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Caio Miguel

Caio Miguel
Assistant Professor, Psychology

Background and expertise:
As an undergraduate student in Brazil, Caio Miguel never imagined he would end up as a professor at an American university.

He moved to the United States in 1998 to study at Western Michigan University, where he obtained both his master’s and doctorate degrees. The many challenges he had to face as an international student, such as overcoming the language and cultural barrier, serve as an inspiration to many of his students. “I always tell my students that they can do whatever they want, as long as they work hard towards it,” said Miguel.

Prior to coming to Sacramento State, Miguel worked as a program specialist at the New England Center for Children in Massachusetts, a premiere facility for the treatment of autism. There he supervised a team providing early intensive behavioral intervention to preschool children with autism. While he was doing some teaching and research in the field of applied behavior analysis, Miguel believed he had more to offer.

“I felt I could have a bigger impact preparing future clinicians and researchers in the field by teaching at the university level.” And since arriving at Sacramento State, he has witnessed a tremendous demand for behavior analysts in the Sacramento region. “I have identified about a dozen agencies providing services for children with autism in this area. Many of them are actively recruiting our students.”

Teaching at Sacramento State poses a new set of challenges. “Most of the time, the long-term consequences associated with studying are too remote to have a direct impact on student behavior. The idea of getting a degree, a good job and the possibility of positively contributing to society may not necessarily serve as a source of motivation, especially when the relationship between what is being studied and these long term consequences is not so obvious. Detailed information about this relationship has an important place in the designing of my lectures. I also like to give weekly exams to keep my students engaged in the material.”

In addition to his work at the New England Center for Children, he has also worked as a consultant in the autism program at the St. Amant Centre in Winnipeg, Canada, served as a clinical assistant professor at the master’s program in applied behavior analysis at Northeastern University and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil.

James Miranda

James Miranda
Assistant Professor, Chemistry

Background and expertise:
Teaching at Sacramento State is a life long dream come true for James Miranda. “I am a product of the California State University system,” he explains, “and my professors had a profound effect on my development as a scientist and as a person. I especially remember professors who took time to give me personal help and attention. I hope to have the same effect on my students.”

His expertise is in organic chemistry, particularly organic electrochemistry and radical chemistry. He is working to develop and understand new reactions for the construction of biologically active and structurally diverse molecules.

“A major goal in my teaching is to bring chemistry alive to students so that it isn’t such an abstract subject,” says Miranda. For example, in his spring semester class in organometallic chemistry he is planning a field trip to Novartis Pharmaceuticals in Emeryville to show students how organometallic chemistry is being used every day to produce drugs that treat diseases such as malaria, hypertension, and leukemia. “I believe if students see how chemistry is improving lives, their comprehension and appreciation of material will be greatly enhanced.”

Miranda holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, a master’s degree in chemistry from California State University, Fresno, and a doctorate from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Before coming to Sacramento State, Miranda was a lecturer at CSU Fresno and at Fresno City College. He has also worked as a chemist at American Peptide Company in Sunnyvale, California, a company that specializes in the synthesis of modified amino acids and peptides for the pharmaceutical industry.