CSUMB welcomes new faculty members

This fall, Cal State Monterey Bay is welcoming four new faculty members to campus. Here is a quick introduction to each of them.

 

Lydia Baker

Assistant Professor of Marine Science

 

Lydia Baker likes to think small, really small, as in marine bacteria. Part of what Baker, who uses they/them pronouns, likes about studying the microorganisms is getting to work with all aspects of the underwater environment.

 

“My research background is mostly in bacteria that interact with marine animals,” Baker said. “Anything with marine bacteria, I’m on board because I love it. I get to do sharks, I get to do fish and coral. I get to do it all.”

 

Baker grew up in Monterey County, graduating from Prunedale High School before going on to UC Berkeley for a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and policy management. They received their master’s and doctorate degrees in oceanography from the University of Hawaii. After post-doc work at Cornell and Oregon State universities, they taught for three years at the University of Miami in Florida, where they have an ongoing research project on giant viruses and shark-gut microbiomes.

 

The child of a teacher, Baker said education is in their blood. Even while they were in grad school, they were drawn to learning-oriented outreach events. 

 

“I was one of the organizers for Nerd Night in Honolulu,” they said, a worldwide event in the vein of a Ted Talk, only a bit more casual. “Nerdy people do a 15-minute talk in a bar. It gave me a lot of opportunity to talk about science. Some of the best talks I’ve ever seen in my life happened at that event.” 

 

Returning to the Monterey area has been enjoyable, they said. 

 

“It feels like all the comforts of being home,” Baker said. “I know where a lot of stuff is already. I’m pretty happy to be back.”

Max Papadantonakis

Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Global Studies

Max Papadantonakis can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to come to CSUMB.

“If I was a student I would want to come here, it's such a great place,” Papadantonakis said. “It’s an amazing place to focus on your studies and work on your future.”

A native of Greece, Papadantonakis did his undergraduate and master’s degrees in interdisciplinary social sciences and cultural anthropology, respectivley, in the Netherlands. He studied racism in his home country for his thesis, gathering some of his data by working in a street market.

“I literally got my hands dirty,” he said. 

Not finding the kind of freedom he was looking for to do research and teach, he moved to the United States to earn his doctorate degree at the City University of New York Graduate Center. 

“In my second year,  they threw me into the classroom,” he said. “That was a dream come true. All I wanted was to teach.”

He was attracted to CSUMB by the chance to teach sociological theory, something few campuses offer, he said, and the subject he considers his area of expertise. He also liked the diversity he saw.  

“It's a very international faculty,” he said, “it's very interdisciplinary. This was extremely exciting to me. But, I would say the most important thing is the students. I realized how important these state colleges are in providing affordable education. I want to be part of the mission of this university when it comes to its diverse student body.”

 

Prashanta Pokharel

Assistant Professor of Mechatronics Engineering

This fall, CSUMB welcomes its inaugural class of 40 mechatronics engineering students. Prashanta Pokharel is one of two full-time faculty dedicated to the new program. 

Pokharel is from Nepal, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He worked for 2½ years in the automotive and tobacco industries before coming to Kansas State University. His doctorate degree in biological systems and agricultural engineering came from the University of Kentucky, Lexington. 

He foresees most of his coursework being focused on agricultural applications. 

“Primarily, I’ll be working on sensing, automation, robotics and precision agriculture technologies,” Pokharel said. “I encourage students to learn about systems, experiment with them and develop solutions that can either enhance existing systems or introduce novel advancements in agricultural technology.”

The field, he said, is ripe for growth.

“It’s a great opportunity because the agriculture side hasn’t been explored that much,” he said. “There’s the potential to do a lot.”

He also sees great potential in the new mechatronics engineering program and he recognizes his role in helping to shape its success.

“I think it’s a lot of responsibility,” he said. “But in the meantime, it’s fun. You get to develop the program the way you want.”

 

Satu Larson

Assistant Professor of Nursing 

Satu Larson, a pediatric nurse practitioner, is pleased to be joining the CSUMB community and provided the following quote: 

“I look forward to being part of a student's journey to becoming a nursing leader,” Larson said. “As a professor, I'd like to ensure a safe and inclusive space for all of our students so that they may thrive academically. “I'd also like to encourage students to reflect on their own exposures to adverse childhood events and social determinants of health. To provide compassionate quality nursing care, one needs to understand one's own health and how environmental exposures and  systems impact our well-being daily.”