CSU, Chico News

California State University, Chico has established several scholarships to be awarded to high school projects of the highest quality entered into the Chico Science Fair.

All of these scholarships require full-time attendance at CSU, Chico, and some of them have additional requirements with respect to the major selected by the student.

This year, CSU, Chico is awarding a total of $3,500 in scholarships as follows:

* $1000 "President’s Award" -there is no major requirement for this scholarship.

* $1000 "Engineering Award" -the student must select a major in the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Management.

* $1000 "Natural Sciences Award" -the student must select a major in the College of Natural Sciences.

* $500 "General Award" -there is no major requirement for this scholarship.

Applications to enter a project in the fair must be picked up from a school office or teacher. They are due back in the school office by March 23, 2007.

The Chico Science Fair will be held April 16-20 at the University Farm Pavilion, off Hegan Lane. For more information about the fair and scholarships, go to ChicoScienceFair.org.

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The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at California State University, Chico is presenting its spring colloquium on Thursday, April 5, with psychologist Neil Schwartz as the speaker. The title of Schwartz’s presentation is "Inducing Deep Level Comprehension in Web-based Learning: The Role of Metaphorical Priming."

The colloquium, to be held in Ayres 120 at 7 p.m., is free and open to the public.

Increasingly, students use the Internet to learn, either because teachers assign lessons that require the Internet or because students use it on their own as a research and learning tool. However, said Schwartz, not all students learn effectively from Web sites. Schwartz recently explored ways of increasing high school students’ comprehension in a research project with 65 Paradise High School students.

"Web sites are comprised of pages consisting of text, graphics, video clips, animation and sound; organized around principles of instructional design; and linked by navigational buttons and key words," said Schwartz. "Many students find it difficult to relate to the information contained in the sites and feel puzzled about how to search them. I investigated whether the use of metaphor could help them derive deep levels of understanding about the information they are required to learn and navigate the Internet to effectively and sensibly find it."

Metaphors have been shown to link what students already know with new and unfamiliar information, said Schwartz. The Paradise high school seniors spent five days working in an Internet site developed by NASA to teach the U.S. Constitution relative to separation of powers and popular sovereignty.

A third of the students were assisted with a metaphor that targeted the concept of a powerful person in one’s family and the extent to which decisions were made for the benefit of family. Another third received material on an irrelevant metaphor that targeted the concept of individuals playing a game and the extent to which game dynamics change when one member wants to quit. And the remaining group received no extra information.

Results of the investigation revealed that students showed no difference across treatments on standard measures of learning as evidenced by multiple-choice tests. However, deep levels of comprehension and sensible methods of site searching were significantly benefited by the relevant metaphor.

Schwartz’s presentation is based on research that just appeared in a recent issue of the "Journal of Educational Computing Research," Vol. 35, No. 1, 2006. You can read the research article at the following Web site.

Schwartz, a member of the Department of Psychology at CSU, Chico since 1987, received a PhD in educational psychology from Arizona State University in 1981, with a specialization in learning, cognition and instruction. He has nearly 150 publications, papers, symposia and keynote addresses presented at national and international conferences in the learning sciences. His work focuses on the way graphics function metaphorically and aesthetically to foster learning of ambiguous or conceptually difficult subject matter

Schwartz conducts research in collaboration with a small group of graduate and undergraduate students, believing that research is best taught under an apprenticeship model where students acquire the knowledge, skills and values of research required to publish in refereed research journals. His apprenticeship program extends internationally through his collaboration with a team of colleagues from Australia, Cyprus, France, Germany, and Italy-liaisons affording students the opportunity to be hosted internationally as research-apprentices during the academic year.

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California State University, Chico’s Department of Accounting and Management Information Systems (MIS) has received notification from the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) of certification of information security competency that is the first step in becoming a Center for Excellence with the National Security Agency.

"We are the first university in Northern California to have this certification," said Gail Corbitt, chair of Accounting and MIS (AMIS). "The Center for Excellence status is being sought so that we can apply for NSA grants and provide opportunities for our students for jobs and internships with federal and state agencies."

Ron Pike, MIS lecturer, has taken the lead on the certification. "We have to demonstrate that the courses we offer in information assurance meet the curriculum standards set by NSA. Very few schools have this certification, so we are among the elite."

