Over the past 12 months, Cal State San Marcos celebrated several fundraising milestones.

Last fall, the university publicly launched Blueprint for the Future, an ambitious campaign to raise $200 million in philanthropy and research funding. Today, the campaign has reached 84% of its goal thanks to the generosity of donors, alumni and community partners.

CSUSM also recorded its second-highest fundraising year in campus history, reflecting a growing culture of philanthropy across the university.

"Every gift creates a new opportunity for a CSUSM student," CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. "Our donors believe in the potential of our students and the power of higher education to change lives and strengthen our region’s economic prosperity. Their generosity is creating opportunities for social mobility today while shaping the future of our university for generations to come."

Building the Future of Engineering

The largest gift of the 2025-26 academic year, $10 million from Hunter Industries, ranks among the largest philanthropic contributions in university history. The investment builds on a decades-long partnership between the university and the Hunter family and will support the future Hunter Hall of Science and Engineering.

Opening in spring 2028, the 70,000-square-foot, three-story facility will feature advanced laboratories, a robotics suite and collaborative learning spaces designed to prepare students for careers in engineering and advanced technology.

Hunter Hall will expand CSUSM's engineering capacity, increasing enrollment from approximately 500 to nearly 2,000 students while enabling the launch of a new industrial and systems engineering program.

Leading the Nation in Social Mobility

Backed by $3 million in philanthropic support, the university will become home to the CSU National Center for Social Mobility, a hub for research, innovation and collaboration that will share evidence-based practices across all 22 CSU campuses and beyond.

The center builds on CSUSM's longstanding commitment to expanding opportunity. Earlier this year, CSUSM was ranked No. 1 in the nation for social mobility for the second time in four years by the CollegeNET Social Mobility Index.

Stewarding Donor Investments

The university also celebrated the continued growth of its endowment. This year, CSUSM earned systemwide recognition for investment performance, achieving the highest five-year rate of return among CSU campuses, tying for the top one-year return and ranking second in 10-year performance.

Fueling Research and Innovation

Faculty research is also advancing Blueprint for the Future. Physics professor Justin Perron is leading a three-year, federally funded initiative to give undergraduates hands-on training in quantum information science and technology. Additional funding is supporting research in mathematics, biology, mental health and public health.

Record-Breaking Giving Day

The momentum behind Blueprint for the Future extends far beyond transformational gifts. It is powered by thousands of alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends who believe in the promise of CSUSM.

That collective generosity was on full display during the university's most successful Giving Day to date. In just 24 hours, supporters contributed $828,397 through 2,444 gifts, setting a new university record. Alumni also continue to play an increasingly important role in the campaign, now representing 32% of all Blueprint for the Future donors.

A new building. A national center. Thousands of lives transformed. That's the vision behind Blueprint for the Future, and every gift brings CSUSM closer to reaching the goal to raise $200 million in philanthropy and research funding.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

This spring, Clerihan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and she's planning to launch her own construction billing business in the community she now calls home. She credits her professors at CSUSM at Temecula for encouraging her to pursue her educational and entrepreneurial dreams.

“I was never that student who enjoyed school, but at CSUSM at Temecula, I found myself on the dean’s list and looking forward to going to class,” Clerihan said. “My parents were amazed by the change in me.” 

Her story was highlighted by CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt at “The Power of Us” Southwest Riverside County Community Breakfast on June 30. The event brought together local business, government, education and community leaders to explore how partnerships are shaping the region’s educational and economic future. 

Sponsored by the Pechanga Band of Indians, the event was emceed by CSUSM Foundation Board directors Alisha Wilkins and Esther Phahla, both Temecula residents and local business owners with deep ties to the region. 

Before Neufeldt took the stage, Riverside County Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington reflected on the partnership that has shaped CSUSM’s presence in Southwest Riverside County. 

“It started with a simple but ambitious idea: bringing expanded higher education opportunities closer to the families of Southwest Riverside County,” Washington said. “Cal State San Marcos has listened to our communities, understood our workforce needs and invested in programs that reflect our local priorities.”  

Meeting Students Where They Are 

CSUSM established its Temecula campus in 2008 and has expanded to include two locations, with programs in nursing, software engineering, teacher credentialing and business administration. That commitment received a major boost in 2024 when Riverside County invested $5.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to enhance technology, equipment and academic programs.  

Today, more than 20% of CSUSM’s nearly 17,000 students come from Riverside County. Students attend classes on the university’s main campus in San Marcos, at CSUSM’s Temecula locations, online or through a combination of locations. 

Expanding access to higher education is central to CSUSM’s mission of advancing social mobility. Last fall, the university again was recognized as the nation’s top university for social mobility by CollegeNET, reflecting its success in helping students improve their economic opportunities through earning a degree. 

“Beyond the ranking, social mobility is a student like Alyssa, who thought she would have to drop out and instead earned her business degree,” Neufeldt said. “It's a first-generation student becoming an engineer. A working parent becoming a nurse. A transfer student becoming a teacher. That's what social mobility looks like.” 

Collaborating Across the Region 

In her remarks, Neufeldt emphasized that expanding access to higher education requires collaboration among schools, colleges, employers and community partners. 

She highlighted the university's participation in Riverside County's Direct Admission initiative, the first countywide partnership of its kind with the California State University system, as well as CSUSM's Alliance partnerships with more than two dozen school districts and tribal nations. 

“The message to students is simple,” Neufeldt said. “You belong here. You can do this. College is not something that happens to other people. It is for you.” 

Aligning Education with Workforce Needs 

Neufeldt also showcased several programs developed in response to workforce needs identified by employers throughout Southwest Riverside County. 

Among them is an accelerated software engineering pathway created in partnership with MSJC, Temecula Valley Unified School District and Murrieta Valley Unified School District. The innovative model allows students to begin coursework in high school, earn college credit through MSJC and complete a CSUSM bachelor's degree on an accelerated timeline. The program is now expanding to include Lake Elsinore Unified School District. 

The university is also strengthening healthcare pathways. CSUSM produces more nurses than any other campus in the California State University system and has graduated nearly 4,000 nurses over the past decade. The university is developing a concurrent nursing agreement with MSJC that would allow students to earn their RN and BSN degrees simultaneously. 

“A skilled workforce is essential to the economic vitality of this region, and we are working conscientiously with our education partners and community leaders to create and deliver the right mix of programs that meet the needs of these communities,” said Godfrey Gibbison, CSUSM’s dean of Extended Learning and associate vice president for international programs.  

Additional programs under development include integrated studies, early childhood education and clinical laboratory science, a high-demand healthcare profession identified by regional employers as one of their most difficult positions to fill. 

“Every one of these programs starts with the same question,” Neufeldt said. “What does this region need? And how can we help meet that need?” 

Looking Ahead 

Neufeldt noted that CSUSM's work in Southwest Riverside County continues to evolve, with plans to further expand into MSJC University Center. 

"This gathering represents something that is a hallmark of Southwest Riverside County: the belief that progress happens through partnership," she said. "Real change happens when we work together." 

For students like Clerihan, those opportunities can be life-changing: a degree, a business and a future in the community she loves. 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Chan, who has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in cross-cultural teaching, has worked for over 30 years in fields spanning workforce development, industry and education.

An engineer, educator and entrepreneur, Chan has championed innovative education models worldwide and continues to inspire students and teachers with creative, hands-on learning styles.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

For Cal State San Marcos alumnus Jaedon Spurlock, the decision was simple.

During commencement weekend last month, he and his dad, Jared Spurlock, elected to skip the ceremony and instead climb Mount Whitney.

“I just figured, since my friends aren’t going to the ceremony, maybe it’d be all right if I did this instead,” Jaedon Spurlock said. “I think it’d be cooler, and I think it’d be more memorable for me.”

So, on Monday, May 18, after a weekend spent preparing, father and son completed the 18-hour hike up Mount Whitney.

Mount Whitney is in the Sierra Nevada range of California. It’s the highest point in the lower United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet. Thousands of people try to reach the summit each year, but not all make it, according to the U.S. National Park Service.

The Spurlocks, however, did. And since it was commencement weekend, they held a small ceremony at the peak.

“I brought a little grad cap that I bought on Amazon, and then I also had my honors cord that I got from the school, so I just brought that with me,” Spurlock said. “I didn’t have too much space in my backpack, so I brought what I could.”

It worked out that commencement weekend was the window of opportunity for the Spurlocks to go on this journey, because permits are limited due to the sheer number of requests and the conditions on the mountain at the time, according to the Park Service.

The climb allowed the family to grow closer.

“We’ve always enjoyed doing outdoor stuff, and we wanted to do things together,” Spurlock said. “So, we’ve just started hiking together.”

He said he is used to challenges such as climbing Mount Whitney.

Jaedon was born with congenital profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and now hears with cochlear implants. The implants are small rectangular devices that sit behind the ears and act as sound processors. Then then stimulate the nerves in his ear, allowing him to hear.

The implant on the right side isn’t working, however, so he’s living with low hearing.

“I’ve always grown up using only my left side,” he said. “So, I actually have full hearing on this side, but on this side, I can’t hear at all. It’s kind of like 50% hearing.”

Asked how he navigates this challenge, he said: “A lot of times I won’t get what someone says on the first time, so I always be like, ‘Oh, could you repeat that?’ And they’ll say the same thing again. Usually, I get it the second or third time.”

He said keeping a positive attitude helps him to accept his disability.

“I think it’s just years of growing up with this disability and then being able to accomplish things that other people can,” he said. “It’s knowing that I’m just as capable as a person as anyone else.”

His degree is in software engineering, and he graduated magna cum laude. One of his professors remembers Spurlock as smart and hard-working.

“He never mentioned to me the challenge that he faced”, said Yongjie Zheng, a professor of computer science and engineering. “Instead, Jaedon worked as hard as many other students and had lots of industrial experience. He kindly shared with us his technical knowledge and internship experience in some of our classes.”

Spurlock plans to move to Orlando, Fla., this summer to begin his career at Lockheed Martin – a massive aerospace, defense and technology corporation – as a software engineer. He said his time at CSUSM helped prepare him for his future.

As his recent climbing experience illustrates, he doesn’t accept limitations on what he can accomplish.

“Don’t put yourself in a situation where you put yourself to the same expectations as others,” he said. “Set your own expectations, set your own level of confidence and just find what you can do.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Topping-out ceremonies are a long-standing construction tradition, typically marked by the signing of the final structural beam before it is lifted into place. At CSUSM, the moment carried deeper meaning, as it honored the university’s commitment to building new and accessible pathways for students in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CSTEM).

“I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the momentum that brought us to this point,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. “This facility is social mobility in action. It’s about providing access for students, many of whom are the first in their families to go to college, stepping into fields that are shaping the future.”

Built for Growth

Opening in fall 2027, Hunter Hall represents a significant investment in CSUSM’s trajectory as one of the fastest-growing campuses in the California State University system. Once complete, the approximately 70,000-square-foot, three-story facility will feature state-of-the-art laboratories, a robotics suite and collaborative learning spaces designed to meet the region's increasing demand for engineering talent.

Hunter Hall will allow CSUSM to expand engineering enrollment from 500 to nearly 2,000 students and launch a new program in industrial and systems engineering, building on existing offerings in electrical, software and computer engineering.

The expansion comes at a critical time for San Diego, one of the nation's fastest-growing technology and innovation hubs, where the need for skilled engineers continues to outpace supply. With eight in 10 CSUSM graduates remaining in the region after graduation, Hunter Hall is positioned to directly strengthen the local workforce pipeline.

A Transformational Gift

The project has been made possible in part by a transformational $10 million gift from Hunter Industries, one of the largest contributions in university history.

“It’s an exciting moment to see this building coming to fruition,” said Greg Hunter, CEO of Hunter Industries. “We’re proud to support a project that will have both a lasting impact on students and be a source of talent in our community.”

The gift has helped propel CSUSM's Blueprint for the Future fundraising campaign to 82% of its $200 million goal, underscoring broad support for a university dedicated to student success, social mobility and community engagement.

“Hunter Hall creates the conditions for the kind of collaboration our students will experience in their careers,” said Jackie Trischman, dean of CSTEM. “We’re grateful to Hunter Industries and other partners for making this possible and for helping us prepare our students to contribute to innovation across our region.”

For more information on funding and naming opportunities for Hunter Hall, contact Mike Helé, director of philanthropy, at 760-750-8401 or mhele@csusm.edu.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

But before putting the finishing touches on your list of New Year’s resolutions, let’s take a look back at some of the most-talked-about stories of 2025.

Hunter Industries Gives Transformational $10M Donation for ISE Building

In September, CSUSM announced a transformational $10 million philanthropic investment from Hunter Industries, one of the largest gifts in university history. The donation is supporting the construction of CSUSM’s new Hunter Hall of Science and Engineering, a cornerstone of the university’s commitment to preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Perfect Chemistry: Campus Wedding 16 Years in the Making

If getting married at one’s place of employment seems unconventional, it shouldn’t to those who know biology professor Elinne Becket and chemistry professor Robert Iafe. The passion they have for their students is the same passion they have for the university, so it makes sense that the tied the knot on campus at the McMahan House on campus.

CSUSM Kicks Off Historic $200 Million Fundraising Campaign

Through the largest fundraising campaign in university history, CSUSM is aiming to raise $200 million to support student success and power the region’s future. The university officially launched its “Blueprint for the Future” campaign on Sept. 19. It’s an effort that combines philanthropy with grants and research funding. The campaign’s theme reflects both the physical growth on campus and the forward momentum building at CSUSM. 

Professor Elevates Samoan Language, Culture as Consultant for "Moana 2"

Professor Grant Muāgututiʻa never could have dreamed that linguistics would take him to the shores of Oʻahu as he rubbed elbows with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and other stars of the Disney glitterati before the world premiere of the animated film “Moana 2” in 2024. Indeed, Muāgututiʻa was more than a little caught off guard when the filmmaking team behind the sequel to the wildly popular movie “Moana” from 2016 contacted him out of the blue two years ago.

Construction of New Wellness and Rec Center Underway

CSUSM held a Construction Kickoff on Nov. 12 to celebrate construction being underway for the Student Wellness and Recreation Center (SWRC), which is expected to open by summer 2027. CSUSM is partnering with Sea Breeze Properties – developers of North City, which includes CSUSM’s North Commons, The QUAD and the Extended Learning Building – on the SWRC, which will be the latest addition to campus life.

Faith, Resilience Help Athlete Through Life-Threatening Crisis

It all started with a headache. A seemingly normal ailment, but Malachi Wright doesn’t get headaches. And he definitely doesn’t get headaches that force him to leave work early or have him confined to the couch and throwing up for three straight days. That's when his mom, Ivonne Mancilla, knew this was something more. Wright spent the next 40 days in the hospital, undergoing three brain surgeries with no idea what the future would bring. But Wright defied all odds. 

