Making Waves: July 2024
Making Waves is a monthly column that celebrates accomplishments of the CSULB community.
Employee of the Month: Program Coordinator Jasmine Puck
Jasmine Puck ‘12 has been employed by CSULB for less than two years, but the program coordinator is already winning praise for her out-of-the-box thinking and smart initiatives that drive measurable results. June's Employee of the Month, Puck was initially hired in 2023 as Student Life and Development coordinator before becoming program coordinator for the College of Business’ Student Center for Professional Development (SCPD), supporting mentorship programs and career workshops. Shayleen Fay, the head of the SCPD, shared that Jasmine “is a recent addition to our team and has wasted no time in making a significant impact.” She is credited with transforming the center’s social media presence and organizing a headshot photo event so graduating students would have professional-grade photos to upload to their LinkedIn pages. “Jasmine also has been instrumental in implementing a Canvas page for the SCPD, which was designed to streamline processes and improve communication,” Fay said. Puck has a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and a master’s in education.
Professor inducted into National Academy of Inventors
Congratulations to Henry Yeh, CSULB professor of electrical engineering, for his induction into the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). With only 553 senior members worldwide, NAI members hold more than 6,700 U.S. patents and represent more than 100 institutions. Yeh, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering, boasts more than 170 technical publications and seven patents and applications. Joining the CSULB Electrical Engineering Department in 1983 and becoming a professor in 1986, he served as department chair from 2016 to 2022. Yeh’s research areas include machine learning and digital signal processing. He received the Northrop Grumman Excellence in Teaching Award, the Distinguished Faculty Scholarly and Creative Achievement Award and the IEEE Outstanding Engineering Educator Award for Region 6. Yeh also leads the Zero-Emissions Vehicle Program at CSULB, training engineers and technicians for California's electric vehicle market.
CSULB earns silver for sustainability efforts
California State University, Long Beach has earned a STARS silver rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for its sustainability achievements. The STARS program, measuring sustainability in higher education across academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership, is globally recognized. In 2022, the CSU Board of Trustees mandated STARS reports for all campuses. This is the third STARS report by the CSULB Office of Sustainability, supported by numerous departments and the President’s Commission on Sustainability. The comprehensive report took a year to complete and is valid for three years. Sustainability Manager Holli Fajack is confident the school will achieve a gold rating next time. "We got super close but ultimately fell short of that goal by just a few points," Fajack said. “The good news is we have a clear roadmap for where to focus our efforts and I have no doubt that we will with crush our goal next time.”
New book on Chicanx art, history hits shelves
Loretta Victoria Ramirez ‘16, an assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts, has announced the release of her book “The Wound and the Stitch: A Genealogy of the Female Body from Medieval Iberia to SoCal Chicanx Art” (Penn State University Press, 2024). The cover features a portrait of the author shot by Ana Lilia Berrelleza Valles ’22, who holds a bachelor’s degree in photography from CSULB. An alumna of CSULB's art history program and assistant professor of Latinx rhetoric and composition in the Chicano and Latino Studies Department, Ramirez's book delves into historical and visual rhetoric, cultural rhetoric, art history, trauma studies, decolonial theory, archival methodology and writing pedagogy. It traces the imagery and language of woundedness and stitching together fragmented selves, emphasizing Chicanx self-representation in California. Ramirez argues for the importance of acknowledging and healing historical violence against Chicanx bodies.
University writer takes home press club awards
Richard Chang, a writer and communications specialist in Strategic Communications at CSULB, took home a number of awards from the Orange County Press Club Awards June 14. Three of the awards were received for news stories Chang wrote for the university website — including "Best Arts/Culture Story or Review, Sponsored Content" (first place) for his story, “Rarely seen Lee Krasner paintings underscore Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum’s value to the community”; "Best News Feature Story, Sponsored Content" (first place) for "CSULB students aim to alleviate housing crisis with sustainable tiny house" and "Best Feature Story, Sponsored Content" (honorable mention) for "Formerly incarcerated women find a second chance through Project Rebound." The judges called Chang's piece on tiny houses “well-explored and super interesting." The awards honor achievements by journalists about topics of interest to Orange County readers. Chang has worked at CSULB since 2020 and has held his current position since February 2022.
Have an item for Making Waves? Send your submissions to Wendy Thomas Russell.
