California State University, East Bay

Campus Overview

Located atop the East Bay hills overlooking the San Francisco Bay area, Cal State East Bay offers its more than 12,700 students 48 baccalaureate degree majors, 68 minors, and master's degrees in 33 fields, as well as an Ed.D. in educational leadership (pending approval). The university's Concord campus emphasizes upper division studies and graduate degree programs, and the Oakland Professional Development and Conference Center further extends the university's East Bay reach. Cal State East Bay is known for its high-caliber academic programs, personalized teaching environment, professional focus, and dedicated professors. With teaching and student interaction at the heart of its mission, Cal State East Bay is committed to supporting the quest of students of all backgrounds to discover and develop their personal potential and career paths. The university strives to provide each student with the tools and perspectives needed to identify and achieve their goals, including a wide range of advising, tutoring, and other academic and student support services. Personal, professional, and achievable are hallmarks of the Cal State East Bay teaching and learning experience. The campus also is among the most diverse in the CSU system, including students from more than 80 countries, helping prepare graduates to compete and succeed in a changing, global economy. www.csueastbay.edu

Michael Hedrick

CSU East Bay    

Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

Michael Hedrick, known for inspiring students to achieve beyond their expectations, is winner of California State University, East Bay's 2007 George and Miriam Phillips Outstanding Professor Award.

Hedrick's research focuses on the respiratory systems of amphibians. He's been studying the brain functions of bullfrogs and cane toads to discover the neurological processes involved in their breathing functions. He currently has a $476,000 four-year NIH grant studying the cellular mechanisms for breathing and oxygen-shortage tolerance.

He has more than 40 peer-reviewed publications to his credit and has given dozens of lectures at national and international universities and professional symposia. He serves on panel review committees for the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Hedrick spent his summer on sabbatical research at the University of British Columbia, and in December 2007 he will teach a graduate course at the Universidade Estadual Paulista in Brazil. Cal State East Bay students will find him back in the classroom for the winter 2008 quarter.

Anna Chen, until recently Hedrick's lab technician, praises him for his teaching, mentorship, thesis advising, help in getting into medical school and friendship.

"If I didn't want to become a doctor, I would work with him forever," Chen said. "You see, he's the most significant person in my life."

"He really is an excellent example of how it's possible to balance research and teaching at this university," said Kara Gabriel, an assistant professor of psychology.