June 2012
Posted June 29
Arboretum Summer Hours
The Fullerton Arboretum will be open for extended hours Monday through Thursday throughout the summer. In July, the botanical garden will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. except for July 4: the facility will close at 4:30 p.m. that day. In August, hours are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and in September, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and weekends, the Arboretum will continue to operate on its 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. schedule.
Triumph and Setback
The Titan V, a formula-style race car created by engineering and business students, passed all static technical inspections and progressed to the dynamic events at the 2012 Formula SAE West competition in Lincoln, Neb. Everything was going well, until the endurance event. More information available in this precompetition story.
June 26
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame for Titan
Former Cal State Fullerton All-American Jenny Topping and her teammates on the gold medal-winning 2004 United States Olympic Softball Team will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame's Class of 2012 on July 12 in Chicago. The 2004 squad will be the first softball athletes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after finishing with a perfect 9-0 record in Athens that included eight consecutive shutouts and four run-rule wins. The United States outscored the opposition by a 51-1 count, not allowing a run until Australia scored in the sixth inning of the gold medal game.
OC Poll Probes San Onofre Sentiment
With the recent closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in the news, it’s no surprise that Orange County residents are aware of the plant, according to the Orange County Poll, conducted by the university's Center for Public Policy and Social Science Research Center. Yet, poll respondents indicate they are only slightly concerned about San Onofre’s safety issues, report Justin A. Tucker, assistant professor of political science, and Stephen J. Stambough, professor of political science and director of the Center for Public Policy. Details are available online.
Summer Program for Educators
Area teachers are going back into the classroom this summer to become leaders and better educators as part of the Collaboration for Leadership and Improvement in Math Education, a California Department of Education-funded program. Patrick M. Kimani, assistant professor of education, has received a $28,924 contract from Centralia School District in support of the program, which will be held July 9-19 and July 30-Aug. 9.
Chancellor Selection Committee to Meet
The CSU Trustees’ Special Committee for the Selection of the Chancellor will meet Thursday, June 28, to review the role of the committee, the search process and the preferred attributes of the next chancellor. An open forum will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the Dumke Auditorium at the Office of the Chancellor, 401 Golden Shore, Long Beach, 90802. To see the Board of Trustees agenda or to provide comment, click here; to listen to the live audio stream of the forum, go to http://www.calstate.edu/bot/agendas/.
June 25
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
The Fullerton Arboretum Saturday Farm Stand is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every first and third Saturday of the month. The produce is part of the Urban Farming program with items grown on the Arboretum grounds. Upcoming dates are July 7 and 21, Aug. 4 and 18, Sept. 1 and 15. For more information, call 657-278-3407.
Summer Baseball
Titan baseball players are keeping their skills up by participating in summer baseball throughout the country. In addition to sophomore Michael Lorenzen, who is playing with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team — where team coaches include former Titan coaches Dave Serrano and George Horton —players are taking part on teams in the leagues from Hawaii to Wisconsin and Minnesota.
June 21
Funding Supports Atmospheric Studies
Murtadha A. Khakoo, professor of physics, is co-recipient of $102,480 in funding from Jet Propulsion Laboratory for his ongoing study of “Electron Impact Cross Sections of Atmospheric Species.”
Kwang-Ping “Patricia” Cheng, professor of physics, is “Studying the Dynamics of Stellar Atmospheres Through Ultraviolet Spectroscopy” with $43,195 in funding from NASA.
Project MISS Summer Program Begins
Next month, David Pagni, professor of mathematics, kicks off the Project Mathematics Intensive Summer Session, a four-week program geared to giving young girls support and skills to become accomplished in mathematics. The 23-year-old program will be held July 2-27 on campus. Friday, June 22, Pagni — a former Outstanding Professor Award recipient who has been nationally recognized for his achievements in math education — will hold an orientation to acquaint students and parents with the programs procedures.
June 20
Football Back - for a Week
Cal State Fullerton has football again ... at least for a week of practice for the Southern California High School All-Star team that will play a game against comparable stars in Arizona Saturday night.
Men’s Golf Has Perfect APR
The Titan team has been cited by the NCAA for its multiyear academic progress rate (APR) rate of 1,000. It is the second year in a row that the team has achieved that level of academic success.
Midsummer Night in the Garden
Campus and community members are invited to spend a summer evening enjoying live music, dinning and auction at the Fullerton Arboretum’s annual “Midsummer Night in the Garden.” The annual fundraiser, scheduled for July 14, benefits the garden maintenance program, as well as museum and education programs. Cost to attend is $125 per ticket. For details, go to the Arboretum website or call 657-278-4010.
