The Center for Urban Resilience is proud to announce our 24 most noteworthy achievements from 2024. Last year, CURes reached new heights in our research, partnerships, events, and community involvement. Please join us in celebrating these milestones!
Cities and the Environment Journal (CATE) Celebrates 17 Years
The CATE Journal publishes peer-reviewed scholarship on the research, education, and practice related to the broad field of urban ecology. As this academic journal continues to grow, CURes is planning for a research symposium to take place in November 2025. To commemorate 17 years in the making, we conducted interviews with our editorial fellows, Dr. Mallika Sardeshpande, and Dr. Opeyemi Adeyemi. Click here to view these interviews.
Lisa Fimiani Recognized as Hidden Hero & Featured in Los Angeles Loyolan
Each year, the CSJ Center recognizes LMU faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners through an award named “Hidden Heroes.” The individuals and groups who are nominated unassumingly exemplify justice and reconciliation in their lives and their work. Lisa Fimiani was one of those heroes, honored on October 27, 2024. In September the Los Angeles Loyolan did a feature story on Lisa.
CURes Publications & Media Coverage
CURes researchers, along with collaborators, have produced a wealth of resources on myriad topics related to urban resilience. In 2024, CURes published two research papers on ecological stewardship and restorative justice. Click here to view these publications. The vast scope of work that CURes conducts and participates in was covered through many media outlets in 2024, ranging from our work with greening projects, to our work with Indigenous communities, and urban ecological research. Click here to view the press coverage that CURes received last year.
CURes’ Work with The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
In the new animated short film To The Jungles That Be, the work of Baltimore poet Kondwani Fidel and artist Saba Hamidi highlight how people experience “nature” differently depending on where they grow up and whether they have access to healthy natural environments. The film is being used to start conversations in urban and underserved communities to better understand their relationship to nature. Dr. Michele Romolini and TNC collaborator Jaline McPherson presented preliminary findings at the Baltimore Ecosystem Study meeting in October. Click here to view the July blog post about this work, as well as the Campus News article from December.
Trifecta of Bluebird Families Breeding at LMU
Over the summer our 3 pairs of Western Bluebirds at LMU successfully raised their first broods from their first clutches, and 2 of the 3 had successful second clutches. The three bluebird nest boxes at LMU fledged a total of 23 chicks this year, more than double last year’s total of 11. Since the first nest box went up in 2022 we have seen a total of 40 bluebirds nest or fledge on the LMU Campus! Click here to view our blogpost about the bluebird families.
Twin Oaks Pollinator Garden Attracts Monarch Butterflies
Due to the collective efforts of several departments and student groups at LMU, we have successfully established a Pollinator Garden in the Twin Oaks area of Campus in the summer of 2024. Western Monarch Butterflies are in a decline, so every effort to provide the host plants and safe transformation areas for their dwindling population to rest, refuel, lay eggs, and start a new life cycle, is critical to the longevity of the butterflies on the West Coast. Click here to view our blog post about this achievement.
K-12 Restorative Justice Practices Implementation Academy
CURes hosted the K-12 Restorative Justice Practices Implementation Academy to provide administrators and faculty in leadership positions with a deeper understanding of how to integrate concepts of restorative practices within their roles. The training team presented the group with significant research, experience, and knowledge gained from years in the academic study and implementation of restorative justice practices. Click here to view our blog post about this event.
12th Annual Center for Reconciliation and Justice Symposium and Laudato Si Initiatives
Eric Strauss and Michele Romolini, and Drollinger Environmental Fellow Lisa Fimiani, participated in the 12th Annual CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice Symposium entitled, Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor: The Issue of Water, hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Click here to view the blog post about this event. Dr. Strauss was also asked by the university to chair a re-greening committee as part of LMU’s embracing of the Laudato Si worldwide initiative. This project is part of a suite of actions that help to integrate the Laudato Si Initiative into the core missions of the University.
Earth Day 2024 Events
The month of April 2024 was a busy one for CURes, as we participated in a number of Earth Day events. This included co-hosting a presentation, conducting tours of Ballona Discovery Park, volunteering at the Annual Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour, hosting Victor Elementary School 5th grade Ballona field trips for the 4th year in a row, planting at the LMU Tongva Memorial site, and more! Click here to learn more about our participation in Earth Day events.