Alumna Finds Purpose in Advocacy for Native Children and Families

As Maya Goodblanket reflects on her time as a student, she vividly remembers the day she found the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at Cal State San Marcos. Little did she know that she was meeting mentors that day who would help her achieve the career she has today. Goodblanket, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, serves as an Indian Child Welfare Act court advocate for the Valley Center-based Indian Health Council, which provides health and wellness services for American Indian communities in north San Diego County. 

Ask the Expert: A Scientific Perspective on the L.A. Fires

When the hills above Los Angeles exploded in flames early last month, Matt Rahn snapped into action. Rahn, though, isn’t a firefighter who was called into duty to help battle what became one of the biggest and most destructive fires in California history. Rather, he’s a wildfire researcher at Cal State San Marcos who, in 2019, created a unique degree program called Wildfire Science and the Urban Interface. He’s also the executive director of the Wildfire Conservancy, a nonprofit research foundation dedicated to serving the state’s firefighters and protecting its communities.

Cougar Care Network Marks 10 Years as a Campus Hub for Connection

Built on listening first and guiding without judgment, the Cougar Care Network enters its second decade as a trusted stop for students seeking practical help, community and a path forward. The Cougar Care Network (CCN) launched in fall 2015 as part of Cal State San Marcos’ Early Support Initiative within the Student Outreach and Referral (SOAR) program. 

Chronic Illness a Journey of Strength, Self-Discovery ... and Salt

The first time Emmi van Zoest rode in an ambulance was in May 2024. She was in the middle of her 10:30 a.m. Communication 200 class when she realized her vision and hearing were failing. She couldn't keep her legs or arms straight and she couldn’t speak. The full memory is hazy, but she found herself sitting outside of Crash’s Market in the University Student Union with a handful of salt packets and on a Facetime call with her parents, who live in Tennessee. This experience didn’t come out of nowhere. She has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, a chronic condition that she has lived with since her junior year of high school.  

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Few would guess that he is the CEO of Hunter Industries, a global organization and the largest private employer in San Marcos – or that the company is also a longtime philanthropic partner to CSUSM and is recognized on the campus founders’ seal.

To them, he’s just Greg, a student who slips into class with the ease that comes from sharing four semesters with his classmates.

“Greg is effortlessly humble, which is so refreshing,” fellow student Travis Bourdon said. “We knew he was a professional but had no idea of the scope. He fits right in, has made friends and encourages us to think about complex concepts differently.”

A lifelong learner and Cornell University graduate, Hunter enrolled at CSUSM to challenge himself and strengthen his analytical skills. But the experience quickly became something more as he found himself inspired and motivated by the students around him.

“Their grit, backgrounds and excellence impress me, as does the passion and engagement of the faculty,” Hunter said. “CSUSM is a special place with a clear commitment to advancing social mobility and student success across the region. It means a great deal to continue my family’s legacy of support.”

This experience, combined with the family’s longstanding commitment to CSUSM, inspired a transformational $10 million gift to fund a new STEM facility. Recently approved by the CSU Board of Trustees, the building will be named Hunter Hall of Science and Engineering and is scheduled to open in fall 2027. Hunter Hall will boost engineering enrollment from 500 to nearly 2,000 students, strengthen the region’s workforce pipeline and support economic growth.

“We are deeply grateful to the Hunter family and Hunter Industries for this extraordinary gift,” President Ellen Neufeldt said. “Greg’s experience in the classroom gives him a unique perspective on our students, many of whom are the first in their families to graduate from college. Hunter Hall will be a landmark addition to campus, providing state-of-the-art STEM facilities, fueling regional innovation and strengthening pathways for future graduates.”

The Hunter family has helped shape CSUSM’s history for three generations – including Greg’s grandparents, parents and aunt, Ann Hunter-Wellborn, who served on CSUSM's University Council before the campus was founded and has continued to advocate for many student success programs. Over the years, Hunter Industries has supported several pivotal projects, including the Clarke Field House, University Student Union, Hunter Design Lab and state-of-the-art physics laboratories. The company also provides internships, mentorship and faculty support, and employs many CSUSM alumni.

As for balancing coursework and running a global company, Greg approaches his studies with the same focus and dedication that define his leadership.

“Greg is an exceptional student,” mathematics professor Hanson Smith said. “He even makes time for office hours, which is remarkable for someone who is also a CEO. Students are typically career-focused. Greg already has an extraordinary career, yet he’s here because he loves learning, which is likely what makes him such an effective leader.”

With the Hunter gift, CSUSM’s “Blueprint for the Future” campaign – the university’s most ambitious fundraising effort – has raised nearly 80% of its $200 million goal. The campaign reflects the university’s continued growth and its commitment to advancing social mobility across the region. Explore Blueprint for the Future to see how CSUSM is different by design.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Pending approval by the California State University Board of Trustees, the ISE Building will be named in honor of Hunter Industries, a San Marcos-based leading global manufacturer of products for landscape irrigation and lighting, dispensing technologies, and custom manufacturing since 1981. Construction began with a groundbreaking in July, and the building is scheduled to open to students by fall 2027. It will be funded through a combination of CSU systemwide funding and external contributions.

The ISE Building is critical to meet the growing demand for STEM education in San Diego County and Southern California, where regional industry needs have outpaced the production of qualified engineers and scientists. The building will allow the university to expand its enrollment of students in engineering disciplines from 500 to nearly 2,000.

CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt revealed the donation on Friday, the same day that the university publicly announced its $200 million “Blueprint for the Future” campaign, the most ambitious fundraising effort in its history.

“This gift represents an extraordinary investment in the future of our region,” Neufeldt said. “Hunter Industries has been part of CSUSM’s story since our very beginning, growing as we grew, believing in our mission and sharing a vision for the future. I truly cannot imagine a better partner to walk alongside us in this next chapter. This will have such a great impact for our campus and region – opening doors to higher education and preparing the next generation of highly skilled engineers and scientists.”

“An educated workforce is the foundation of a thriving economy,” said Greg Hunter, CEO of Hunter Industries. “We are proud to deepen our partnership with CSUSM and invest in a facility that will empower students, strengthen our community and drive innovation for decades to come.”

Long a visionary philanthropic partner of CSUSM, Hunter Industries is included on the campus founder's seal listing original donors from the school’s early years. The company has supported CSUSM through pivotal growth projects, including capital and programmatic contributions toward areas such as the College of Business Administration, University Student Union and the Clarke Field House.

Hunter Industries has championed CSUSM’s STEM programs, contributing to the creation of the Hunter Design Lab in the Viasat Engineering Pavilion, funding state-of-the-art physics laboratories and providing internships, mentorship and faculty support through its software development division. Today, Hunter is a model of corporate partnership in higher education and the largest private employer in San Marcos, employing many CSUSM alumni and interns.

With Hunter Industries’ gift, CSUSM’s “Blueprint for the Future” campaign is more than 70% of the way toward the $200 million goal. The campaign’s theme reflects both the physical growth on campus and the forward momentum building at CSUSM as one of the CSU system’s fastest-growing campuses. Founded in 1989, CSUSM serves 17,000 students and is proud to be ranked in the top 1% nationally for advancing social mobility. To learn more about “Blueprint for the Future,” visit the campaign website.

About Hunter Industries

Headquartered in San Marcos, Hunter Industries is a leading global manufacturer of products for landscape irrigation and lighting, dispensing technologies, and custom manufacturing. Founded in 1981, the family-owned company offers thousands of products, including a full range of water- and energy-efficient solutions for residential, commercial, municipal, agricultural and golf course applications. Hunter’s core mission remains unchanged: to deliver valued products and services backed by unwavering customer support. Learn more at hunter.global.

Entering her third fall as an assistant professor of electrical engineering, Khoubrouy runs the Neural Signal Processing and Artificial Intelligence Research (NSPAIR) Lab, a small room in Academic Hall where she and a group of students work on projects fusing her two academic fields – using engineering skills to advance neuroscience applications.

This summer, the NSPAIR team began a project that they hope could someday contribute to helping people with paralysis use brain signals to accomplish everyday tasks.

As part of the long-running Summer Scholars Program on campus, the three students in Khoubrouy’s lab – Aleks Gonzalez, Moises Nelson and Manuel Villa-Hernandez – started modestly. They learned about the electroencephalogram (EEG) cap that Khoubrouy purchased through a Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM grant during her first year at CSUSM. The EEG cap is worn over the head, where 32 electrodes connect to the scalp (non-invasively), measure brain signals and send them wirelessly to a computer.

The students then learned how to interpret EEG signals and the type of software employed to process them. They discovered how eye blinking by the person wearing the cap can disrupt the signal and how to remove that interference. They also reviewed methods used for EEG-based brain-computer interfaces that will assist them in designing their human data collection and decoding the collected EEG signals.

When the fall semester commences, the students will split into teams and continue the project as part of their capstones (all three are senior electrical engineering majors who are on track to graduate next May). Gonzalez and Nelson, joined by a third student, will work with the EEG cap – designing experiments for human subjects (mainly student volunteers), collecting data and applying machine learning and deep learning methods to decode the EEG signals. Villa-Hernandez, joined by two other students, will focus on the robotic arm – collaborating on the experiments for human subjects and designing an interface to allow the team to take brain signals from the cap and use them to control the robotic arm.

Khoubrouy said the Summer Scholars students built on the efforts of previous students, who accelerated the training process by sharing their work and resources. But she also saluted the current students for diving headlong into a mostly unfamiliar discipline this summer.

“They had to go outside their comfort zone, because the project was an interdisciplinary topic,” she said. “Before this, they were only focusing on electrical engineering, and this was more related to neuroscience. The literature that they studied is high-level papers written by scientists, Ph.D. students. I know it was really difficult for them to understand, and I was impressed by the progress they made.”

Gonzalez is a two-time Summer Scholar in the NSPAIR Lab who has been mentored by Khoubrouy since his sophomore year. The first project he worked on involved training AI software to interpret brain waves and predict if the subject was responding to an audio or visual stimulus.

The team next increased the complexity, presenting the subject only with a visual stimulus and trying to determine if it was a food or non-food image.

“I've been able to see how the projects have grown from their simplest form to now moving to controlling a robotic arm, which has been cool,” Gonzalez said.  

The robotic arm features four joints and a gripper. This school year, the objective is to exert basic control – which joint to move and in what direction. In future years, Khoubrouy hopes to reduce the processing time to make it as close to instantaneous as possible.

The ultimate goal of the multiyear project is to help people with paralysis to move prosthetic limbs or other devices using only their thoughts.

“I know some labs have been working on it,” Khoubrouy said. “They have been very successful, but the goal is to make it more natural and faster and easier.”

All three of the lab students are from the local area (though Villa-Hernandez was born in Ithaca, N.Y., where his father worked for Cornell University), and all three have caught the research bug to the extent that they intend to pursue a master’s or even doctorate in engineering.

“It’s really nice to be given the opportunity to partake in undergrad research,” Gonzalez said. “That pushed me to want to go to graduate school.”

For now, however, there are experiments to design, subjects to recruit – and a robotic arm to move.

“It’s fun, it’s interesting,” Villa-Hernandez said of the project. “It’s learning new things that you’ve never seen before.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Among the speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony were CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt; San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones; Assemblymember Darshana Patel, who represents the district that includes CSUSM; Jackie Trischman, dean of CSUSM’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; and representatives from C.W. Driver Companies and HGA, the general contractor and designer of the building, respectively. The emcee was Leon Wyden, CSUSM's vice president of Finance and Administrative Services and chief financial officer.

“It wasn’t too long ago when the idea of the Integrated Science and Engineering Building was but a hope and a dream,” Neufeldt said. “So it seems a little surreal that we have finally come to this day, about to break ground on the first state-supported academic building at CSUSM in more than a decade. I am filled with so much gratitude – this milestone reflects the dedication of our faculty, staff, students and partners who work tirelessly to support CSUSM’s mission of student success and social mobility.” 

The ISE building is estimated to cost $110 million and will be funded through commitments from California State University and private support. It will cover more than 70,000 square feet over three stories. The first publicly funded academic structure on campus since 2014, it’s expected to open in fall 2027.

The ISE building will be constructed at the top of CSUSM’s campus, between Markstein Hall (which houses the business college) and the Arts Building. It will feature teaching and research labs, additional classrooms, student support areas, staff offices, a café and outdoor gathering spaces.  

“It’s an incredible honor to stand here with you today as we break ground on a building that represents not just bricks and mortar, but also a beacon of opportunity, innovation and the future of engineering and technology in our region,” Trischman said. “As dean, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with our remarkable faculty and staff, many of whom met tight deadlines with determination and tremendous creativity. Your dedication to this vision has been nothing short of inspiring.”

CSUSM established its engineering program in 2018 with software and electrical engineering; computer engineering followed five years later. The ISE building will house those programs as well as computer science, computer information systems and cybersecurity, while also supporting the addition of industrial and systems engineering. The industrial and systems engineering program will be the only one at a public institution in San Diego County.

The new facility will enable CSUSM to expand its enrollment of students in engineering disciplines from 500 to nearly 2,000. It also will advance diversity in a field where fewer than 10% of workers nationally are of Latino descent. By contrast, more than half of CSUSM’s engineering students are Latino.

“This groundbreaking marks more than the start of construction – it marks the beginning of a new era for CSUSM,” said Elaine Pollard, president of Associated Students, Inc. “It's an era where student potential is maximized, social mobility is accelerated and the future of science and engineering becomes more diverse, innovative and impactful than ever before.”

With eight out of 10 of CSUSM alumni staying in the region, the influx of more engineering graduates will help fill workforce needs in an area that boasts the nation’s largest cluster of technology, life science, defense and communications companies. Data shows that, in San Diego County, there are four software engineering jobs for every one graduate and three industrial/systems engineering jobs per graduate.  

While state-funded plans call for a one-wing building, CSUSM is seeking private philanthropic donations that will be critical for long-term growth and sustainability, as well as expanding the square footage with a second wing.

Learn more about the ISE building at https://www.csusm.edu/iseb/index.html.

Though part of different colleges – Feairheller a kinesiology professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Services and Morris a computer engineering professor in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – they reconnected as members of the second cohort of Faculty Innovation Fellows in CSUSM’s Innovation Hub. The program fosters innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities for students, faculty, and community and industry partners.

While Feairheller and Morris were working on separate projects during the fellowship, their connection led to a new collaboration that has earned federal funding to advance their research.

