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| February 7, 2025 | Submit a Note |
 The Silicon Valley Studies Initiative hosted "Defining Silicon Valley: An Interdisciplinary Discussion of our Region" in the St. Clare room on February 3. Panelists Lauren Baines (de Saisset Museum), Jeannette Estruth (History), Linda Hylkema (Cultural Resources), Enrique Pumar (Sociology), and William Sundstrom (Economics) participated in a conversation moderated by Meg Eppel Gudgeirsson (History, director of the Silicon Valley Studies Initiative) about who and what we are in this region. Approximately 40 members of the SCU community joined for the discussion.
I write with some thoughts about our academic mission and purpose. In national politics, January was a bumpy month! The once (and possibly future) federal funding freeze alarmed many of us that rely on NSF and NIH (among other federal agencies) to support first-rate research and creative activity. And while a lot of national discourse has placed diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and aspirations in a negative light, the College of Arts and Sciences will continue this work in much the same ways and to the same extent as we have in recent years. University teaching and research programs don’t change with each election cycle, for good reasons. First and foremost, campus leaders and faculty support academic freedom so that the pursuit of new knowledge and expression can proceed without censorship or political pressure. Second, every faculty hired and every class taught represents careful, responsible, and deliberate resource allocation. Simply put, each instructor teaching and each class offered are here at Santa Clara University because we have collectively determined that they are the highest and best use of precious gifts and tuition dollars, and that they are fundamental to the university mission. Third, academics should absolutely be exploring all aspects of the human condition, wherever that exploration takes them. Diversity, equity and inclusion programming, teaching, and research focus on fundamental histories and aspirations of all humanity. And because human history is rife with injustices, it should come as no surprise that much recent scholarship, especially in the humanities and social sciences, focuses on social justice. That focus is as good and important this year as it was last year. There is no question that scholarship and creative activity across many different disciplines may become more challenging in the years ahead. No university exists in isolation from its society. I cannot change the nature of national political discourse, but as your dean, I will continue to support – and celebrate – the great work that we hired you to do. I leave you with a poem from another February, not so long ago. In gratitude and solidarity, Daniel February 11th 1990
By Wanda Coleman —for Dennis Brutus This year the leaves turn red green black Got IT Questions or Issues?Stop by the virtual IT drop-in sessions with Charles Deleon! These sessions are designed to provide faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences a friendly and casual setting for addressing general IT questions and concerns. Feel free to drop in and out at any time during the scheduled session, whether you have a quick question, need assistance with something and don't know where to start, or simply want to learn more about our IT resources. Biweekly. Next session: Friday, February 14, 11:00 am-12:00 pm. Zoom link Highlights
Paul Abbyad (Chemistry and Biochemistry) has just published a peer-reviewed research paper in the journal Lab on a Chip titled "Stepwise isolation of diverse metabolic cell populations using sorting by interfacial tension (SIFT)." This paper presents a new method for sorting live single cells into sequential populations based on their glycolytic levels. Since glycolysis is linked to both disease and cell state, this technology enables the sorting and analysis of key cell subpopulations for use in oncology, immunology, and immunotherapy. This paper was very much a group effort with the entire research lab as co-authors: Matt Shulman '22 (Chemistry, postbac researcher, currently in graduate school), Thomas Mathew '25 (Biology, History), Aria Trivedi '25 (Biology), Azam Gholizadeh (Inclusive Excellence Postdoc), Charlotte Colcord '25 (Chemistry), Ryan Wiley '25 (Biochemistry), Kiron Allen '25 (Chemistry) and Eli Thangam '26 (Chemistry). Kelsey Voss (University of Virginia) provided guidance and support on experiments with T-Cells.
Religious Studies faculty had a very strong showing at the American Academy of Religion's Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL) national conference in November. Presenters included:
The talk explored how technology had transformed L2 classrooms by integrating online platforms, multimedia resources, and language apps to create immersive, interactive environments. These tools supported personalized learning, accommodated diverse learning styles, and offered increased flexibility in language acquisition. At the same time, the talk addressed key challenges, such as varying levels of digital literacy among learners and the need to balance traditional pedagogical methods with innovative digital practices. While these advancements held immense potential, the discussion emphasized that careful implementation was critical to fully maximize their benefits for learners. A primary focus remained fostering digital literacy, which served as the foundation for leveraging these innovations effectively. The talk provided valuable insights for educators navigating the intersection of technology and pedagogy in the evolving field of L2 education.
