
Welcome New Grand Challenge Initiative Postdoctoral Fellows
Join us in welcoming our new additions to our Schmid College and Grand Challenge Initiative faculty! Miranda Aiken, Ph.D. Dr. Aiken is a biogeochemist researching the release of toxic, naturally-occurring soil metals into our groundwater. Her work is highly-interdisciplinary and investigates metal release from individual soil aggregates, all the way up to entire groundwater basins.

Student Teams in Grand Challenges Initiative Collaborate with Johnson and Johnson
At first glance, making a new and improved pillbox does not sound that difficult. But what if that pillbox needs to be tamperproof and capable of dispensing multiple pills at specific times on specific days? “Turns out that once you start to think about the design requirements, it is not so simple,” noted computer science

Chapman University Professor Awarded Taylor and Francis Remote Sensing Letters Award
Congratulations Dr. Ramesh Singh for his recent award from The Council of the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society (RSPSoc) for his paper on “Chamoli Landslide Disaster” published in Remote Sensing Letters. Dr. Singh, a Professor of Environmental Science and Technology, has done extensive research within the Himalayas over his career, including “c2e2 Himalaya-International Workshop on

Schmid Students Awarded Outstanding Poster Award at SoCal Chemistry Research Symposium
Chapman University students Mo Hijazi ’24 and Leah Zahn ’23 were recently awarded the Outstanding Poster Award at the SoCal Chemistry Research Symposium hosted by the University of California, Irvine on Friday, August 12. Due to the pandemic, the conference was held virtually. Mo Hijazi, Junior Biological Sciences major, presented his poster on his research

Welcome New Fall 2022 Faculty
Join us in welcoming our new additions to our Schmid College faculty! Sonja Cwik, Ph.D. (she/her), Assistant Professor, Physics Dr. Cwik received her doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research specializes in physics education, mentorship and workshops. She previously investigated gender differences in students’ motivational beliefs and inclusiveness of the learning environment in introductory physics

Chapman Grad Awarded ASBMB Certification with Distinction
Kylie Deer ’22, a biochemistry and molecular biology graduate, was recently awarded the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Certification with Distinction, Chapman University’s first of its kind. Of the 1,052 students in ASBMB-accredited programs that took the exam nationwide, 450 (42.8%) achieved certification and a total of 122 of these (11.6% of

ECOS Recognized for Commitment to STEM Students
Usually, the Golden 3D-Printed Crescent Wrench Award is exactly what it sounds like. Given annually to a community partner that has contributed to the success of Chapman University’s Grand Challenges Initiative, the honoree receives a plaque with a golden 3D-printed crescent wrench. Except that this year’s wrench was made from soap. That is because this

Simon STEM Scholar Shares Research Experience
Simon Scholar Ricardo Espinoza Hernandez, a rising senior biology major, is currently working at the University of Iowa as a part of their REU program. Ricardo answered questions for fellow students interested in pursuing research, shared his research experience, as well as his experience as a Simon Scholar, and what that means to his undergraduate

GCI Team at Wildland Fire Conference
A team of science and engineering students that recently finished participating in the Grand Challenges Initiative has presented their results at the 2022 Fire and Climate Conference organized by the International Association of Wildland Fire. Jessica Viner, Slade Laszewski, and Wesley Ho led the project with fellow students Justin Ewoldt, Pionnah Gregorio, and Liz Lyon.

GCI Presidential Fellow Receives $1.01M NASA Grant
Congratulations to Grand Challenges Initiative Presidential Fellow Dr. Joshua Fisher for receiving the NASA Earth Science Applications: Water Resources grant of $1.01M. He will use NASA data to help water management in the United States. Dr. Fisher is the Presidential Fellow of Ecosystem Science, focusing on terrestrial ecosystems, water, carbon, and nutrient cycling. In this project, Fisher