Salty & Sweet Car-Free Travel

We had a fantastic car-free November. Metrolink saved us from sitting in freeway gridlock, and welcomed our bicycles and our dog on board.

Sweet Santa Ana

Our packing list was kept simple: We brought lots of lights for our bicycles, three headlights and three taillights each bicycle.  We had 2 rear panniers each bicycle and 2 front panniers for one bike and 1 dog carrier for the other bike. 
Instead of a purse, I brought my camera bag. I brought two hair bows, which ended up being used as a belt and neckerchief. I had a half-shirt that I wore underneath the dresses. I wore an extra dress and yoga pants on the way down there. I felt like a few things were missing, but we made it despite.

Thanksgiving day, we biked to family's house using the Peters Canyon Trail and the San Diego Creek Trail (10.5 miles mainly on the Mountains to the Sea Trail & Bikeway). It was a bit warm, and the ride felt long, but by the time we arrived we were so relaxed and ready to enjoy catching up with family.

Black Friday we walked to have brunch at the "Yellow Basket" at the corner of Main & Dyer while scoping out the bus and bicycle traffic. We decided to stay inside during the remaining daylight and take OCTA buses to access downtown Santa Ana.

Route 55 took us from Halladay & Dyer to First & Main. The bus fare was $2 per person, if we had planned on being on buses all day, we could have purchased a day pass for $5 per person. We walked West to Broadway and then North to 2nd St and discovered a Promenade (which is where we spotted the map & directory below). We saw Grand Central Art Center, which was not open, but we peeked in the windows. There was a fountain and a few trees were decorated with lights.

There was a cute roundabout at 3rd and Bush street, which isn't even visible on Google Maps Satellite View yet. The upgrade was paid for by Active Transportation (ATP) funds from the State of California.  I definitely felt safe walking there, there were very bright streetlights that had a vintage look and the few cars that were entering/exiting the parking lot were traveling very slowly. There were secure bicycle parking facilities called Bike Huts, which require monthly or yearly membership, probably installed to support residents of the lofts in the downtown area.

We walked East through the alley between 3rd and 4th streets past some gorgeous murals towards the Yost Theater. We encountered another fabulous Promenade called "Fiesta Plaza."

We gave in to temptation to do some shopping and entered R&R Western Wear 'Casa Del Sombrero.' There were the blingingest shirts, belts, boots, and hats that you can imagine! We picked up one belt and 6 colorful bandanas. According to Yelp, R&R has been in Santa Ana for 58+ years! It felt great to support a small business instead of heading towards The District at Tustin Legacy, which we assumed would be packed with people (and speeding cars).  It felt great to do some walking and not have to worry about driving/parking our car, which we couldn't have done anyway since we didn't bring it.

Exiting R&R Western Wear on the North we walked to the corner of 4th and French St to take some pictures with the large decorated Christmas tree at Plaza Calle Quatro. The appearance of some gentrification along 4th Street became evident as we passed Wursthaus and mLovewell and were chased by some people from the Santa Ana Restoration Church asking for cash donations.

We passed The Frida Cinema and ducked into the 4th Street Market to take advantage of the public restrooms and free smells. The market had a cool space on its North side that had what looked like a kid's play area, a DJ and a bunch of picnic tables. I wanted to go in and play with the oversized Jenga blocks and Connect 4, but it was getting late and we had Thanksgiving leftovers to eat back in our hotel room.

There were so many awesome shops, restaurants and cultural venues in Downtown Santa Ana that I could have stayed longer, but we decided to end our walking tour there and took the OCTA 53 bus back to Main & Dyer (the Yellow Hat). I would love to return to Santa Ana on the night of an Art Walk (First Saturday of each month from 6pm-10pm) or the morning of a Farmer's Market (Sundays 10am-2pm on 2nd St Promenade).

This walking adventure was inspired by Jonathan Gold's LA Times supplement on the 101 best restaurants in LA. As I was thumbing through the glossy food photos, a phrase caught my eye, "newish restaurant row in downtown Santa Ana" and it must have stuck in my mind because when we extended our Thanksgiving Trip by an extra day, I knew I wanted to explore the area.

We biked from our house to the Northridge Metrolink station along Reseda Blvd and Parthenia St (2.2 miles). We took Train 116 to LA Union Station at 2:52pm. We took Train 686 to Tustin, arriving after the sunset at 4:49pm. We biked along Edinger Ave to Kensington Park Dr to Valencia Ave to Tustin Ranch Rd to Barranca Pkwy which turns into Dyer Rd (4.2 miles). There were bike lanes most of the way. 

