Jose Medina III, administrative analyst in Division of Graduate Studies, was recently elected to ACPA–College Student Educators International Leadership Council as a Chapter and Divisions Coordinator.

Barlow Der Mugrdechian and Dr. David Zakarian, both professors in the Department of Armenian Studies, were elected as officers of the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) for 2026.

SAS celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. Founded in 1974, the SAS is an international body, composed of more than 300 scholars and students, whose aims are to promote the study of Armenian culture and society.

Der Mugrdechian was elected as president of the Society for Armenian Studies for 2026 and has previously served as president in 2001-2004, 2015-2017 and in 2025.

Zakarian was elected as treasurer for 2026.

Dr. Florence Cassel Sharma, Dr. Dave Goorahoo and Dr. Ranjit Riar, faculty in the Plant Science Department, received a $174,171 grant from the CSU Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) for their project, “Quantifying the impacts of a melon–winter cover crop rotation on evapotranspiration and soil water dynamics.”

The project will measure water use and potential improvements in soil health, water infiltration and ecosystem resilience by gathering additional data on plant evapotranspiration (ET), soil respiration, organic matter, and carbon and nitrogen levels.

Coordinated through the Center For Irrigation Technology, the project will be hosted at the UC Westside Research and Extension Center in Five Points over the next three years.