The fourth alumnus of CSULB to be awarded with such an honor, Dr. Leann L. Birch, presented a lecture on the causes of childhood obesity to a number of psychology students and faculty in the lecture halls on Monday afternoon. Dr. Birch, now Professor of Human Development at Pennsylvania State University, had been researching child obesity for about 30 years and graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 1971 with a B.A. in Psychology.
Birch’s lecture is the most recent installment of a string of lectures titled the John Garcia lecture series. John Garcia, a professor at Cal State Long Beach over 40 years ago, presented psychological research the university did not find up to par with its standards at the time, even with a recommendation from the psychology department. Soon after, he left and was invited to continue his psychological research at Harvard University.
Looking to correct past mistakes, John Jung, CSULB professor emeritus of the psychology department, set up the John Garcia Lecture Series to award psychology alumni a chance to be recognized for their research.
“Every year we look at alumni who have been out for well over a decade and with Dr. Jung’s approval, invite one to come and give a talk,” said Kenneth Green, professor and chair of the psychology department. “So far it has been his recommendation.”
“I had been interested in the development of childhood behaviors and the controls of food intake for many years, even before it was considered an epidemic” Birch says. “What I’ve always wanted to do was try and illustrate to students in psychology that there are applications and opportunities to apply what they have learned to real world problems.”
Patty Singim, a senior majoring in psychology, came in avid support of the John Garcia Lectures and was also interested in the subject matter of the lecture.
“I really like how they bring back former CSULB alumni and show how they have succeeded.” Singim said. “I think CSULB students should get interested in psychology, especially the Colloquia Series the psychology department holds.”
As a graduate student in psychology, Ron Freche sees the importance in the timeliness and importance of Birch’s research.
“It was obviously something that has to be addressed” Freche said. “I would like to have seen a comparison [of her research] to physical activity though.”
Many students who attended the lecture found it thought provoking and believed many topics mentioned by Birch applied to much of society and in some cases their own lives.
Joanna Prado, a senior and psychology major, found many theories Birch presented to apply to her own personal experiences.
“I liked when she talked about familiarity [introducing certain foods to children so often that they will learn to like it eventually]. I used to baby sit and the kids would beg me for dessert. I kept telling them no, but what they really wanted was oranges.” Prado said. “There is a lot of people who go to this school who are older and have kids. This can be incorporated with their own methods.”
Brian Wood, a junior majoring in psychology, thought Birch’s lecture helped give some helpful tips for future parents.
“A lot of people who attended the lecture are going to work with children and they are even going to be parents at some point.” Wood said. “It gives you a first hand look at what you’re going to be doing in the future. I have a teenager and [the lecture] reminded me of when she was a baby.”
Other students, such as Psychology major Rebecca Ruiz who is now on her third year at CSULB, believe this lecture to support their own theories about obesity.
“Even though what was said during the lecture was specifically towards children, for adults, decisions are made based on preference, what is available, and what is affordable.” Ruiz says. “A lot of the food we have available [on campus] is fast food. It’s not necessarily healthy but its affordable.”
Birch feels CSULB has given her the great foundation she needed in order to succeed as an educator in psychology.
“I felt I had really gotten excellent training as an undergraduate.” Birch said. “It provided an excellent base to fulfill my professional development. I really mean that”