The project, “AI-Driven Models for Disease Detection in Cardiovascular Health,”  was awarded a grant through the National Institutes of Health’s AIM-AHEAD Program for Artificial Intelligence Readiness (PAIR), which supports multidisciplinary teams focused on building capacity for AI/ML health equity research. Joining Feairheller and Morris on the project are computer science professors Ali Ahmadinia and Sreedevi Gutta.

“By getting the award from AIM-AHEAD, we now have data available to us that we previously didn't have,” Morris said. “That can be another resource for us to improve our models and better understand what additional data we’ll need when we do go to collect new information with Deb.”

Feairheller credited the innovation fellowship for providing the space to initiate those early discussions, which grew into a broader collaboration.

“I'm really excited that we have access to this extra data,” Feairheller said. “Through this grant program, they're going to help us in creating a project proposal that will build on the idea that they have and also help enable future research in cardiovascular health and women.”

Before joining CSUSM, Feairheller was at the University of New Hampshire where she focused on understudied populations affected by cardiovascular disease. Coming to CSUSM, she recognized the need for specific research in women. She is eager to use the AI modeling that Morris and his team will be doing to improve screening tools that could be used in her clinic to potentially enable more patients to be engaged in learning about their cardiovascular health.

Feairheller noted the importance of recognizing the difference in the hearts of men and women. She said there is limited published research on how a female heart responds to stressors, exercise and other activity.

“The clinical guidelines and the paradigms that physicians use to treat patients are following protocols that were derived on studies that were done primarily in men, so I really love that we're going to create these AI models,” she said. “And I really do hope that we can do something that is specific for females as well as for males because it might create ways that we can do screening that's very sex specific and could potentially save lives.”

The “AI-Driven Models for Disease Detection in Cardiovascular Health” project got jumpstarted with initial data that had already been collected by Feairheller in her previous research working with women, which Morris said allowed them to improve their grant proposal by creating models based on that data.

Both Feairheller and Morris emphasized the role the Faculty Innovation Fellows program played in bringing their collaboration to fruition, and they encourage other faculty to give the program a try.

“The fellowship really helped us learn about each other's research,” Morris said, “and it facilitated impactful conversations.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Keehr, who graduated in 2016, now works as a speech-language pathologist in the San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD). She has remained closely connected to CSUSM, regularly supervising SLP graduate students working as interns in the district. 

In somewhat of a full circle moment for Keehr, she now sends her daughter to the CSUSM SLP clinic where she once trained as a graduate student. 

Keehr’s daughter Lyra was born with Nicolaides-Baraitser syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects how a child grows and develops. It can cause learning difficulties, seizures, delayed speech, and unique physical features like coarse facial features or small hands and feet. 

Though Lyra will turn 3 years old in September, she weighs just 15 pounds and is still learning to walk independently. When Lyra's physical therapist recommended a walking device to improve her mobility, the SLP clinic was there to help. Lyra’s tiny frame meant a standard walking device wouldn’t work, and a custom-made one came with an exorbitant price tag. 

One of Keehr’s SMUSD coworkers suggested she talk to CSUSM about the possibility of developing something. 

Laura Coca, CSUSM’s director of clinical education for the SLP department and one of Keehr’s mentors while she was a student, reached out to engineering professor Reza Kamali, who is the faculty adviser for the university’s chapter of Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM), an assistive technology organization that matches students with people living with neglected disabilities.  

“It was such a wonderful opportunity for students to collaborate,” Coca said. “I cannot thank Reza and TOM enough. They were just so fast and so comprehensive.” 

Kamali and the TOM team had several meetings with Keehr and Lyra’s physical therapist. Less than four months later, they had created a lightweight walking device tailored for Lyra. 

“These experiences offered a unique opportunity for students to engage in community-based projects where they could see firsthand how their knowledge and skills could be applied to create meaningful change,” Kamali said. “Watching their product go from an idea to a tangible device used by a child in need was an emotional and inspiring moment for everyone involved.” 

Keehr said the additional support has helped Lyra in many ways, including socially, with play skills that she’s learning from the SLP clinic and in her general mobility. 

“I didn’t know what to expect, and that’s why I was pleasantly surprised,” Keehr said.“Since getting the trainer, she has been able to stand by herself for a few seconds. It’s definitely been helping with her development. 

"I'm just very grateful for both of those programs and what they're doing for the community. Trying to navigate the insurance world and all the paperwork and everything that comes with it, it's programs like the SLP clinic and TOM that make it just a little bit easier for families like ours. They’re people who have good hearts and just want to help their community. So I'm very grateful for making those connections and also being able to promote them to other families that I work with so that they can benefit from these services.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The banquet, hosted by the San Diego County Engineering Council, brings together community leaders to celebrate those who are advancing engineering and technology. 

Fan is a founding faculty member of CSUSM’s software engineering program, helping it develop a unique curriculum and achieve ABET accreditation, which shows that a university program meets established educational standards. 

Among Fan’s accomplishments was the creation of a yearlong capstone program that emphasizes engaged learning with industrial mentors and targets the specific needs in the region. Fan also works to build a supportive engineering community on campus and helped bring the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers student chapter to CSUSM.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Though Pinter is now retired as an engineer and engineering manager, he’s helping to prepare the next generation of scientists as a lecturer in Cal State San Marcos’ College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Knowing firsthand how challenging science courses can be, Pinter wanted to find an outlet for students, leading to the founding last fall of CSUSM’s Amateur Radio Club.

“These students are grinding through a really tough curriculum,” Pinter said. “I want them to have some fun and be able to be hands on and build something. Instead of grueling equations, they get to just have some fun tinkering with stuff in the lab.”

When the club launched, Pinter thought that maybe two or three students would show up. Instead, there are more than 20 who regularly attend the weekly Thursday meetings in the Viasat Engineering Pavilion. Though most are electrical engineering majors, the club is open to any student interested in learning how to build a radio (follow the club on Instagram @Radio_Club.CSUSM for more information).

The Amateur Radio Club is one of 13 groups participating in Cougar Crowdfunding Student Org Month. Throughout March, donors can make a difference in the lives of students by supporting these student-run organizations.

The Amateur Radio Club, which gained official student organization status this semester, is trying to raise funds to pay for amateur radio licensing testing for its members, equipment, materials to build radios, and radio equipment to start a CSUSM amateur radio station.

While Pinter serves as the Amateur Radio Club’s faculty adviser, the organization has a team of four student leaders: Noah Bills, president; Blake Stenson, vice president; Kurt Williams, treasurer; and Erin Obmina-Josue, social media director.

“The club is really good for professional development and it's a good résumé builder for the students,” Williams said. “It provides good connections, too. We've had partners from outside come in, and they're willing to come in and talk to everybody about things like engineering and professional development.”

Cougar Crowdfunding projects are managed by the Office of Annual Giving Programs. For questions or to submit a project for consideration, contact Digital Giving Specialist Alex Perkins at aperkins@csusm.edu or (760) 750-8895.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The recognition is a testament to Pantoja’s outstanding leadership and significant contributions to the advancement of the Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) Club, Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

Electrical engineering professor Reza Kamali noted that Pantoja’s dedication and initiative has played a pivotal role in fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for aspiring engineers, thereby enriching the engineering community. Her efforts have not only facilitated greater engagement among her peers but have also served to inspire and empower the next generation of engineering leaders.

It is the second straight year that a CSUSM student received the President’s Citation. Sean Resor was honored in 2023.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

After graduating from the university in December 2013, Anderson was scheduled to walk the following spring, but her husband’s military assignment to Japan combined with the Cocos Fire to scuttle her plan.

Anderson will have not one, not two, but three chances to rectify that disappointment in the near future. All three of her children followed in her footsteps and are on track to join her as CSUSM alumni within the next 18 months.

Ian Anderson, the middle child at 22, is a senior who will graduate with an electrical engineering degree in May.

Mason Anderson, the oldest at 23, is a second-semester junior who’s set to earn a degree in management information systems in December 2024.

And Miah Anderson, the youngest at 20, is in her first semester at CSUSM after transferring from Vanguard University. A kinesiology major, she’s due to graduate in May 2025.

“It feels surreal,” Bridget said. “I am so incredibly proud of my kids. I can’t believe that they’re all going to the same university that I went to.”

Bridget enrolled at CSUSM in 2009, when all three of her children were in elementary school and she finally had time to devote to her education. But the challenges were many. Soon after she started, the family moved from Camp Pendleton to Murrieta, and not only did she have to make the hour-long commute to San Marcos, but she had to squeeze all her classes into the periods between when she dropped the kids off in the morning and picked them up in the afternoon.

“It was a lot,” she said. “Sometimes I was on campus every day, Monday through Friday, because I didn't have the option of taking an evening class. There were many late nights and sleepless nights.”

Making the situation even more trying was that Bridget’s husband, Jason, served multiple Marine deployments in the Middle East, leaving her as the sole parent and without a ready outlet to vent her frustrations and emotional struggles. If she felt overtaxed, however, she did an exemplary job of shielding it from her kids.

“She’s such a strong woman,” Miah said. “She put on a brave face, and I never really felt when she was stressed out. I felt just like a normal kid.”

Bridget earned a degree in liberal studies with a focus on elementary education. After teaching for a few years, she decided to change her career path during the pandemic, taking advantage of the explosion of online learning to pursue a master’s in social work from Arizona State. She finished the program in August 2022, and after serving as a social work intern in the Borrego Springs school district, she accepted a job last summer as a behavioral health clinician with Indian Health Council. She now does therapy for members of the nine federally recognized American Indian tribes in the North County region.

It's a particularly meaningful role for Bridget, who is half Navajo and was born and raised in Flagstaff, Ariz., just southwest of the enormous Navajo Nation that encompasses parts of three states. Her mother grew up in Navajo Nation and was sent to Indian boarding school, and Bridget remembers going to powwows and visiting relatives on the reservation.

“We were always involved,” she said.

Her children had a different experience, though, as the itinerant nature of military life caused the family’s ties to American Indian culture to unravel. Bridget made a concerted effort to reconnect with her roots at CSUSM by taking several courses taught by Joely Proudfit, the chair of American Indian studies and the director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC) at the university.

Now Bridget is encouraging her kids to tap into their heritage as well. Along with their mom, all three of the siblings this fall attended a community welcome for the CICSC, where they spoke with Proudfit and Ilianna Ramirez, the new American Indian student success coordinator. They also either have joined or shown interest in joining the American Indian Student Alliance (AISA).

“I identify as a Native American, but it’s not anything I’ve put a lot of effort into being connected to,” Ian said. “That’s something I’m trying to change.”

Said Miah: “AISA is a really good community to be aligned with because they’re so accepting. They understand that everyone comes from a different background and that being connected with your culture is important. They try to create a comfortable and safe space for students to come into.”

While they go through the process of securing their American Indian census numbers, Mason, Ian and Miah are enjoying their time as students at CSUSM. Mason is a Marine Corps reservist who aims to enter the field of cybersecurity. Ian is part of the university’s first cohort of electrical engineering students (president of the electrical engineering club, to boot), and he plans to pursue a master’s in the discipline. Miah, who transferred to CSUSM because she liked its size and sense of community, wants to become a physical therapist.

All three are commuting from the family home in Murrieta, though Bridget jokes that she wishes they would carpool more. Their divergent schedules mean that their on-campus interactions sometimes consist of little more than high-fiving each other on the way to or from the parking lot.

“But all being at CSUSM does bring us closer together,” Mason said. “When we’re home now, we know what each other are going through, and we can see each other thrive in different ways. We’re all going to be doing our own thing soon, so it’s nice to be able to soak in our last hurrah as siblings living together and going to college together.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

The College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) partnered with Google for two events, “Building Your Technical Career” and “Google Life of a Software Engineer,” in an effort to teach students how to maximize every year they pursue an education at Cal State San Marcos.

Over 225 students were served and received personalized advice about their resumes, technical interviews and recruiter relationships. Many attendees were first- and second-year students majoring in computer science and computer engineering.

During the sessions, Jianfeng “Jeff” Ren, software engineer and project manager for Google Pixel cameras; Moses Derkalousdian, Google software engineer; and Jeremy Ong, Google program manager, provided tools that would equip students to be ready for internships and full-time opportunities.

A longstanding campus partner, Google continually goes above and beyond for students, each time creating a meaningful experience.

The 2½-hour sessions this semester inspired confidence and a go-getting professional outlook. Students often enjoy learning from professionals who work at Google’s San Diego campus because they receive insight about what a career in the field really looks like, then they receive the tools and knowledge about how to obtain an internship or career opportunity, including professional availabilities opening next summer.

“Having Google here made a positive impact on my conception of applying to intimidating internships, and it provided a solid guideline for optimizing my university years,” said Gabriel Tellez Ornelas, a software engineering student and the president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers student organization.

“I hope that this event advances the relationship between our campus and Google so that students can receive further insights and opportunities.”

CSTEM looks forward to hosting Google representatives in the future and to the prospect of establishing even more professional relationships with STEM industry leaders.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Nademi excitedly picked up the tools he often watched his father and grandfather utilize in their pursuit of solutions and began melding the various coils into unique shapes. His family's household necessities like the television or cars were never broken for long, as the cross-generational hands went to work and creative wheels began to turn. Although his father was a teacher and his grandfather was an electrician, the family was pivotal in Nademi’s career pursuit.  

Today, years later, he works as an assistant professor in electrical engineering at Cal State San Marcos.  His projects look a little different nowadays, but they still encompass everything he fell in love with at that young, elementary-school age.  

Using his expertise in renewable energy, Nademi fills much of his time working with his students on four projects, each operational on their own but will also fit together interdisciplinary. The base of the project is an unused golf cart, which has been converted to be operational by a battery or solar energy, while the battery is being charged by solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. When the battery is used on the golf cart and if there’s enough sunlight, the cart would essentially self-charge while operating. 

Next, he’s building a microgrid system composed of battery modules as energy storage, solar PV panels and a residential small wind turbine. This battery could be charged from not only solar energy but wind energy as well. Nademi has made this one of the focuses of his research because an efficient control scheme for stable and reliable operation of such a microgrid system is an industry-open challenge. 

The different energy resources of this microgrid systems would all work together to allow the golf cart motor to power on, drive, and be recharged. These operations would also be influenced by solar panels mounted on the cart or on a ground mounting kit, next to the golf cart. 

The third project investigates onshore and/or offshore wind farm energy systems.  

And, inspired by the way elephants swim, the fourth project is a marine energy prototype:  a four-cylinder piston that pulls from ocean or sea waves to create compressed air. This air would eventually generate electricity that could be used to power up system lights in the ocean or transferred to power an electricity utility power grid, like what SDG&E uses.

These types of projects are important because innovating the way energy is used is essential to the world’s current climate crisis. Given that the golf cart objective is successful, these operations could actually be transferred to a different type of vehicle, such as an electric vehicle.  

