Kevin Tham, graduate of the EMT training program at CSULB, now works as an EMT at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach
From checking vitals and dressing wounds to gathering information from patients and assisting medics with ambulance transfers, Kevin Tham helps save lives as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) at St. Mary’s Medical Center. He got the job after graduating from the inaugural EMT training program at CSULB, which he heard about while working toward his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. He enrolled in the program because he knew it would help him get closer to his goal of becoming a firefighter or paramedic.
MAY
06
Bank robbers like John Dillinger, Bonnie Parker, and Clyde Barrow assumed folk hero status during the Great Depression as they became surrogates for the American populace’s growing frustration over double-digit unemployment and catastrophic losses in personal income. Ironically, they were romanticized by the public and the press, even though bank savings were not yet insured by the FDIC when their crime sprees began. Hollywood followed suit with films about them and continued the trend with productions about sophisticated con artists such as “Catch Me If You Can,” the “Ocean’s” films, and “White Collar.” And just recently, Universal Pictures released “Identity Thief,” a comedy featuring a man whose identity has been stolen by a woman capitalizing on his unisex name. However, the reality of these crimes in real life is neither glamorous nor humorous.
Corporations, businesses, and organizations all have at least one thing in common: a group of professionals that work together to make things run smoothly. Employees are a company’s biggest asset, so it’s important to invest in them. In the current economic environment, some companies are cutting professional development opportunities in an attempt to save money. But those that continue to fund professional development are “investing in a knowledgeable, loyal, and passionate workforce,” says Anita Z. Bourke, CPCU, executive vice president for The Institutes in Malvern, Pennsylvania, in her 2010 article “Professional Development is an Important Investment” for the American Institute for CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters).
APR
22
Only ten years ago, a Thomas Guide was a basic requirement for individuals new to Southern California in order to navigate its circuitous roadways, but improvements in mapping and web technology have given us turn-by-turn directions for automobiles, public transit, or foot travel in only a few clicks. Nowadays we still see the familiar dot on some mall and amusement park maps marked “You Are Here,” but we have grown equally accustomed to car GPS navigation devices. Fortunately, we are the beneficiaries of the efforts of others (cartographers, programmers, engineers, etc.) who have collected the needed data, conveniently organized it, and added technology to create useful geographic information systems.
APR
15
When most people hear the phrase “forensic science,” they think of the images and personalities that have been popularized in films, television, and crime novels over many generations, from the keen eye of Sherlock Holmes to yellow crime scene tape or a CSI unit collecting fingerprints. Fingerprints have been used as signatures for crime scene evidence since ancient times, but a more sophisticated, scientific understanding of their worth began evolving during the Age of Reason. While the other sciences—such as chemistry, biology, medicine, and physics—have left their individual and collective marks on forensic data collection and analysis, forensic science has moved far beyond simply “dusting for prints.” DNA testing has been key in solving cold cases, exonerating the innocent and identifying the responsible parties.
