Dr. Sohui Lee is this year’s Data Storytelling workshop leader. At CSUCI, Dr. Lee is the Associate Professor and Faculty Director of the Writing & Multiliteracy Center. When asked about her motivation for participating in this event, Dr. Lee passionately expressed her dedication to guiding students in understanding the intricacies of data visualizations. To her, it’s not just about extracting insights from data; it’s about appreciating the art of presenting information as a unique form of communication.

Beyond her academic roles, Dr. Lee has been a valued member of the CSUCI faculty since 2015. Her creative roots trace back to high school and undergraduate days when she cultivated a love for drawing and painting, forming the foundation of her keen interest in visual design. Driven by this passion, she finds joy in exploring art museums whenever she visits a city.

Dr. Kristin Jordan is this year’s Tableau workshop leader! At CSU Channel Islands. She holds dual roles as a Sociology lecturer and a Data Scientist for Institutional Research. With a passion for working with data, Dr. Jordan excels in crafting effective data visualizations!  To her, Plot-A-Thon is more than just a campus event; it’s a vibrant space where students can delve into captivating datasets, acquire valuable and sought-after data visualization skills, and expand their toolkit of expertise. Beyond her professional life, she loves to travel to visit family and friends in other states and countries. In her spare time, she loves to read, craft, and have board game nights with friends. 

Dr. Scott Feister is his year’s Python workshop leader. Dr. Feister specializes in scientific computing, using computers to solve scientific challenges of the 21st century. This specialty is at the intersection of computer science, mathematics, and the natural sciences. In his research, Scott creates data systems and electronic devices for scientific laboratories, performs supercomputer simulations of physical processes, and analyzes large experimental datasets. His conception of teaching is to motivate students to learn, give them access to knowledge, and work with them to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.

Dr. Isaac Quinanilla Salinas is this year’s R workshop leader. Dr. Salinas, PhD in Applied Statistics from UC Riverside, joined CSU Channel Islands’ Mathematics Department in Fall 2022. Before his doctoral research, he earned an MPH from SDSU and a BS in Biology from CSU Monterey Bay. His research focuses on developing statistical models to understand the association between survival and longitudinal outcomes, with a dissertation on “Multilevel Time-Varying Joint Models for Longitudinal and Survival Outcomes.” He collaborates with researchers in Public Health, Psychology, Biology, GIS, and Education.

Erica Mullins, Biology is an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Ventura College, where she teaches Cell & Molecular Biology. She is also a member of Ventura College’s Projects: A.I.L (Servingness: Aspiration, Identity, and Learning) team, where she is working to expand STEM internships and research experience opportunities for students, through Title III HSI grant funding. Erica’s educational background includes an M.S. in Biology from CSU Bakersfield and an M.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz. She is also nearing completion of a Ph.D. in Integrative STEM Education from Virginia Tech. Professor Mullins serves as a Faculty Fellow because of her personal experiences with mentors as a first-gen, STEM major at a CSU campus. Those mentors made a tremendous impact on her journey, so she hopes that she can now support students as their own journeys unfold.

Dr. Yeawon Yoo, Business, is an Assistant Professor of Operations in the MVS School of Business and Economics at CSU Channel Islands. She writes, “It’s a pleasure to join as a Faculty Fellow for this year to guide and assist you in your exciting journey. I’m passionate about Python, a widely popular programming language these days, and I’d be thrilled to help you navigate it. I remember my own initial struggles with Python (and other programming languages) when I first started out with programming. It was challenging, but once I grasped it, a whole new world of possibilities opened up for me. I want to share that same feeling of accomplishment with you and watch it propel you to new heights within the job market. Feel free to reach out to me at yeawon.yoo@csuci.edu with any queries you may have. Let’s conquer Python together and set ourselves up for success in the dynamic professional landscape. Looking forward to a fantastic year ahead, working with all of you,”.