“In the age of digitalization and fast-moving technologies, there are many challenges on implementation of renewable energy resources. This also means that there are big opportunities for our students, as future workforces address those challenges,” said Nademi. “The distributed renewable energy and electrified transportations are profoundly changing our daily lives… and this is a worldwide trend.” 

On all projects, Nademi prioritizes working with his students and exposing them to hands-on experiences that offer them skillsets in demand in their future professional careers. He teaches them through multiple courses that are of value to a number of industries. Because of this, every student in the first class of electrical engineering students who graduated in spring 2023 received job offers.

Christopher Lee and Peter Klarwein are among the first students to work on the golf cart project since its approval and delivery in November 2022.  

“Chris and I are definitely learning a lot in the process of working on these types of projects,” said Klarwein. “Right now, we're pretty much just installing everything, which has been challenging because we've run into a lot of hiccups.” 

“Nademi has been really great and really helpful when we run into these problems. I’ve learned a lot and working with him, and he makes me want to be a better person.” 

Nademi believes that it is his purpose in academia to do everything he can to help students reach their full potential. California is a pioneering exemplary state in integration of renewable energy resources worldwide. Electrical engineers are also needed to help the southwest part of the United States suffering from a drought or replace fossil fuels with distributed energy resources to combat climate change.   

“These are big opportunities for our students and this skillset is lacking in the workforce development efforts,” said Nademi. “I believe that the future of nations depends on the success of our current students and my mission, as a faculty member working in this area, is to provide an opportunity for my students to gain the necessary knowledge in partnership with industry and develop key technologies, the student-centered learning approach.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The CSUSM team of Thomas Handzel, Miguel Lopez, Fares Alhabardi and Alin Hanna competed in the event that’s hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy and took place May 7-9 in Washington, D.C. They are a multidisciplinary group of upperclassmen majoring in electrical engineering, software engineering, physics and business.

Their faculty mentor is Hamed Nademi, an assistant professor of electrical engineering. Nademi has been working on wave energy converter applications since 2020 and has built the Marine Energy team at CSUSM. He runs a Sustainable and Interactive Technologies & Energy (SITE) lab focusing on renewable energy integration, microgrids, transportation electrification and marine power grids.

The same student quartet also was selected as one of 20 teams nationwide in the 2024 MECC. They are among only three groups from California State University.

The CSUSM team focuses on exploring the feasibility of supplying power from wave energy to the Poseidon desalination plant in Carlsbad. Using a prototype made with a 3D printer, the students conducted tests in the kinesiology department’s surf pool, which has the capability to generate wave profiles with various speeds. The experiments allowed the team to ascertain the functional behavior of the wave energy converter to refine the design variables, values and dimensions. 

The team’s next step is to build a metal-based prototype with a generator and power electronics converters to generate DC and/or AC power for non-grid or grid-connected applications. It will receive a $20,000 grant from the Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the 2024 competition.

The team also includes three senior students (Miguel Molina, Jessi Angeles and Victor Gomez) who are part of the first cohort to graduate from CSUSM's electrical engineering program. They have been working on hardware development of a power electronics converter to provide electricity from ocean waves compatible with a wall power outlet.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

In 2019, Kamali considered the ideal pathway for the program; he led by defining a modern pathway for electrical engineering. This included establishing a curriculum with 18 courses, helping to renovate the Viasat Engineering Pavilion to facilitate 12 laboratory courses, each with cutting-edge technologies, and becoming the founding adviser for three student organizations. He accomplished this all while fostering relationships with local industries and creating a distinguished reputation for CSUSM, the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM), and most importantly, electrical engineering students.  

“We can proudly say that here in San Diego County, we have one of the most modern undergraduate programs in electrical engineering with one of the best laboratories for undergraduate students in the entire country,” said Jackie Trischman, dean of CSTEM.  

It is for these reasons, and many more, that Kamali has earned the prestigious Outstanding Leadership in Engineering Award from the San Diego County Engineering Council. 

“Dr. Kamali is a powerful voice for engineering both on our campus and in the community. More than that, he is a believer in the power of education to transform lives,” said Trischman, who nominated Kamali for the award. “He is a kind man and a supportive mentor and colleague. We are honored to have him on our faculty in CSTEM.”

In May, the program will graduate its first class of 20 students, and since fall 2019, the enrollment in the electrical engineering program has increased. In the 2022-23 academic year, over 115 students started the pathway in the program, a vast increase from Kamali’s initial goal of 60 enrollments for the fourth year of the program. 

This growth has prevailed over many obstacles -- short staffing due to hiring freezes, COVID-19 restrictions, and developing curricula in a broad array of electrical engineering disciplines, such as communication systems and circuits, power and renewable energy, control systems, integrated digital circuits and systems, signal processing, etc.  

Before joining CSUSM, Kamali had prior experience founding programs at other institutions, but he always had a few other faculty members to help. However, due to hiring freezes in place because of COVID-19, Kamali primarily did everything on his own in terms of classroom and laboratory curriculum development for two years.  

COVID-19 stay-at-home protocols also created a challenge, as Kamali and his students didn’t have access to any of the laboratories. Kamali navigated this by quickly acquiring tools and programs that would allow the students to set up at-home laboratories within just two weeks. Because of his diligence, COVID-19 restrictions caused no gaps within the curriculum. In fact, enrollment increased.  

Throughout these challenges, Kamali worked to ensure CSUSM electrical engineering students would receive every opportunity they needed to be successful. To his surprise, the program never slowed down even when he faced adversity.  

Many individuals within CSTEM attribute the success to Kamali’s care for each student. His motto is to “empower students to be leaders in the future.”  

“Every individual student matters to me and deserves special care,” Kamali said. “This is what equity means to me. Everyone has different needs that require different care, so when I see any student struggling, I sit with them to find solutions and make sure they are on the right path. … In terms of knowledge and coursework, even the weakest student is very important to me.”  

“If they’re successful, I’m successful. If they tell me they got a job, I share it with everyone and even tell my family because it makes me so happy.” 

One of the many ways that Kamali helps these students is through student-led organizations. There are six organizations centered around engineering, each requiring an adviser. Kamali is the founding adviser of the Electrical Engineering Club, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM), an international organization that creates and disseminates affordable solutions to neglected challenges of people living with disabilities, the elderly and the poor. He is also involved in supporting the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM)

Through CSUSM’s TOM chapter, Kamali has taught his members responsibility and given them a purpose: to go into the community and solve issues. One way they do this is through finding solutions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder while partnering with TERI Campus of Life, an organization that brings together children and adults with disabilities, their families and the community.  

“Currently, we are working to take a pair of safety glasses and add a Wi-Fi push button, so that if the individual faces a challenge or thinks they’re in trouble, they can push that button and through Wi-Fi, a signal will be delivered to someone who can help them,” Kamali said.  

“More than being successful, it matters that our students learn to be responsible. We are empowering them to do good – socio-economically, sustainability and environmentally.”  

Kamali continuously provides services to students that will impact the community and increase the diversity of the program, thus improving equity. In the future, Kamali also plans to expand the program and obtain ABET accreditation.  

“For the first couple of years, our engineering program was Dr. Kamali. Every success we have and everything our students have accomplished is due to the fact that he is collaborative, dedicated and hard-working,” said Stephen Tsui, an associate professor and former physics department chair.  

“It is monumental to be the first engineer of a program, and his impact is the reason why we have electrical engineering in North County. No one is more deserving of receiving recognition for outstanding leadership in engineering.”  

Kamali humbly notes that this is not an award he receives as an individual, but it is an award for everyone who has built and supported the program, for CSUSM, and for the entire engineering community.  

“This award means a lot to the community of engineering that we are creating,” Kamali said. “It shows that our institution is on the right path. And it shows that we are not alone; people are supporting what we’re doing.”  

This award will be presented during the 72^nd annual San Diego Engineers Week Awards Banquet on Sunday, Feb. 19.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Resor has had a rather untraditional academic journey, as he began classes at CSUSM at age 32 after transferring from Palomar College. Formerly a pre-nursing major, Resor spent 3½ years working for the National Health Service in England. It was there that he discovered a love for health care, in particular health care that everyone can afford. 

Upon returning to the U.S., Resor was looking for a career change, but remained committed to giving back to a community in some way. It was the game Dungeons & Dragons that made him settle on engineering, as both involve solving problems within a given set of rules or constraints, something that he finds immensely satisfying.

Since spring 2021, Resor has invested time in building his résumé as an Engineering Summer Bridge Scholar and student assistant, radiation effects research intern with Space Micro, engineering peer mentor/student assistant, and collaborator with Modulim. At CSUSM, he also serves as the treasurer of Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM); holds officer roles in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE); is the former treasurer and a current member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), was a member of the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC) team; and is part of the CSTEM Student Organization Council. 

Resor’s can-do attitude makes his involvement in each of these organizations seem effortless, but it didn’t start that way.

“I’m an introvert who has social anxiety and is afraid of public speaking,” Resor said. “A year ago, I would’ve never done some of the things that I’ve been able to do. But being in clubs and working with my academic adviser has taught me how to be more confident.”

He invests this attribute in his peers, particularly those in oSTEM, a student-led organization for LGBTQA+ individuals and allies in STEM majors or fields. The organization was founded in spring 2021 by former students Ciara Sanders and Elizabeth “Eli” Murguia, with advising from mathematics professor Kimberly Ayers (she/her).

“Sean has put an incredible amount of work into growing our oSTEM chapter and engaging with other students,” Ayers said. “I’ve been incredibly impressed with the way he’s been able to work with the other students. The way they speak about him, I can tell they’re inspired by his work and his action on campus.”

As treasurer, Resor is committed to expanding the organization by increasing membership, gaining funding, setting an upward trajectory through a succession plan, broadening representation and, most importantly, helping younger students discover and/or understand their sexuality.

“I love giving people advice because the LGBTQA+ community now is very different from when I was growing up,” Resor said. “When I was in high school, we had Gay-Straight Alliance, but there were no older queer people who could be mentors in that space, in part because such a large number of them died during the AIDS epidemic.

“Back then, it was not accepted to talk about that sort of stuff nearly as much as it is now. It makes me a little sad for past Sean that he didn’t get to have someone to look up to and talk to in that space, but also, I’m so happy that today there is LGBTQA+ representation all over the place.”

As an electrical engineering major, Resor is also highly involved within his degree and advocates for representation in the space. Founded in 2020, electrical engineering is the newest CSTEM program, and Resor will be among the first to graduate from it in May.

“Most people assume that the small size of the program means that it's going to have an equally small number of opportunities, but that has not been my experience at all,” he said. “There's way more going on than anyone can take advantage of, and I’m so grateful for my time in the program.”

Jeffrey Morales (he/him), CSTEM pathways adviser, was integral in the program’s success for many reasons, including instilling a goal among the diverse pool of students to complete the program and invest their time in extracurriculars with the explicit goal of obtaining a job.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with many students who were driven and wanted to take on a challenge or gain leadership development that employers are looking for,” Morales said. “Students like Sean have been the face and the voice of this successful engineering program.”

This mindset of being “clear, concise and confident” has been fundamental for many students, including Resor, driving them to go above and beyond the classroom by taking advantage of all the opportunities that CSUSM provides. One of the ways Resor does so is by working with Morales as a student assistant for electrical engineering and as a mentor for incoming freshman and transfer students as part of the Summer Bridge Program.

“I hired Sean because he had an eager drive to get more involved and to better prepare himself to land an internship or job offer before he graduated,” Morales said. “He seemed to want to connect with industry folks before even starting his first semester here at CSUSM.”

This characteristic has carried with Resor throughout his academic journey, and especially as he began exploring his senior project. A requirement of an electronic engineering degree at CSUSM is to participate in the Engineering Capstone Design program. Over the span of 10 months, students collaborate with industry sponsors and/or mentors with the goal of producing a product or prototype. The success of the project relies heavily on collaboration as well as students' motivation to align the project to their career passion.

Students typically wait until the spring of their senior year to select their sponsor and/or mentor from a list of CSTEM and CSUSM industry partners. But Resor found his own industry mentor and began working toward the project during the summer before his senior year.  

David J. Cuccia, founder and chief technology officer of Modulim, a medical equipment manufacturer in Irvine, developed a system called Clarifi, which preserves tissue health by scanning a patient’s skin to show what their tissue oxygenation or circulation is like beneath. This empowers clinicians with microvascular data with which they can make clinical decisions that prevent lower limb complications due to diabetes, kidney disease and peripheral arterial disease, which approximately 61 million people in the U.S. are at risk for, according to Modulim.

As part of the capstone design program, Resor and his classmate, Sean Hartshorn, are collaborating with Cuccia and other engineering professionals at Modulim to develop a new generation of Clarifi device, one that would make it more affordable for clinicians and therefore more accessible to patients. In this way, Resor can bring his enthusiasm for affordable health care into his work, even if he no longer provides care for patients directly. Being able to draw on his previous health care experience is the sort of continuity that he finds satisfying.

Resor is able to work on large-scale projects like this partly because of his experience as an intern at Space Micro, an engineering-driven small business focused on technology advancement for high-reliability satellite subsystems. There, Resor takes off-the-shelf parts and undergoes a series of problem-solving techniques to get advancements to where they can withstand the radiation in space. He regularly goes on test runs that cost over $50,000 to conduct potentially destructive tests using a cyclotron, a particle accelerator that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and energies. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are only 1,500 cyclotron facilities around the world, with only 249 in the United States and 50 available as academic/research sites.

“The cyclotron sets magnets to accelerate ions of specific elements and eventually shoots them out as beams,” Resor said. “Those ions irradiate devices and strip electrons from what they pass through, therefore making it radioactive. The heavier the element, the more potentially destructive it is.  So if your beam is made up of helium ions, it’s kind of like throwing feathers at your test device, whereas if you use something heavy like xenon, it’s more like throwing bowling balls.”

Being part of such projects is rare for students and interns. Resor plans to continue to make large waves in the industry (he has already received two soft job offers before graduating next spring) and at the university as he invests his time and skills in the success of his peers, student organizations and the electrical engineering program at large.

“Sean is a person who takes initiative and is always proactive in all activities,” Morales said. “He takes the time to maintain a strong work ethic in his academics, extracurriculars and personal endeavors.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The pavilion is named in honor of the Carlsbad-based company that provided a $1.5 million gift to become the founding partner of CSUSM’s electrical and software engineering programs. Viasat’s gift helped the university renovate classroom and lab space, purchase new equipment and instrumentation, and support the work of students and faculty.

“Building engineering at CSUSM has been, from the start, about creating the very best program possible to help foster a diverse talent pipeline,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said.