Coming home we took Train 663 from Tustin to LA Union Station at 12:25pm. We took Train 265 to Sylmar/San Fernando arriving at 2:46pm. We biked along Hubbard St to Laurel Canyon Blvd to Rinaldi to White Oak to Devonshire to Reseda (8.3 miles). If there were weekend trains on the Ventura County Line, we could have biked fewer miles. Parthenia and Hubbard are not great for cycling, they could be improved with bike lanes.

Salty Santa Barbara

Contrasting the Santa Ana trip with our other November travel adventure, where we visited my sister at UC Santa Barbara on Veteran's Day, downtown Santa Ana is humble in comparison to downtown Santa Barbara.  In both cases we stayed at La Quinta Inn & Suites, due to their welcoming pet policy.

We took our car with us to Santa Barbara because it's not yet possible to take dogs on Amtrak and Metrolink only goes as far North as Ventura. It would be possible (in theory) to bike from Ventura up to Santa Barbara (32 miles) but since our 10 mile bike ride was more grueling than enjoyable, I don't see us biking our dog and loaded bicycles against the ocean headwind anytime soon.

In Santa Barbara, we walked from our hotel to Cantwell's Market & Deli for provisions. We took a short dog walk along State St from Arrellaga St to Anapamu St. In a future visit, I would definitely explore more of State St on foot or on bikes.  The hotel had free bike rental, which we didn't use. We did a longer walk to the Mission Santa Barbara, about 1 mile from our hotel.  It was a great feeling to climb that hill and look out over the ocean imagining what it was like for early California settlers.

We did an epic walk from my sister's hotel to the UCSB campus.  We headed South on Storke Rd and then East on El Colegio to a bike path along Ocean Rd. We passed Pardall Tunnel on the way to a scenic overlook at Ocean Rd and Del Playa Dr. We ate at Dumpling King, avoiding large chain restaurants nearby. Making our way back to the Courtyard by Marriott on Storke Road it was about a 4 mile round trip walk.

I had never fully appreciated the "party school" reputation of UCSB until that moment. This walk was on Friday night, under cover of darkness. We saw students coming up from the beaches with surfboards and students playing beer pong on the lawns of Camino Pescadero. There were bicycles outfitted with cages navigated by older men for collecting the beer cans and bottles left behind by party-goers. There were many students walking from house to house, and others cruising through the neighborhoods on bicycles. A few young people drove through in cars, but they were severely in the minority. For how can one find the party by following the music when car engines interfere?

Another fabulous walk was had the following morning. We tried to rent free bikes from her hotel, but they had only 2 and couldn't locate them at 6am when we wanted to borrow them. My sister and I walked North on Storke towards The French Press, which unfortunately did not open until 7am on Saturdays. We headed West on Hollister Ave and then South on Santa Felicia Dr.

Just past Best Buy, we smelled something wonderful. We thought it was coming from Costco, but as we got closer to the big-box retailer, the smell went away. We turned Northeast and followed our noses to Anna's Bakery which opens at 6am seven days a week. We got coffee, doughnuts and breakfast burritos, all of which were heavenly and fresh. They had outdoor seating and a steady stream of locals came through for their morning fix.

We passed through Girsh Park on the way back to the hotel. Also noteworthy was "Ice in Paradise" a skating rink. Although it would have been great to explore Santa Barbara by bicycle, we sure did see lots of sights on our walks.

If we went back to Santa Barbara, I would know that there are buses that we could have taken from downtown (State St) to the UCSB campus. If Amtrak allowed dogs, or if we were willing to bike 32 miles and travel only on weekdays, we could have done that trip car-free.

In conclusion

It was great to spend time in cities (Santa Barbara, Santa Ana) that have invested in bike lanes and improvements to make pedestrians feel welcome. These cities are walkable and bikeable, as evidenced by the many cyclists and pedestrians we saw during the day AND at night. It was great to be a tourist in these cities and spend some of my hard-earned money on these unforgettable experiences at small businesses. The sights and smells from the plants and sea air are giving me the energy to keep going and finish this semester strong!

Checking in

Thinking about hotels, hospitality, reception...places you want to stay for awhile.  Actually, I just wanted to post a blog before October is over!

This semester is really kicking my teeth in.  I'm sitting here looking at my to-do list and it's long and complicated.  There aren't any short & easy tasks!

I am making progress in many directions.  From my last post, I was writing about starting a garden.  Many of the plants are infected/infested and I'm not sure if any of them will survive.  I could treat them with horticultural oil, but it's not recommended for use above 100 deg F and believe it or not, we're still experiencing triple digit weather!

Because being extraordinary is exhausting!

And it's National Chemistry Week! #ChemistryRocks

We had a great time at CicLAvia http://www.ciclavia.org/ciclavia_hola17 on October 8th.  The next CicLAvia is coming up on December 10th along Wilshire Blvd.