Dr. Scott Feister, Computer Science, is Assistant Professor in Computer Science at CSU Channel Islands. He write, “I am excited to be a Faculty Fellow to you this year! My primary goals are to support you and to make this event as approachable as possible. You can reach out to me at scott.feister@csuci.edu with any questions, anytime! My other goals are to help you realize the joys of quantitative data visualizations, to support you in making teams that blend disciplines (to create all-star teams that rock at both technique and communication), and to get as many science and computer-programming-oriented students involved in the Plot-A-Thon as possible.”

Dr. Kevin Hayakawa, Physics, is Assistant Professor of Physics at CSU Channel Islands.
“I am excited to be a Faculty Fellow again this year to help guide you in your personal data visualization journey. I use Python in my own astronomy research to visualize the orbits of planets, asteroids, and comets around stars. I also use Microsoft Excel in my Physics courses to create graphs showing different quantities such as the position, velocity, and acceleration of a cart as functions of time. I became a Faculty Mentor because I believe data analysis and visualization are important skills for a college graduate to have. However, I also believe that these skills are not covered very well in many programs and majors, so extracurricular professional development opportunities such as Plot-A-Thon fill a very important niche in making CSUCI graduates more employable and competitive in the job market. Once again, I’m looking forward to working with all of you this year! Please do not hesitate to ever reach out if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.”

Dr. Timnit Kefela, Environmental Science, is Assistant Professor of ESRM at CSU Channel Islands.
“I appreciate the power of data visualizations and storytelling to illuminate environmental issues and injustices. These tools validate and honor the experiences of affected communities and raise awareness among those who may be distant from these issues, and I have witnessed how they inspire collective action for a more inclusive environmental future. Having these skills can be transformative!” Dr. Timnit Kefela is an assistant professor in Environmental Science and Resource Management who is deeply committed to understanding pollution—where it comes from, how it travels, and what effects it has on our communities, which is inspired by wanting to understand this for her own community. Her goal is to collaboratively create practical, community-driven solutions for pollution and waste management. She earned her BSc and MSc in Biology from Rutgers University-Camden and was the first Black woman to receive a PhD in Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara.

Adrienne Arguijo, Environmental Science, is the Director of Project Servingness: Aspiration, Identity, and Learning (S:AIL) in STEM at Ventura College. Adrienne worked with multiple HSI programs at Santa Barbara City College, California Lutheran University, and UC Santa Barbara. For two decades, Adrienne has led student and academic affairs programs with an unwavering passion for transformational change and equity-centered initiatives guided by culturally informed student-centered approaches. Adrienne is a first-generation college graduate, earning a B.A. in English with a minor in Women’s Studies and a M.A. in Education with an emphasis in Cultural Perspectives and Comparative Education from UC Santa Barbara.

Ms. Jessica Parker currently serves as the Budget and Staff Resources Lead for the Office of the President at CSUCI, with previous experience in Human Resources at the university. With 10 years of experience serving in administrative support and coordination roles in higher education, she appreciates data visualization that tells a clear story and purpose so that it can be used to make informed decisions to move the mission and goals of the institution forward. This will be her first year participating in the event.

Dr. Morgan Howe is a Student Equity Analytics Researcher working with SASEI and the Institutional Research office. As a chemist-ballerina-baker turned data analyst, she appreciates the intersection of STEM skills and artistic skills that combine in data visualization. She joined the Plot-A-Thon event because data visualization has been an important part of all steps in her career, and she wants to support students in developing those skills.

Dr. Maria Ballesteros-Sola, DBA, MBA, Fulbright Scholar (1998-2000), Paul R. Lawrence Fellow (2016) serves as Associate Professor of Management & the Entrepreneurship & Small Business Institute’s Director at the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics, California State University Channel Islands. Her research focuses on social enterprises, hybrid organizations, and B Corps. She has published in the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, International Journal of Social Business, the International Journal of Management Education, Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Education & Pedagogy, Case Research Journal, and the Journal of Social Business. She serves on several editorial review boards, is the chair of the Social Impact Track for North America Case Research Association (NACRA) and is the SAGE Publishing Social Impact Case Collection editor. Her cases have won several awards in both NACRA and USASBE annual conferences.  Dr. Ballesteros-Sola also serves on the boards of the Case Research Foundation, The Case Centre UK, Women Economic Ventures (WEV) and Start-Up Kids, a local social enterprise that she co-founded. She is also a B Academic’s co-founder and provides strategic and tactical guidance to non-profits and social enterprises.  Before moving to the United States, she had a career in financial services (VISA, Bankinter) and management consulting (Cap Gemini, Indra, etc.) on both sides of the Atlantic (US, Mexico, UK &Spain, helping banks and other organizations to use technology to achieve their business objectives.