Neufeldt is scheduled to speak at the ribbon-cutting ceremony along with Kevin Harkenrider, Viasat executive vice president and chief operating officer; and Jackie Trischman, interim dean of CSUSM's College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM).

The ceremonial ribbon-cutting had previously been scheduled for March 2020, but had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. From Aug. 10, 2020 until June 30, 2021, the Viasat Engineering Pavilion was used by San Diego County as a walk-up COVID-19 testing site.

The Viasat Engineering Pavilion is located in the former Foundation Classroom Building, which was home to CSUSM’s Extended Learning program before the opening of the new Extended Learning Building in fall 2019. The first phase of the Viasat Engineering Pavilion renovation, creating software and electrical engineering labs and a collaborative space, was completed in August 2019. The second phase – which created offices, the Hunter Design Lab and the Nordson Innovation Lab – was completed in February 2020.

Viasat has been a longtime supporter of numerous programs across CSUSM, and the company has been an especially strong supporter of the university’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

“Viasat has been such an important partner for CSUSM for many years, and the company’s generous support has played a vital role in the launch and ongoing success of our engineering programs,” Trischman said. “Although it’s happening two years later than we expected and hoped, we’re grateful to have this opportunity to celebrate Viasat’s significant contributions.”

Software engineering launched at CSUSM in fall 2018, and electrical engineering followed in fall 2019.

What: Ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate opening of Viasat Engineering Pavilion, home to CSUSM’s electrical and software engineering programs

When: Noon, Friday, March 11

Where: Viasat Engineering Pavilion on the campus of Cal State San Marcos

An instructional support technician for the engineering program, Jacome was able to set up all of his equipment and have the new space ready for students returning to campus for the spring 2020 semester.

Jacome was in the new space for less than four months when the pandemic hit. And it wasn’t long before he was moving all of his equipment back out to make way for a county-operated COVID-19 testing center at the Viasat Engineering Pavilion.

But Jacome stayed busy during that time, and one of the projects he assisted with to help students work remotely proved so successful that it is becoming a staple of the electrical engineering program even as students return to campus.

“When the pandemic happened, in less than a month we changed our electrical engineering laboratories to remote offering,” electrical engineering professor Reza Kamali said. “To achieve the objectives and outcomes of our courses without any interruption, we put together a package of portable devices and components. Marco was a key person to help me pack the selected tools and components and deliver it to our students.”

Kamali said logistics were particularly difficult during the first month of the pandemic, and Jacome was integral in overcoming those challenges.

Jacome said he and Janine Smock, an instructional support technician for physics, helped package kits that included everything students needed to complete assignments from home while instruction was occurring virtually.

“We didn’t have any interruption of hands-on practices,” Kamali said.

The equipment students received included an Analog Discovery 2, which has an oscilloscope, a wave generator, a power supply and a voltmeter; an analog parts kit, which has all of the components needed to complete labs; a BNC adapter, which is used to connect oscilloscope probes and signal cables; and a multimeter.

“Even though students were on their own, they were still able to practice the mechanics of translating a schematic diagram to actual circuit boards and conducting basic measurements,” said Jacome, who graduated from San Diego State with a bachelor’s in engineering in 2017. “It’s like a full-on lab within a small little device.”

Jacome also created lab instruction videos, which were uploaded to YouTube, to help students better visualize lab practices, learn how to use the equipment remotely and successfully complete their assignments. It was a new experience for Jacome, who had never before produced an instructional video.

“I didn't write a script or anything,” Jacome said. “I was just going off the top of my head, but trying to speak clearly, pronounce my words well, just making sure I had good vocal skills. Once you're on camera, it's a little bit more difficult as opposed to just explaining it to someone in person.”

Although many students have returned to in-person learning this fall, the at-home kits proved so successful that they remain part of the engineering program. The kits are being used to help students taking “EE 100: Introduction to Electrical Engineering” get accustomed to the type of equipment they’ll eventually be using for more advanced courses.

Kamali, who was CSUSM’s lone electrical engineering faculty member at the peak of the pandemic, said Jacome’s work was essential in providing students technical instruction.

“With his help, we were able to improve our retention and enrollment even during the pandemic,” Kamali said.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The grant is funded at just under $1 million a year over five years, beginning Oct. 1. It’s part of the Hispanic-Serving Institutions – Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (HSI-STEM) Program, which is designed to increase the number of Hispanic and/or low-income students attaining STEM degrees.  

This HSI-STEM grant will build on a similar award that CSUSM received in 2016. That one, which totaled almost $6 million over five years, provided the funding to launch software and electrical engineering programs at CSUSM, create articulation and transfer agreements in engineering between partner two-year colleges and CSUSM, and build an “ecosystem of student success” for engineering majors.  

An ecosystem of student success is the intentional and strategic integration of campus resources (people, services and activities) to reduce the complexities that students face in learning about and benefiting from campus resources that support student success and degree completion. 

The new grant will expand on the engineering effort in CSUSM’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) by: 

• Establishing an ecosystem of student success for each STEM degree from enrollment to graduation, in an inclusive and equitable environment. Components of each ecosystem will include advising, peer mentoring, faculty mentoring, student learning communities, and solidifying a sense of belonging for all majors.   

• Developing a computer engineering degree program to complement the electrical and software engineering programs that were created through the 2016 grant.  

• Further developing industry partnerships that will include co-operative education and provide students with industry internship opportunities. Co-operative education allows students to apply classroom learning and theory to periods of paid full-time employment as they earn their degree.   

• Partnering with community colleges to recruit students to CSTEM and developing summer bridge programs for transfer students and incoming freshmen to integrate them into the CSTEM community. 

• Increasing the number of Hispanic and/or low-income students attaining STEM degrees. 

“I am very excited about the new programs and partnerships that will be possible with the support of this grant,” said Jackie Trischman, the interim dean of CSTEM and a longtime professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “Not only will we expand our college’s degree options in the high-demand computer engineering field, but we will also continue our work to create a more responsive, inclusive and service-minded college and university.” 

The project leaders for the grant will be Suzanne Hizer, a biology lecturer who has worked with multiple grant programs designed to support inclusivity, equity and student success in STEM; and Stephen Tsui, an associate professor of physics and chair of the department. Ricardo D. Fierro, associate dean of CSTEM and project director for the previous grant, led the working group that developed the main ideas of the current proposal. 

CSUSM is one of 33 HSIs in California that received funding from the Department of Education for STEM programs. The other two such institutions in San Diego County are San Diego State and San Diego City College.  

“As a proud graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a degree in mechanical engineering, I know firsthand the value of STEM education,” U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said in announcing the grants. “This funding for HSIs across California — from community colleges to universities — will help build upon the success of their STEM educational programming. Diversity in the research environment drives scientific discovery; that’s why I’m supporting a government-wide push to increase equity in STEM education. A more diverse STEM pipeline is key to maintaining America’s leadership in innovation and promise of educational opportunity for all.” 

The competition, which is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, provides college students with “real-world experience and industry connections that will help them prepare for future careers in the marine energy sector and the blue economy.”

CSUSM is partnering with New Mexico State for the competition.

In its third year, the competition will have teams create a market-research-supported business plan; develop, design and test technologies; and build and test their device to achieve energy production.

Reza Kamali, an associate professor of electrical engineering, said the competition opportunity was possible with the assistance of Hamed Nademi, a faculty member at New Mexico State who is joining CSUSM this summer.

Nademi said wave energy is the most abundant form of renewable energy with a relatively high power density and readily available along the coasts.

“In some regions, this resource is large enough to form a significant part of the energy mix,” Nademi said. “To effectively and efficiently connect any of the marine technologies to the existing electrical infrastructure, either onshore or offshore, a power conversion system needs to be developed for the proper conditioning of the wave energy to be delivered.

“Rethinking the traditional rules and methods is required for the design and assembly of a marine electrical power network that needs a novel skill set for future workforces. This is an extra benefit of bringing electrical engineering students to this DOE 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. It stimulates students to pursue further studies in any area of STEM-related disciplines while simultaneously engaging them in the design, simulation and 3D printing experiments.”

Communication professor part of U.S. delegation on HIV/AIDS

Communication professor Andrew Spieldenner was selected to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations High Level Meeting (HLM) on HIV/AIDS from June 8-10.

This is the fourth HLM meeting, which is held every five years, since the UN General Assembly adopted its Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in 2001. One of the objectives of this week’s meeting will be to review progress on commitments made at the 2016 HLM toward ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

Spieldenner also was recently named one of the Eastern Communication Association Teaching Fellows for 2021. The teaching fellows program recognizes a distinguished career of teaching excellence in the field of communication.

Honors for School of Education alumni

Three alumni from the School of Education were recently honored with teacher of the year awards:

• Sheila Gromm received the Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award for the North County Consortium of Special Education, which comprises 14 school districts in North San Diego County.
• Michael Mueller, an education specialist at Twin Oaks High School in San Marcos, was named San Marcos Unified School District Teacher of the Year Secondary.
• Sierra Thernes, an education specialist at Calavera Hills Elementary School in Carlsbad, was named Teacher of the Year in the Carlsbad Unified School District.

Recognition for nursing program

The nursing program has been ranked 21^st on College Values Online’s “30 Best Online RN to BSN Programs for 2021.”

College Values Online’s methodology includes tuition costs, return on investment, scholarship availability, accelerated program availability and online student support.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

CSUSM launched its software engineering program in fall 2018 and electrical engineering (EE) in fall 2019 thanks to a $6 million, HSI STEM grant from the U.S. Department of Education, a $1.5 million gift from Carlsbad-based communications company Viasat and its employees, a $100,000 gift from San Marcos-based Hunter Industries and a $100,000 gift from Nordson.

The supplemental award will help with the ongoing transition to virtual learning in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proposal for the supplemental award notes the importance of adapting EE laboratories “to the COVID-19 environment and engage students with experiential laboratory practices at their home without interruption so that they can make progress toward their degree and build their early identity as an engineer (in the lower-division EE courses), which in turn feeds their motivation to persist in the major.”

Ways in which the funds will be used include:

• Training Systems for AC and DC Electric Power Machines and Systems. This system is required to teach EE 310 Electrical Power Systems. Power is one of the most challenging laboratories to be offered online, and this laboratory system comes with a simulation tool to model the exact electric machine in use.
• Control System Laboratory, for EE 420 and EE 280. These laboratory tools can be used remotely, and students will work with a real control system.
• CSUSM needs four additional software packages to offer laboratory and course works using simulation in several courses: for EE 210, EE 330, EE 430, EE 110, EE 280, and EE 435.

The project’s overarching goal, according to the proposal, is to make an effective and immediate transition of the EE program into an online/hybrid program, offering laboratory practices using online, remote and take-home kits. The new laboratory activities are aiming to improve retention and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the students’ skill, innovation and interest.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Cal State San Marcos will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon on Friday, March 20 to celebrate the grand opening of the university’s Viasat Engineering Pavilion.

The pavilion is named in honor of the Carlsbad-based company that provided a $1.5 million gift to become the founding partner of CSUSM’s electrical and software engineering programs. Viasat’s gift helped the university renovate classroom and lab space, purchase new equipment and instrumentation, and support the work of students and faculty.

“Building engineering at CSUSM has been, from the start, about creating the very best program possible to help foster a diverse talent pipeline,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said.

Neufeldt, Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg and CSUSM College of Science and Mathematics Dean Katherine Kantardjieff are among the scheduled speakers for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Viasat Engineering Pavilion is located in the former Foundation Classroom Building, which was home to CSUSM’s Extended Learning program before the opening of the new Extended Learning Building last fall. The first phase of the Viasat Engineering Pavilion renovation – creating software and electrical engineering labs and a collaborative space – was completed in August. The second phase, which created offices, the Hunter Design Lab and the Nordson Innovation Lab, was completed last month.

Viasat has been a longtime supporter of numerous programs across CSUSM, and the company has been an especially strong supporter of the university’s College of Science and Mathematics.

“Viasat is engaged with CSUSM and our community for the common good, moving forward together to enhance the intellectual and economic life of our region and the state,” Kantardjieff said. “Viasat believes in the university’s importance in our region’s success. It has recognized CSUSM as the four-year university in North County, and it has helped the College of Science and Mathematics build our brand and identity as a hub and a catalyst for workforce development and technical innovation.”

Software engineering launched at CSUSM in fall 2018, and electrical engineering followed in fall 2019. The engineering program already has enrolled more than 125 students.

What: Ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate grand opening of Viasat Engineering Pavilion, home to CSUSM’s electrical and software engineering programs

When: Noon, Friday, March 20

Where: Viasat Engineering Pavilion on the campus of Cal State San Marcos

Parking: For driving directions, campus map and parking fees, visit the CSUSM Parking Guide

The name change recognizes the $1.5 million gift from Viasat and several of its employees to become the founding partner of CSUSM’s engineering program. Viasat’s gift is helping the university renovate classroom and lab space, purchase new equipment and instrumentation, and support the work of students and faculty.

“The Viasat Engineering Pavilion will be a focal point of pioneering our software and electrical engineering programs, an incubator for development, and a gateway to the future for our students,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said.

The Foundation Classroom Building was built in 1998 and was home to CSUSM’s Extended Learning program before the opening of the new Extended Learning Building last month. The first phase of the Viasat Engineering Pavilion renovation – creating software and electrical engineering labs and a collaborative space – was completed in August. The second phase, which will create offices and the Hunter Design Lab, will begin in October and will be completed in January.

“We at Viasat believe that diverse ways of thinking and collaboration will help solve global challenges,” said Simon Kuo, vice president, corporate quality at ViaSat. “Partnerships like this foster the innovation, inspiration and growth necessary for the future of our region. We are proud to have our name associated with the university’s engineering program.”

Viasat has been a longtime supporter of numerous programs across CSUSM, and the company has been an especially strong supporter of the university’s College of Science and Mathematics.

“Viasat is engaged with CSUSM and our community for the common good, moving forward together to enhance the intellectual and economic life of our region and the state,” said Katherine Kantardjieff, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. “Viasat believes in the university’s importance in our region’s success. It has recognized CSUSM as the four-year university in North County, and it has helped the College of Science and Mathematics build our brand and identity as a hub and a catalyst for workforce development and technical innovation.”

Carlsbad-based Viasat is one of the largest employers in the region and employs many CSUSM graduates in several of its divisions.

“It has been inspiring for us to see – and be part of – the launch of engineering at the university,” Kuo said. “As a member of the advisory council for the College of Science and Mathematics, I saw how the engineering program started, from early conversations about vision to implementation to seeing the Engineering Pavilion become a reality.”

Software engineering launched at CSUSM in fall 2018 and electrical engineering followed this past August. The engineering program already has enrolled more than 125 students, 34% of whom are Hispanic.