It's always great to see streets filled with people and bicycles.  It's so quiet that you hear the chatter of human beings socializing and engaging in active transportation (happy) instead of the hum of engines and the rattle of automobiles (angry).

We're looking forward to seeing my sister on Veteran's Day weekend (less than 3 weeks)!  We're heading up to Santa Barbara, can't wait.

TAGS: American Chemical Society, career, chemistry, CicLAvia, community, cycling, distance, diversity, education, fall, family, goals, green, heat, hormones, Pasadena, Northridge, money, motivation, plants, statistics, science, Santa Barbara, teamwork, technology, teaching, travel, weight gain, Walk Bike Glendale, winning, women, writing, yoga,

Bike Racks

We got our Smart Car in August 2011.  Since then, we've taken it on many trips.  We've had to do little things to maintain the car in the last year, such as brakes ($427.69) and new tires ($647.35). These we have had done at Boulevard Auto Repair in Van Nuys.  We get regular service (e.g. oil changes) here at Glendale Lube Center.

Photo credit: Anne Hamersky (January 2012)

In academic years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, I was driving 80 miles per weekday!  I'm so glad I don't have to do that anymore.  We got rid of our 2nd car in February of 2015 and thank goodness for that.  I overheard two people discussing the Public Transit Subsidy Program at CSUN, specifically in regards to Metrolink.

CSUN employees who opt to use the bus, rail, or train to campus may be eligible for a discount of up to 60% off the cost of the monthly transit pass. The total monthly discount will not exceed $100.

One person was explaining to the other that the discount really starts to pay off when you become a single-car family.  Now we drive when we have to (or want to) but if we don't want to drive, we take the Metrolink train with our bicycles.

April 2015 we got the rack, June 2015 we got the bike (Fuji)

Free2Go Bike Rack (#FREE2GO) $109.00 + $15.00 via Flat Rate USA = $124.00

Becoming a single-car household wasn't without its challenges.  We had a bike rack for our old 4-door Honda Civic, but we needed a way to transport at least one bicycle in the case of an emergency. The first rack we purchased is the Free2Go.  As long as your bike weighs less than 45 pounds, this rack will work.  In fact, it's even my preferred rack for transporting our beach cruiser bike, due to the shape of its frame.  At around 2 pounds, the Free2Go bike rack can even be slipped into your messenger bag or backpack if you are driving a rented SmartCar.  The car-sharing company car2go operates in 9 US cities, including San Diego, but not yet in Los Angeles.

October 2015 we got the bike (Fix-D), October 2016 we got the rack

Thule Helium Aero 3 Bike $399.95 + $189.95 Hitch (U-Haul) + $60 Installation + Tax? = $697.10

Fix-D 700C Road Bike - Silver/Red (28") = $98.09

This year, we upgraded our carrying capacity with a 3-bike rack, which is kind of ironic since we have a 2-passenger car.  It was pretty expensive to get the hitch installed, but we finally got the car paid off so it seemed like the right time to start making modifications (spending the money we would have put into a car payment).  We're considering where to take this rack.  So far, we've used it to go out to Riverside and over to the LA River Bike Path with out-of-town guests.  At 20 pounds, the Thule rack can be installed by one female (me) solo.  It has a load-capacity of 110 pounds.

I'm not wild about the Los Angeles car culture, but there are still some remote areas that are not well-served by public transportation (e.g. Point Mugu) where we would like to camp and bring our bicycles.  I'm still not totally sure what we're doing over the winter break, but it will most likely involve our new bike rack.  Even though we have a really tiny house, we both fantasize about the next bicycles we want to buy.

MultiModal Weekend (Part III)

Having taken a bike on Friday afternoon, a car on Friday night, and a walk to the bus on Saturday (both ways), we knew we had to take a train on Sunday.  Luckily, it was a CicLAvia (open street) weekend in Downtown LA and we got to ride bicycles from Glendale to MacArthur Park with an awesome group of people.

Since we had spent the majority of the weekend talking about bike advocacy, we cut our CicLAvia experience short and caught the early train back to Glendale.

The nice thing about catching Metrolink is that it is a short 10-12 minute train ride back to Glendale and then a 10-12 minute bike ride back to our house.

Metrolink monthly pass holders (like us) can ride the train system (bus and light rail, too) for free on weekends.  Non-monthly pass holders have access to the entire system by purchasing a $10 weekend pass.  There is now an app that you can use to purchase your Metrolink pass virtually, in case your trip starts with a bus instead of starting at the Metrolink station (like we did). Screenshots from the Metrolink app are shown side-by-side below.

