Mentor Award

For immediate release:

Cal State L.A.'s Chemistry Professor
Garners 2003 College Mentor Award

Frank Gomez (Los Angeles resident), professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, Los Angeles, was honored as the 2003 Undergraduate Institution Mentor at the annual conference of The Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). The SACNAS awards are presented each year at the Society’s national conference to recognize those who have dedicated themselves to science, education and mentoring.

Frank Gomez, who has mentored more than 35 students during his tenure on campus, has published more than 28 research articles with student coauthors and presented more than 80 conference papers with chemistry undergraduate and graduate students. He has also received more than $5 million for grant projects working with student researchers. He was recently awarded a $2.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) science collaborative with California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which he currently directs.

A faculty member at Cal State L.A. since 1994, Gomez earned his B.S. from Cal State L.A. in 1986 and Ph.D. from UCLA in 1991 and was a Danon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Research Fund Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University from 1991-1994. Gomez is engaged in developing fundamental and applied research in the area of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microfluidics with a particular interest in molecular recognition, high-throughput synthesis, and enzyme-mediated transformations. His accolades include: Most Aspiring Scientist Award and the California Educator of the Year. He is also a NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Grant Recipient. He previously served as a member of the Board of Education for the Montebello Unified School District.

For over 30 years, SACNAS has provided strong national leadership in improving science and math education, as well as expanding opportunities for minorities in the scientific workforce and academia. The SACNAS’ Annual National Conference and Teacher Workshops, summer research opportunities, e-mentoring program, and online internship/job placement resources are tools to help a diverse community of students, professors, administrators, and K-12 educators achieve expertise within their disciplines. The mission of SACNAS is to encourage Chicano/Latino and Native American students to pursue graduate education and obtain the advanced degrees necessary for research careers and science teaching professions at all levels.

WORKING FOR CALIFORNIA – California State University, Los Angeles: A comprehensive university at the heart of a major metropolitan city. The 175-acre hilltop campus is located five miles east of Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. Since 1947, Cal State L.A. has been a leader in providing quality higher education. Today, the campus comprises a faculty of internationally recognized scholars and artists, and more than 21,000 students with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds that reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Cal State L.A. is one of 23 campuses in the CSU system.