The annual research and scholarly activity exposition for faculty at Sonoma State University is slated from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20 in the Commons. This event provides an opportunity for recent grant recipients and other faculty to share their research and scholarly pursuits. The event is open to the public.
The faculty and a brief summary of their recent work includes:
UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER PREFERENCES, Tom Atkin, Business Administration - An Internet survey was developed by researchers from MIT, Northeastern, Sonoma State University, and the University of South Australia. Conjoint analysis was used to understand consumer preferences for different types of wine closures across three countries. The sample sizes are - United States (1691), Australia (1430), and New Zealand (493).
CALIFORNIA SERVICES FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING, Linda Blong, Anne Davin, California Institute on Human Services - California Services for Technical Assistance and Training is a project of the California Department of Education, Special Education Division. Through collaborative efforts, CalSTAT brings research-based training to schools and families, using workshops, online conferences, meetings, and publications. The project also recognizes and supports innovative, promising, and proven practices in schools and education agencies throughout the state.
THE FIRST 5 CALIFORNIA SPECIAL NEEDS PROJECT, Linda Brault, California Institute on Human Services - The First 5 California Special Needs Project is designed to improve the system, keeping families at the center, to promote strategies that improve practice in early identification of disabilities and other special needs and to promote school readiness. The project will assist families in navigating service systems, becoming advocates for their children, and accessing services while participating in inclusive settings.
HILTON/EARLY HEAD START TRAINING PROGRAM, Linda Brekkenn, California Institute on Human Services - This national training program is working with over 500 communities to support inclusion of infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Highlights of program outcomes and promising practices include increased access to services, informed families, and integrated services among Early Intervention, Early Head Start, Child Care and families.
CALIFORNIA PRESCHOOL INSTRUCTIONAL NETWORKS PROJECT, Melinda Brookshire, California Institute on Human Services - The purpose of the California Preschool Instructional Networks Project is to provide professional development and technical assistance to preschool teachers to ensure preschool children are ready for school. The focus for the first two years is on language and literacy. The CPIN is organized utilizing 11 regions of California.
BACKLASH CINEMA: CONSERVATIVE POLITICS AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FILM, Marco Calavita, Communication Studies - A proposal for a book entitled "Backlash Cinema: Conservative Politics and Contemporary American Film" examines the ways in which many significant Hollywood films of the last 35 years have been mutually embedded in right-wing myths and discourses.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES CURRICULUM PROJECT, Ann Carr, California Institute on Human Services -The Pre-kindergarten Learning and Development Guidelines Curriculum Project developed curricular materials and methods that will help pre-kindergarten early care and education providers put into practice California Department of Education, Child Development Division Pre-kindergarten Learning and Development Guidelines, thereby increasing consistent, quality practice across CDE Pre-kindergarten settings.
INVESTIGATION INTO EXTREMELY LONG HOSPITALIZATIONS OF NEWBORNS IN THE U.S., Anita Catlin, Department of Nursing - Neonatal and pediatric nurses and physicians care for children who have been saved by technological support but who are then too ill to be discharged to home. To date there has been no research to identify newborn children who are unable to be discharged from the health care setting or what the causes are that contribute to the inability to be discharged. A national data set was analyzed for demographics and cost of care. A national survey of health care practitioners is being conducted, collecting demographic descriptions of newborns unable to be discharged and anecdotal reports describing such children and the responses of the providers to caring for them.
NASA EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH AT SSU, Lynn Cominsky, Phil Plait, Sarah Silva, Tim Graves, Aurore Simonnet, Physics & Astronomy -NASA support for Education and Public Outreach at SSU involves several major projects, including the earth-orbiting satellites Swift, and XMM-Newton, as well as the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, due for launch in 2007. They develop formal space science educational materials for the classroom, train thousands of teachers each year through our Educator Ambassador program, develop web-based instructional environments, and contribute to planetarium and television shows. They have also built a robotic observatory in northern Sonoma County that is being used by high school and college students.
IDENTIFICATION OF SITES OF MDA-ACDTALDEHYDE ADDUCTS, Mark Kearley, Chemistry - Prolonged alcohol consumption can lead to liver injury. However, the chemical basis for the injury is unknown. Recent studies suggest two molecules, acetaldehyde and malondialdhyde, may be precursors to alcohol-induced liver damage.
SSU COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER, Mark Doolittle, Counseling - A university-community collaboration designed to bring the resources of the SSU Department of Counseling to provide free and low-cost services to the less advantaged members of the community through a variety of innovative programs which include Center offices (on-campus and Rohnert Park), Support Our Students Program, providing free counseling in Santa Rosa, Roseland, and SCOE schools, and Windsor Youth and Family Services
SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS ACADEMY FOR RURAL TEACHERS, James Fouche, Brett Christie, Susan Herring, Derek Girman, Mark Niemann, Sean McNeil and Janet Hardcastle - Curriculum Studies & Secondary Education, Mathematics, Biology & Educational Technology - SMART provides exemplary professional development to improve science and mathematics teaching and student performance. Goals: (1) partnership between Del Norte County and SSU, employing distance learning; (2) improved teacher workforce by improving content knowledge, instructional strategies and assessment; (3) increased student enrollment, diversity and performance; and (4) online video resources.