Remember, your bus pass will not get you on the light rail.  Nor will your light rail pass get you onto the Metrolink train.  But a Metrolink ticket will get you on the bus and light rail.

Last, but not least, if you're going for a short trip, your one-way ticket on Metrolink will be cheaper than a Day Pass.  But if you're traveling a long way (Lancaster to LA Union Station, which costs $11.50 one way) then the Day Pass will be cheaper even if you're not returning on that day to your original destination.  The app makes it easier to comparison shop on your own schedule, without having to mess around with the ticket vending machine (TVM) at the actual train depot.

There is an agreement between Amtrak and the Glendale Beeline and several other bus providers for free transfers, but LA Metro buses only offer a discount to Amtrak passengers, according to Fox 5 News San Diego. If you do take Amtrak, you must call and make a bike reservation (800-USA-RAIL).  Roll-on service is possible on the Pacific Surfliner AND the Coast Starlight.  I guess Amtrak also has a mobile app, but I don't have experience with it yet.

Also, I learned that a Metro TAP card is how you use Metro Bike Share, but I haven't tried it myself yet. Have you?

Mission Tours

1) Mission Santa Barbara

Could take Amtrak Pacific Surfliner for $29 (bike reservation required at no extra cost)
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/382/939/Pacific-Surfliner-Schedule-071315,0.pdf
It's a 2.5 mile bike ride to the mission from the station.

2) Mission San Buenaventura

Could take Amtrak Pacific Surfliner for $23 (bike reservation required at no extra cost)
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/382/939/Pacific-Surfliner-Schedule-071315,0.pdf
It's a 0.3 mile walk to the mission from the station.

3)  Mission San Fernando Rey de España

We could meet at Glendale Metrolink, ride to Van Nuys, bike ~5 miles North to the Mission.  Although it would have to be on a weekday since the Ventura County line doesn't run on weekends.  It would be $10 each way to take Amtrak to Van Nuys, but it is possible, on Pacific Surfliner also.  We could bike it for free (18.5 miles each way with 738 ft of climbing) but it would not be a ride for beginners.  It's easy to find though, up Glenoaks to Hansen Dam, Left on Montague, Right on San Fernando Rd, Left on "Brand" in San Fernando and you'll arrive at the mission (on right) at Brand Park (in Mission Hills).

4) Mission San Gabriel

This is about 11 miles (entirely by bicycle) from the Glendale Metrolink station via York Blvd, South Pasadena and Alhambra. It's only 4 miles from the Metro Gold Line - South Pasadena station.  We could get to the Gold line by taking the Antelope Valley Metrolink to LA Union Station.

5) Mission San Juan Capistrano

From the San Juan Capistrano Metrolink Station it's only a 0.1 mile walk to the Mission.  From Glendale, we would take the Antelope Valley line into LA Union Station and then the Orange County line down to San Juan Capistrano. If we brought bikes, it's only 3.7 miles to Doheny State Beach via the San Juan Creek Trail

6) Mission San Luis Rey

This landmark is in Oceanside, 5-6 miles from the Oceanside Metrolink Station. From the station Turn left onto S Cleveland St, Keep left to stay on San Luis Rey River Trail, Turn right onto Fireside St, Turn left onto Mission Ave and you should see it from there but if not Turn left onto San Luis Rey Ave.  From Glendale, we would take the Antelope Valley line into LA Union Station and then the Orange County line down to Oceanside.  The Metrolink weekend pass ($10 all day) is a better deal than the Amtrak fare, plus you don't need bicycle reservations.

7) Mission San Diego

From the Glendale Metrolink Station, take the Antelope Valley line into LA Union Station and then the Orange County line down to Oceanside. Transfer to a Coaster train and ride south to San Diego - Old Town stop. Take Taylor Street NorthEast around Presidio Park. Taylor turns into Hotel Cir S. After passing Bachman, follow Hotel Cir under the I-8 and then take a right on Camino De La Reina. Travel 2 miles East. Three quick zig-zag: Turn left onto Qualcomm Way, Turn right onto Rio San Diego Dr, Turn left onto Rio Bonito Way, then Slight right onto Friars Rd for 1.1 mile. Take the Mission Village Dr ramp, Turn right onto Mission Village Dr, Turn left onto San Diego Mission Rd and follow that for less than 1 mile. The mission will be on the left at Booth Hill Rd. The COASTER train is $11.00 round trip for 3 zones (Oceanside --> Old Town).

http://www.gonctd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/OTC-COASTER-Platform-Station-Sign-April-2015-1.pdf

SF to LA packing list

As much as I hesitate to admit, I am undertaking a bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  The reason I am not keen on bragging about it is that I don't know for sure that it will happen.  The forces of the universe are going to have to sing in harmony for everything to work out.  Regardless, as I pack my bags, I wanted to document the items that I will bring.

