tony Ross speaks to the congregation at Glory Christian International in Inglewood about college during the fourth annual CSU Super Sunday event.
For the fourth consecutive year, Cal State L.A. administrators took part in the CSU’s statewide African American Initiative, delivering messages about college programs and early preparation in local churches.
On Sunday, Feb. 22, Cal State L.A. President James M. Rosser, Vice President for Student Affairs Tony Ross, CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed, and the presidents and administrators of neighboring universities, accompanied by outreach staff and education counselors, fanned out across Los Angeles to speak to thousands about college. University leaders throughout the state reached 68 churches this spring.
Each of their speeches touched on a different aspect of the importance of a college education or the route to getting into school. In Rosser’s speech, for instance, the primary focus was on math proficiency  one of the largest hurdles for students trying to get into college.
“The college-prep math train starts with Algebra One,” he said in his speech at Full Harvest International Church in Gardena. “The sooner a child takes Algebra, the sooner he or she will be on track toward higher education. Getting on board early is critical.”
For more information about the University or CSU’s outreach efforts, visit the Super Sunday news site.