A Message from The President

Welcome to our 10th anniversary edition of Quest!

We began to publish Quest as part of a multipronged strategy to increase and celebrate research activity at the Beach. Our major goals were to involve students in research activities, thus giving them experiences to deepen learning and advance them in their careers, and to provide support for our faculty members’ professional aspirations in research, scholarship, and creative activities.

As you read the articles, representing work from faculty in each of our colleges, I hope you see the fruits of this effort. Research activity, most often done with our students, has increased significantly in recent years, demonstrated by California State University, Long Beach surpassing $50 million in research expenditures for fiscal year 23-24. This fact was additionally recognized last year when the Carnegie Classification System elevated our institution from a regional master’s university to a national high-research-activity doctoral university.

The articles illustrate how Beach faculty blend their commitment to highly effective teaching with important discoveries across fields as diverse as the study of DNA knots, the effects of climate change on water availability, investigations related to extremely violent crimes, and the role uncertainty plays in decision-making.

Of particular note is the article related to our largest-ever-funded project, BUILD. This project, now in its 10th year, has included more than 500 students and 100 faculty mentors. Students have been provided guidance to succeed in doctoral programs across the nation, and faculty have been supported in their research endeavors.

Our faculty accomplishments in fields varying from theoretical math to nutrition, sand dollars to ethnic studies, and migrations to poetry, illustrate the depth of excellence available to Beach students. Please enjoy reading about all of these exceptional projects and distinguished scholars.