Starting from my Top 10 List, I have a bicycle, water bottles, safety flag, helmet.  Said bicycle has been cleaned and tire liners have been installed.  The brakes and shifters are in working order.  I have added a second water bottle cage.  The rear rack has been used to mount panniers.  I bought this bike in February 2010 and named it "mi corazón azul" because it reminded me of Côte d'Azur (the French Riviera).  My husband and I were living 90 miles apart and I was struggling with being separated from him.  My heart was broken, since I had always wanted to live in San Diego (La Jolla) and I couldn't.

SONY CYBER-SHARE DSC-T10 Digital Camera

KODAK EASYSHARE M530 Digital Camera

I am ready to retire my Kodak digital camera.  The things I don't like about it are numerous (1) it takes poor pictures in low-light (2) the compartment where the battery and memory card are stored keeps coming open (3) when the battery is jostled out of its position because the compartment is opened, the date and time have to be reset before you can take a picture.  As a result, there are some pictures that have incorrect date/time stamps because I was more excited to take a picture immediately than to reset the date and time to correct settings.  I will probably bring one of our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T10 cameras instead.  Those also have a slim profile, and we own two of them.  That means twice the batteries, twice the battery chargers.  Twice the cables for downloading the pictures.  The reason for duplication is the aforementioned 90 mile separation.

The important tools to bring, to keep it lightweight, are: a pedal wrench, a link breaker, a multitool for allen wrenches, tire irons, a patch kit, spare tube, and a pump.  Logan (on pedalingtonowhere) suggests extra rack bolts, zip ties, nuts, and a few chain links. Some of these tools fit in my seat bag, others will have to go in the panniers.  I don't think I would bring extra spokes, but I have located a handful of bike shops along the way.  I should bring bicycle lights, possibly spare batteries or the USB charging cables, and a headlamp for camping.

This tent is over 12 years old... and weighs ~14 pounds

I know it's not a great idea to add new items at the last minute, but I might go buy a new tent today.  The one I have is pretty big and pretty heavy.  There are Memorial Day sales going on, which may bring us a small discount.  I got a 1-person tent for $35 at Big 5 Sporting Goods.  I practiced pitching it twice so I think I'll be good with it.  I'll go to the storage unit today and pick up my sleeping bag.  Don't think I'll have room for a tarp or a yoga mat.  The weather looks good (for San Francisco at least) and hopefully we will be blessed with low winds and no rain!  I'll probably use spare clothes for a pillow.

The outfit I'm wearing above is part of what I will be packing for clothing.  I'm definitely bringing my Adidas track suit.  I will bring a windbreaker jacket.  I will bring about 4 pairs of cycling shorts, my legwarmers, and 2 pairs of arm coolers (to prevent sunburn).  I will bring about 4 pairs of socks and probably 4 sportsbras.  I will probably bring only 2 jerseys, with sleeves.  I will bring 2 t-shirts (one short-sleeved, one long-sleeved) and about 4 pairs of regular panties.  It will be good at the end of the day to change into something clean, dry, and absorbant.  2 pairs of gloves (one full-fingered, one fingerless), and a long-sleeved winter jeresy.  I'll bring my cycling cap and maybe also a hat for wearing around camp.  I want to bring a pair of sunglasses for sure.  I will also pack a reflective vest for safety.

The toiletries that I'll bring include: face wash, face sunscreen, body sunscreen, chamois butt'r, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo/conditioner, and cooling foot creme.  I hope to have room for the addaday roller and possibly a racquetball for self-massage. J/K no room for those. A clothesline is a good idea, along with laundry soap that could be used for washing clothes.  I will also pack a small towel or washcloth.  I added contact lenses, contact lens case, contact lens solution, glasses, glasses case, sunglass case.  I added body glide, a hair comb, and face lotion.

For food, I'm stymied.  We had originally planned on having a chase vehicle so I bought a bunch of gus and gels.  But carrying 15 pounds of Clif bars and blocks seems a bit ridiculous.  I have been pouring over a book, Bicycling the Pacific Coast, that details where you can find bike shops and grocery stores along the route.  I'll probably just load up my panniers with the essentials and weigh them.  Amtrak has a 50 pound limit, which I hope I won't get anywhere near, per bag.  I'll just add/subtract until the bags are balanced and reasonable.

I'm reminded of scenes from the movie Wild where Cheryl Strayed thought she had it all and she learned along the way what was necessary and unnecessary.  I packed a mini-first aid kit with different shaped bandaids, sterile pads, athletic tape, triple-acting antibiotic oitment and Aleve.

