May 14, 2026 - Six Lantis Award Recipients Announced

Dear Campus Community,

I am delighted to announce the selection of six faculty members as 2026 Lantis University Professors. Chosen from a competitive pool of outstanding applicants, the recipients are Abbas Attarwala, Jesse Dizard, Pablo Cornejo, Rouben Mohiuddin, Sarah DeMartini, and Seth Selorm Klobodu. Each recipient will receive a financial award to advance their research and student-centered projects.

Professor David Lantis was a faculty member of the Department of Geography who understood that private giving would help enrich the teaching and learning environment of the University. Professor Lantis and his wife, Helen, donated $2 million to endow University professors annually in their name. Provost Leslie Cornick and I are grateful to the members of the Lantis Selection Committee for their rigorous analysis and selection of this year’s recipients for this prestigious honor, which comes with a financial award of $30,000-$40,000, as appropriate to the project.

With his Lantis award, Abbas Attarwala will advance research on the impact of artificial intelligence on children while continuing to work on a forthcoming book outlining protective AI policies for California. Through the creation of educator toolkits and professional development workshops, he will share these findings with K–12 districts statewide to promote equitable AI use while safeguarding student development.

Pablo Cornejo will expand his work on sustainable water management by advancing engineering approaches to alternative water supplies, including reuse, desalination, and stormwater capture. In collaboration with anthropology professor Jesse Dizard, and with support from students and community partners, he will develop a decision-making framework that integrates environmental, economic, and social considerations to support more resilient infrastructure planning.

Jesse Dizard will explore the human dimensions of water scarcity in California, examining how communities understand and respond to water conservation strategies. Working in collaboration with civil engineering professor Pablo Cornejo, he will lead stakeholder interviews and community-based research while also directing a documentary film that brings community perspectives into conversations about water solutions.

Sarah DeMartini plans to expand research on co-parenting dynamics in larger families by developing a new observational coding system for households with three children. She will involve students in hands-on research to better understand how family relationships influence child and family outcomes, contributing valuable insights for educators and clinicians.

With his Lantis award, Seth Selorm Klobodu will build on 15 years of public health and nutrition research to examine how soy- and algae-based foods can improve nutrition and cardiovascular health in Africa. Through laboratory partnerships in Ghana and school-based programs in South Africa, he will engage students in global research aimed at addressing undernutrition and chronic disease.

Rouben Mohiuddin will establish an open-source design lab focused on housing resilience in the North State. Through research on fire-resilient housing, transitional shelters, and assisted-living prototypes, he will engage students in developing practical, community-based design solutions that address key issues such as housing insecurity, wildfire recovery, and aging populations.

To read more about each of these exceptional faculty and their visionary work, please visit Chico State Today.

Our Lantis honorees represent the very best in innovation and student engagement while pushing the edges of their discipline. Please join me in congratulating them and thanking them for the richness they add to the academy and to Chico State through their passions and expertise.

Thank you,
Steve Perez