DESIRED RESULTS: ACCESS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES PROJECT, Anne Kuschner and Emiliano Ayala - Desired Results: Access for Children with Disabilities Project is funded to develop a system of child outcomes and assessment methodologies that can be used to assess the progress of children with disabilities, birth to five years of age, and their families in the state of California. DR access is funded by the Special Education Division of the California Department of Education.
DESIRED RESULTS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT, Anne Kuschner and Emiliano Ayala - The Desired Results Training and Technical Assistance Project trains participants about the Desired Results System, a results-based accountability system for California Department of Education center based programs and family childcare networks, and provides participants with tools to review and evaluate program practices and observe and record child progress.
SONOMA SERVES, Julie McClure - Sonoma SERVES makes a difference in the lives of children and families in our community through a range of exceptional programs. Through tutoring, after school mentoring, family literacy, and training programs, the program offers extra support for struggling students in community schools.
GEOEOARCHAEOLOGY RESEARCH, Jack Meyer, Anthropological Studies Center - The Anthropological Studies Center Geoarchaeology Program conducts research throughout the state to help archaeologists and cultural resource managers locate buried archaeological sites. This research focuses on the nature and completeness of California's archaeological record as a byproduct of Holocene landscape evolution. Some examples are presented to illustrate the methodological orientation, datasets, and research findings.
PRESERVATION IN PRACTICE: NEGOTIATING THE RENOVATION OF THE HISTORIC BUILT ENVIRONMENT, Melinda J. Milligan, Department of Sociology - A study of the negotiation of meaning construction and identity in relation to the built environment, with a specific focus on the renovation of historic houses in New Orleans. Analyzes the enactment of historic preservation practices to understand individual, legal, and cultural meanings of the built environment.
SEA PALMS AND BARNACLES: RESEARCH ON SLIMY AND SPINELESS SEASHORE DENIZENS ENLIVENS STUDENT LEARNING, K.J. Nielsen, S.A. Thompson, M. Parker, K. Lehmann and R. Kalmoni, Department of Biology- Sonoma State students have been working with Karina Nielsen on the ecology of the Sea Palm as well as barnacles that Charles Darwin studied. They are learning how changing ocean conditions and commercial exploitation impacts marine organisms so that natural resources can be better managed.
THE FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION CLUSTER OF PROJECTS, Diane Nissen - The Family Violence Prevention Cluster Group currently operates the following state and federally funded projects:
* Adoptions Services: Designed to provide system-wide continuous improvement for adoptions specialists, supervisors, and county child welfare staff
* Capacity Building for Tribal Constituents: Training designed to increase coordination, knowledge, and skills among county child welfare staff and tribal representatives in their efforts to implement the Indian Child Welfare Act
* Mandated Child Abuse Reporter Training: Designed to help professionals become aware, confident and effective in spotting and reporting suspected child abuse
* Child Abuse Training and Technical Assistance Center: Provides training and technical assistance to professionals involved in child abuse prevention,intervention, and treatment throughout California
* Faith Leaders and Domestic Violence Prevention Training: Aims to provide faith leaders from all denominations with information, tools, and networking opportunities to create a more informed and substantive response to family violence
* Parent Outreach Project: A grassroots, community- based project designed to help prevent child abuse by assisting parents to access support services
* RURAL Project: Develops and delivers training for California's rural child welfare staff
* Cultural Competency: Provides training and technical assistance to social services professionals who work with diverse families
* Safe From the Start: Designed to raise awareness about the impact of violence on children and to promote and develop effective prevention and intervention strategies
* Tech Equity: Prepares middle and high school math, science and technology teachers to infuse gender equitable strategies into their classrooms
AMERICAN SCREAM: ALLEN GINSBERG'S 'HOWL' AND THE MAKING OF THE BEAT GENERATION, Jonah Raskin, Communications Department- American Scream: Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl' and the Making of the Beat Generation has been described as three books in one. It's the biography of a poet, the biography of a poem, and a biography of an historical era. By telling the story of "Howl," Ginsberg's signature poem, Raskin is able to depict the life and the times of Allen Ginsberg.
ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE INSTRUCTION FOR BASIC LIBRARY SKILLS: A VIABLE OPTION?, Rick Robison, University Library - This study investigated the feasibility of creating an online tutorial to teach, in particular, task-oriented learning, such as basic library skills, and examined the hypothesis that students may learn as much through online, multimedia-based tutorials as they do through in-class instruction. Four sections of Freshmen Seminar students received instruction on basic library skills using an online tutorial and three sections received instruction through in-class drop-in workshops.
KECK LABORATORY MAGNETRON SPUTTERING SYSTEM, Hongtao Shi -A magnetron sputtering system is being developed within the Keck Laboratory that will be used to create magnetic thin films, which have the potential of information storage and retrieval. Keck Lab facilities will be used to analyze a wide range of properties of these materials in order to optimize their suitability for commercialization.
The Faculty Exposition is sponsored by the Faculty Subcommittee on Sponsored Programs, the Professional Development Subcommittee and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
For further information, contact Jean Wasp, Media Relations Coordinator, (707) 664-2057.
