The CSUSB faculty members listed below are recommended to chair graduate students' committees in the MS Environmental Sciences and MS Geology programs (or serve as Readers). If you wish to work with some other professor, please contact the Graduate Coordinator. Two additional committee members are required, sometimes referred to as Readers. If needed, one of these may be a faculty member or professional at another institution, but must have at least a Master's degree, be professionally accomplished in the student's research area, and be present on the committee to offer expert guidance towards completion of the thesis or project. In general the advisors should be chosen to best help the student complete their thesis, project, and other degree requirements.
Dr. Jennifer Braswell Alford (Environmental Sciences)
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
Email: jennifer.alford@csusb.edu (Primary contact); Telephone: 909-537-5562
; Office: SB-313
Current Research Projects:
- Geospatial Relationships between Land Use and Water Quality Across Hydrological Landscapes and Disadvantaged Communities (Cape Fear River Basin, NC)
- Environmental Impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) on Surface Water Resources using Geospatial Statistics (National, California, North Carolina)
- Assessment of Headwater Streams and Recreational Water Quality in the San Bernardino National Forest, California
- Education, Policy and Program Assessment of Water Resource Agencies in Disadvantaged Communities (California)
- Exploring the Value of Tribal and Indigenous Perspectives in Environmental Resources Management
- Community Engagement and Geospatial Mapping as a Collaborative Tool for Comprehensive Water Resources Management: Santa Ana, Upper Santa Clara and Ventura River Basins, CA (CSU Water Resources and Policy Initiative)
- Role of Public Lands to Promote Civic Engagement and Environmental Stewardship
- Development of Sustainability Programs and Assessment of Campus Resource Consumption in Higher Education
Current Students:
- Rama Ewing: thesis topic: GIS And remote sensing to understand historical surface dynamics and change detection in the Holcomb Valley, San Bernardino Mountains National Forest
- Kelley Giron: thesis topic TBA
- Diego Ramirez: thesis topic TBA
Dr. Andreas Beyersdorf (Environmental Sciences)
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Email: Andreas.Beyersdorf@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-5325; Office: CS-310
Current Research Projects:
- Airborne measurements of air quality and smoke in East Asia (NASA KORUS-AQ & CAMP2Ex campaigns)
- Atmospheric aerosol composition and health effects in San Bernardino
Current Student:
- Austin Barter: thesis topic: TBA
- Sean Murphy: thesis topic: Seasonal Variation of Aerosol Mutagenicity in San Bernardino, California
Dr. Tandis S. Bidgoli (Geology)
Department of Geological Sciences
Email: Tandis.Bidgoli@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-7724; Office: CS-104
Current Research Projects:
Dr. Kerry Cato (Environmental Sciences and Geology)
Department of Geological Sciences
Email: Kerry.Cato@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-5409; Office: BI-113C
Current Research Projects:
- Assessment of debris flow processes and hazard evaluation in Southern California
- Evaluation of risk evaluation methodologies for dam performance
- Geologic site investigation methods in the built environment
Current Students:
- Sevag Injean: thesis topic: TBA
- Frank Jordan: thesis topic: interactions of landslides and faulting in the San Bernardino Mountains
- Seth Saludez: thesis topic: Post-fire debris flow initiation potential from the 2020 El Dorado Wildfire on Yucaipa Ridge, San Bernardino County California
- Yashvi Shah: thesis topic TBA
- Andrew Suarez: thesis topic: Sediment and debris flow resulting from the 2020 El Dorado Wildfire, San Bernardino Mountains, California
Dr. Joan E. Fryxell (Environmental Sciences and Geology)
Department of Geological Sciences
Email: jfryxell@csusb.edu; Office: BI-115 (by appointment only)
Not currently accepting students
Current Research Projects:
- Structural evolution of the Grant and Horse Ranges, east-central Nevada
Current Student:
- Dylan Terry: thesis topic: geochemical characteristics of the Inyo Volcanic Chain, California
Dr. Brett Goforth (Environmental Sciences, Reader only)
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
Email: bgoforth@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-5521; Office: SB-317
Not currently accepting students
- Changes in California vegetation recorded by field measurements, historical documentary evidence, geospatial environmental data and techniques (GIS, remote sensing, GPS survey).
- Analysis of tree-rings and thermally altered Fe-oxides in soil to reconstruct spatial patterns of fire intensity in California forest and woodland landscapes.
