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Professional Activities, January 2026
From book and article publications, to research and creative activity, to appearances at speaking engagements and events, to awards, honors and recognitions, the contributions of Sacramento State faculty go beyond campus, with profound impacts on the region and world. Read on for the latest highlights of faculty professional activities.
Morris, Jensen,and Rivas publish large-classroom active learning study
March 30, 2026 - Eliza Morris and Mikkel Herholdt Jensen (Physics and Astronomy) and Bita Rivas (College of Education) have published a new paper in the peer-reviewed journal The Physics Teacher. Active learning modalities are well known to convey benefits to students, including improved learning and reduced grade equity gaps, but implementing active learning in very large classes remains challenging. The authors investigate an active learning model, the Integrated Peer Leadership Program (IPLP), in an introductory STEM class of 125 students. They find that the model’s better learning gains, improved grade outcomes, and more equitable grade distribution persist even in such a large class, and propose the model as a possible no-cost strategy for implementing active learning in very large college classes. The publication, which also included chemistry major Emily Lam as an author, can be viewed on The Physics Teacher journal’s website and is published in print in the April issue of the journal.
Eliza Morris presents at American Physical Society 2026 Global Summit
March 18, 2026 - Eliza Morris (Physics and Astronomy) presented an invited talk at the 2026 annual Global Physics Summit organized by the American Physical Society. Her talk, “Comparison of Active Learning Teaching Formats in Introductory Physics: Increasing Engagement Without Increasing Cost,” was part of an invited symposium titled “Transforming Physics Classrooms: Engagement through Active Learning and Emerging Technologies.” The talk highlighted recent work comparing the efficacy and cost of different active learning formats and no-cost strategies to implement active learning to improve student learning and reduce equity gaps in large introductory science classrooms. The work, a collaboration with Mikkel Herholdt Jensen, Brianna Santangelo (Physics and Astronomy), and Bita Rivas (College of Education), is funded by the National Science Foundation.
Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection featured in AHEPA Traveler magazine
March 9, 2026 - George I. Paganelis (University Library) and the University Library’s Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection were profiled in the spring 2026 issue of AHEPA Traveler magazine (pp. 28-31). Established in 1950, AHEPA Traveler is the official publication of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association’s Golden Gate District 21, serving Northern California and Nevada.
Linville's poems and photos published, nominated for awards
Jan. 21, 2026 - Cynthia Linville (English) had 12 poems and six photographs published in 2025 in Song of the San Joaquin, Verse-Virtual, Al-Khemia Poetica, Medusa’s Kitchen, and the Poets Choice Press anthology Allegory Poems (forthcoming). Her poem “Alone at Midnight: In a Field in the Rain” was nominated for a Best of the Net award, and her poem “Joshua Tree National Park” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.