A Publication for the faculty, staff, administrators and friends of California State University, Chico
March. 10, 2005 Volume 35 / Number 5

2005 Professional Achievement Honors

The Professional Achievement Honors recognize faculty members who have engaged students in research and/or creative activities and have enhanced high-quality learning environments both inside and outside of the classroom. These faculty were honored on Thursday, March 3 at the Research Foundation Recognition dinner.

David Ball, Chemistry

David Ball received his PhD from UC Santa Barbara and joined the CSU, Chico chemistry department in 1974. He is a synthetic organic chemist. His recent research has been centered around synthesizing retinoid (Vitamin A) analogs as potential chemotherapeutic agents for cancer. He is recognized for his mentoring of undergraduate students. By involving students in a significant way in research projects and co-authoring publications with them, Ball has brought recognition to the chemistry department and to the University. Ball was instrumental in obtaining $40,000 in funds from a pharmaceutical company for summer scholarships for student research in synthetic organic chemistry. These students then presented their research at meetings of the national American Chemical Society. Students noted this as a deciding influence in their choice of chemistry careers. In addition to co-authoring peer-reviewed papers published in a prestigious chemical education journal, he co-authored five posters at national ACS meetings, presented by students. Ball’s provision of a high-quality learning environment and his skill and dedication at mentoring have greatly enhanced his students’ academic and professional opportunities.

Tonya Emerson, Engineering

Tonya Emerson received her PhD from UC Davis. She makes community service central to her civil engineering classes through the K–12 Minds in Motion project. She has led students, faculty, and industry professionals in bringing 2,000 K–12 students to campus to encourage their interest in engineering by exploring principles of science, math, and engineering. The American Society of Civil Engineering rewarded her success by naming the program the “Best Student Outreach Event” in 2003. Emerson was recently elected to the American Society of Engineering Education Committee on Curriculum Development. She serves as faculty advisor to the Society of Women Engineers. Emerson recently won the Glen Martin Best Paper Award for the Civil Engineering Division and the 2003 Gerald R. Seeley Fellowship. She received a Department of Energy Fellowship and was named an ExCEED (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) Fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers for her outstanding mentoring practices.

Duane Knudson, Kinesiology

Duane Knudson received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin. Through his writing and service to national and international groups he has made substantial contributions to the discipline of biomechanics. His scholarly activities include nearly 50 articles in refereed journals such as Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Journal of Applied Biomechanics, International Journal of Sports Medicine, and Sports Biomechanics. Knudson has authored two books and six chapters on the biomechanics of tennis, stretching, and qualitative analysis. He has been a reviewer for 16 journals and several scientific meetings, he has presented at numerous national and international meetings, and he has secured several grants to support his research. He has funded research to examine issues related to the larger diameter tennis ball, stretching, stroke technique, and muscle activation. Knudson has been elected a “Fellow” of the American College of Sports Medicine and Research Consortium of AAHPERD. He served as a director of the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports for six years. He is beginning a third term on the Sport Science Committee of the United States Tennis Association. Knudson works closely with both graduates and undergraduates in the Department of Kinesiology in designing biomechanics research projects and in statistical analysis. Research conducted with his students was presented at last year’s American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting. Many graduate students in the department, who do not have him as a committee member, seek his advice in shaping their research questions and statistical analyses.

Esther Delgado-Larocco, Education

Esther Delgado-Larocco earned her PhD from UC Davis and has worked in the CSU, Chico Center for Bilingual/Multicultural Studies for 21 years. With a deep commitment to the successful professional preparation of teachers, she has worked extensively with the California Science Subject Matter Project, Math Subject Matter Project, the Writing Project, and Resources for International Studies in Education (RISE). She directs the federal grant Teaching Links, co-directs the federal grant Open Door, and coordinates the School of Education’s master’s degree program for linguistically and culturally diverse learning. She is tireless in developing creative and relevant education programs that involve undergraduate students and professional educators in facilitating best practices in classroom settings. Delgado-Larocco is recognized as a strong leader in curriculum development by local school districts, her colleagues, and colleagues at the state level.

