Inside Academic Affairs email header.

Office of the Provost

April 22, 2026

Updates on events, resources, & achievements.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CSULB Announces 2026 University Achievement Award Recipients

CSULB is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 University Achievement Awards! This year, 23 awards were presented across 11 categories, recognizing the outstanding contributions of 19 faculty members and 4 students.

CSULB Recognizes APID, MENA, and SAAM in April

CSULB is proud to celebrate Asian, Pacific Islander, & Desi (APID) Heritage Month, Middle Eastern & North African (MENA) Heritage Month, and to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

A variety of events throughout the month invite folks to celebrate our APID and MENA communities and raise awareness around sexual violence prevention and support.

In Memoriam: Dr. Tracy Tolbert

Dr. Tracy Tolbert, a lecturer in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management (CCJEM) for the past 28 years, has passed. Dr. Tolbert received her Ph.D. and M.S. in Sociology from the University of Southern California and her B.S. from Indiana University. She taught undergraduate courses in Criminal Justice Theory and Crime and Inequality. Her research interests were in sex and gender issues in criminology and victimology and stalking and other forms of predatory behaviors. She was an icon in the CCJEM department and will be greatly missed.

We honor and thank Dr. Tolbert for her many contributions to CSULB and to generations of students.

EVENTS

April 23 – BEACONS Faculty-Student Mixer

April 23 – Green Generation Showcase

April 24 – Lecturer Lifeline Field Day and Social

April 24 – Data Fellows Symposium

April 28 – Genre Launch Party

April 28 – AANHPI Spring Showcase

April 30 – Dr. Jason Whitehead Book Launch

April 30 – Faculty Convening: CSU Student Success Framework

May 5 – Lucía at the Carpenter Center

POINTS OF PRIDE

MPH Student Receives Prestigious Fellowship

Mannat Tiwana, recent CSULB Master of Public Health graduate, was selected as a Fogarty LAUNCH Fellow through the Northern Pacific Global Health Leader’s program for the 2026-2027 cohort.

Adapted PE and Computer Science Team Awarded ORED Multidisciplinary Grant

Dr. Jelena Trajkovic, Associate Professor in the Computer Science and Computer Engineering department, is teaming up with Dr. Bittner, Associate Professor in the Kinesiology department, to create a new gold standard in the way movement assessments are scored. The collaboration between Drs. Bittner and Trajkovic is an exciting new interdisciplinary venture within the College of Health and Human Services and College of Engineering through the ORED Multidisciplinary Grant. The project will develop an AI-driven video analysis system, capable of automating TGMD-3 scoring from standard smartphone recordings.

Three MSIS Students Win First Place at 2026 LMU Datathon

Three Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) students, Abygail C., Timothy Tan, and Ha Pham, took home the first-place prize at the 2026 LMU Datathon, where they competed against teams from 15 universities. They analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to evaluate whether California's 2018 ban on asking about prior salary has impacted pay equity, and whether a similar policy should be adopted nationally. The team explored wage trends, built statistical models, and translated their findings into actionable policy recommendations, all in a single day.

Two MSIS Students Earn Second Place at CSU AI Hackathon

Congratulations to Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) students Sejal Kishor Daterao and Harsha Vardhan, who earned second place at the California State University AI Hackathon 2026 in partnership with IBM. In just two days, they built a working solution to a real healthcare problem. PulseCall is an AI-powered system that answers clinical intake calls, books appointments directly into live electronic health records, processes prescription refills, scores urgency, and sends confirmations, all in about 1.5 seconds.

Animation Magazine Spotlights CSULB School of Art in Article "Learning What the Pros Know"

School of Art Professor Aubry Mintz and the CSULB Animation Program were featured in the April '26 issue of Animation Magazine in an article by Ellen Wolff entitled, "Learning What the Pros Know: Five Essential Animation Classes Taught by Industry Veterans."

Professor and Ph.D. Student Receive Best Paper Award

Dr. Amin Rezaei from the CECS department, and his Ph.D. student Hasala Seneviranthne, received the Best Paper Award at the 19th IEEE Dallas Circuits and Systems Conference. The award is for their paper titled, "Early Detection of Hardware Trojans Using Neural Controlled Differential Equations and Analysis of Power Traces."

CSULB Team Places Third at American Society of Mechanical Engineers Event

The CSULB team for the IAM3D (Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3D) Challenge won third place (and a $250 prize) at the annual ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) EFX event. The team was sponsored by Marathon Petroleum.

In the News

Check out how faculty members are contributing as experts in the news.

IN THE NEWS

Grants & Gifts

Stay up to date on colleagues that have acquired the latest CSULB grants and gifts.

GRANTS & GIFTS

NEWS & UPDATES

The AANHPI Spring Showcase is Around the Corner

The AANHPI Initiatives team invite students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community partners to join us for the AANHPI Spring Showcase on April 28, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Ngai Alumni Center.

This event will highlight programs, partnerships, and initiatives that support Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander student success at CSULB. The showcase will feature campus collaborators, student voices, and opportunities to connect with the growing network advancing AANHPI student achievement. Please RSVP to attend.

