Ø     Professor Donald Takeda Steps Down as the Biology Department Chair

Professor Don Takeda has been the leader of the Biological Sciences department for the last 23 years. As such he has been a mentor, protector, advocate, and friend for his department faculty. His vision and planning skills have been instrumental in creating the successful Biosciences program we have today in the division.

Being hired as the second Biology instructor in 1972, Professor Takeda took over the leadership of the department after Professor James Boykin. Since then he has overseen and led the department in all areas, from curriculum planning, budget, equipment needs, remodeling, starting the Biotechnology program, hiring the entire full-time faculty that we have today, and more recently, the planning and design of the new laboratory classrooms in Aliso Lab.

During all this time, Professor Takeda has participated in a broad array of activities and committees campus-wide. From being a member of our current college president’s hiring committee, to accreditation committees, to the President’s Advisory Committee on Budget, to even humorously, posing for our Opening Day videos.

His generous and selfless dedication has made him one of the most respected individuals on campus. He is highly admired for his absolute allegiance to the college, the department, his colleagues, and students. He is considered by many “the voice of reason”. We all are very fortunate to have Professor Don Takeda as a member of College of the Canyons, and in particular the Biological Sciences Department.

 Ø     Dr. Miriam Golbert is the new Department Chair for Biology

Professor Golbert started her education in Argentina obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. After moving to the United States she obtained a Master of Science in Biology with emphasis in Cellular and Molecular Biology from California State University Northridge and a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, Florida.

Professor Golbert was hired at College of the Canyons first as an adjunct instructor in 1996 and then as a full time faculty in 2001. Her teaching experience at the community college level is vast in many colleges in the Los Angeles area. Before becoming the new chair of the department she was the Lead Faculty of the major’s course Cell and Molecular Biology. She teaches Cellular and Molecular Biology, Anatomy and Physiology courses, Genetics, Human Prosection and Organismal & Environmental Biology. She was the academic senate representative for the Mathematics and Science Division for five years, and she is a faculty sponsor for the MESA program on campus. Prof. Golbert is also involved in curriculum development for the Biological Sciences department creating new courses such as Introduction to Human Anatomy, Introduction to Human Physiology, Concepts of Evolution, Forensic Biology, Introduction to the Human Body, and the Human Prosection course, She is also the author of the Cellular and Molecular Laboratory Manual and is currently in the process of publishing her dissertation “Development of a Study Abroad Program with a Research and Service Learning Component”. Dr. Golbert developed the first study-abroad program for the Biology department and has been traveling extensively with students since 2004 to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands.

Dr. Golbert is actively involved in many activities campus-wide, such as being one of the founding members of the Institutional Review Board committee (IRB), a first for a California community college, the Education Travel Committee, and many Student Development workshops such as “Test-Taking Strategies” and the “First Year Experience” workshop. This year she has added one more exciting role as the HITE and Honors program Co-Advisor and the Phi Theta Kappa (The two year-colleges International Honor Society) Advisor.

“Being at College of the Canyons makes it possible to dream on bringing new and exciting courses, programs, and ideas from which students, my first priority, can benefit and achieve their fullest academic potential”.

Ø      Dr. Rebecca Eikey is the new Department Chair for Chemistry

Professor Eikey started her education in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, her hometown, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Chatham College (now Chatham University) in 1997 (cum laude). Attending a small all-women’s liberal-arts college provided the right academic environment for which Professor Eikey felt confident in her academic abilities. She believes that experience enabled her to become a better chemistry instructor who is sensitive to the needs of her students and works hard to create a collaborative learning environment in her classes at College of the Canyons.

Immediately following graduation from Chatham, Professor Eikey started graduate school in chemistry at University of California, Los Angeles. Her graduate research in inorganic chemistry focused on the synthesis and characterization of nitrido- and imido- complexes of chromium, rhenium, and manganese which culminated in four research papers and one review article. After completing her Ph.D. in chemistry (2002), Professor Eikey began a post-doctoral fellowship in chemistry education under the direction of Arlene Russell at UCLA.  She was involved with various programs aimed at enhancing the education of students in chemistry from the middle school level through to the graduate level. For example, she was involved in the American Chemical Society’s Preparing Future Faculty Program and specifically worked on “And Gladly Teach: A Resource Book for Chemists Considering Academic Careers.” She believes her post-doctoral experience exposed her to leading thinkers in chemistry education, and cemented her desired to teach all students the “Central Science” in a supportive and nurturing environment.

In 2005, Professor Eikey joined College of the Canyons as a full-time instructor in chemistry. Before becoming the new chair of the department she was and will remain the Lead Faculty of General Chemistry 202. She has also taught Preparatory Chemistry (151) and General Chemistry 201. She is a faculty sponsor for the MESA program on campus and faculty advisor for the newly-formed Student Chemistry Club. She has been active this year with field trips – twice to UCLA, and the Getty Research Center. Prof. Eikey is also involved in curriculum development for the chemistry department creating and enhancing courses and laboratory experiments, with the goal of making your chemistry education meaningful, transferable and well respected.

Nathalie Gossett, Manager, Marketing and Business Development, Alfred Mann Institute For Biomedical Engineering at USC made a presentation at presentation at COC on March 14,2008 on the topic of Biotechnology's Future Challenges and Opportunities. Here is her presentation:

• Nathalie_Presentation.pdf