June 18
Engineering Innovation Discount
Faculty and staff members interested in enrolling their high school students in this summer's Engineering Innovation program are eligible for a $250 discount off the cost. Offered July 2-27 by the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the program is geared for motivated students with math and science aptitudes and an interest in, or curiosity, about engineering. This offer is first-come, first-served. For more information: Victor Delgado, ECS assistant dean, 657-278-2887.
June 15
Gastronome Opens for Summer
The Gastronome, located on the south side of student housing, reopens for the summer on Monday, June 18. During the week of June 18-22, lunch will be offered between from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Beginning Monday, June 25, the facility will offer breakfast from 7 to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Regular meals prices are: $6.50 for breakfast, $9 for lunch, and $11.50 for dinner, plus tax. For more information, call 657-278-1661.
June 14
Grad Rate Success Boosts CSUF Higher
Cal State Fullerton has moved up to No. 8 among colleges and universities nationwide for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to minorities. The latest ranking was published in the June 7 edition of Diverse Issues in Higher Education on its annual list of the “Top 100 Degree Producers.” CSUF is the highest ranked of the six CSU campuses in the top 20, and was at No. 9 last year.
June 13
Bon Voyage Concert
The University Singers will present a Bon Voyage concert Saturday, June 16, prior to their departure for a concert tour of Austria and Germany June 19-30. For Saturday’s concert, the University Singers will perform the tour’s complete repertoire, beginning at 8 p.m. in the Meng Concert Hall. Tickets are available by calling 657-278-3459.
June 12
Golfing for Students
More than 40 students will be receiving scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,500, thanks to the 25th annual Hispanic Scholarship Golf Tournament. The April tournament netted more than $90,000 benefitting Future Scholars — freshmen or transfer students who are “educationally, economically and environmentally disadvantaged” — said Silas H. Abrego, interim vice president for student affairs, who founded the golf tournament with Tlaquepaque Restaurant owners Rosalina (B.A. Spanish ’77) and Raul Davis, Richard Bermudez and the late Ruben Calderon. To date, nearly 1,000 students have benefited from the scholarships.
Titan Picked in MLB Draft
Right-hander Dylan Floro was a 13th round pick-up for the Tampa Bay Rays at this year’s Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft.
June 11
$1.3 Million Stem Cell Grant
Cal State Fullerton is receiving a $1.3 million grant to continue the Bridges to Stem Cell Research Program led by Nilay Patel, assistant professor of biological science. The three-year renewal from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will focus on efforts to offer specialized training to students in stem cell research at local labs, including UC Irvine, USC and Children's Hospital of Orange County.
Campus Blood Drive June 13
In recognition of World Blood Donor Day, the Volunteer & Service Center joins the American Red Cross to sponsor a 9 a.m.-3 p.m. campus blood drive Wednesday, June 13, between the Student Recreation Center and Titan Gym. To sign up, visit the Red Cross website and enter sponsor code CSUF, or call 714-427-2605.
June 6
Robotic Lawn Mower Wins Top Prize
Seven electrical engineering students won first place in the "static competition" at the ninth annual Institute of Navigation Robotic Lawn Mower Competition May 31-June 2 in Beavercreek, Ohio. The team also received the "Fantastic" Award for incorporating the most fans on the robot to make it "cool," the "Overclocked" Award for efficiently using computing technologies on a lawn mower and "Zero-Degree Turn" Award for making perfect zero-degree turns on the field. The goal was to design and operate an autonomous lawn mower using the art and science of navigation to rapidly and accurately mow a field of grass. Team members are: Michael Yeh, Bao Nguyen, Tuo Wu, Riyad El-laithy, Jared Chen, Minh Tran and Vy Phung; faculty adviser is Jidong Huang, assistant professor of electrical engineering.
June 4
Summer Hours for Campus Dining
Campus Dining has announced the following summer hours:
Nutwood Cafe — 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays-Fridays
Starbuck’s Coffee (Mihaylo Hall) — 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays-Fridays
Carl’s Jr. — 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Fridays
Food Court (Titan Student Union)
• The Cup — 7:30 a.m.-noon
• Togo's, Panda Express and Juice It Up! — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays
Coming This Fall ...
Baja Fresh Mexican Grill will join the mix of food venues in the Titan Student Union Food Court this fall.
Understanding Earthquakes
David B. Bowman, chair and professor of geological sciences, explains Southern California earthquakes Tuesday, June 12, at the Fullerton Public Library as part of the 2012 Town and Gown Lecture Series co-sponsored by CSUF. The 7 p.m. program will be held at 353 W. Commonwealth Ave., adjacent to Fullerton City Hall.
June 1
‘Hats & Tea’
Hosts and hostesses in Victorian attire will be serving tea and tasty treats during a June 10 tea at the Fullerton Arboretum. Cost for the 2 p.m. event in the Garden Pavilion is $35 for individuals, $240 for a table of eight. Proceeds benefit Heritage House. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit the Fullerton Arboretum website.
