CSCI Highlights
Earth and Environmental Sciences Dept. Sheds Light on Storm Origins
In the Spring of 2023, Earth and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Emilio Grande and Professor Jean Moran requested help from CSUEB Students, Faculty, and Staff to collect rain samples from their homes during two storm events. They used the samples to study the stable water isotopes of the two storms. These storms were special because they originated in different parts of the Pacific Ocean. Winter Storm Olive, coming from the North Pacific, hit the Bay Area at the end of February 2023. A few days later, in early March 2023, an Atmospheric River hit the Bay Area, coming from the Equatorial Pacific. As the researchers expected, these two storms had very different isotopic signatures. Professors Grande and Moran, with the help of Alumna Brenda Karina Delgadillo Moreno, used the data to show the applicability of studying these types of storm events to track water through watersheds and different landscapes. They hope the techniques used can be further applied to water resources management. The research was published in the journal Hydrological Sciences and can be accessed through
Neurophysiology and Behavior Lab Shines at Society for Neuroscience conference
Members of the Neurophysiology and Behavior Lab, led by Dr. Divya Sitaraman (Associate Professor of Psychology), presented three research posters at the Society for Neuroscience conference, October 4-9, 2024, in Chicago, IL. Graduate students Namrata Dhungana and Yi Shen Lee showcased their research on the neural mechanisms underlying egg-laying decision-making, while research technician Preeti Sundaramurthi presented her work on sleep circuits. Dr. Sitaraman presented on new educational curricular modules for mapping neural circuits using fly and mouse connectome data. Research and travel were generously supported by the College of Science, NIH 2R15GM125073-03, and NSF CAREER 2042873 grants awarded to Dr. Sitaraman. Additional travel and research support came from the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience award to Yi Shen Lee, the Society for Neuroscience travel award to Namrata Dhungana, and Association for Women in Science to Preeti Sundaramurthi.
“Fun” at the Fungarium!
Did you know that Cal State East Bay has a fungarium or even what that is? The fungarium currently includes over 6000 fungal specimens, with several thousand additional specimens expected to be added to the collection in 2024-2025. The collection consists primarily of specimens from California, Hawai'i and Vanuatu, including vouchers resulting from the research projects of Dr. Brian Perry and students, as well as the ongoing California Fungal Diversity Survey project. Thanks to a generous grant from the California Institute for Biodiversity, the fungarium recently added twelve new specimen storage cabinets, tripling the capacity of the space. Here we see Biology undergraduates, Sannah Alimi and Warren Cardimnona, working on the collection!
CSUEB CONNECTS WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM
This summer, CSUEB students and faculty supported science discovery during a summer bridge program for high school students held at the College of Alameda. The program was funded by the National Science Foundation, HSI Pilot Project: MESA Connect. Led by Professor Monika Sommerhalter, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, CSUEB students Christian Farinas, Rafael Cazares, Boquan Huang, and Vi Truong helped design and run engaging science activities for the high school students. In the “Biotechnology” lab, students determined if they had zero, one, or two alleles of a particular insertion (a “jumping gene”). Since different populations have different insertion frequencies, this experiment invited the students to discuss their families’ genetic origins. CSUEB Alumna, Emily Quach, was the instructor of the program. In the “Air Monitoring” lab, the CSUEB students helped Dr. Alex Madonik to engage high school students in collecting and analyzing data on carbon dioxide and particulate levels in their neighborhoods. Co-Interim Dean Julie Glass visited the program and ran an activity for students to explore the different degree programs and career opportunities offered by the College of Science.
HOW DO WILDFIRES AFFECT CA’S NATIVE INSECTS?
As the climate warms, wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity in California. While fire is a natural part of the landscape, global warming, drought, a long history of fire suppression, and invasive species that can kill trees are creating extreme fire conditions. It is important to understand how these changing conditions can impact already endangered California native species. This summer, CSUEB undergraduate students, Diana Montes and Paulina Lara, from Dr. Hazlehurst's Ecology lab worked with the US Forest Service to document the insect pollinators of several endangered plants in the El Dorado National Forest in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Students spent several days hiking and camping in the forest while collecting specimens in areas that burned in the Caldor and Mosquito fires. The results of the surveys will inform critical ecosystem conservation efforts to shield vulnerable species from the effects of anthropogenic climate change.
MATH STUDENT WINS OUTSTANDING POSTER
Congratulations to Oscar Thompson, who won Outstanding Poster for his poster on "Calculating Distance Matrices for the Sierpinski gasket" at the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) regional conference at UC Merced on Oct. 9-11, 2024. Oscar notes that studying Math at CSUEB has been full of rewarding experiences. The opportunity to research fractals and present my work to peers, professionals and friends, has been a highlight of his time as a CSUEB student.