July 24, 2019

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU students compete in Formula SAE races

A team of 10 aspiring engineers from California Baptist University put their Formula car to the test at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International Competition held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in June.

The CBU crew finished 31st in the internal combustion class preliminary results. Additionally, the car finished the endurance event for the first time, which requires a vehicle to travel 15 laps around a track for an overall distance of approximately 14 miles.

Josh Bigley, a mechanical engineering junior at CBU, was one of the four drivers.

“It was incredible to see our car finish the endurance race,” Bigley said. “Before a single part of our car was designed, our goal was to finish the endurance race, and it really paid off to see it happen. I don’t think I have ever seen the team as happy as we were that day.”

The team competed against 76 other entries. The competition included presentations on cost and design as well as dynamic events such as acceleration and autocross.

Bigley was also the design lead for the car’s chassis and electronics sections.

“Working on electronics taught me to be extremely careful and thorough. It really showed me the importance of doing something right the first time,” Bigley said.

Katie Mast, a mechanical engineering junior, has been part of the SAE student club at CBU since her freshman year.  This past year, she was the ergonomics lead, which included designing the steering, brakes, head rest, seat and gear shifter.

“The learning curve I went through for this year was crazy,” Mast said. “Working on the car, you learn so much. Learning about bolts and what’s needed and learning to make things in a way that’s easy to build. You don’t learn that in class, you learn that by doing.”

“We placed above some teams that have been around 10, 15 years and this is our third car,” Mast said. “That makes me really excited to see where it’s going to go. If we’re here now, where can we go from this?”

Dr. Daniel Clark, assistant professor of aerospace, industrial and mechanical engineering and SAE advisor, said the competition was the culmination of thousands of hours spent designing, fabricating, tuning, testing and competing.

“This was an exceptional educational experience for the CBU students who competed and learned from experts in the automotive industry while sharing their experiences with other teams,” Clark said. “Additionally, the design judges complimented the CBU students on their respectfulness, character and excellent teamwork skills.”

 

Air Force JROTC cadets fly high at CBU Flight School training

Mathew Davis, a high school senior from Georgia, soared over Lake Matthews in Riverside as he piloted a Piper Archer. The day was perfect for flying. The temperature was in the high 90s and there were clear skies with little to no turbulence. An aviation science flight instructor from California Baptist University was seated in the co-pilot position, instructing and encouraging him along his flight path.

“Flying a new Piper aircraft was amazing,” Davis said. “I’ve flown small planes before but nothing like this back home.”

Thanks to a U.S. Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) Flight Academy, in partnership with California Baptist University, Davis will acquire 40 hours of flight time and college credit.

The U.S. Air Force offers scholarship opportunities for up to 250 students who participate in their high school AFJROTC chapter to participate in a Flight Academy at various universities over the summer. Twelve cadets, from May 26 through July 22, fulfilled their training at the CBU Aviation Science’s Flight Operations Center located at the Riverside Municipal Airport.

“I’ve enjoyed the instruction I received at CBU,” Davis said. “They have been encouraging this whole time and as a result my confidence has increased in my abilities to fly.”

Dr. John Marselus, chair of the department of aviation science at CBU, said the partnership with the AFJROTC Flight Academy was formed on shared values.

“We are proud to help with the stated goal of AFJROTC of producing good citizens and motivating young men and women to become professional aviators,” Marselus said. “This initiative is one of a kind and hopefully will help toward fulfilling the critical shortage of aviators, not only in the United States but throughout the world over the next couple of decades. There has never been a better time to be involved in aviation as a career.”

 

CBU summer engineering course offers fun challenges

Pieces of broken, uncooked spaghetti noodles lay on the floor in the Dennis and Carol Troesh Engineering Building, remnants of a shattered bridge. Despite the mess, a team of high schoolers were amazed the bridge out-performed expectations.

“I did not think our bridge would hold that much,” said James Dingle, a senior at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. His team’s bridge held 20 pounds but broke apart at 25.

“Engineering is super detail-oriented. One small thing can mess up the entire project. You have to be attentive to detail and careful with everything you do,” Dingle said.

Dingle was participating in Engineering Innovation, a four-week summer course developed by Johns Hopkins University, being offered at 15 sites nationwide. Sixteen high school students attended the program at CBU’s Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering, June 24-July 19.

