California State University, Monterey Bay
AC-9: Academic Research

Department chairs were asked for a list of faculty conducting sustainability research; the Grants Office was asked for a list of faculty doing funded sustainability research; the Undergraduate Research Office was asked for a list of students and faculty doing sustainability research

 Student Project. Service and research helped farmworkers lower risk of tracking pesticides into homes CSUMB’s Department of Environmental Studies' emphasis on integrating research, service learning pedagogy, and exploration of local social justice issues and quite an impact on Angelica Gonzalez. Engagement in both department and service learning course requirements led Angelica to the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), where she ended up designing, constructing, and field-testing an effective lesson plan for farmworker families to help them understand how pesticides can be inadvertently tracked into the home. Her creative use of a common spice in her demonstrations brilliantly illustrated how simple things like washing hands and removing work clothes before entering the home can reduce exposure.  High-Resolution Mapping of Soils and Special Features for the California Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). The purpose of this project is to support the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) in land cover base mapping. This project will deliver new soils maps plus mapping the dynamics of sand dune movements, along with riparian zones, wetlands, desert pavements, playas, alluvial fans, riparian channels, washes, seeps, springs, and pools, and biological soil crusts. The project will focus on data processing on the largely unmapped areas most likely to be used for energy developments, such as within the Renewable Energy Study Areas (RESA).  Capacity building for agricultural sustainability on the California Central Coast through research and education. This proposal seeks to increase capacity among higher education institutions and research institutions and research agencies in the California Central Coast region to address issues pertaining to agricultural sustainability and water quality.  Santa Lucia Conservancy 2015. The Santa Lucia Conservancy is a local NGO with the mission to conserve and sustain the Santa Lucia Reserve, a large, unique California Central Coast landscape located in the Carmel Watershed. The preserve is required to monitor base-flow stream conditions in steel-head bearing streams flowing from the property.  Return of the Natives to Ft. Ord Public Lands 2010-2015. The work sees Return Of the Natives annually propagate native plants for restoration on Ft. Ord, will involve CSUMB student assistants and service learners, hundreds of school children, and weekend volunteers.