Cal Lutheran faculty receive project funds

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Dec. 18, 2014) The California Lutheran University Community Leaders Association has awarded more than $18,000 for 15 faculty projects.

Chad Barber, an assistant professor of biology from Thousand Oaks, received $1,500 to organize a free public symposium on cutting-edge research in neurobiology. Nathan Carlson, an assistant professor of mathematics from Thousand Oaks, received $1,500 to help fund free monthly Thousand Oaks Math Teachers’ Circle forums. Rachel Casas, an assistant professor of graduate psychology from Ventura, received $2,000, to enable clinical psychology doctoral students to conduct neurobehavioral health assessments of local farmworkers.

Debby Chang, a lecturer in Chinese from Oak Park, received $1,000 for the university’s annual Chinese New Year celebration. Rafaela Fiore-Urizar, an assistant professor of Spanish from Thousand Oaks, received $2,000 to film interviews with Hispanic students and their families about their experiences at Cal Lutheran. Michael Gerson, an associate professor of graduate psychology from Westlake Village, received $2,000 to buy an eye-tracking system for research into improving social functioning among young adults on the autism spectrum.

Newbury Park resident Veronica Guerrero, an assistant professor in the School of Management, received $1,000 to enable students to lead eighth-graders in an exercise exploring the importance of gratitude and kindness in finding fulfillment. Timothy Hengst, a professor of multimedia from Thousand Oaks, received $500 for the Fourth Annual Conejo Valley Film Festival. Simi Valley resident Louise Kelly, an assistant professor of exercise science, received $1,000 to train to become a certified X-ray technician in bone densitometry.

Hugh Lamont, an assistant professor of exercise science from Agoura Hills, received $1,000 to present a public symposium on science-based approaches to athletic training. Agoura Hills resident Antonia Noble Ludwig, supervisor for the graduate program in marriage and family therapy, received $500 to pilot a program using horses to help pre-teens and teens navigate emotional challenges. Thousand Oaks resident Maura Martindale, coordinator of the deaf and hard-of-hearing program in the Graduate School of Education, received $1,000 to enable teacher candidates to teach speech to students with the No Limits for Deaf Children program in summer.

Camarillo resident Michael Panesis, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, received $1,500 for the 2015 Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. Andrea Sell, an assistant professor of psychology from Simi Valley, received $1,000 to support research into cognitive processes in older adulthood. Rancho Cucamonga resident Linda-Marie Sundstrom, an assistant professor of public policy and administration, received $1,250 to purchase the materials to train faculty and staff members to operate emergency radios.