Award Recipients

Dr. Nerea Marteache Solans, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice & Director of the Center for Criminal Justice Research, is the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Community Engagement Award for her deeply innovative and engaged academic work; history of community collaboration and change; and her role in elevating CSUSB as an institution committed to the development of a stronger and more engaged civic society.

Dr. Marteache joined CSUSB in 2013 and quickly began forming community partnerships to help understand and address local issues related to crime in transportation systems. Marteache partnered with Metrolink, a commuter train system servicing southern California, to study growing public safety concerns on rail lines. In 2016, Marteache and Metrolink collaborated to study how the design, maintenance, and level of place management at Metrolink train stations are associated with the amount and type of crime incidents in the surrounding area, with a special focus on the San Bernardino and Riverside rail lines.

In 2016, Dr. Marteache formed a partnership with the California State Park Rangers to study a surge of Redwood burl poaching incidents in the Redwood National and State Parks. After a successful collaboration, Marteache continued to work with California State Park Rangers at Humboldt State Park to conduct a research study on thefts of timber from downed redwood trees. The two groups are now designing a third project to evaluate the effectiveness of professional camera security systems in state and national parks to prevent crime. 

Dr. Marteache used these community-based research experiences as a foundation for service learning courses. In Fall 2021, the course Criminal Justice 5508: Preventing Crime in Transportation Systems gave students an opportunity to work with local transportation agencies to identify and analyze issues such as fear of crime among passengers, property and violent crimes in buses, and crime and disorder issues in transit centers. Marteache successfully applied for a 2021-22 Service Learning Fellowship to redesign Criminal Justice 5506: Wildlife Crime to include a strong service learning component and a partnership with the California State Park Rangers.

In addition to her extraordinary community-engaged teaching and research, Dr. Marteache has a special focus on community-engaged University service. She is an inaugural member of the 2021 Community Engagement – Faculty Task Force and contributed to the subcommittee on Internships, based on her experiences as the Internship Coordinator for her department. Marteache has also led a service learning professional development workshop for the faculty in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. 

Andrea Schoepfer Ph.D., School Director and Dr. Marteache’s nominator, stated, “I believe Dr. Marteache is deserving of this award because of her contributions to student learning, student success, and community engagement in the field of criminology and criminal justice.” We are honored to award Dr. Marteache for her contributions to a more engaged and community-focused approach to criminology and criminal justice that has positively impacted CSUSB students, the Inland Empire and beyond. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!