Child and Family Center Reopening May 4

The Child and Family Center has been under construction since August 2023, utilizing a grant from the State of California to double the size of the Center. With the renovation come many program enhancements when they reopen on May 4. Check out more details on the Child and Family Center webpage.

10 Ways Students are Taking the Spotlight This Spring

Each spring, CSULB students present projects that define their time on campus. This season brings work spanning research, performance, design, and innovation, all ready for an audience. Check out 10 showcases to catch before the semester ends.

CSULB Interior Design BFA Junior and Senior Students Participate in Outreach

CSULB BFA Interior Design senior and junior students participated in the LAAIA ACLA 2026 “Design Like a Girl Day.” The event included hosted activities for young female students who are interested in the various design and construction fields.

CSULB faculty involved include Eduardo Perez, Von Dominguez, Britt Griffith, and Alec Johnson. BFA students involved include Camille Davis, Camila Foster, Megan Jess, Paige Benson, Gladys Ramirez, Sahara Daily, Christina Dwe, and Bree Cubbage.

Highlighting Research @ The Beach

The Spring 2026 Volume 2 issue of Research @ The Beach highlights a diverse range of ongoing faculty research. From projects supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities to privacy and security challenges, Research @ The Beach showcases the breadth of innovation happening across campus.

Spring 2026 Graduate Writing Retreat

When the campus is quiet during spring break, the Graduate Center is bustling! With over 75 attendees during the Spring Break Graduate Writing Retreat, the Graduate Center provided a dedicated space for graduate students to work on writing assignments – including course papers, dissertations, and theses – while staying nourished and caffeinated. The Graduate Center and the Thesis & Dissertation Office staff were on deck to provide support. Many grad students shared their appreciation for this popular event!

Admitted Students Find Representation, Resources, and Reassurance

Before they ever step into a classroom, admitted students at Cal State Long Beach are already asking a bigger question: Can I see myself here? At Day at The Beach, that answer took shape in real time, as thousands of students and families moved through campus in search of direction, support and a sense of place.

Faculty Convening: Review of the CSU Student Success Framework

All CSULB faculty are invited to attend a half-day convening to learn about the new CSU Student Success Framework. Faculty will explore how the new CSU Student Success Framework aligns with Beach 2030 and CSULB's current student success initiatives.

22 Students. 6 Cash Prizes. It’s the 2026 CSULB Grad Slam Competition!

Graduate Studies hosted its 6th annual Grad Slam Competition on April 20, where graduate students across all disciplines compete by communicating their work in a pre-recorded video in under 3 minutes using a single static slide. This year, Graduate Studies received 22 submissions.

2026 SoCal Writing Center Association Conference

The University Writing Center is proud to share our recent experience at the 2026 Southern California Writing Center Association Annual Conference. Our selected tutor teams presented their tutorial-focused presentations at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California to showcase their months of research and engaging ideas.

2026 Data Fellows Symposium

CSULB’s Data Fellows will host its 2026 Symposium on Friday, April 24 from 9–11 a.m. on the second floor of the University Library. The in-person event will showcase this year’s Data Fellows team projects, highlighting collaborative, data-informed work designed to advance student achievement and institutional effectiveness across campus.

The symposium provides an opportunity for campus partners to learn directly from participating teams about the questions they explored, the insights they uncovered, and the practical applications of their findings. Building on a tradition of sharing cross-divisional student success research – like past symposia featuring team presentations across access, retention, and future pathways initiatives – this year’s gathering continues the program’s commitment to actionable data and meaningful collaboration.

Learn more about this year’s nine teams and past projects on the Data Fellows webpage. Please register to attend.

A New Major Takes Shape Where AI Meets Tomorrow’s Job Market

Although CSULB’s computer science program is one of the university’s most in-demand and rapidly growing majors, it’s never had a dedicated data science program. But as artificial intelligence redefines how people work, faculty added applied data science – an interdisciplinary major that combines data analysis, computing, and real-world application – to prepare students for new careers powered by AI and data-driven decision-making.

The University Writing Center Is Hiring for Fall 2026

The University Writing Center is searching for new tutors for the Fall 2026 semester. If you are a creative thinker, active listener, and avid writer – they want to hear from you! Check out the application page to learn more about the role and how to apply.

Hydrologist Laurie Huning on Extreme Climate and Protecting California's Water Supply

Few issues shape California’s future more than water. Drought, floods, and rising temperatures are pushing the state’s water systems to their limits. At CSULB, hydrologist Laurie Huning studies how climate extremes affect snowpack and water availability – research aimed at helping water managers keep reservoirs balanced, communities safe, and water flowing.

Mayor Rex Richardson Presents HFCOE 100+ Women Strong Group with Certificate of Recognition

Mayor Rex Richardson presented the HFCOE 100+ Women Strong group with a Certificate of Recognition for their unwavering dedication to empowering female students by expanding pathways and opportunities for women in engineering. The certificate was presented at the sixth annual BEACH Women in Engineering Conference, held on April 10.

Submissions Open for May INSIDE Academic Affairs Newsletter

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