CURes Environmental Lecture Series
CURes continued the Environmental Lecture series with guest speaker Dr. Eric Wood on the topic of Historical and Contemporary Drivers of Urban Avifauna in a California Megacity. CURes collaborators also spoke in Drs. Romolini and Strauss’ classes, including:
- Jaline McPherson, The Nature Conservancy Maryland/DC Chapter
- Dr. Pooja Kanwar, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- Dr. Mallika Sardeshpande, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Dr. Opeyemi Adeyemi, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria
- Ms. Savana Mata (LMU Bio 2022), Graduate Student and Dairy Technician, visiting from University of Wisconsin
California Oceano Dunes SVRA Survey Report
LMU CURes and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo completed research and made recommendations to California State Parks based on surveys conducted from June 2023-May 2024. The survey asked participants, visitors, and local residents about their perceptions and experiences at California’s Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA). The survey aimed to gather insight into visitor and community demographics, frequency and types of use, barriers to use, environmental awareness and perceptions of use, and familiarity with park opportunities. Click here to view the report.
Mayor’s Fund Research Report
LMU CURes and Psychology Applied Research Center teamed up in a Collaboration with The Mayor’s Fund to assess the effectiveness of a homeless services intervention provided by the We Are LA Project. The research spanned from July-December 2024, and the scope included a literature review, advisory group convening, survey development and implementation, and quantitative analyses of the data collected from clients receiving eviction-related services.
New Study: Hunting Behavior in Domestic Dog Puppies
With support from an NIH grant, LMU CURes and The UMass Medical School are exploring how new animal behaviors evolve. This groundbreaking project aims to uncover the genetic and developmental foundations of unique behaviors in domestic dogs, such as retrieving, livestock guarding, and herding. To overcome this, we’re introducing POUNCE! – a community science initiative engaging volunteers to help us manually code behavioral development in domestic dog puppies. We conducted a pilot study observing 11 Labrador/Golden Retriever puppies and 2 wolf pups from birth to 8 weeks.
Birding Adventures of Ballona
It should not be forgotten that the Westchester Campus is one of the birdiest places in SoCal, sporting 158 species on eBird as a Hotspot. The Campus is also part of the Ballona Watershed, and Ballona Discovery Park, situated under the LMU Bluffs, is a project of the University, Playa Vista and Friends of Ballona Wetlands. The LMU Community has the advantage of birding Ballona from several different vantage points: LMU and the Park in Playa Vista Click here to view our blog post about the local Ballona birding adventures in 2024.
LMU Tongva Memorial Site Spruced Up
In anticipation of Indigenous People’s Day, Lisa Fimiani organized and oversaw a planting event at the Tongva Memorial in October. The weeding and greening event was attended by ASLMU, Green LMU, Service and Action, and other student groups on Campus. 16 new plants were added to the area! Click here to view our blog post about this event.
Research on Agricultural Water Reuse in the Mid-Atlantic
Michele Romolini presented at the 2024 Chesapeake Community Research Symposium in Annapolis, MD. This symposium highlighted the essential role of the agricultural community as allies in combating nonpoint source pollution. Dr. Romolini presented on her work with the University of Maryland to better understand Maryland agricultural professionals’ attitudes and perceptions of climate change and water reuse. Click here to view the media coverage of this symposium.
2024 Funding Accomplishments
The LMU Office of Research and Sponsored Projects released its annual report in August, showing that the CURes team submitted 13 funding proposals totaling over $6 million in FY2024. The report also showed that CURes received $915,000 in grants and contracts in FY2024, which made up 5.6% of the University’s total $16.2 million in awarded funds.
Community Climate Resilience Research in San Fernando
In partnership with the non-profit TreePeople, Dr. Michele Romolini completed a project called, “SPF 50: Safe and Prosperous Futures: Preparing for the Mid-Century Climate Reality.” This work was a community-engaged effort to better understand how residents in the City of San Fernando define and take action toward community climate resilience. The process included interviews, a group workshop, and community outreach events to develop resident-driven resources and recommendations. Click here to view the report.
Gottlieb Native Garden Documentary Film
With support from the Gottlieb Foundation, Dr. Eric Strauss and LMU Film Professor Greg Ruzzin lead a team of LMU filmmakers in the production of an hour-long science documentary film about the power of native landscape featuring the Gottlieb Native Garden. Work has been ongoing for over a year with release date set for Spring 2025.