The course covered several areas of engineering, including chemical, electrical/computer, mechanical and civil. The program included lectures and hands-on projects.

Dr. Mario Oyanader, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, said the program exposes the students to various engineering disciplines.

“Having that hands-on experience gives you an idea of what you want to do five years down the road,” Oyanader said.

The course culminated with a spaghetti bridge contest. Students were tasked to use only dry spaghetti and epoxy glue to build a bridge. To test the bridges’ resilience, weight is added to the bridges until they shatter.

The exercise teaches students about the strength of materials and teamwork, Oyanader said.

“Working as a team is what they will encounter in real life,” Oyanader said. “Designing a building is not a one-person job. It’s many people working together.”

Evelin Zaragoza, a senior at Norte Vista High School in Riverside, is interested in electrical engineering. She enjoyed working on a team.

“You get to work with different people who see things a different way and they work the problems in a different way,” Zaragoza said.

Daniel Kari (’14), a biology teacher at Woodcrest Christian High School in Riverside, served as a teaching fellow with the program. Learning how to make the lessons hands-on has been valuable, Kari said.

“As a high school teacher, we have a curriculum we have to get through,” Kari said. “The program helps teachers figure out how to make the class more application-focused. How can I move from lecture to activities quickly? That’s what keeps students engaged the most.”

 

Graduate students provide mentors for anti-bullying program

On July 1, 2019, the HERO program received good news. It had secured a $20,000 Kaiser Foundation Hospital grant to help continue its anti-bullying program for high school students in Riverside.

For Dr. Kristin Mauldin, director of the Master of Science Sport and Performance Psychology program at California Baptist University, the news came as a testament to the positive work CBU students had been conducting in support of the HERO program during the past academic year.

In the summer of 2018, Lynda Bailey, executive director of the Riverside Medical Clinic Charitable Foundation, approached Mauldin with the opportunity to facilitate portions of the HERO program, a brainchild of the foundation. Mauldin believed that her students could benefit from the program.

“One of the strengths of this program is that it takes individuals who can reach these high school students, has them teach them not only the subject matter but how to inspire their peers, then works with them as they implement this new knowledge,” said Mauldin, who oversees the master’s students participation in the program. “Thus, it really does teach the students how to ‘fish,’ not just giving them the ‘fish.’”

“The ultimate goal of this opportunity is to create a long-term program in these schools that will become self-reliant and passed down from student to student, year-after-year,” Mauldin said.

Several CBU graduate students served as mentors at John W. North High School and Ramona High School, both in Riverside, during the past academic year. The students worked with high school counselors to create events, conferences and presentations that sought to prevent suicidal ideation and bullying.

Savannah Honarbakht, a Master of Science Sport and Performance Psychology student at CBU, said her classroom training helped in her mentor role.

“I was able to apply a lot from my training at CBU into this community outreach program,” Honarbakht said. “At North High School, our students experienced an untimely loss of one of their close classmates to gang violence. As mentors, we were able to be there for them and help them create a presentation on self-awareness to present to their peers so if they were to ever find themselves in a similar situation, they could be vigilant and avoid any unsafe situations.”

“Seeing their passion behind that presentation and how much they appreciated our helping hand within that project, made me really realize how much those kids relied on us as mentors,” Honarbakht said.

Jasmine Joann Johnson, who is scheduled to graduate during summer commencement at CBU, said she was thankful for the opportunity CBU provided in the community.

“I have always had a huge heart for helping others. I could not have discovered this program at any better time,” Johnson said.  “I am very grateful to be a part of this program and all of the education, opportunities, memories and friends I have made along this journey. None of this would have been possible without Dr. Mauldin and the people that helped create and launch this program.”

 

CAVAD Academies allow high schoolers to explore creativity

Several high school students walked around Harden Square at California Baptist University, photographing the blooming rose bushes and the distinctive arches of the James Building. They were learning how to configure a camera’s depth of field option.

The College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design (CAVAD) hosted nearly 40 high school students who received creative training at the CAVAD Summer Academies during July 8-12. The high schoolers could enroll in one of five options: architecture, film, photography, graphic design and fine art.

Miguel Esparza, a senior at Patriot High School in Jurupa Valley, California, was one of the students who attended the weeklong photo session.

