Executives
Nicholas Rajen
Nicholas Rajen- Diné B.S Physics, University of New Mexico M.S. Materials Science and Engineering, UC Riverside My interests include: reading, learning new games, and teaching mechanics and fundamentals, as best I can, to interested students. I am a fan of Michel Foucault, Emmy Noether, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, and the physicist Boltzmann. My love for science, reading, and learning come from my parents, and from my grandparents. My Matrilineal Grandmother was Kinyaa'áanii, and my Patrilineal Grandmother was from India. My academic career includes work in materials science labs, computational physics, and several awards for student leadership. My current work focuses on conservation and empowerment of underrepresented students in STEM.
Anisah Kabbara
Anisah Kabbara- Chiricahua Apache and Otomi B.S Geological Engineering UC Riverside My academic interests include interdisciplinary research concerning environmental sustainability and geomorphic hazards. In my spare time I likes to rock climb, collect minerals, and hike. My experiences are varied, having worked in a Plant Pathology lab, the Public Health field, Water and Environmental non-profits, and an Earth Science Lab. I am passionate about the practical application of Indigenous Science, relearning connections between Indigenous People’s interactions and understanding of the planet to better comprehend current socio-scientific issues today. As such, I have created GeoTribe, a program dedicated to encouraging curiosity and appreciation of geological processes and phenomena using both institutional and unorthodox science.
Sara M. Medel
Sara Maria Medel- Pomo, Coast Miwok, Yuki B.S. Business Administration, Marketing Concentration My interests include reading and crafting, from beadwork to knitting, as well as passing knowledge along to others. I enjoy trying new hobbies and learning new skills. Regardless of mastery, I enjoy the experience because that is what life is all about. I have worked with nonprofits by creating media and running marketing campaigns. My goal in Lucid Catalytics is to share our knowledge and resources to those who would find it useful in their personal or professional lives. I believe GeoTribe has a tremendous amount of potential to help students. The small group setting is perfect to ensure that students understand everything being discussed. Everyday I am thrilled to be a part of Lucid Catalytics and I consider myself blessed to be working alongside such amazing people.
Daniel Diaz
Daniel Diaz PhD, J.D. Professor of Archaeology at CINCC My professional background is in Anthropology, Education, Ethnic Studies and Law. My focus addresses instruction management, content analysis, and curriculum design to support implementation of projects in higher education
My sense of community is rooted with the Afro-Indigenous people of Costa Chica and Nahuatl speakers of southern Mexico. I recently completed a Juris Doctorate to incorporate law with Anthropology, Ethnic Studies and Education as applied to youth culture, school systems, urban Studies and Critical Race Theory.
I have been fortunate to work as an educator for over 20 years , ranging from elementary to University settings and with diverse communities and have developed a community based teaching mode, approaching class content and students under the guidance that: 1) everyone knows more than they are given credit for and 2) that we have all personally experienced the things we care about professionally and as such work to engage students in accessing their “funds of knowledge.” My current work and future goals support opportunities to engage with students and community members to open spaces for positive social, economic, environmental and political development.