Iris Stewart-Frey (Environmental Studies and Sciences (ESS), Environmental Justice and the Common Good Initiative (EJCGI)) (co-)mentored six students in the Water and Climate Justice Lab to present their research at the 2024 American Geophysical Union conference in Washington D.C. Colleagues that have been involved in co-mentoring some of these students include Rocio Lilen Segura (Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering (CESE), EJCGI)), Jake Dialesandro (ESS), Ed Maurer (CESE), Will Rush (ESS), David DeCosse (Markkula), and Aria Amirbahman (CESE). Students Samantha Lei ’26 (Environmental Science, Claire Boothe Luce (CBL) fellow, LEAD scholar), Elyse Kenyon ’25 (Environmental Science, CBL fellow), Stephanie Davis ’25 (Environmental Studies), William Alexander ’26 (Environmental Science), Emma Young ’24 (Environmental Studies, Philosophy, Hackworth fellow), and Dana Johnson ’26 (CESE, CBL fellow) presented their work on mapping Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in the Central Valley, assessing CAFO impacts on groundwater, conducting a domestic well testing program in the Central Valley, assessing rainfall changes in Northern Nicaragua, and parsing the ethical and engineering perspectives of the 2023 levee failures in the Pajaro Valley. All posters reflected the environmental justice dimensions as well as disciplinary scientific aspects of the students' projects and were very well received. The students were engaged in lively discussions with other researchers and came away with many new ideas.
Sreela Sarkar (Communication) presented her paper titled "The Aesthetics of the Ordinary: Alviso in Silicon Valley" at the Rethinking the Inevitability of AI: Historicizing Computing’s Climate Impact alongside AI’s Past and Potential Future conference organized by the University of Virginia. Sreela's paper, as part of her ongoing ethnographic and archival research in Silicon Valley, investigates the town of Alviso in the larger context of urban aesthetics and contested lived experiences in the region. It examines how popular framings of Alviso conceal Indigenous and immigrant histories of labor that have been largely ignored in popular accounts of the creation of Silicon Valley. Further, it explores how the surreptitious dominance of Big Tech in Alviso highlights questions about the politics of environment conservation and "sustainability."
Tom Plante (Psychology) published an article regarding student advising for graduate training in applied psychology, Advising discerning college students about psychotherapist career options: Unpacking the alphabet soup of graduate training and licensure, in The Behavior Therapist, 48(10, 420-425). Abstract: The path to becoming a psychotherapist is especially confusing for many as there are so many possibilities and tracks to consider. Students, and often faculty advisors, can easily be perplexed by the “alphabet soup” of options and potential directions (e.g., MFT, LCSW, LPC, PhD, PsyD). This confusion can be simplified by asking students to answer a few basic questions in a particular order to help them narrow their options and select the one that is most likely to meet their needs, desires, and goals. The purpose of this article is to help both students and their faculty advisors better understand options for graduate training leading to licensure as a psychotherapist in a brief, simple, straightforward, and direct manner.
Francisco Jiménez (Modern Languages and Literatures Emeritus) delivered the keynote address at the Idaho Association for Bilingual Education Conference, held at the College of Idaho in Caldwell on January 16, 2025. In his speech, he emphasized the urgent need to expand language education beyond English, while fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultural heritages that shape our nation. The short dramatic film The Unbroken Sky, adapted from Jiménez’s memoir Senderos Fronterizos, premiered at the Cineteca Theater at the University of Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico, on December 6, 2024. Following the screening, Jiménez gave a presentation on Senderos Fronterizos, which was followed by a Q&A session. The event was part of the Guadalajara International Book Festival, the world’s second-largest literary festival. Additionally, Jiménez’s graphic novel The Circuit was included in Social Justice Books: A Project of Teaching for Change’s list of favorite titles for 2024. Teaching for Change is dedicated to curating the best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.
Maggie Hunter (Sociology, Strategic Advisor to the Dean for Faculty DEI Initiatives) and colleagues Hideko Sera (Morehouse), Kendrick Brown (Morehouse) and Adriana Alvarado (University of Redlands) published an article titled, "Prescribed, Ritualized, and Activated Belonging: A Qualitative Study of Student Belonging at a Historically Black College and University" in the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education (December 2024). Based on focus groups with students at Morehouse College in Atlanta, the research team found that HBCUs have cultivated an intentional environment of belonging with their students and that the students then internalize those norms and do the belonging work for other students at the College. The authors named these different experiences of belonging: prescribed, ritualized and activated. Many of the lessons learned from the HBCU context can be applied to student experiences at other types of colleges and universities.
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The research group: L-R Matt Shulman, Eli Thangam, Aria Trivedi, Ryan Wiley, Thomas Mathew, Charlotte Colcord, Paul Abbyad. Not in picture: Kiron Allen and Azam Gholizadeh.
Cathleen Chopra-McGowan presenting at the annual AAR/SBL conference in San Diego.
The SCU team at the American Geophysical Union meeting.| College of Arts and Sciences |
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