“Perhaps the biggest contribution to our future workforce is the work that Viasat is doing with CSUSM to develop signature engineering programs that address critical workforce needs,” Kantardjieff said. “Viasat’s major financial gift to our new engineering programs indicates a shared commitment to building a regional comprehensive university that meets the needs of our region and the state. Today, with Viasat’s support, we offer engineering programs of exceptional quality that are providing transformational and life-changing opportunities for our students.”

About California State University San Marcos

Building on an innovative 29-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange counties.

The University enrolls more than 16,000 students. With approximately 2,000 employees, the institution is a Great College to Work For® (The Chronicle of Higher Education). As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014 — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

The program’s founding faculty member came to CSUSM in August from Utah Valley University, where he served as an associate professor in the Department of Engineering, and before that as a faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Rowan University in New Jersey.

Starting from scratch, Kamali-Sarvestani said, allows for opportunities that more established programs lack, and electrical engineering students will conduct cutting-edge experiments using advanced equipment and software available in a new Electronics Lab.

“Everything is new,” he said. “This is a field that is changing rapidly, and we’re looking to become a program that is innovative and advanced and in line with our evolving world and the advances in engineering.”

Electrical engineering is one of two new degree options in the Engineering Department, the other being software engineering, which got off the ground last year.

Kamali-Sarvestani certainly has the chops for the job. His research interest focuses on design and fabrication of wearable and flexible electronic circuits and components, and he is currently working on transparent electronic circuits and advanced VLSI design. As an educator, he studies the application of virtual reality for teaching and practices in nanotechnology. Before that he studied radio frequency microelectromechanical (RF-MEMS) circuits and components, and he earned his doctorate in this field from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2011.

Former co-workers say CSUSM has landed a talent.

“Reza is a very considerate person, truly dedicated to the students’ well-being, and very understanding,” said Dr. Robi Polikar, department head at Rowan University’s Electrical and Computer Engineering program. “Students here enjoyed having him as their professor.”

CSUSM launched its engineering program thanks to a $6 million, Hispanic Serving Institutions STEM grant from the U.S. Department of Education, a $1.5 million gift from Carlsbad-based communications company Viasat and its employees, and a $100,000 gift from San Marcos-based Hunter Industries.

The engineering program is tailored to appeal to the CSUSM’s uniquely diverse student populations, including recent high school graduates, community college transfers who make up nearly half the student body and local residents with ties to the region’s strong military presence.

Demand is strong. Electrical engineering jobs nationally are expected to grow 7% through 2024 and grew by more than 77% in a five-year period through 2017. That growth, according to a CSUSM program proposal form, is largely attributed to a demand for individuals who can design, test, install and maintain large-scale electronic equipment or machinery used in manufacturing or power generation or transmission.

Electrical engineers earn an average salary in excess of $102,000 annually in San Diego County, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, but experienced engineers can make significantly more.

As a founding faculty member, Kamali-Sarvestani’s responsibilities include organizing the design of instructional labs, recruiting future faculty, directing scheduling and enrollment planning, working with industry and community partners in establishing senior capstone projects, crafting an active research program for undergraduates, teaching undergraduate courses and updating the curriculum.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s very exciting,” he said.

Lower division courses include 36 units of physics, mathematics and science. Upper division courses range from Classical Electromagnetism and Methods for Physicists & Engineers to Embedded Microsystems and Ethics in Engineering. A capstone course and ample opportunity for research also are part of the program.

Approximately 400 students applied to the program. Thirty were selected to take part in the initial cohort that began this fall.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Today, Ashley and Marissa work as mentors to high school students participating in the program, but it wasn’t long ago that both were CodeQueens participants themselves.

“It’s really exciting because most of the girls haven’t been exposed to computers or computer science early,” said Ashley, a second-year computer science student at CSUSM. “It’s a new thing for them, and they might not have been exposed to the field otherwise.”

“CodeQueens has a great impact, the greatest one being exposure to the field,” added Marissa, a first-year software engineering student.

Ashley and Marissa will both be at nearby Mission Hills High School on Saturday for the CodeQueens Showcase, an annual event where participants share the online games they created during the semester. The assignment for this semester’s showcase was to create a game to combat distracted driving.

Eight North County high schools are participating in the showcase from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Mission Hills library. The event is free and open to the public, and prizes will be awarded to participants.

Ashley and Marissa each developed their interest in computer science and software engineering through their time as high school participants in the CodeQueens Club.

While many participants know little about the topic when they join, Ashley wanted to get involved while she was a student at Mission Hills because she had an interest and knew it was something she wanted to pursue in college.

However, she knows that is the exception.

“I think the main reason that girls aren’t going into the field is a lack of exposure to computers,” Ashley said.

Neither computer science nor software engineering were on Marissa’s radar until she joined CodeQueens, and she credits her high school teacher, her CSUSM CodeQueens mentor and CSUSM professor Dr. Youwen Ouyang for providing inspiration to pursue it in college.

Ashley and Marissa are part of a group of student mentors from CSUSM who lead weekly club meetings at North County high schools and teach participants the fundamentals of computer programming while engaging them in activities that build their self-efficacy and identity as programmers and problem-solvers. Ashley spent the semester working with students at Mission Hills and Escondido High while Marissa worked with students at San Marcos High.

“It’s a fun after-school activity,” Marissa said. “And then some of them say, ‘I found out I like computer science and I’m really interested in pursuing it after high school.’ ”

The CodeQueens Club grew out of a National Science Foundation-funded project to help diversify the North County tech workforce. It is a collaboration among CSUSM’s Ouyang (Computer Science Department), Dr. Moses Ochanji (Department of Education) and Dr. Anna Woodcock (Psychology Department).

This is the final year of the three-year grant, which is titled “Inspiring Commitment for STEM Career Paths through Extended Women’s Hackathons.” But Ouyang said they anticipate receiving a one-year extension from NSF and are looking for ways to partner with local organizations to extend the program beyond the NSF funding.

“I’m always amazed by the support from the community,” Ouyang said. “We couldn’t do the showcase without the support of the professionals who come out to help.”

Ouyang has lined up more than a dozen professionals to help at Saturday’s event, including multiple members of CSUSM’s Instructional and Information Technology Services team.

The program has been a tremendous success, not only introducing girls to coding and computer science, but also helping them make connections at CSUSM and continuing efforts to build a more diverse computer science workforce for North County.

“Even the girls who aren’t necessarily looking to get into computer science, even if they’ve decided to pursue something else, it’s a really good experience for them to work in a team and learn to cooperate with other people,” Ashley said. “It’s not about learning all the specific details of computer science, it’s about being able to work together.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Fan is a driving force in developing curriculum for a program that currently has enrolled more than 40 students – with an additional 50 students set to enroll in fall of 2019. He has actively participated in a workshop series titled Empowering Engineers for Success where a team of faculty and mentors meet with students regularly to teach them to learn how to learn. He’s spearheading a software engineering club on campus. He has his sights set on starting a local Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student branch, in which students can be exposed to cutting-edge technologies and professional networking opportunities.

“Our goal is to build a strong software engineering program in which our graduates will be well recognized by industry and academia,” Fan said.

CSUSM launched its engineering program thanks to a $6 million, Hispanic Serving Institutions STEM grant from the U.S. Department of Education, a $1.5 million donation from Carlsbad-based communications company Viasat and its employees, and a $100,000 gift from San Marcos-based Hunter Industries.

Fan is one of the program’s two founding faculty members, the other being Dr. Yongjie Zheng, and the program has been drawing growing interest from students at other universities and area community colleges. Its first graduates will earn their diplomas in the spring of 2021, at which time CSUSM will seek accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

“It is very important to have our engineering programs ABET accredited, software engineering first, followed by electrical engineering,” Fan said. “It can not only help us to hold our education standards high, it will also help our students to establish their eligibility for many federal student loans, grants and/or scholarships.”

Born and raised in Nanyang, China, Fan earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science at Zhengzhou University when personal computers were coming of age. Apple shipped its first handheld computer, the Newton. Intel’s Pentium microprocessor hit the marketplace. But at Zhengzhou, resources were rather limited; the university had only a few computers – almost all of them IBMs – and student access was rationed.

That didn’t thwart Fan.

“I love this discipline,” he said. “It encourages you to think about issues such as computability, scalability, and reusability. It’s simply fascinating.”

His fascination led him to earn a master’s degree in computer science in 1996 and a doctorate in software engineering three years later. With research interests that include employing artificial intelligence to build cognitively-inspired software, he has worked on several projects involving the Army Research Laboratory in developing advanced decision-making systems and has published numerous papers in prestigious journals and conferences. He played key roles in developing teamwork-ready agent architectures, such as CAST, R-CAST and SMMall, and he has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Intelligence, as an associate editor for Intelligent Information Management, and on the technical program committee for many international conferences.

Fan says this is an exciting time for the software engineering industry.

“With the advances of cloud computing and the breakthroughs of artificial intelligence, the demand for high-quality software is ubiquitous and the demand for software engineers can never be overestimated,” he said.

At Pennsylvania State University, Fan helped launch an online software engineering bachelor’s degree and was the lead faculty in the program. Courses he’s teaching at CSUSM include software engineering principles, software architectures and capstone project designs.

“I came here because I wanted to challenge myself in creating something monumental that will have a significant impact in our region and on our industry,” Fan said.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Zheng is one of the program’s first two faculty members, and he has been working on the curriculum and outreach since this past summer. The other inaugural faculty member, Dr. Simon Fan, arrives in January.

“There are an increasing number of universities in the country that have an independent software engineering program, and this is a great opportunity to have an impact on building something new,” Zheng said. “We held outreach workshops, and current students will enroll in upper-division software engineering courses next year. We’re also generating interest from students looking at transferring here from the community colleges.”

CSUSM launched its Bachelor of Science degree program in software engineering thanks to a $6 million Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM grant from the U.S. Department of Education, a $1.5 million donation from Carlsbad-based communications company Viasat and its employees, and a $100,000 gift from San Marcos-based Hunter Industries. The donation is funding the renovation of laboratories and classrooms, purchasing new engineering equipment and instrumentation, and supporting faculty and student work. Construction of a new CSUSM Viasat Engineering Pavilion is now underway.

“Software engineering is a rapidly developing field in which many new software methods and tools are being created,” Zheng said. “It is essential to keep up with the latest research and be able to quickly adapt the latest research into your curriculum. That certainly presents a challenge, but it also provides opportunity. We are excited about the possibilities.”

Zheng’s research interests include software engineering, software architecture, software product lines, and self-adaptive software systems. One of his recent papers (52 pages) titled “Maintaining Architecture-Implementation Conformance to Support Architecture Centrality: From Single System to Product Line Development” was published by the "ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology," a flagship software engineering journal. Zheng has published in several journals, and he has presented at a dozen conference proceedings and workshops across the globe.

He earned his Ph.D. from the School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Irvine in 2012; his master’s degree in computer science from Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2005; and his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Tsinghua University in 2000. It was while he was at the University of California, Irvine that Zheng found his passion.

“I started working on the software engineering research when I was a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine,” Zheng said. “I joined a world-class research group – where the REST architecture style was born – led by my Ph.D. adviser, Professor Richard N. Taylor. I had opportunities to work on some exciting research projects on software architecture. I realized my passion lies in software engineering.”

Zheng launched his career in 2001 as a software engineer at the IBM China Software Development Lab in Shanghai, China.

“I wanted to have industry experience before I pursued my education at graduate school,” he said.

While pursuing his graduate studies, Zheng worked as a research assistant at the University of California, Irvine’s Department of Informatics in 2009, where he also served as a lecturer. After earning his Ph.D., he served as an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for several years.

Zheng noted he is one of several people who are working on the software engineering program. CSUSM Drs. Ricardo Fierro, Youwen Ouyang, Fan, Stephen Tsui and Anna Woodcock, along with CSUSM’s Jeffrey Morales and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Dr. David Janzen, are among the many others.

“Just like the field of software engineering itself, this has been a team effort,” Zheng said. “Collaboration is vital.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Haynes made the announcement during her 14th annual Report to the Community address in front of more than 600 individuals representing a broad cross section of regional business, nonprofit, education and government leadership.

“Their visionary support will create the future Viasat Engineering Pavilion,” Haynes told attendees, “with funding to renovate classroom and lab space, purchase new equipment and instrumentation, and support the work of our faculty and students — quite literally creating pathways to educate the next generation of talented engineers.”

Building on the success and reputation of CSUSM’s Computer Science & Information Systems and Physics programs, the University will begin its Bachelor of Science in software engineering this fall with a degree in electrical engineering anticipated to begin in fall 2019.

“Viasat is engaged with CSUSM and our community for the common good, moving forward together to enhance the intellectual and economic life of our region and the state,” said Katherine Kantardjieff, dean of CSUSM’s College of Science and Mathematics. “Viasat believes in the University’s importance in our region’s success.”

Other private-sector partners are also investing in engineering at CSUSM. San Marcos-based Hunter Industries has made a $100,000 gift to fund a design lab that will be a hub of collaboration, hands-on design and innovation.

“Viasat and Hunter Industries are sending a strong message that an investment in CSUSM is a strong one, with qualified, workforce-ready graduates as the almost immediate return,” Haynes said. “Together, we are stepping forward to expand the boundaries of what is possible, for our University and for our region.”

The gifts from Viasat and Hunter Industries are part of CSUSM’s $50 million campaign, Forward Together, a united effort to prepare tomorrow’s leaders, build great communities and solve critical issues. Learn more about the campaign online.

About California State University San Marcos

Building on an innovative 28-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange Counties.

The University enrolls nearly 17,000 students. With approximately 2,000 employees, the institution is a Great College to Work For® (The Chronicle of Higher Education). As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

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President Karen Haynes announced during her annual Report to the Community address that Carlsbad-based global communications company Viasat, together with several employees, has invested $1.5 million to become the founding partner of the CSUSM engineering program.

“Their visionary support will create the future Viasat Engineering Pavilion,” Haynes told more than 600 attendees, “with funding to renovate classroom and lab space, purchase new equipment and instrumentation, and support the work of our faculty and students — quite literally creating pathways to educate the next generation of talented engineers.”

Building on the success and reputation of CSUSM’s Computer Science & Information Systems and Physics programs, the University will begin its Bachelor of Science in software engineering this fall with a degree in electrical engineering soon to follow.

“Viasat is engaged with CSUSM and our community for the common good, moving forward together to enhance the intellectual and economic life of our region and the state,” said Katherine Kantardjieff, dean of CSUSM’s College of Science and Mathematics. “Viasat believes in the University’s importance in our region’s success.”