Students Presenting at Undergraduate Research Symposium
CURes student research was part of the LMU 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium, with two of our students featured. Nicolas Gentile (EVST) presented “Integrating Tongva Indigenous Knowledge with Modern Environmental Stewardship: Educational and Community Engagement at Ballona Discovery Park,” building on work he completed under the guidance of Dr. Eric Strauss and Lisa Fimiani. Alexa Siglar (ENVS) presented “Agricultural Water Management in a Changing Mid-Atlantic: Stakeholder Attitudes Towards Alternative Water Sources, Weather Variability, and Related Factors” based on her research with Dr. Michele Romolini. Alexa’s poster is available here.
Student Interns
Eleven students from across the University worked with CURes in 2024 on projects ranging from supporting communications and the CATE Journal, to hands-on work greening campus and the Ballona Discovery Park, to assisting with CURes’ broad interdisciplinary research portfolio. They included Corbin Mason (MRKT ’24) from the College of Business Administration; Garett Collins (CLAR ’24), Grace Foreman (PSYC & POLS ’24), Nico Gentile (EVST ’24), Isabel Torres (EVST ’25), Russell Ventresca (EVST ’25), and Mia Gresh URBN ’26) from Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts; Sophia Kastros (ANIM ’28) from School of Film and Television; Alexa Siglar (ENVS ’25) and Noah Cuevas Kraft (ENGR ’27) from Seaver College for Science & Engineering; and graduate student Elisa Rosado (MFTH ’25) from the School of Education.
CURes Participates in Oxnard Native Plant Festival with Taft Gardens
Lisa Fimiani, Drollinger Environmental Fellow with CURes, participated in the Oxnard Native Plant Festival, held 11A- 4P at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, tabling the event with Ojai’s Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve staff and joining many other like-minded environmentalists representing native plant nurseries, Ojai, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, and Ventura agencies and local departments, and non-profits focusing on the importance of White Sage (Salvia apiana) and its current plight in the wild. Click here for a blog post about the event.
Participation in Special Projects
CURes helped plan and participated in a number of projects and events in 2024. The Sola Impact Jane Goodall Peace Garden Event March 2 attracted over 100 participants. The goal of this event was to help Sola Impact staff and girls, who have pledged to do a Boy Scout Eagle Project entitled “The Jane Goodall Peace Garden,” create a native plant garden on site, set up edible Tower Gardens, and populate Raised Planter Beds with edible and native plant species.
Nature and Art as Medicine was hosted at the Bixby Marshlands on May 4. This was a day of healing activities and discovery which featured family-friendly workshops, performances, and talks facilitated by Scholnick and Escobar with artists Alan Nakagawa, Liz Goetz, HOWL SPACE, and Naturalist and LMU Drollinger Environmental Fellow Lisa Fimiani. Click here to learn more about the event.
During a presentation on June 20 with Ballona Wetlands Restoration project with Erinn Wilson-Olgin with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, members of the public were invited to comment on this topic. Lisa Fimiani spoke on behalf of CURes on the need to restore the Ballona Wetlands. Click here to view the recording of Lisa’s statement starting at 2:36:00.
Mourning The Loss of Three Giants: Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, Dan Gottlieb and Mat Dorame
Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, a highly respected scientist in the the urban forestry community and a dear friend of CURes Managing Director, Dr. Romolini, passed away on January 6. Jarlath took the helm at the Spatial Analysis Lab at the University of Vermont of a globally respected lab that leveraged high-resolution Earth imagery to map the intricacies of land cover within our complex urban landscapes, Jarlath’s passing reverberates across all dimensions of his life, leaving communities with a void that is impossible to ignore. His excellence, good humor, and humility were pillars that enriched every community fortunate enough to be touched by his presence. Read here for more about Jarlath.
Dan Gottlieb’s passing on January 29 was met with great sadness at CURes, because of the passionate interest and involvement Dan had with the work we do at CURes as part of his support of so many philanthropic endeavors. Home based in the renowned Gottlieb Native Garden in Beverly Hills, the creation of the Gottlieb Native Garden enterprise by Dan and his wife Susan set the stage for an amazing number of satellite projects inspired by this urban garden of mostly native plants throughout SoCal, including Ballona Discovery Park. We are eternally grateful for the financial support of the Gottlieb Family Foundation and more importantly the cherished friendship we had with Dan over 20 years of collaborating together. Dan is remembered here
Mat Dorame passed away suddenly in December 2024. Mat was one of the creators of the Tongva Memorial Site on the LMU Campus, along with his uncle, Robert Dorame. As a Gabrielino Tongva artist, musician and craftsman we are very grateful for his work and generosity of spirit celebrating his people, past and present.