Dr. Ballesteros-Sola is also a strong advocate for the use of high impact practices such as experiential and service-learning, learning communities, international experiences, the case method and humanizing technology in higher education.

Breeann Austin,  is the Instruction & Assessment Librarian at CSU Channel Islands, where she teaches Information Literacy at Broome Library. She has served as a judge for the Plot-A-Thon for four years and has been on the Planning Committee for three years. Ms. Austin is dedicated to and passionate about the Plot-A-Thon because it provides students with practical experience in interacting with, identifying, evaluating, and using informationin a real-world experience. The perfect Information Literacy activity! You can often find Ms. Austin in the library with her ESA, Denali. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and rooting for the Dodgers—though she admits that being a fan can be quite stressful

Angela Madsen, is a biology instructor at Ventura College and a CSUCI alumnus in 2017.  She got her masters in biology at CSUB in 2020 in plant and insect ecology, defending her thesis on Zoom during the height of the pandemic.  This is her first year as a Plot-A-Thon judge, but as a long-time statistics lover and an amateur R and Python coder, with a long family history of computer programming and computer graphics, she is excited to see what the students can conjure from the black box of data.  In her free time, Angela enjoys adventuring outdoors as a camper, hiker, and backpacker. She is currently training for her first off-road trail marathon.

Yeawon Yoo, Business, is an Assistant Professor of Operations in the MVS School of Business and Economics at CSU Channel Islands. She writes, “It’s a pleasure to join as a Faculty Fellow for this year to guide and assist you in your exciting journey. I’m passionate about Python, a widely popular programming language these days, and I’d be thrilled to help you navigate it. I remember my own initial struggles with Python (and other programming languages) when I first started out with programming. It was challenging, but once I grasped it, a whole new world of possibilities opened up for me. I want to share that same feeling of accomplishment with you and watch it propel you to new heights within the job market. Feel free to reach out to me at yeawon.yoo@csuci.edu with any queries you may have. Let’s conquer Python together and set ourselves up for success in the dynamic professional landscape. Looking forward to a fantastic year ahead, working with all of you,”.

Dr. Sohui Lee, this year’s Data Storytelling workshop leader, Chair of the Plot-A-Thon Planning Committee, and Digital Literacy Coordinator! At CSUCI, Dr. Lee is the Associate Professor and Faculty Director of the Writing & Multiliteracy Center. When asked about her motivation for participating in this event, Dr. Lee passionately expressed her dedication to guiding students in understanding the intricacies of data visualizations. To her, it’s not just about extracting insights from data; it’s about appreciating the art of presenting information as a unique form of communication.

Beyond her academic roles, Dr. Lee has been a valued member of the CSUCI faculty since 2015. Her creative roots trace back to high school and undergraduate days when she cultivated a love for drawing and painting, forming the foundation of her keen interest in visual design. Driven by this passion, she finds joy in exploring art museums whenever she visits a city.

Dr. Ekin Pehlivan, this year’s CI Solution Coordinator for the Plot-A-Thon. Dr. Pehlivan has held the position of Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics at CSUCI since 2014. Her academic journey, culminating in a Ph.D. in Business with a Marketing specialization from Bentley University, highlighted the interdisciplinary aspects of her field, inspiring a commitment to lifelong learning and teaching. Covering diverse topics within Marketing and Management, Dr. Pehlivan structures her courses around the central theme of ‘Problem-solving through analytical and critical thinking and logical argumentation’. This approach underscores her dedication to fostering a deep understanding of these disciplines and equipping students with essential skills for real-world challenges. She supports fund raising for Plot-A-Thon and actively supports the development and outreach of the program.