The Importance of Being Diverse

I hate stereotypes, but they are a part of our culture.  For example, when people hear that I am from Nebraska they assume I was not educated in a diverse environment.  Fortunately for me, I won a lottery and was part of a magnet program.  The categories in the graph labeled wash. and harr. were my neighborhood schools.  Instead of those schools attended by my sisters, I attended Franklin Learning Center and Martin Luther King Science Center for first-second and fifth-eighth grade, respectively.  From the graphic you can see that my younger years were spent in a diverse environment, at least one that contained a majority of African-American students.  My high school, Omaha North, was about evenly split between African-American students and Caucasians, which is why we called our dance team "salt 'n' pepa."

Attending University of Nebraska at Kearney was a culture shock for me, coming from an urban environment (Omaha) to a rural one. Thanks to Dr. Jerry Fox, retired Director of International Education, our campus had a large percentage of international students.  Dr. Fox was our guest speaker for the 39th annual Southern California Alumni Luncheon (2014) which was a great event.  I made it a point to seek out and cultivate relationships with our international students and had the experience of studying in Bonn, Germany for a month one summer.  This experience gave me a sense of what international students experience here including homesickness and the yearning to hear one's own native language again.

My graduate school experience, starting at Arizona State University, started a journey further West and into a more diverse territory in terms of Hispanic and Latino students.  Not until I started teaching at Estrella Mountain Community College did I experience learning in a truly Hispanic-serving institution (at least a 25% Hispanic undergraduate full-time-equivalent student enrollment).  EMCC had a fantastic NASA Center for Success in Math & Science where I spent time tutoring students who were willing to work hard to achieve a firm understanding on the content in their STEM courses.

University of California, Riverside has claimed in the past that it is "the most diverse in the University of California system" but a recent ranking by US News and World Reports has UCLA and UCR tied for the 5th most diverse universities in the USA with a rank of 0.70 out of 1.0.  Other schools in the UC system are not far behind at 0.68 (Davis, Santa Cruz), 0.67 (Berkeley, Santa Barbara), 0.66 (Irvine), and 0.64 (San Diego).  The other UC schools not mentioned in the report include San Francisco and Merced.  This was my first immersion in a predominantly Asian and Pacific Islander culture.  I learned about the Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) as a support network for increasing diversity in STEM.

After finishing my Ph.D. I taught at the the W. M. Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges.  Scripps College in Claremont, CA has a diversity score of 0.54 (#18 out of 215 ranked liberal arts colleges).  I didn't represent this two year period in my life on the graph because I am focused now only on public institutions.

By attending the ACS 44th Western Regional Meeting after moving to California State University, Northridge, I learned about National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).  It's great that there are organizations out there for seeding and nurturing talent in underrepresented groups.  Teaching at CSUN for the past year has been an amazing experience.  Among CSU's, the most diverse are 0.75 (East Bay), 0.72 (Long Beach), 0.70 (Fullerton, Sacramento), and 0.68 (Fresno, Northridge).  Other schools in the CSU system are not far behind at 0.66 (Stanislaus), 0.65 (Dominguez Hills, Monterey Bay), 0.62 (San Bernardino), 0.59 (Los Angeles), and 0.51 (Chico).  In total there are 23 campuses in the CSU system.  Not mentioned in this post are CSU San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, Maritime, Pomona, Sonoma, Bakersfield, San Marcos, and Channel Islands.

Diversity imparts an advantage to any population

The point of this post is to emphasize that inclusion of people or things that are different from each other affords the population as a whole an advantage in a changing world. Take for example UCR's citrus variety collection. This unique resource of 1800 living trees, of 900 different types of citrus (2 trees each variety).  This collection and others like it for different species can be used to study virus attack and identify which species may have innate resistance.  Maintaining a diverse collection allows the industry to have access to a wealth of genetic variation that can help trees be saved when an invasive insect arrives.  The figure shown here profiles some of the citrus contained within the diversity collection.  Our modern fruits are crosses between the ancestral citrus (citron, mandarin, kumquat, pummelo, and trifolate).

Fruits with a primarily citron genotype (#14, 19, 20 and 21) were compared with fruits of a predominant mandarin traits (#145, 171, 180, 195, 207 and 212) and those of mainly pumello character (#239, 282).  For fun a few mixed genotype fruits (#303 and #316) were also sampled which were pumello/mandarin and mandarin/citron hybrids.  We found the mandarin rind contained geraniol while the citron rind contained terpine-4-ol.  The citron rind had many metabolites in common with the pummelo but did not contain menthatriene, terpine-4-ol or carene.  These terpenes were recorded by GC-MS after extraction into DCM.  These metabolites impart qualities to the fruits including such tasting notes as “fragrantly aromatic” and “exquisite form and aroma.”  We even had the chance to work with the "Buddha's hand" which is more rind than juice and can be used to perfume rooms or prepare candied rind.  Diversity is defined as showing a great deal of variety; very different.  The array of tastes and smells found in the Citrus Diversity Collection is a microcosm of California's population.  We each contribute common and unique traits to make the whole state a more interesting place to work or study.

