Schmid College of Science and Technology continues to produce world-class research on the environment. A new publication in the journal Earth’s Future from senior research associate Wenzhao Li, including faculty members Thomas Piechota, Joshua Fisher and Hesham El-Askary, considers the significant changes in the weather conditions of the western U.S., marked by increased variability and rapid “whiplash” shifts between extreme drought and flood conditions. The new publication joins a slate of other recent studies including one on the effects of increasing CO2 on plant growth and on the susceptibility and risk of outbursts in glacial lakes. 

Ten percent of the global population lives in areas susceptible to volcanic hazards. Since volcanic eruptions cannot be prevented, detecting early signs of volcanic activity is crucial for public safety. Associate professor of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Joshua Fisher, and faculty from the Biological Sciences Program and the Grand Challenges Initiative, are part of a group collecting leaf samples from trees and measuring carbon dioxide levels near an active volcano in Costa Rica. “Our research is a two-way interdisciplinary intersection between ecology and volcanology,” Fisher said in a NASA writeup. “We’re interested not only in tree responses to volcanic carbon dioxide as an early warning of eruption, but also in how much the trees are able to take up, as a window into the future of the Earth when all of Earth’s trees are exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide.”

Anemia affects more than 2 billion people worldwide, including an estimated 83 million Americans who are at high risk. Andrew Lyon, professor of chemistry, is co-author of a new study in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that describes using a photo of a fingernail, a mobile app, and a little bit of machine learning to detect anemia. The app brings reliable screening directly into the hands of consumers, enabling real-time health monitoring and earlier intervention, empowering users to make informed decisions without waiting for lab results. While not intended for self-diagnosis, the app does help users understand when to consult a healthcare provider. Lyon serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of Sanguina, the company that has launched the new product. 

Office hours: they’re a basic part of the student-faculty dynamic, but how helpful are they, really? “Our surveys indicate that 90 percent of students who attended left feeling more confident about their abilities to succeed in STEM. Students cited not only increased knowledge of course concepts but also how they felt more supported and connected to the instructor and classmates,” writes Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Jeremy Hsu in a new op-ed published in Inside Higher Ed. Hsu considers the evolution of his own thinking on office hours, the latest research on the topic, and provides best practices for instructors. 

With the end of the academic year come student and faculty awards. Schmid College students and faculty have been recognized with many accolades this month. Chemistry student Jamie Chin ’25 has won this year’s Cheverton Award. The Cheverton Award is the oldest and highest undergraduate student honor at Chapman University. Students are not nominated for the Cheverton Award; they are invited to apply by the faculty based on their outstanding academic record and then voted upon by the full faculty. While at Chapman University, Chin carried out research in the lab of Associate Professor of Chemistry Jerry LaRue, including a summer spent in Stockholm conducting research with funding from the National Science Foundation. She was also the President of Chapman’s student chapter of the American Chemical Society, a member of the Schmid Student Leadership Council, and a member of the Chapman Women’s Water Polo Team. Chin will begin a Ph.D. in inorganic and materials chemistry this fall at University of Texas Austin. Read more about Chin in the Chapman Newsroom.

Sophie Alter ’25, a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, has won the Ronald M. Huntington Award for Outstanding Scholarship. Alter conducted clinical research at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, volunteered at a hospital in Guatemala, and interned at Stanford Medicine. She was a member of the Schmid College Student Leadership Council, a Residential Life Orientation Leader, and a member of the American Medical Student Association. Read more about Alter here.

Environmental Policy and Science student Holland Hatch ’25 arrived at Chapman to dance, but soon found herself traipsing through the rain forests of Costa Rica, helping the state of New Mexico with water management, and collaborating with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She speaks about her Chapman experience in her recent graduation speech. 

Additionally, members of the Schmid College faculty were recognized with the following university awards:

Mentorship of Undergraduate Research Award: Hagop Atamian and Cedric Owens

Unit Faculty Excellence Award: Emily Adlam and Matthew Leifer

Wang-Fradkin Junior Professorship Award: Jeremy Hsu

Wang-Fradkin Senior Professorship Award: Rosalee Hellberg

Valerie Scudder Award for Research: Emily Adlam

Supporting Open Access Research & Scholarship (SOARS) Awards: Patricia Lopes, Cyril Rakovski, and Lindsay Waldrop