CSU, Chico is the only California State University with a Business Information Systems degree. It is one of two universities in the Americas to host other schools on the SAP system, one of the major business enterprise software systems in the world. The College of Business program hosts more than 100 schools throughout the world on their SAP systems, and they host other schools on assessment software, Student Tracking Evaluation and Portfolio System, a student-developed system for assurance of learning activities.

Pike is one of a few dozen faculty members nationwide who was admitted and completed courses in network security from the U.S. Government. In fact, he is one of a few dozen faculty members nationwide who was admitted and completed courses in network security from the U.S. Government. In fact, he was the first academic person admitted to this elite educational opportunity.

The AMIS department will receive an official certificate at the June 5, CNSS Awards Ceremony at the 11th Colloquium for Information Systems Education in Boston.

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California State University, Chico, Center for Regional and Continuing Education, the CSU, Chico Research Foundation, the Globalization and Localization Association and the Localization Institute announce early enrollment for the Localization Certification Program and Localization Project Management Certification.

The Localization Certification Program will be offered on the campus of EUROMED Marseille Ecole de Management, Marseille, France, April 25-27, and at California State University, Chico, June 12-14.

Localization is an emerging field which encompasses the process of preparing products and services, and their supporting messages, for the global market. Every year businesses throughout the world spend more than $8 billion in language translation and localization services, according to Professor Nitish Singh, director of the Localization Program at CSU, Chico.

To address an expanding need for localization professionals, industry experts representing the leading business associations, publishers and academic institutions in the field established the Localization Certification Program in 2006. Last year, more than 75 professionals, students and presenters participated in the program.

"This year we will be hosting experts from Oracle, Adobe, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Lionbridge, and other leading businesses," said Singh. "We have expanded our offerings and will present programs in Europe and North America. We have also added a new program in project management to provide advance education for those developing international Web enterprises."

Individuals who successfully complete the Localization Certification Program will be eligible for 20 American Translators Association continuing education credits.

New this year, the partnership of industry leaders has developed the Localization Project Management Certification. The program will take place on the CSU, Chico campus immediately after the Localization Certification Program in Chico, June 15-16.

The Localization Project Management Certification focuses on the management and development of culturally customized and localized Web sites with a focus on proven and emerging applications and techniques utilized by international business. The certification program comprises 20 hours of self-paced, online programming, a two-day hands-on lab and workshop, and an on-site exam.

Translators, product marketing managers, Web project managers, business development executives, Web developers and designers, Web application developers, global entrepreneurs, localization professionals, international trade representatives, educators and students in the field are encourage to take advantage of these certification programs.

Localization applications and hands-on computer laboratory support have been provided by Lionbridge, PASSALO, Alchemy CATALYST, Idiom Technologies and SDL Trados. Additional support has been provided by MultiLingual Computing. Lionbridge has extended its support for the program by sponsoring scholarships for students.

For more information on the Localization Certification Program and the Localization Project Management Certification please visit http://rce.csuchico.edu/localize or call the California State University, Chico Continuing Education office at 530-898-6105.

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Troy Jollimore, a professor in the Department of Philosophy at California State University, Chico, received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry at the NBCC Awards Ceremony on March 8 in New York City.

There were many surprise wins, according to writer Craig Morgan Teicher of "Publisher’s Weekly." Jollimore’s "Tom Thomson in Purgatory" was called the "most unlikely win" by Teicher, as Jollimore was virtually unknown nationally before the win.

Jollimore’s collection, his first book of poetry, was selected by former U.S.
Poet Laureate Billy Collins for the 2005 Robert E. Lee and Ruth I. Wilson Poetry Book Award, and published last fall by Margie/IntuitHouse.

On the cover notes, Collins wrote, "’Tom Thomson in Purgatory’ falls gracefully into the American tradition of the extended persona poem. … Jollimore knows how to trot forth a character as distinct as one who might be encountered in sharply rendered fiction. … Reading this book, you are bound to take both Tom Thomson and his creator to your heart."