In my home garden, I support diversity in the plants I cultivate.  Some plants, such as basil and rosemary, serve to enrich others.  Tomatoes are said to be more flavorful if grown near herbs.  Other plants, such as radish, are planted as trap crops.  Trap crops attract harmful pests away from your more prized plants, such as Japanese Pumpkin.  Dill attracts tomato hornworm, and is a good companion for fennel.  Oregano attracts predators, thereby reducing aphid populations.  Parsley attracts helpful pollenators, including wasps, flies, and butterflies.  Sage attracts honeybees and repels parasites.  Seeds are collected and replanted to keep the whole enterprise going.  I reject the notion of a monoculture being more advantageous, it is certainly less sustainable.  I sow these plants in harmony which makes the garden overall more biodiverse and more successful.

In chemistry, we find incoming freshmen (out of high school) of all ethnicities are bright, talented, motivated, and interested.  But usually more than half are lost in the first semester.  They tend to move away from science, toward business or some other field.  It becomes important to track students' progress and cultivate mentoring relationships.  What has also worked is making introductory courses 5 days per week instead of 3 days per week with time for problem-solving during class.  This helps students succeed in "gatekeeper" courses and minimizes the leaky pipeline.  Other ideas for transitioning underrepresented minority students include:

• focus on learning instead of teaching
• set high expectations
• be positive, emphasize skill-building
• assess early and often, provide feedback
• refer students to support services (counseling, tutoring, advising) early
• nurture departmental clubs, create social integration
• keep students focused on the goals of the class
• be sensitive of first-generation college student culture
• discuss careers in chemistry

Please watch my Chemistry Champions video.  There are 3 more days until the contest ends.  I am grateful for this opportunity to focus on my passions.  I will leave you with a quote from former American Chemical Society president Joseph Francisco, “I am here to do research, first and foremost. I reserve the right to pick and choose the ways I take action to recruit and retain minority students.”

References

Francisco, Joseph. "Achieving Diversity in the Sciences for the University of the 21st Century." Part of A Series of Conversations about Increasing Diversity in STEM Fields. UCR October 8, 2008.

Linton, Marigold. "Systemic Collaborations to Promote Diversity" Part of A Series of Conversations about Increasing Diversity in STEM Fields. UCR November 6, 2008.

Scharberg, Maureen. "Strategies for successfully transitioning underrepresented minority students from two-year to  four-year colleges" http://www.wrm2013.org/files/WRMProgram.pdf October 4, 2013.

April Fools

Spring (break) is here! My garden is sprouting and my students are growing in confidence. Life is good.

I had a whirlwind trip to the Bay Area, traveling by Amtrak. I learned that it is necessary to remove pedals when checking your bicycle and turning handlebars is also a must. Two tools are required for the job: an allen wrench and an open end wrench. I brought neither. Luckily the attendants at LA Union Station and Emeryville came to my aid. Also, Amtrak no longer suggests removing the front tire since the forks have been found to penetrate cardboard bike boxes.  The cost for this service is $15 for the box and $10 for the handling.  A waiver must be signed in case the bicycle is damaged.  The weight limit is 50 lbs. It is also necessary to arrive plenty early, this trip I budgeted 2 hours which was quite comfortable.  http://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard

Coast Starlight 11

It was well worth taking the bike, we rode Sunday morning up Twin Peaks (6 miles). We also did 2 city walks (total 6 miles).  We also hiked White's Hill which offered stunning views of the bay and the mountain bike trail called Repack.  I must return for that.  As for Spring Break, I am planning to take in as many Zumba classes as I can.  Considering new footwear.  My shoes are breaking down with 66.4 mi of logged activity and countless amounts of teaching, dancing, running, walking, and hiking.

Girls' Grade School Nike Dual Fusion Running Shoes

I bought these Nike shoes for the Color Run Saturday, February 2, 2013 so they're only a year old but when I dance in them, it feels like my pinky toes are going to slide right off the edge of the shoe.  I try to keep a pair of dedicated running shoes, but I use the old ones for teaching.  The current dedicated shoes are Brooks Ghost, purchased in preparation for my trip to Death Valley this year.  They only have 20.6 mi of logged activity so far but I hope to get more use out of them in the next week and coming months.

