CNSM at Home - March 2021

A Message from the Dean

Dean Curtis Bennett

Dear Faculty & Staff,

You’ve made it just about halfway through our Spring 2021 semester. Given all that we have had to deal with so far this year, I salute all of you for this accomplishment.

As I write this, like many of you, I am still reeling from hearing about the anti-Asian American tragedy in Atlanta, the increase in hate crimes against the AAPI community, and the shooting in Boulder. Dealing with senseless and preventable violence can be really difficult and mentally draining - particularly given the frequency of these events. This was driven home as I listened to the deeply felt concerns and fears from our colleagues and our students at the Atlanta shooting debrief last Thursday. I want our AAPI faculty, staff, and students to know that CNSM’s allyship, without hesitation or question, extends to them. We must all look out for one another to create a more just world for everyone.

In times like these I feel fortunate to have roots in this strong community. The support we can find in one another is invaluable. Let’s keep an open dialogue as we navigate the aftermath of these tragic events.

These events and the pandemic have made me aware of how important it is to be intentional with our time. Because we are so much busier as we barrel through these remote semesters, we need to do our best to recharge whenever we can. I encourage you to take advantage of whatever time you can over Spring Break (and beyond) to recharge your batteries. I know how hard you are all working. You deserve time to rest and relax, or at the very least slow down.

Be well, be safe, be just.

Curt

 

2021 University Achievement Awards

Congratulations to our faculty members who received awards for their outstanding work.

Outstanding Professor Award

  • Kelly Young, Biological Sciences
  • Paul Weers, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Distinguished Faculty Scholarly and Creative Acheivement Award (DFSCAA)

  • Darren Johnson, Biological Sciences
  • Shahab Derakshan, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Graduate Student Research Awardees

  • Bita Motamedi, Physics & Astronomy

Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award (DFTA)

  • Deborah Fraser, Biological Sciences
  • Andrea Johnson, Mathematics & Statistics

Distinguished Faculty Advising and Mentoring Award (DFAMA)

  • Christine Whitcraft, Biological Sciences
  • Deepali Bhandari, Chemistry & Biochemistry

You are the Best

Spring 2021 Fellows Colloquium

Save the Date: Friday, May 7, 2021 7:00 pm

Exotic Phases of Matter: The Promise of Quantum Computing

Dr. Michael Peterson, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy

Registration coming soon.

Dr. Michael Peterson

In 1981, Richard Feynman suggested that certain computational tasks could be done exponentially faster by exploiting the power of quantum physics. Tasks like searching for a needle (a number) in a haystack (a lot of numbers), factoring huge integers into their prime factors, designing life-saving drugs from the atoms on up, etc. You might be able to guess that a couple of those seemingly innocent tasks are intimately connected to cryptography, security, and potentially espionage. So, nearly 40 years later, why aren't "quantum computers" everywhere? It turns out that maintaining the fragile quantum mechanical nature of the quantum computer long enough to complete the task remains the biggest and most important challenge. Join us as Dr. Peterson discusses how combining nanotechnology, materials science, mathematics, and quantum mechanics has pushed science right to the edge of realizing Feynman’s dream by leveraging exotic phases of matter to construct a fault-tolerant quantum computer.

Dr. Michael Peterson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. He received his B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Utah and his Ph.D. in Physics from The Pennsylvania State University. He completed his postdoctoral training in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics at UC Santa Cruz, the University of Maryland at College Park, and UC Santa Barbara before joining CSULB as an Assistant Professor in 2011. His research interests focus on strongly interacting electron systems under extreme quantum mechanical conditions in which exotic topologically ordered phases of matter emerge with applications to fault tolerant quantum computers. Dr. Peterson’s research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and CSULB.

CNSM Grants Awarded

January - March 2021

  • Shahab Derakhshan, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
    Hadi Tavassol, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
    U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
    Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions Equipment/Instrumentation
    $319,287
    1 year
  • Kagba Suaray, Department of Mathematics & Statistics
    Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
    Tensor SUMMA Hesabu
    $12,962
    1 year
  • Matt Becker, Department of Geological Sciences
    U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
    ARCADIS
    $49,980
  • Alex Klotz, Department of Physics & Astronomy
    CSUPERB CSU Program for Education & Research in Biotechnology
    Nanopore Kinetoplast
    $14,998

CNSM Publications

January - March 2021


This list is not all inclusive. Faculty are encouraged to notify Dr. Barbara Taylor, Associate Dean for Research, of any new publications and grants so that they can be included in future issues of CNSM at Home.

Stay Safe & Healthy CNSM!