Thomas Mattman, Mathematics and Statistics

Mathematics and statistics professor Thomas Mattman received his PhD from McGill University. He has established an extraordinary record of research in the last five years with 12 papers published or submitted. Mattman has obtained several large grants to fund five years of summer research programs for undergraduates, including "Contemporary Research in Knot Theory," a grant from the Mathematical Association of America's SUMMA (Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement) program. His successful mentoring has enabled students to be published in the On-line Journal of Undergraduate Papers in Knot Theory, to make presentations at conferences, and to submit papers to refereed journals. Mattman is the principal investigator of the NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Research Experiences for Teachers grant. This grant contributes to a learning environment in the mathematics department that is critical in preparing students for professional research. Mattman’s expertise is in the area of knot theory. He was one of only 40 people from outside Japan to be invited to the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Kyoto for the 2001 research project “Low-Dimensional Topology in the Twenty-First Century.'' His work there led to three publications in peer-related journals, including the Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, one of the most prestigious journals in pure mathematics.

Cynthia Siemsen, Sociology

Cynthia Siemsen received her PhD from UC Santa Cruz. Her expertise is in social psychology, the sociology of law, and sociological theory. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book Emotional Trials: The Moral Dilemmas of Women Criminal Defense Attorneys. Her book analyzes how women defense attorneys deal emotionally with the ideological compromises that arise when defending people accused of heinous crimes. In addition, she has written the chapter “Women Criminal Lawyers” for publication in Women, Crime and Criminal Justice: Original Feminist Readings. Siemsen has also worked in the area of development, particularly as it pertains to Iraq, and authored “Oil, War, and Semiperipheral Development: The Case of Iraq,” which appeared in Studies in Comparative International Development. Siemsen was appointed to the American Sociological Association Task Force on Assessment of the Undergraduate Major. This work is critical in identifying best practices in developing standards of assessment of student learning and ultimately will determine how sociology programs will develop in years to come. Siemsen chaired the sociology department’s fifth-year review committee and has been a leader in the creative use of WebCT. She has developed online classes and has created Web sites for all her classes, complete with attractive graphics and artwork. Her reputation for being a rigorous and interesting teacher is reflected in the high number of non-majors taking her Classical Social Theory class as an elective. 

Dale Steiner, History

Dale Steiner received his PhD from the University of Virginia. He has been at CSU, Chico since 1974. As the teaching credential advisor for the Department of History for the past several years, he works closely with 140 credential students, helping them set goals, select courses, and successfully complete projects and internships. A recent Teaching American History grant, “ No Paine, No Gain: A ‘Common Sense’ Approach to Teaching American History,” will fund a project to offer support and teaching strategies to teachers of 5th, 8th, and 11th graders (the grade levels at which US history is taught). The goal is to help teachers enable students to read and understand important documents like Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” in addition to gaining better access to their textbooks. Steiner was recently named the California Coordinator for the National Council for History Education, an association of history scholars and teachers dedicated to promoting the importance of history in schools and society. He has also been the University’s Outstanding Teacher and the Outstanding Academic Advisor. The National Academic Advising Association recognized him nationally. Steiner’s service on statewide task forces and committees on credential standards in history prepared him for the task of overseeing curriculum reform for the new California Commission on Teacher Credentialing standards. His tireless devotion to this major task has reformed not only the credential option, but also the history major and the department’s GE and Liberal Studies offerings.

Mark Tomita, Health and Community Services

Mark Tomita earned his PhD from New York University and joined the CSU, Chico faculty in 2002. He is nationally recognized for his work in health education and public health informatics. Since 2002, he has presented 12 papers, published two peer-reviewed journal articles, written a book on CD-ROM development for health majors, and published several professional development CD- ROMs for public health educators. In addition, he has launched a new peer-reviewed scholarly journal, the Californian Journal of Health Promotion, an electronic journal that integrates multimedia publications. The American Association for Health Education/Health Education Directory presented him their award for Outstanding Contributions in Technology to the Health Education Profession (2004). Tomita received a Certificate of Recognition for Service from the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (2004) as the organization’s United Nations representative, and he was selected as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Health Education Student Club on campus in 2004.