Asics Gel DS Trainer 15

These Asics are also totally broken down with 53.1 mi of logged activity. The heels are all shredded on the inside.  Both of these shoes have a hole where my big toe hits the top of the mesh part.  I am sad to say that my favorite running shoes of all time (Nike Zoom Nucleus MC+) are also pretty broken down, but I still wear them with 289.1 mi of logged activity.  Again it seems like my pinky toes are about to bust through the sides of the shoes.

We've registered for the Corona del Mar Scenic 5k (June 7, 2014) as well as a crazy activity called 5k Foam Fest (July 19, 2014).  The only obstacle I'm worried about is the Electrified Mud Crawl.  I've said in the past that people who do these extreme 5k events must be crazy, but here I am, prepared to wade through it.  I'll be 34 years old by then, so for whatever that's worth, it will be a new way to celebrate my birthmonth.

To close this post, I'm glad none of my students played an April Fools prank on me.  The day passed without much drama.  I especially enjoyed this article from the Highlander.  And also a new show on Netflix called Rotisserie Chicken.  In all seriousness, I've been watching SNL best of the 2010s for comedic relief and it's been a great way to break up the tension of the semester.  Especially loved "The Californians" episode with Christina Applegate.  Funny things help keep a spring in my step, even when wearing old shoes.

Thankful

I am definitely thankful to have the classroom experience I am able to at my school.  My classrooms are lively and fun with a sense of security and organizational structure.  Students freely ask questions and listen actively during lectures and discussions.  I am a no-nonsense lab instructor who can work with students' musical tastes.  Safety is my #1 concern in the laboratory, other than that I appreciate students engaging freely with new equipment and techniques.  Often found wearing bright colors and personal protective equipment (PPE), I am easy to spot in a classroom.  A brief pre-lab discussion on the basic purpose of the experiment, the new procedures, waste disposal, and safety hazards specific to the lab is always provided at the beginning of the lab period, after pre-lab assignments have been turned in by students.  The teaching assistant, an undergraduate student, is asked if they have any general feedback for students before it's "goggles on" and everyone is encouraged to begin the procedure immediately.  Throughout the lab I am doing rounds like a lifeguard and enabling small-talk of a scientific nature by engaging with students about classes and extracurricular activities and how those may integrate with their experience of chemistry; how chemistry relates to other aspects of their lives.  It's been really fun working with teaching assistants, supplemental instruction leaders, and graders to bring the students a peer-peer interaction.



I am thankful for my family.  Although I have been spending most of my energy toward my education, I still appreciate the strength I have gained by my strong roots.  I have had many strong influences in my life that gave me the ideas I currently hold.  I appreciate the efforts they put into pushing me forward in my own understanding of the behavior of atoms.  I am still working towards completely crossing myself with my husband, but we're still looking to put down roots ourselves and just working towards the ultimate goal of a very green lifestyle.  I'm thankful for what we're able to do right now, farming in our yard and at school.  Small yield but enough for a small household.  I am crossing every muscle fiber in my body, hoping we can collapse our wavefunction to a much smaller box.  Right now we are delocalized over a large area and it is costing us too much energy.  Our carbon footprint is huge in comparison to where I would prefer to be.  Mathematically I know that if each and every person would work towards using less energy and consuming/producing more locally, we could all live more in harmony by connecting with each other in our communities.


Find more photos like this on My Green Riverside


I am thankful for friends.  These past few months have brought me closer to my friends and I appreciate their support and coaching during this transitional time for us.  The sun is coming up in my neighborhood right now and it's a beautiful sight.  The sight of the inside of our house is revolting since we have not put much energy into fighting the entropy lately, but so thankful for a long weekend to recover my momentum.  I have to set my own pace, that's the lesson I learned from long distance races.  It's never what's best for you if you run at someone else's pace.  But that's what's so fun, when you run a race with a friend, you get compromise and what really hits home as far as fitness is challenging the body to do something different.  If you do the same old workout, you will keep the same body.  If you want to change your body, you cross train!  So thankful for the advice of colleagues and friends at this time, for cross-training me.




I know I have too much going on when the number of tags exceeds the limit: career, ceiling tuesdays, century, community, distance, education, fall, family, goals, green, interdisciplinary, love, meditation, motivation, mountains, nutrition, ocean, plants, positive, running, Santa Barbara, science, shoes, teamwork!

vacances avec mon vélo

I recently had the good fortune to be in Northern and Central California with my Fuji and I was able to squeeze in about 25 amazing miles in between the visiting with family and friends. So worth it.

The ride up to the top of Twin Peaks in SF was grueling but the view was breathtaking and totally worth the effort.

The meandering I did along the well-marked bicycle routes in SB was so relaxing. There's nothing like a Sunday morning ride at the crack of dawn to bring peace and quiet to my soul.