Fourteen students in a biotechnology course at Cal State San Marcos traveled to Tokyo this month to visit impressive laboratories, attend insightful lectures and interact with professionals from widely successful industries. The trip featured students in the class BIOT675: Bioscience Beyond the Borders, within the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) in Biotechnology program. It was led by Betsy Read, program director and a biological sciences professor; Debora Galasso, a biotechnology lecturer; and two professors from Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences (TUPLS): Kiriko Komura and Kazuya Watanabe.   The connection between CSUSM and TUPLS was forged by Al Kern, an education consultant for Extended Learning who has a longstanding relationship with Komura, a visiting associate professor of life sciences for TUPLS Global Initiatives and the former director of the National Professional Science Master’s Association and PSM affiliation offices. Watanabe is a world-renowned microbiologist and professor at TUPLS.  BIOT675 is an established course in the PSM, but Read suggested revamping it this year by making it an optional immersion experience for students. After working out the logistics, Read and Galasso finally saw their goal come to fruition.  “I have learned and grown through the study-abroad course,” said Gilda Castellanos, an undergraduate biotechnology major. “The opportunity to make new friends, appreciate a new culture, tour multibillion-dollar businesses and gain insight into the biotechnology industries have made me even more excited about graduating and starting a career in the biotech field.”  Galasso, Read and the 14 students were in Tokyo from Jan. 8-18. Students attended labs and lectures, visited various STEM industries, and were immersed in the Japanese culture.   Highlights of the trip included visits to Takeda Global and Shonan Health Innovation Park southwest of Tokyo, where students learned the value of a patient-first mindset grounded in integrity and respect, in addition to the complexities of working in an international environment; Meiji Innovation Center, where they discussed the importance of food sciences in supporting the health of consumers; the TUPLS campus, where they toured several labs and learned to write their names in Kanji; and Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, where they first explored Tokyo culture.   “The trip was an eye-opening experience both professionally and personally. It was an incredible opportunity to visit multiple companies and innovation parks where we learned from the employees firsthand," said Bridget Hofsteadter, a PSM in Biotechnology major.  Galasso and Read were overjoyed to finally give their students such an enlightening experience. The two had been working with TUPLS since 2019 to develop similar opportunities for both campuses to interact more, but because of COVID-19, many of their original intentions were stalled.  Last fall, the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) hosted two students from TUPLS. After this experience, it was clear to Galasso and Read that their ongoing relationship with TUPLS and the uniqueness of Japanese culture made going to Japan a good choice for the program.  In addition to the instructors, 11 students in the PSM in Biotechnology program, two senior undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor's in biotechnology and one student pursuing a master's in biological sciences attended.  Since the course is within the PSM in Biotechnology program, anyone in the existing cohort was eligible to attend. The three other attendees were selected as a way for Galasso and Read to pilot future attendance and to see if it would be worthwhile to expand the program.  CSTEM hopes to expand such programs in the future, given financial feasibility, so that more students can experience different cultures while also learning more about their academic and professional goals.   For more about the day-to-day activities and values of the trip, follow Galasso on LinkedIn, where she details many of the presenters, explorations and discussions.   Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of public affairs and operations ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

A presentation by a nationally recognized activist in the movement to end child sexual abuse highlights the spring lineup of the longstanding Arts & Lectures series at Cal State San Marcos.   This season boasts a diverse selection of seven events as the university hosts renowned guest speakers and performances.   Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website beginning Jan. 23.     Daniel Adam Maltz Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m., Arts 111 Based out of Vienna, forte pianist Daniel Adam Maltz will perform a rare concert of the piano works of Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn on the piano of their era. Maltz specializes in Viennese fortepianos, combining his deep musicianship with historic techniques to give classical-era music new life. In this special concert, attendees will learn about classical-era keyboard instruments and performance techniques while engaging with the performer in an intimate atmosphere. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni:  $5 Community: $10   Communicate Less Verbally and More Visually Feb. 22, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom Bruce Heimbach was in the prime of his professional career as an architect/project manager for a large local construction firm when he unexpectedly suffered a massive stroke. After the stroke, Heimbach developed aphasia – the loss or impairment of language – and was not able to communicate his basic needs and wants. Over time, he made a remarkable recovery and developed a new outlook on life: “Experience the world more visually and less verbally.” Faculty members from the Department of Speech-Language Pathology will discuss aphasia and how it can impact a person, while Heimbach will share his experience in recovery as well as his art and how it has shifted his values and priorities. CSUSM students: Free  Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5   Ching-Ming Cheng Presents “Piano for Two” March 3, 7 p.m., Arts 111 Dr. Ching-Ming Cheng – a CSUSM music professor and  classically trained, award-winning piano virtuoso who has wowed audiences around the world – will present a piano recital alongside pianist Dr. Janet Kao. They will perform a repertoire written specially for four hands on one piano. There will be festival, dance, fantasy and more on this night of fun, music and friendship. CSUSM students: Free  Faculty/staff/alumni: $5 Community: $10   Ritual of Sickness: An Experimental Performance by Korean Dance Artist Dohee Lee March 8, 7:30 p.m., Arts 111 Dohee Lee is a performance artist, ritualist and educator from South Korea who has been a vital contributor to the arts landscape of the Bay Area and beyond since her arrival in the United States. Her creative and award-winning vision comes from traditional Korean music, singing, drumming and dance, which is rooted in Korean indigenous ritual. Lee invites the CSUSM community to join in on a Korean ritual from Jeju Island called “The Ritual of Sickness” in which the aim is to remove white supremacy culture and to call vital spirits back to humanity and land. CSUSM students: Free  Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5   Quan Huynh: Finding Freedom From Within While Serving a Life Sentence March 13, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom Quan Huynh is the executive director of Defy Ventures, a nonprofit whose vision is to give people with criminal histories their best shot at a second chance. After spending 22 years in and out of prison, Huynh was paroled from a life sentence in 2015 and created his first company six months later. The following year, he received the Peace Fellowship Award for his work with the Alternatives to Violence Project. He will discuss his work, his entrepreneurial success and his memoir, “Sparrow in the Razor Wire,” as well as share his testimony on the Asian-American experience with gangs and confinement in the California Department of Corrections. CSUSM students: Free  Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5   Amita Swadhin March 29, 5:30 p.m., USU Ballroom Mirror Memoirs is an oral history project centering the narratives, healing and leadership of LGBTQ survivors of color in the movement to end child sexual abuse. Founded by nationally recognized survivor activist Amita Swadhin in 2016, the project has grown from an audio archive of 60 survivor storytellers across 15 states to a national organization with 650 members and a growing network of accomplices. Swadhin will share their own journey to becoming an abolitionist and engaging in the work to end rape culture as their life's work. The 5:30 keynote address by Swadhin will be preceded by a workshop from 1-3 p.m. in which participants will hear excerpts from the Mirror Memoirs audio archive and use a variety of art- and journaling-based prompts to add their ideas to the Mirror Memoirs toolkit.  CSUSM students: Free  Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5   Paul “Skip” Rickert: The Business of the Live Music Business April 21, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom Veteran tour director Paul “Skip” Rickert will discuss all aspects of conceptualizing and creating a live music tour in the rock and roll industry. Rickert has been a tour director for decades, working with well-known bands and artists such as Santana, Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube, ZZ Top, Korn and Green Day. He will explain in detail what a typical day is like and discuss the marketing and “behind the scenes” strategies and knowledge he has practiced in his years of staging live music events. CSUSM students: Free  Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

A nursing facility and hospice medical director who has served as a passionate advocate for palliative care in the San Diego region has been named the 2022 recipient of the Doris A. Howell Award for Advancing Palliative Care, presented annually by the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care.  A $25,000 gift in Howell’s honor from philanthropist Darlene Marcos Shiley accompanies the annual award and is bestowed on a local health care organization with ties to the selected recipient. This year's beneficiary organization will be named shortly.  Karl Steinberg, MD, medical director for many San Diego-based agencies and facilities since the mid-1990s, is this year’s Howell honoree, the Cal State San Marcos-based institute announced. Steinberg has served as medical director for organizations that include Hospice by the Sea, Carlsbad By The Sea Care Center, Mariner Health Care (21 facilities), Shea Family Care, La Paloma Healthcare Center and Scripps Coastal Medical Center.   