CSUSB College of Natural Sciences Honors Students and Alumnus at Graduation

SAN BERNARDINO >> Cal State San Bernardino students Alicia Davis and Nicole Sauls have been named the 2016 outstanding students, and Eldon Heaston, executive director of the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District, has been named the Outstanding Alumnus for the College of Natural Sciences. The three were honored during the CSUSB College of Natural Sciences commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 18 at Citizens Business Bank Arena. More than 475 students participated in the ceremony, which was one of four university graduations scheduled that day that capped CSUSB’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration. The college also bestowed honorary doctorates of humane letters on philanthropists Mark and Lori Edwards for their generous support of at-risk youth, specifically through CSUSB’s Renaissance Scholars Educational Opportunity Program. The program provides emancipated foster youth with educational experiences and a nurturing environment that can afford them the opportunity to obtain a college degree. Davis, who lives in Ontario, graduated with a master of science degree in biology and was recognized as the college’s Outstanding Graduate Student. Originally intending to pursue a career as a physician, Davis followed the college’s biology pre-med degree track in order to apply for medical school, but as she completed her course work, she became much more interested in scientific research, graduating with a bachelor’s degree and now a master’s degree in biology. Davis said out of all her college work and research, she is most proud of being awarded the Don Eden Graduate Student Research Award, presented at the California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology Symposium. “The rigorous competition for the Eden award involved discussing my research with a panel of critical judges, and presenting my research during a plenary session of the symposium, including fielding questions from a large audience of biotechnology researchers,” Davis said. Davis has experienced hardships during her college career. Most recently, her father passed away unexpectedly while she was completing her master’s thesis. She said she battled her emotions to complete her oral thesis defense on the same week as her father’s funeral. In a nominating letter for Davis, CSUSB professor of biology Nicole Bournias-Vardiabasis wrote, “I see in Alicia a very accomplished researcher, who has done an outstanding job as a graduate student, a very mature person of high ethical standards, a young woman who can easily explain her research to lay people and one who is absolutely thrilled to be going to continue her love of discovery in a Ph.D.-granting institution.” This fall, Davis will begin the prestigious Ph.D. program at the Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences at City of Hope. Sauls, who lives in Rancho Cucamonga, graduated with a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology and was recognized as the college’s Outstanding Undergraduate. Sauls chose kinesiology as her major because of her passion for the sports medicine field and because the College of Natural Science’s kinesiology programs offered many opportunities to conduct research as an undergraduate and obtain hands-on experience. Sauls has worked on five different research projects and presented three first-author poster presentations at national conferences. She has also worked as a student research consultant for the kinesiology biomechanics class by assisting students in developing their own research proposal projects, and as a research assistant and laboratory director in the Biomechanics Sports Performance Laboratory for two years. “Research has become one of my greatest passions, and it has now become my goal to obtain my doctorate so I can conduct my own projects in the future,” Sauls said. Nicole C. Dabbs, a CSUSB assistant professor of kinesiology, wrote in a nominating letter that Sauls “is extremely knowledgeable and her command of professional subject matter is exceptional for an undergraduate student. She is an outstanding motivator with a unique ability to instill a desire in colleagues to perform at the highest possible level.” Dabbs wrote that Sauls volunteers at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she raises money for the children’s hospital. “I have witnessed Nicole's eagerness to learn inside and outside the classroom,” Dabbs wrote. “She is not only a leader to her peers in our department, but I am confident Nicole will be successful in anything she does in the future. I could not think of a more qualified student to receive the CNS outstanding undergraduate student award this year. Nicole is a model student and my hope is that we can have more students like Nicole in our kinesiology program.” Heaston, who lives in Claremont, graduated from the college in 1990 with a bachelor of science degree in health science and human ecology and served as an adjunct faculty member. Heaston was honored as the outstanding college alumnus. Heaston has served the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District for 25 years, including as executive director, a post to which he was appointed in March 2006. He has worked to build and uphold its reputation as one of the most progressive and accessible air districts in California. Prior to his appointment, Heaston served as the deputy air pollution control officer for 11 years, managing the day-to-day operations, including compliance, regulatory development, engineering, air monitoring and the small business assistance program. Prior to that, he was the environmental services manager, responsible for the development and implementation of the District’s AB 2588 Toxic “Hot Spots” Program, rule development, health risk assessment/modeling and Federal and State Implementation development. Before joining the district, Heaston spent more than 11 years in the aerospace and petrochemical industry, where he held various positions in operations, industrial hygiene and environmental management. He recently served six years as a governor’s appointee to the state’s Inspection and Maintenance Review Committee, which evaluated the effectiveness of California’s Smog Check Program and recommended program improvements. Heaston is a founding member of the Mojave Desert Chapter of the Air & Waste Management Association and a past chair of the West Coast Section of Air &Waste Management Association.