Other private-sector partners are also investing in engineering at CSUSM. San Marcos-based Hunter Industries has made a $100,000 gift to fund a design lab that will be a hub of collaboration, hands-on design and innovation.

“Viasat and Hunter Industries are sending a strong message that an investment in CSUSM is a strong one, with qualified, workforce-ready graduates as the almost immediate return,” Haynes said. “Together, we are stepping forward to expand the boundaries of what is possible, for our University and for our region.”

An engineering feasibility study was conducted on behalf of CSUSM in 2015, confirming what the University has long believed – it’s a much-needed program in the region. While there are other engineering programs in Southern California, the study highlighted how CSUSM is in a prime position to draw from existing curricula and faculty expertise while appealing to the hiring needs and goals of local industry.

In September 2016, CSUSM was awarded a $6 million, five-year grant under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM Program, providing foundational funding for the engineering program.

With Thursday’s announcement of the Viasat gift, the University is continuing to secure the funding that will make the engineering program a success.

“Perhaps the biggest contribution to our future workforce is the work that Viasat is doing with CSUSM to develop signature engineering programs that address critical workforce needs,” Kantardjieff said. “Viasat’s major financial commitment to our new engineering programs indicates a shared commitment to building a regional comprehensive university that meets the needs of our region and the state.

“With Viasat’s support, we will be able to create and sustain engineering programs of exceptional quality that will provide transformational and life-changing opportunities for our students.”

The gifts from Viasat and Hunter Industries are part of CSUSM’s $50 million campaign, Forward Together, a united effort to prepare tomorrow’s leaders, build great communities and solve critical issues. Learn more about the campaign online.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The biannual family-friendly event is hosted by Cal State San Marcos’ College of Science and Mathematics in partnership with Wavelength Brewery and the Biocom Institute to celebrate science with hands-on experiments and interactive presentations. The event is free and open to the public.

CSUSM faculty and students from biochemistry, biology, biotechnology, chemistry and physics, as well as STEM Ambassadors, will be in attendance to help facilitate experiments and interactive presentations.

Activities and booths will include a solar telescope, physics demonstrations, stomp rockets, quicksand magic, sugar rainbows, playing video games with bananas, and fun with roly-polys.

CSUSM students will run the booths with assistance from professors Jackie Trischman, Robert Iafe, Justin Perron, Stephen Tsui, Debbie De Roma and Bob Gill.

STEM In Your Backyard: Vista Village began in spring 2016 as a precursor to Super STEM Saturday. The event was so popular that Hans Haas, owner of Wavelength Brewery, and Amanda Coates, education and program manager for the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering, approached Laurie Schmelzer, Director of Student Services & Programming in CSUSM's College of Science and Mathematics, about holding the event twice a year.

This year’s Super STEM Saturday event is on March 11 at CSUSM.

What: STEM In Your Backyard: Vista Village, a biannual family-friendly event to celebrate science with hands-on experiments and interactive presentations.

When: 1-5 p.m. Sunday, March 5

Where: Vista Village in the Main Street parking lot across from Wavelength Brewery. Parking is available in the dirt lot on North Indiana Avenue, off Vista Village Drive.

Cost: Free

Held in partnership by The Classical Academies and CSUSM, Super STEM Saturday draws more than 8,000 science enthusiasts each year. The popular event exposes and engages children of all ages and their families in the STEM disciplines -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Super STEM Saturday closes the Biocom Institute Festival of Science and Engineering, the largest celebration of innovation and science education in Southern California.

There will be more than 100 activities to choose from, including hands-on experiments, demonstrations, scientist chats and contests.

Super STEM Saturday is free and open to the public from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. It will be held rain or shine. Complimentary parking is available in Lots E, F and H. Food will be available for purchase at the event or guests are welcome to bring lunch or snacks with them.

What: Super STEM Saturday

When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 11

Where: Cal State San Marcos

Cost: Free

Parking: Free in Lots E, F, and H

Information: Visit CSUSM’s College of Science and Mathematics website

In conjunction with Super STEM Saturday, CSUSM’s College of Science and Mathematics is hosting a variety of related free events throughout the week. Additionally, Associated Students Inc. will be hosting “Geek Week” activities on campus. However, please note that “Geek Week” activities are open only to the campus community.

Here’s a closer look at events throughout the week:

Sunday, March 5

STEM In Your Backyard

A biannual family-friendly event held in partnership with Wavelength Brewery and the Biocom Institute to celebrate science with hands-on experiments and interactive presentations. CSUSM faculty and students from physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biological sciences as well as STEM Ambassadors will be in attendance to help facilitate experiments and interactive presentations.

Where: Vista Village in the Main Street parking lot across from Wavelength Brewery. Parking is available in the dirt lot on North Indiana Avenue, off Vista Village Drive.

When: 1-5 p.m.

Monday, March 6

CSM Student Organization Tabling

As part of “Geek Week,” learn more about College of Science and Mathematics student organizations.

When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where: CSUSM’s Library Plaza

Tuesday, March 7

Liquid Nitrogen Demo

Part of “Geek Week,” there will be a liquid nitrogen demonstration, an opportunity to walk across a pool of goo and a variety of student organizations participating in STEM demonstrations.

When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where: CSUSM’s Library Plaza

Distinguished Physics Lecture

Dr. Summer Ash, Director of Outreach for Columbia University’s Department of Astronomy, will be presenting, “The Invisible University: seeing what our eyes can’t.”

When: 5:30-7 p.m.

Where: USU Ballroom

Wednesday, March 8

CSM Student Organization Tabling

As part of “Geek Week,” learn more about College of Science and Mathematics student organizations.

When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where: CSUSM’s Library Plaza

STEM Career Connection

Learn all about the industries and careers in STEM! Dress professionally and bring your resume. Hosted by the Career Center. Students should RSVP for this event and check back frequently for updates to the employer list.

When: 3-5 p.m.

Where: USU Ballroom

Two Cybersecurity Experts Walk Into a Bar

Dr. Teresa Macklin, Associate Dean and Chief Information Security Officer of Instructional and Information Technology Services, and Dr. Rika Yoshii, professor in the Department of Computer Science & Information Systems, will be the featured speakers discussing cybersecurity, IoT and nanomachines.

When: 6-8 p.m.

Where: Wavelength Brewery, 236 Main St., Vista

Thursday, March 9

Egg Drop

Part of “Geek Week” activities, come join student organizations in demos and try out an egg drop.

When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where: USU

Reid Lecture Series

Sponsored by Librarian Emeritus Marion Reid and Professor Emeritus K. Brooks Reid and hosted by CSUSM’s Mathematics Department, this free event features a lecture by UC Irvine professor Alice Silverberg titled “Cryptography: Using Mathematics to Keep a Secret.” It will delve into the surprising solutions that mathematicians and cryptographers have developed to resolve the problem of computing on encrypted data.

When: 5:30-7 p.m.

Where: USU Ballroom

For more information

Friday, March 10

CougarCon

“Geek Week” continues with a TUK Talk, Cosplay Contest and Geek Fashion show by Orions Originals. There will also be video games, board games, a geek photo booth and geek-themed snacks. Please note, this event is limited to CSUSM students.

When: 8-10 p.m.

Where: USU Ballroom

Saturday, March 11

Super STEM Saturday

Held in partnership by The Classical Academies and CSUSM, Super STEM Saturday draws more than 8,000 science enthusiasts each year. The popular event exposes and engages children of all ages and their families in the STEM disciplines -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: CSUSM

For more information

Held in partnership by The Classical Academies and CSUSM, Super STEM Saturday has grown into a popular North County event that draws 8,000 science enthusiasts each year to the University campus.

“Super STEM Saturday’s purpose is to develop in everyone who attends an appreciation and understanding of the role science and engineering plays in our daily lives and how its practical applications solve critical problems and real-world issues.” said CSUSM Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics Katherine Kantardjieff.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, employment in STEM jobs is expected to grow to more than 9 million by 2022. An estimated 1.2 million jobs in science, technology, engineering and math will be unfilled by 2018.

“What we take away from our childhood is really meaningful to what we decide to do as adults,” said Simon Kuo, Vice President of Quality Management at ViaSat. “That’s why we believe it’s really important to expose kids to science and technology so that it can help them better appreciate it and perhaps even choose a career in STEM.”

“Jean-Jacques Rousseau once shared, ‘We should not teach children the sciences; but give them a taste for them,’ ” said Cameron Curry, Executive Director for The Classical Academies. “I am so pleased that we provide the community of North County a day and festival focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The culmination of educators, organizations and professionals working together allow us to inspire minds, ignite passions and expose students and our community to what is possible with STEM.”

CSUSM and The Classical Academies thank Super STEM Saturday’s Gold level sponsor ViaSat. Other community sponsors making this event possible include: Genentech, County Board of Supervisors, Medtronic, X3, Northrop Grumman, Waxie Management Services Inc., LegoLand, Chemical Education Foundation and the San Diego Business Journal.

For more details about Super STEM Saturday, visit www.csusm.edu/superstem.

What: Super STEM Saturday, a free interactive science festival for all ages

When: Saturday, March 11, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: California State University San Marcos

333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos

Complimentary parking in Lot F

About California State University San Marcos

Building on an innovative 27-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange Counties.

The University enrolls over 15,000 students. With approximately 2,000 employees, the institution is a Great College to Work For® (The Chronicle of Higher Education). As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

About The Classical Academies

The Classical Academies is an organization of award-winning, tuition-free, Certified California Public Charter Schools serving North San Diego County since 1999. With seven campus locations and over 4,300 students in grades TK-12, the schools are making a tremendous impact as they reinvent public education.

The Classical Academies offer a flexible, personalized educational environment that blends the best of independent study and the traditional classroom experience. With rigorous academics, small class sizes, and an acclaimed character education program, students reach their maximum potential of becoming thinkers, communicators, and achievers.

An analysis by the Educational Advisory Board showed that local employment postings for software engineering-related positions jumped more than 72 percent between July 2013 and June 2015. Postings for electrical engineers increased by more than 34 percent during the same period.

Cal State San Marcos is ready to help fill that need through its burgeoning engineering program.

“Looking ahead, engineers will be the driver of San Diego’s innovation economy,” said Matthew Sanford, director of economic development for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. “The presence of such talent is a critical part of the region’s growth and development. CSU San Marcos’ engineering program will ensure that the region is equipped with highly skilled talent for our leading industries, maintaining San Diego’s standing at the forefront of global innovation.”

CSUSM is developing innovative degree programs in software and electrical engineering. These debut programs reflect CSUSM’s longstanding commitment to practical experience consistently emphasized by the other degree programs in the College of Science and Mathematics.

“The San Diego region is home to world-class life science companies, and engineers play a huge role in their success,” said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom. “Bioengineers, software engineers and many others provide essential knowledge that helps companies bring lifesaving products to market. Importantly, CSUSM’s new engineering program will expand the pipeline of engineers for the region and increase the professional and educational opportunities for the residents of North County and the broader area served by the University.

“Our community is excited at the prospect of hiring the future leaders in STEM.”

Undergraduate research, industry internships, summer research fellowships and other real-world learning avenues will be emphasized in CSUSM’s engineering program.

“The needs for engineering expertise have far outgrown the ability of San Diego State and UCSD to meet the demand,” said Michael Perry, a vice president at General Atomics. “CSUSM has the space, expertise and motivation to become a first-rate state engineering school.”

Don Fitzgerald, vice president and general manager of Genentech’s Oceanside Product Operations, said developing a diverse 21^st-century workforce for the region demands a strong foundation in engineering.

“The future of biotechnology and its ability to meet the unmet medical needs of our population depends on students having access to a broad engineering curriculum to complement the other sciences at CSUSM,” Fitzgerald said.

Simon Kuo, ViaSat’s vice president corporate quality, said engineering inspires change by bridging technical innovation with creativity.

“It is at the heart of what we do at ViaSat,” Kuo said, “and enables us to create new and better ways for people to connect to high-speed internet – whether at home, or on an airplane at 35,000 feet. But to do this, we must invest in talented, passionate engineers that seek to be challenged and engaged in developing a better tomorrow. That’s why we rely on universities like CSUSM to be a voice to students across the San Diego region, promoting the importance of STEM, STEAM and the development of a high-tech future.

“As the largest technology company in San Diego’s North County region, ViaSat appreciates CSUSM’s engineering presence and looks forward to tapping into the expanding engineering talent that exists on the CSUSM campus.”

While there are other engineering programs in Southern California, the study highlighted how CSUSM is in a prime position to draw from existing curricula and faculty expertise while appealing to the hiring needs and goals of local industry.

“It will increase the professional and education opportunities for the residents of North County and the broader area served by CSUSM,” said Gerardo Dominguez, a CSUSM associate professor of physics and project director for a $6 million grant the University received in September that is providing foundational funding for the engineering program.

The feasibility study was conducted by the Educational Advisory Board and supported by a collaborative grant with MiraCosta College. The study was structured with guidance from the College of Science and Mathematics Engineering Feasibility Task Force, which included executives from ViaSat, Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, in addition to representatives from CSUSM and MiraCosta College.

“As a proud supporter of CSUSM, ViaSat has watched the University make significant progress towards establishing a world-class engineering program, from getting the requisite university approvals and securing the facilities and funding to building a program that fosters engineering excellence,” said Simon Kuo, ViaSat’s vice president corporate quality.

CSUSM’s program will start with software and electrical engineering. Initial preparation of the program structures, curriculum, course descriptions and student learning outcomes is approaching completion, and documentation is moving forward this spring as part of the institutional approval process.

“Engineering proliferates nearly every aspect of modern life and San Diego embodies how engineering is intertwined with daily life,” said Greg McKee, president and chief executive officer of CONNECT. “With so many brilliant minds gathered in one place, it’s essential to provide the means to nurture and excel each one, regardless of gender, ethnicity or income.

“Cal State University San Marcos is primed to support equitable student success through its engineering program and we at CONNECT are excited to see what the future holds as a more diverse round of innovators contribute to our local economy.”

Here's a closer look at those faculty members for the grant, which is titled “Si Se Puede!” to Close the Equity Gap in Engineering Degree Completion:

Meet Dr. Gerardo Dominguez

Dr. Gerardo Dominguez is trying to unlock the secrets of the universe.

An associate professor of physics at Cal State San Marcos, Dominguez has been recognized by Great Minds in STEM within the Hispanic science and engineering community for outstanding achievement in technology, NASA, and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education as a top researcher in planetary astrophysics and atmospheric chemistry.

“I’ve always enjoyed figuring out the ‘why’ of the world,” said Dominguez, who has been at CSUSM since 2011. “It brings me peace and satisfaction, and it drives me to stay up at night thinking about the mysteries of our age, including the origins of life, water and the terrestrial planets.”

