 Living
Lab at Eagle Lake Field Station
Eagle
Lake Field Station (ELFS), located 26 miles northwest
of Susanville in Lassen County on the eastern shore of Eagle
Lake, is owned and managed by CSU, Chico. The site has 63
acres and 11 buildings. ELFS hosts classes, scientific conferences,
and workshops. Biology students in such courses as Birds of
Eagle Lake and the Western Great Basin, Field Biology, Natural
History: Animal Ecology of the Western Basin, and Ichthyology/Microbial
Ecology spend on-site time at Eagle Lake. Students from Freshman
General Studies Thematic Program participated in a 3-day workshop
at Eagle Lake in May 2004.
Funds for the Third “R”: Math Education
The College of Natural Sciences received 18 math and science
teaching grants in 2003–2004, providing more than $1.5
million in funding. Professor Bev Marcum,
Biological Sciences, with Professor Bill Fisher,
Mathematics and Statistics, received a $700,000 grant from
the California Department of Education, Mathematics and Science
Partnership. This grant partners CSU, Chico math educators
with other educators across the North State to improve math
and science education.
 Leader
in Environmental Studies
The college continues to build on its expertise and leadership
in environmental research, which often involves students and
faculty working on real-world problems. The college has brought
in more than $3 million from grants and contracts to address
environmental and ecological problems. Professor David
Brown, Geology and Environmental Sciences, has earned
more than $500,000 in grants and contracts for ground water
research, and Professor Gordon Wolfe, Biological
Sciences, has received more than $320,000 from the National
Science Foundation for his research in microbial ecology.
Nutrition Education for Kids
Professor Cindy Wolfe, Nutrition and Food
Science Program, through the Sierra Cascade Nutrition and
Activity Consortium (SCNAC) and the OPT for Fit Kids (Overweight,
Prevention, & Treatment) has earned $608,000 in nutrition
grants and awards. SCNAC and OPT provide valuable pre-professional
practice, nutrition, and activity promotion curriculum, parent
and teacher classes, family-based nutrition education and
physical activity counseling, and a community awareness campaign
to more than 200,000 residents in Butte and Glenn counties.
The OPT for Fit Kids program received national recognition
at the American Association of Colleges and Universities’
2004 Sumner Service Learning Symposium in Washington, D.C.
Nurse Practitioners Graduate
Thirteen family nurse practitioners graduated from a new
program that was the result of collaboration among the nursing
programs of CSU, Chico, CSU, Stanislaus, and Sonoma State
University, which awards the Master of Science degree. The
program is available via teleconferencing with Sonoma State.
CSU, Chico nursing faculty provide clinical instruction for
local students and supervise clinical experiences in health
care settings.
Hands-on Physics
Physics professor Xueli Zou received a grant
from the National Science Foundation for $92,000 to continue
collaborative work in physics education. The grant, a portion
of a grant shared with colleagues at Rutgers University, will
be used to create innovative approaches to teaching beginning
physics. This two-year project is the next phase in a $500,000
NSF-funded project in which Zou and colleagues developed a
hands-on lab that employed innovative curricula and learning
strategies.
 National
Botany Award
Matthew B. Brown (right) received a 2004
Young Botanist Award with a Certificate of Special Achievement,
from the Botanical Society of America. Brown, a 2004 graduate
with honors in biology, presented his research project with
Professor Kristopher Blee, at the California State University
Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology, 15th
Annual Biotechnology Symposium, in 2002, and the annual meeting
of the American Phyto-pathological Society in 2003. Brown
has taken advanced courses in plant systematics, plant ecology,
and plant anatomy, among others.
National Dietitian Scholarship
Vanessa Gyovai, a student in the master
of science program in Nutritional Science, received a $1,000
Janette Smith Memorial Scholarship. The national scholarship
is awarded to five nutritional science students entering internship
programs.
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