“I wanted to improve my photography and learn how to think outside of the box while also using the technical side to help me get that end result,” Esparza said. “We’ve learned a lot on the technical side, how to control your camera, know how your camera operates. It’s essentially like your partner so you have to know how it works.”

Throughout the camp, students worked with CBU faculty, learning techniques in their field of interest.

Christopher Kern, assistant professor of photography, taught the students the technical and creative aspects of photography.

“It’s all hands-on and practical. I want them to practice,” Kern said. “Yesterday I talked. Now we’re applying it all and fumbling and figuring it out. There is a very academic approach to what we went through yesterday so that they’re empowered to use this tool to create or document.”

Students enrolled in the film session worked on elements needed to create a film throughout the week. The students planned a storyline for a psychological thriller, created a set and then learned about lighting and camera shots.

Katherine Tucker, a sophomore at Sky Mountain Charter School, an online school, said the process of creating a film was fun.

“I really love film. I wanted to learn more about if this is something I want to go into,” Tucker said. “I love how you can piece together all these different pieces of the puzzle and together it makes a story that makes you feel like you’re actually there.”

Mark Roberson, dean of CAVAD, said the Summer Academies serve both as a recruiting tool and community outreach.

“We really hope that giving students real exposure to these disciplines before they officially decide on a college major is a big step toward them being able to ‘Live Their Purpose.’ We want to help them make informed decisions about their future and their lives by letting them experience these pursuits firsthand,” Roberson said.  “These students get a real idea of what these pursuits will look like in college and beyond.”

 

Family Updates

Dr. Joshua Knabb, associate professor of psychology, Dr. Veola Vazquez, professor of psychology, and Dr. Robert Pate, associate professor of psychology, published a study in Mental Health, Religion & Culture (June 18, 2019). It was titled Set your minds on things above: shifting from trauma-based ruminations to ruminating on God.

 

 

 

Dr. Greg Bowden, professor of education, Dr. Cammy Purper, associate professor of education, and Dr. Jeanette Guignard, associate professor of organizational leadership, all for Online and Professional Studies, gave a presentation at the 19^th Annual Online Teaching Conference in Anaheim on June 18. It was titled Effective Video Feedback Strategies for Online Faculty.

 

 

 

Stephanie Fletcher, adjunct professor of education, was interviewed on The Radical Therapist podcast. The podcast episode, Undercover Anti-Bullying Teams, looked at a restorative justice intervention for bullying behaviors within the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Joshua Knabb, associate professor of psychology, presented at the Sandals Church Professional Network Breakfast and Learning Event in Riverside on June 13. The title of his presentation was The Role of Compassion in Combating Shame-Proneness.

 

 

 

Dr. Joe Way, director of multimedia services for information technology services, had an article in the Church Production Magazine (July/August 2019). It was titled Four Steps to Become a Biblical People Person.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Erin Smith, associate professor of psychology, was selected to serve as a science advisor for the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science in Seminaries program. She will serve for 18 months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sam Welbaum, assistant professor of Christian studies for Online and Professional Studies, presented a paper at the 36th Annual International Social Philosophy Conference in San Francisco on July 11-13. The title of the paper was Always Making, Never Returning: Creed Bratton and Billy Joel as Windows into Dasein’s Experience of Homesickness.

 

 

 

The Master of Social Work program hosted a student social on July 10 for the students who are starting the program this fall. The graduate students had the opportunity to meet their peers and some of the faculty.

 

 

 

Dr. Jeff Cate, professor of New Testament, presented a paper in the Working with Biblical Manuscripts session of the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Rome, Italy, on July 4. The paper was titled A Long Time Ago in a Galilee Far, Far Away: Nazareth and Nazarene in the Gospel of Mark.

 

 

 

Dr. Doug Barnett, adjunct professor of management for Online and Professional Studies, was a group discussion leader for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization’s Global Workplace Forum held in Manila, Philippines, June 25-29.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jim Buchholz, professor of mathematics and physics, was recently elected as a fellow to the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA). The ASA is as an international network of Christians in the sciences.

 

 

 

 

Aaron Swartz, the son of Rod Swartz, adjunct professor for marketing for Online and Professional Studies, graduated from the U.S. Air Force basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, on July 12.

 

 

 

 

Personnel Updates