Jollimore, presently an external fellow at Stanford University, said, "I have been very, very lucky. Even to be able to publish a first book of poetry is lucky; it’s not as if there is any demand for it. To receive this sort of recognition is luckier still. (People will actually read it now!) What else
is there to say? I’m thrilled and honored, and I hope this doesn’t mean that
it’s all downhill from here!"

In addition to "Tom Thomson," Jollimore has published poetry in journals including "The Malahat Review," "PRISM International," "MARGIE" and "Ploughshares." He also writes frequently for the San Francisco Chronicle Book Review and is an occasional contributor to the weblog PEA SOUP.

Jollimore studied philosophy at Princeton University, receiving a PhD in 1999. Before joining the faculty at CSU, Chico, he taught at Georgetown University and the University of California, Davis. His philosophical articles have appeared in journals including "Canadian Journal of Philosophy," "American Philosophical Quarterly" and "Philosophy and Literature."

The NBCC, founded in 1974, is a nonprofit organization consisting of nearly 700 active book reviewers who are interested in honoring quality writing. The centerpiece of NBCC activities is the annual award for the best book in each of five categories: fiction, general nonfiction, biography/autobiography, poetry and criticism.

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Students from California State University, Chico, Butte Community College, community members and children of all ages are invited to the Fourth Annual Shamrock Shuffle and Flapjack Feed on Saturday morning, March 17, on Kendall Hall Lawn.

The alcohol-free event, sponsored by the Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC), begins at 8 a.m. with a free flapjack breakfast and live Irish music by the Pub Scouts. The Oliver Academy of Irish Dance will provide entertainment from 9 to 11 a.m.

A three-mile fun run and two-mile non-competitive walk will begin at 9 a.m. Prizes for the best green outfits will be awarded to participants.

Registration for the run is free for CSU, Chico and Butte College students, $12 for community members and $5 for participants under 18. There’s a family
package available for $35.

To be assured of a Shamrock Shuffle T-shirt at registration on Saturday, you must register for the race by Thursday, March 15.

For more information and to register, call CADEC at 530-898-6450 or visit the office at 310 Salem Street.

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For local high schools, spring brings STAR (Standardized Reporting and Testing). One program at California State University, Chico is especially concerned with students’ testing participation. The Early Assessment Program (EAP), a collaborative effort among the State Board of Education, the California Department of Education and the California State University (CSU), was established to provide opportunities for students to measure their readiness for college-level English and mathematics in their junior year of high school by adding an augmented portion to the STAR test.

This year, the essay portion of the test will be administered throughout March, a month earlier than in previous years. Students, parents and site testing coordinators should be made aware of this change in order to ensure student participation.

The junior who takes the extra test questions and essay and scores high enough will earn an "exemption," which translates to bypassing the CSU’s entry-level proficiency tests: the Entry Level Mathematics test and the English Placement Test.

The first step in earning an exemption is simply to fill in the bubble indicating the choice to take the extra questions. This is the first message that the EAP relays to school counselors, teachers and administrators-fill in the bubble, take a little extra time and the outcome might save the student from additional tests and possible remediation once at the CSU. The English portion is offered to all juniors, and the math is offered to those who are taking Algebra II and above.

Students who do not earn an exemption can take these results, not as a failure, but as an indicator of the need for further college preparation in the senior year. In English, this comes in the form of the Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC), curriculum that was designed to prepare students for college-level English and is aligned with the California English-Language Arts Content Standards.

Mark Wilpolt, mathematics coordinator for the EAP, says, "Students are strongly encouraged to continue studying mathematics in their senior year. Extensive research shows that those high school students who take a math class past Algebra II more than double their chances of succeeding in college."

If you are a parent, teacher or administrator interested in knowing more about the Early Assessment Program, contact Mark Wilpolt, EAP mathematics coordinator, at 898-5063, or Sarah Pape, EAP English coordinator at 898-4494, or visit the Web site.

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California State University, Chico Professor of Japanese Kimihiko Nomura, CSU, Chico’s Outstanding Teacher for 2006-07, is organizing a unique fund-raiser for cancer patients that will include cutting his distinctive, waist-length hair.

Tai Chi, origami, Japanese food, discussions of healthy eating and living, plus providing hair for cancer patients who need wigs, will be part of Inch by Inch: Sustaining Health Across Cultures Sunday, May 13, 6-9 p.m. in CSU,
Chico’s Bell Memorial Union Auditorium. The public is invited to attend for a donation of $10 ($6 for students).