He also has served on the board of directors of the San Diego County Medical Society and the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, and as member, delegate or officer for the California Medical Association; California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine (CALTCM); American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; American Medical Association; and AMDA. He currently serves as president of National POLST, which sets national standards for portable medical orders. Steinberg was nominated for the award by Jennifer Moore Ballentine, CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care and the former executive director of the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care. “In his work with patients, Dr. Steinberg offers an expert and empathic bedside presence. His authentic humility and devotion to the well-being of every person he encounters – whether in the facility, the classroom or the legislative hearing room – are always to the fore,” Ballentine said. “Dr. Steinberg is also a tireless advocate, teacher, writer and leader who has significantly advanced palliative care in the San Diego region across many fronts. He has ‘worked the halls’ in the state capitol, testified and advised on legislation affecting medical decision-making for and by frail elders, and lent his voice and strength to many causes with direct impact on people living with serious illness.” Steinberg will receive the award when the institute celebrates its 10th anniversary on March 1 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Hilton Long Beach. The celebration will include a reception and a presentation by writer Nikki Erlick, followed by a signing of her bestselling debut novel “The Measure.” Anyone who would like to attend the reception is asked to RSVP to the email address RSVPHowellAward@csusm.edu by February 20, 2023.  The Howell award is named after the late Dr. Doris Howell, a legendary physician and pioneer in pediatric hematology, oncology and community medicine who in 1977 founded San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine (SDHIPM). For more information about the institute and/or the Howell award, visit csupalliativecare.org.

Cal State San Marcos history professor Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall has been honored with the most prestigious award that faculty can receive in the California State University system. Sepinwall was announced Tuesday as one of five winners of the Wang Family Excellence Award. Each year, the CSU recognizes four faculty and one staff member for their “unwavering commitment to student achievement and advancing the CSU mission through excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.” Sepinwall received the Wang Family Excellence Award for Outstanding Faculty Teaching. She was honored publicly Tuesday afternoon during the CSU Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach. The other awards are for outstanding faculty service, outstanding faculty scholarship, outstanding faculty innovator for student success and outstanding staff performance. Sepinwall becomes the fifth CSUSM faculty member to win a Wang award since it was introduced in 1998. The previous four were education professor Laurie Stowell (2005); arts, media and design professor Kristine Diekman (2016); psychology professor Keith Trujillo (2017); and music professor Merryl Goldberg (2018). “I’m incredibly grateful for this recognition of my teaching from the CSU,” Sepinwall said. “I love to bring history alive for students and build critical thinking skills that help them be successful, no matter their career. When students understand history as lived experience rather than as a dry subject based on names and dates, then I feel like I’ve done my job.” Sepinwall has been teaching at CSUSM since 1999. During her time at the university, she has won its top teaching awards – the President’s Award for Innovation in Teaching in 2004 and the Brakebill Distinguished Professor Award for overall excellence in 2014. She is well known across campus for her creative and innovative approaches to teaching. She has held cookoffs to explore changes in eating habits for her course Women and Jewish History and gamified the French Revolution for the class Revolutionary Europe. She incorporates firsthand historical accounts like diaries, plans surprise “field trips” to campus locations such as the White Rose Memorial (which commemorates German students killed for resisting Adolf Hitler) and invites diverse guest speakers like Holocaust survivors and recent refugees. Her research on topics including the history of gender discrimination in France and early Haitian intellectuals became the foundation for a host of new courses. “I strive to get to know my students and help them toward ‘aha’ moments, when they realize how history connects to their lives,” Sepinwall said. “I love bringing them information from the cutting edge of my field, where I publish on topics from the history of racism to historical video games. My classes challenge conventional expectations about history, recovering stories that have been pushed to the margins and allowing students to see themselves in historical narratives.” Sepinwall extends her passion for history and teaching beyond the classroom, as she has organized more than 30 special lecture, performance and film events for students and the community; given more than 30 guest lectures and panel presentations for campus colleagues; and done more than 50 community talks, including a live interview with famed Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. Sometimes interactions with students end up informing her research. After students expressed interest in the subject of depictions of history in video games, Sepinwall became one of the first historians to write about it, and that work eventually became the basis for her 2021 book “Slave Revolt on Screen: The Haitian Revolution in Film and Video Games.” As part of the award, Sepinwall will receive a $20,000 prize that is provided through a gift from CSU Trustee Emeritus Stanley T. Wang and administered through the CSU Foundation. Sepinwall holds bachelor’s degrees in history and political science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in history from Stanford University.