Dominguez is the project director on the Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM Program grant that is providing foundational funding for the University’s inaugural software and electrical engineering programs.

“Providing that opportunity for students coming to San Marcos to have a bachelors in electrical engineering or software engineering will be tremendous for our region,” he said.

Meet Dr. Youwen Ouyang

Dr. Youwen Ouyang has always been impressed by the young women who participate in the biannual Women’s Hackathon at Cal State San Marcos.

The event generates excitement among female high school and college students who work collaboratively using computer science to address a selected real-world challenge.

Ouyang, the chair of CSUSM’s computer science program and a faculty member since 1997, is working to build on the one-day Women’s Hackathon thanks to a recently awarded three-year grant for $1.2 million from the National Science Foundation.

Ouyang is also a co-principal investigator on the HSI STEM grant. The College of Science and Mathematics is launching a national search this spring to hire the founding faculty in software engineering.

As the lead software engineering designer for CSUSM’s engineering program, Ouyang will be responsible for ensuring that the software engineering program is interdisciplinary and builds on the strengths of CSUSM’s closely related computer science program.

Meet Dr. Ed Price

Dr. Ed Price recalls sitting in most of his classes while somebody lectured to him when he was a student.

“We have a lot of evidence now that that’s not a very effective way for people to learn science, and physics in particular,” said Price, a professor of physics at Cal State San Marcos.

Price is part of a project that aims to better prepare tomorrow’s teachers to effectively teach science thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation. Price, who is a nationally recognized leader in physics education research, is the principal investigator on an award totaling $2,877,300, the largest NSF grant ever awarded to a CSUSM faculty member.

Price is also a co-principal investigator on the engineering grant.

As CSUSM’s lead electrical engineering designer, Price’s role is ensuring that the planned electrical engineering program builds on the strengths of the University’s physics program.

The latest installment was held Dec. 15 on campus, providing teams of physics and computer science students an opportunity to showcase projects in which they designed and programmed a microsystem.

“It’s fun for the students and they love the hands on stuff,” said David Schaafsma, a physics lecturer who teaches a Physics 402 course that provides an introduction to the design and use of digital computer interfaces.

Tyler Jarrett and Christopher Pearson were among the students who presented projects to local industry representatives at the Robot Expo. For their project, “COLORtron, a Gumball Sorting Experience,” they designed an autonomous gumball-sorting robot capable of separating the contents of a bag of gumballs by color.

Tyler and Christopher will both graduate in the spring. Tyler expects to continue working at General Atomics, where he has been an intern for more than two years, while Christopher plans to pursue his MBA.

“If there had been an electrical engineering major, I probably wouldn’t have been a physics major,” Christopher said. “I love physics, but if they had electrical engineering, I probably would’ve gone right into it.”

CSUSM students will soon have that choice with plans underway to offer new degree programs in software engineering and electrical engineering.

Drawing upon existing courses in computer science and physics and tapping into the expertise of faculty, CSUSM is designing an engineering curriculum strongly focused on practical experiences. Hands-on undergraduate research, industry internships and summer research fellowships will offer robust and relevant learning experiences for students. A notable feature of the programs will be their iterative approach, continually cycling feedback from students, faculty and industry advisors to inform program design.

The new engineering programs could debut as early as fall 2017. While much as been accomplished, university officials note that there is still much to do. Private philanthropic support and industry partnership are needed to fully launch engineering at CSUSM.

Jesus, an applied physics major at Cal State San Marcos, knew the email’s content would detail whether he had been accepted as a fall intern for the Science of Undergraduate Laboratory Internships program at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in New Jersey.

With a test scheduled in his math class, Jesus’ first reaction was to ignore the email until after his class. Why subject himself to potentially bad news before a test?

“But I figured I’d get it out of the way and it said, ‘Dear Jesus, congratulations,’ ” he said. “My jaw just dropped. I looked around to see if there was anyone I knew to celebrate with. I was kind of speechless for a couple minutes. I couldn’t believe it.”

Jesus doesn’t recall how he did on the math test, but the memories of the prestigious internship will last a lifetime.

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a collaborative national center for fusion energy research. Managed by Princeton University, it is part of the national laboratory system funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Office of Science.

There has been a growing focus on getting undergraduates trained to fill the need for plasma physicists, and CSUSM’s physics department has been identified as a strategic location able to provide the necessary expertise and training to produce such students.

The internship coordinator for the PPPL even visited CSUSM last year to meet with Dr. Michael Burin, CSUSM’s physics department chair, and continued to be in touch while Jesus was at PPPL.

“Overall he was quite impressed with Jesus,” said Burin, who did his postdoctoral research at PPPL. “Jesus was able to pick things up very rapidly.”

Jesus had a mentor through the internship program, but primarily worked independently on his project, “Development of the Remote Planeterella Experiment.” The project included designing the software and hardware to reproduce astrophysical plasma phenomena in a laboratory setting.

“It was really an engineering-heavy internship,” he said. “The ultimate goal was designing a machine that could recreate some of the plasma that we see in space and have ordinary people from anywhere in the world be able to access and manipulate the machine online so that they can learn about plasma.”

Jesus succeeded in his design and is able to share his work with friends, colleagues and professors (it can be viewed here).

Jesus learned about the internship through his work at CSUSM with the Alliance to Accelerate Excellence in Education. His office is located near the office of Cynthia Chavez Metoyer, CSUSM’s faculty director for internships. Knowing Jesus’ passion for physics and engineering, Chavez Metoyer passed along the information about the internship and suggested he take a look.

Jesus considered himself a long shot to land the internship because he had little lab experience. However, Kathleen Corona, Jesus’ supervisor at the Alliance, encouraged him to follow through on the application.

Jesus’ perseverance paid off. The internship covered his housing and travel expenses and he received a stipend for his work during the 16-week program.

“Every once in a while I would ask myself, ‘Was there a mistake?’ ” Jesus said. “It was a dream come true because I always wanted to be a scientist and an engineer. Then to get treated like one and get the work of one and be in a facility like that, it was surreal. But after a couple of months and seeing all the work I had put in, it felt like, ‘These are my hallways now. This is where I belong and it’s no surprise that I’m here.’ ”

Jesus plans to pursue a master’s in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in physics after graduating from CSUSM.

“Jesus has excelled during his time working with the Alliance,” said Erika Daniels, faculty director for the Alliance. “He continually impresses us with his commitment to his education, his willingness to help out in any way, and his kindness to everyone around him. The fact that the U.S. Department of Energy recognized his talents is not surprising to us, and we look forward to seeing all that he will achieve once he graduates from college.”

As the first in his family to attend college, Jesus is hoping to set an example for his younger nieces to show them what is possible.

“I want to show them that college is a ridiculously great opportunity,” he said. “If it wasn’t for Cal State San Marcos, I would’ve never gone to Princeton and been able to do what I’ve done. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it wasn’t for college.”

The University is one step closer to achieving that goal thanks to a recently awarded grant.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded CSUSM a nearly $6 million grant under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM Program, providing foundational funding for an engineering program.

The five-year grant will provide nearly $1.2 million each year beginning Oct. 1, 2016.

“This grant is a significant first step toward launching our engineering program,” CSUSM President Karen Haynes said. “Over the next several months we will be working to secure the necessary private sector funding that will allow us to bring the program to reality.”

Gerardo Dominguez, an associate professor of physics at CSUSM, is the project director for the grant, which is titled “Si Se Puede!” to Close the Equity Gap in Engineering Degree Completion.

“I’m thrilled that this proposal has been chosen and I am excited about the possibilities that this brings to the campus community,” Dominguez said. “It will increase the professional and education opportunities for the residents of North County and the broader area served by CSU San Marcos. I am particularly excited that the funding provided by this grant will allow CSU San Marcos to start offering engineering options for our students in the near future.”

The purpose of the grant is to develop and carry out activities to improve and expand CSUSM’s capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students.

The project’s goals include developing innovative degree programs in software engineering and electrical engineering; developing the engineering curriculum and transfer pathway between community college partners and CSUSM; and building and supporting an educational ecosystem focused on equitable student success and completion through best practices.

By Sept. 30, 2021, CSUSM expects to increase the percentage of Hispanic and low-income students at community-college partner institutions who transfer successfully to a four-year institution in an engineering field; increase the percentage of Hispanic and low-income students who have completed a STEM degree or credential; and reduce any equity gaps between Hispanic and general population students that exist in the performance measures.

The grant proposal also includes four additional objectives:

• Approximately 240 Hispanic and low-income students will have participated in grant-funded student support programs or services;

• increase the percentage of Hispanic and low-income first-time, full-time degree-seeking students who were in their first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year and remain enrolled in the engineering pathway the following year;

• increase the percentage of Hispanic and low-income students in the engineering pathway who successfully complete gateway courses within two years;

• increase the percentage of Hispanic and low-income students in the engineering pathway who complete 30 units within two years.

“I’m excited to be working with Ed Price in physics and Youwen Ouyang in computer science on this project, and I am confident that with humility, careful planning and support from the broader community we can achieve the goals set forth in the proposal,” Dominguez said.

The five-year grant will provide nearly $1.2 million each year beginning Oct. 1, 2016.

“This grant is a significant first step toward launching our engineering program,” CSUSM President Karen Haynes said. “Over the next several months we will be working to secure the necessary private sector funding that will allow us to bring the program to reality.”

Dr. Gerardo Dominguez, an associate professor of physics at CSUSM, is the project director for the grant, which is titled “Si Se Puede!” to Close the Equity Gap in Engineering Degree Completion.

“I’m thrilled that this proposal has been chosen and I am excited about the possibilities that this brings to the campus community,” Dominguez said. “It will increase the professional and education opportunities for the residents of North County and the broader area served by CSU San Marcos. I am particularly excited that the funding provided by this grant will allow CSU San Marcos to start offering engineering options for our students in the near future.”

The goal of the grant is to develop and carry out activities to improve and expand CSUSM’s capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students.

The project’s goals include developing innovative degree programs in software engineering and electrical engineering; developing the engineering curriculum and transfer pathway between community college partners and CSUSM; and building and supporting an educational ecosystem focused on equitable student success and completion through best practices.

“I’m excited to be working with Ed Price in physics and Youwen Ouyang in computer science on this project, and I am confident that with humility, careful planning and support from the broader community we can achieve the goals set forth in the proposal,” Dominguez said.

About California State University San Marcos

Building on an innovative 26-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange Counties.

The University enrolls over 15,000 students. With approximately 2,000 employees, the institution is a Great College to Work For® (The Chronicle of Higher Education). As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

Sponsored by ViaSat, Northrop Grumman and Palomar Health, Super STEM Saturday is designed to expose and engage kids of all ages and their families to the diverse and exciting fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known as the STEM disciplines. The brainchild of The Classical Academies and held in partnership with CSUSM, Super STEM Saturday has grown into a popular North County event that draws over 5,000 science enthusiasts each year to the university campus.

To a mathematician's delight, this year’s festival lands on Pi Day. Pi is the mathematical symbol representing the ratio of a circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.1415. Worldwide, March 14 is recognized as Pi Day. In honor of the special occasion and in celebration of mathematics, Super STEM Saturday festivities will provide an opportunity for guests to enjoy a slice of pie, a customary tradition among math fanatics.

Highlights of this year’s festival include:

• Solar Telescopes: View the surface of the sun through special filtered solar telescopes
• Build-a-Robot: Build your own robot using recycled materials
• The World of Plasma: Enter the Plasma Chamber and watch illuminating demonstrations
• Rockets: Build and launch your own rocket
• Bones: Get up-close and touch real fossils
• Native Garden: Plant native seeds in CSUSM's Ethnobotany Garden
• Electrify Me: Discover the power of static electricity in a hair-raising and hands-on way
• Scientist Chats: Meet local scientists and hear about their fascinating research
• Explore the World of Play: Little ones can visit the Children’s Museum booth to explore STEM activities designed for toddlers and preschoolers
• Math Bowl: Participate and show off your math skills in a fast-paced math competition
• Rubik's Cube Tournament: Cheer on and be amazed as you watch Rubik's athletes complete the cube…some in under a minute! Meet the competitors and learn first-hand how you too can solve the cube.

For more information about Super STEM Saturday, visit www.csusm.edu/superstem.

Despite delaying her graduation by several months, Rhianna is convinced that switching majors was the right decision."You have to be passionate about what you do,” she told a group of students during a recent outreach event at Vista High School. "My [science] classes are more difficult, but it’s worth it!"

The Science Technology Engineering and Math program at CSUSM (STEM @ CSUSM) hopes that Rhianna's story, and those of other science and math majors, will convince local high school students to pursue STEM-related degrees at CSUSM.

STEM @ CSUSM is an education and outreach program funded by the National Science Foundation’s STEM Talent Expansion Program, the American Physical Society’s PhysTEC project, and the CSU Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative. Their goals are to foster excitement and interest in STEM education through CSUSM science and math programs, the STEM tutoring center and other support services, K-14 outreach activities, and STEM teacher preparation efforts.

 After a 2011 research study revealed a lack of awareness of the University's science and math programs, CSUSM launched the STEM Ambassador program, which connects undergraduates with local high school and community college students. By interacting with these students during after-school clubs, field trips, classroom demonstrations and other events, the ambassadors increase students’ familiarity with research opportunities at CSUSM and raise the University's STEM profile.

This past spring, the STEM program also added a series of informal lunchtime programs called STEM Cafes to the menu of outreach offerings. Each month, teams of five or six ambassadors visit Vista and San Marcos high schools to engage small groups of students in discussions about undergraduate research, college life and career opportunities. Turnout at both locations has been even greater than expected, and the feedback from students and teachers indicates a significant need for the program.

Deanna Gifford, a physics teacher at San Marcos High School believes the STEM Cafes provide students with critical information about local options for postsecondary education. “We need to do a better job of connecting students [with local universities] and changing the perception that you need to go far away to get a quality education,” she said. “Why should you overlook great opportunities in your own backyard?”

If the fall 2013 admission numbers are any indication, more local students are getting the message. Overall, the number of students admitted to the College of Science and Mathematics increased by over 13 percent from 2012, and the number of incoming freshman in STEM majors from Vista and San Marcos high schools increased by 68 percent and 61 percent respectively.

While there's no direct evidence linking the STEM Cafes to these increases, Rhianna and the other ambassadors would like to believe their conversations influenced some of the students' decisions. They hope today's high school students are better informed about STEM careers than they were when they graduated from high school.

CSUSM biology major Josephine Gonzalez wants to communicate how important it is to get students thinking about STEM college and careers. “It’s the kind of thing I wish someone would have done for me when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life,” she said.