In the weeks leading up to the event, Nomura and Japanese studies students will be soliciting local businesses and individuals to donate funds up to $500 for each inch of Nomura’s hair. For three feet of his hair, the total raised would be $18,000. Nomura, who has been growing his straight, black hair for several years, will donate the hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides wigs to cancer patients. Others will be encouraged to take part in a hair-cutting ceremony at the May 13 event and donate hair.

Proceeds for the event will benefit Cancer Connections, the local cancer support program through Enloe Cancer Center. A portion of the funds also will benefit the Japanese Program Scholarship Fund, which is available to any student who wishes to study Japanese at CSU, Chico.

"The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at CSU, Chico has been touched time and again by the reality of cancer," Nomura wrote in a statement announcing the fund-raising effort. "We have lost valued and beloved friends and family. Some of us live with cancer on a daily basis. We have seen that this is a disease that transcends cultural boundaries, and we are asking our diverse community to come together to consider how to sustain health across cultures.

"How can we live in a consciously healthful way?" Nomura wrote. "How can we support a sustainable way of life? How can we care for our loved ones who are living with cancer? How do we contribute to the quality of life of all our community members who are bravely facing the unexpected? The answer is grain by grain, life by life and inch by inch."

The program for the May 13 benefit includes a presentation on the healing power of art by Rebecca Senoglu, coordinator of the Enloe Cancer Center Cancer Support Program, and a demonstration and discussion of health and martial arts by Marilyn Bonney, Tai Chi and Qigong instructor and cancer survivor. Japanese food, origami and karaoke are also on the program.

Nomura was chosen for this year’s Outstanding Teacher in December. He has taught at CSU, Chico since 1991 and played a major role in developing a new minor in Japanese.

For more information about the event and fund-raising, contact Tami Marron, administrative support coordinator, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, at 898-5388.

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Delegates from the Residence Hall Association (RHA), California State University, Chico, brought back honors from the Pacific Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (PACURH) regional conference held in February at Oregon State University.

The RHA serves as the "student voice" to University Housing and Food Service (UHFS). The PACURH annually recognizes excellence and innovation in student leadership. The Chico State National Residence Hall Honorary Chapter (NRHH) was selected to receive the "NRHH Building Block of the Year Award" as the chapter within the region that demonstrated the "most growth and potential during the current academic year."

Additionally, two campus RHA leaders received important individual recognitions from the Pacific affiliate. RHA president Kerri Lopato was selected as Presidential Resource Coordinator for the PACURH Regional Board of Directors for the 2007-2008 academic year. In this role, Lopato will be responsible for training PACURH-affiliated RHA presidents across the region to be more effective residence hall student leaders.

Nathalie Carmichael, RHA vice president, was selected as the regional technology chair for the 2007-2008 academic year. Carmichael will serve as the regional association’s Web manager and will provide technological support for the region.

"UHFS is proud to sponsor these two student leaders in their service on the PACURH Regional Board of Directors as they continue to serve Chico State residence hall students and student colleagues across the Pacific region," said David Stephen, director of University Housing and Food Service.

CSU, Chico also received recognition awards for its December and January programming. In December, the Lassen and Shasta Community AIDS awareness program, "Dance for a Cure," was honored. In January, a program with the University Police Department was recognized, as well as outstanding performance by the local NRHH chapter and by Carmichael as an executive board member.

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On Feb. 27, University Housing and Food Service, California State University, Chico, recognized students living in on-campus residence halls with the highest grade point averages for the fall semester.

A total of 256 students and resident advisors were recognized at the dinner. The number of students receiving a 4.0 GPA more than doubled from the previous year, from 10 students in the fall of 2005 to 24 students in the fall of 2006.

The number of resident students receiving a 3.5 GPA or greater rose from 211 to 227. The number of resident advisors with a 3.5 GPA or greater increased from 12 to 19.

Except for the resident advisors, most of the residents living in on-campus housing are first-year students.

President Paul Zingg attended the dinner and shared thoughts on the first-year experience, including what it’s like to be away from home for the first time and the value of living in university housing for academic success.

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