Dr. Susana Henríquez (Geology)
Department of Geological Sciences
Email: Susana.Henriquez@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-5311; Office CS-110
Current Research Projects:
Dr. Codi Lazar (Environmental Sciences and Geology)
Department of Geological Sciences
Email: clazar@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-5586; Office: CS-106
Current Research Projects:
- Experimental simulations of hydrothermal organic synthesis in terrestrial and planetary settings
- Petrology and geochemistry of the New Idria forearc diapir
- Experimental determination of thermodynamic properties of geological materials
- Accessory minerals and redox conditions during serpentinization
Current Student:
- Bryan Seymour: thesis topic: A mineralogical and geochemical investigation of the influence of tectonic setting on accessory mineral assemblages in serpentinites along the western North American margin
Dr. Sally McGill (Geology)
Associate Dean of CNS
Email: smcgill@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-3304; Office: BI-107
Not currently accepting students
Current Research Projects:
- GPS monitoring of the San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Garlock faults
- Slip-rate and paleoseismic studies of the San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Garlock faults
Current Student:
- James Burns: thesis topic: Dating of Offset Geomorphic Features Along the Garlock Fault, Mojave Desert, California: Testing a Proposed Earthquake Supercycle Model
Dr. Erik Melchiorre (Environmental Sciences and Geology)
Department of Geological Sciences
Email: emelch@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-7754; Office: BI-110B
Current Research Projects:
- Geochemistry of placer gold. The use of geochemical fingerprinting, morphology, and inclusion mineralogy to explore the origins and transportation of placer gold.
- Use of new hand-held XRF technology for geochemical field studies. Lab and field work, including calibration of instruments to determine suitability for different natural and artificial materials.
- Origins and distribution of arsenic, Calico Mining District, CA. Mapping of arsenic concentrations in rock, soil, and groundwater.
- Environmental hydrology and geochemistry of mining-impacted lands
Current Student:
- Joy Berry: thesis topic: Analysis of silver reserves from Calico, CA, using 3D geospatial technology
Dr. James Noblet (Environmental Sciences)
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Email: jnoblet@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-5194; Office: CS-312
Current Research Projects:
- Water quality and aquatic chemistry of local lakes, rivers, creeks, and coastal marine systems
- Analytical Chemistry of Glyphosate and related compounds
- Measurement of trace organics and trace metals in environmental matrices
Dr. Brett Stanley (Environmental Sciences)
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Email: bstanley@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-7218; Office: CS-316
Not currently accepting students
Current Research Projects:
- Precursors and mechanisms of cyanide production and other disinfection by-products in the treatment of wastewater
- Analytical chemistry of emerging contaminants in natural and treated water
Current Students:
- Pedro De Allende: Thesis topic: Assessing eh reactivity of amino acids to chlorination using capillary electrophoresis
- Josphine Gitau: Thesis topic: Assessing the reactivity of amino acids to chlorination using GC/MS/MS multiple reaction monitoring
Dr. Stuart Sumida (Geology)
Department of Biology
Email: ssumida@csusb.edu; Telephone: 909-537-7338; Office: BI-314
Current Research Projects:
- The origin, evolution, and function of Late Pennsylvanian (Carboniferous) and Early Permian tetrapods - the earliest vertebrates to get out onto the land and stay on the land
- Paleoecology of late Paleozoic vertebrates
Current Students:
- Maria Ceja (Biology): thesis topic: Histology and skeletal development in archosaurs - lessons from crocodilians
- Kathleen Devlin (Biology): thesis topic: Structure, function, and computer modeling of primitive reptiles
- Amanda Guerrero (Geology): thesis topic Endocranial anatomy of the tube-crested dinosaur Parasaurolophus (Ornithischia, Hadrosauridae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Utah, USA
- Anselmo Sanchez (Biology): thesis topic: Ontogeny and growth of the postcranial skeleton in the primitive eureptile Labidosaurus.
Dr. Claire Todd (Environmental Sciences and Geology)
Department of Geological Sciences
Email: claire.todd@csusb.edu; Telephone: (909) 537-5347; Office: BI-110C
Current Research Projects:
- East Antarctic Response to Warm Climates
- Ice Preservation in Debris-covered Glaciers
- History and Current Status of California Glaciers
Dr. Yolonda Youngs (Environmental Sciences)
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
Email: yyoungs@csusb.edu (Primary Contact); Telephone: 909-537-5521; Office: SB-317
Current Research Projects:
- Hydrological Landscape Documentation of Historical Use and Conservation Management on Public Lands through Geospatial Analysis, Stream Surveys, and Participatory GIS (Santa Ana Watershed and San Bernardino National Forest)
- Long Term Environmental Monitoring through Repeat Photography (Santa Ana Watershed and Inland Empire)
- Environmental Management and Outdoor Recreation Use in National Parks using Social Science Methods and Online GIS StoryMaps (Upper Snake River and Teton Mountains, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming)
- Community Engagement and Tribal Perspectives on Water Management and Use (Santa Ana Watershed)
- Environmental Justice, Cultural Heritage, Public Lands Preservation in Southern California Coastal and Marine Environments (Channel Islands National Park)
- Coast to Headwaters Connect through Public Lands, Cultural Landscape Interpretation, Environmental Storytelling, Community Engagement, and GIS (Southern California coastal state parks, Santa Ana River, San Bernardino National Forest)
- Regional Approaches to Environmental Conservation, Visitor Use, and Southwestern Public Lands and National Parks (Grand Canyon National Park)
- National Parks, Wilderness Preservation, Environmental Management and Visitor Use (Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park)