Two Cal State San Bernardino students took home awards for their outstanding research at the eighth annual California State University Student Research Competition, held April 26-28 at San Diego State University.

Jonathan Solomon, a geography and environmental studies major and Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, took first place in the undergraduate Behavioral, Social Sciences and Public Administration category for his presentation, “The River’s Retribution: Policy Impact Analysis of the QSA on a Dying Sea.”

Rangel Zarate, a doctoral student in educational leadership, was awarded second place for his presentation, “From the Lens of (In)Visibility: A Photovoice Inquiry Into How Community Colleges Can Advance Filipino/a/x American Student Resilience,” in the Graduate Education category.

Solomon and Zarate were part of a team of 11 CSUSB students who participated in the systemwide competition, said Ryan Keating, director of the CSUSB Office of Student Research, and chair and professor of the Department of History.

“Our students demonstrated their intellectual prowess, creativity and dedication to advancing knowledge in their respective fields, and all of their presentations were well received by the audience and judges alike,” Keating said.

“Solomon’s and Zarate’s recognition reflects not only their own dedication to their work, but also the outstanding support and mentorship provided by our faculty here at CSUSB,” Keating said. “Our students’ successes would not have been possible without the guidance, inspiration and resources provided by our academic community and we are immensely proud of all the students who represented the ‘Yote community last weekend.”

The California State University Systemwide Student Research Competition is an annual event that brings together scholars from the 23 campuses of our CSU system. The competition showcases undergraduate and graduate research, scholarship and creative works by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments. Undergraduate and graduate student participants from all disciplines are judged by experts for their oral presentations and written abstracts.