Cal State San Marcos researchers – along with colleagues from the San Diego Natural History Museum, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Research Experiences for Southern California Undergraduate Ecologists network (RESCUE-Net) – recently discovered a population of banana slugs at Palomar Mountain.

Now they are trying to determine if they stumbled on a new species of the slug, or if it is an existing species far from its usual home.

The team was so excited about its discovery that it blasted the news on social media after a population was found in photos on a nature app.

Fun fact: The mascot for UC Santa Cruz is the banana slug, which was selected in the 1980s. And in 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation making the banana slug the state’s official slug.

“This tells you about the importance of this slug … in the California culture,” said Sergio Nigenda Morales, a CSUSM assistant professor of biological sciences. “If it’s a different species and a really isolated population, that’s what I’m interested in studying. And it’s in our backyard, so we can just go and try to study them.”

“Great discoveries often begin with curiosity,” said Jackie Trischman, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. “Dr. Nigenda Morales recognized a fascinating scientific mystery right here in our area and engaged students in the process of exploring it. That's exactly the kind of hands-on learning and discovery we value at CSUSM.”

The banana slug is a decomposer that eats dead organic matter such as fallen leaves, plants and moss, then recycles it into waste that fertilizes the soil. It got its name because it resembles a ripe banana, and it’s usually found on moist forest floors in the Pacific Northwest.

Nigenda Morales said there are two ways that the population of slugs could exist here in San Diego County. One, they could have been introduced from a population farther north. Two, the slugs could have existed on Palomar Mountain for a while but are now trapped there because of the hot, dry conditions in the area surrounding the mountain.

California is home to all six currently recognized banana slug species, which explains the cultural importance of these slugs for Californians, according to Nigenda Morales.

CSUSM got involved in the project after Nigenda Morales, who joined the faculty in 2023, spoke about his genetic research on mammals, particularly whales, at UC Santa Cruz in the spring of 2025. That’s when he was approached by Janet Leonard, a UCSC researcher who’s a leading expert on banana slug reproduction.

Leonard asked if he’d be willing to partner on research on the genetic makeup of banana slugs. UCSC provided the samples, and Nigenda Morales decided that the research would make a great class and lab for students at CSUSM in a course called “Population Genetics.”

The group started the process of extracting the DNA of the samples, and a few days later, Leonard connected Nigenda Morales with some researchers and scientists from Los Angeles.

The research and initial work began last August. A short time later, a discussion was held about possible banana slug sightings at Palomar Mountain, dating back to the 1980s or even '90s, that were never proven. However, on the iNaturalist app/website, which relies on citizen science for its data, photos of the slugs on the mountain were recorded for about 10 years before a decision was made to pursue the research.

The group decided to organize an expedition to the site and tried seven times to find the slug. Luckily, eight was the magic number.

As far as next steps, the group will send the samples it collected off to be studied against the other six known populations of slugs. Once that is done, an analysis will be conducted at CSUSM with students in Nigenda Morales’ lab.

“Once we get the samples back, we can work on figuring out how much genetic diversity there is and how big the population is,” Nigenda Morales said.

The researchers also are also studying to see if the slugs can survive on the mountain.

“With small populations, you can have genetic problems such as inbreeding; if we know about that, then we can take better care of them,” he said. “We cannot intervene, but because Palomar Mountain is a California state park, we can give some recommendations to the rangers.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Perron is leading a three-year, $1,085,815 project supported by the Laboratory for Physical Sciences, targeting one of the most demanding areas in modern science: quantum information science and technology (QIST).  

The effort builds on a previous Department of Energy RENEW award that equipped CSU undergraduate faculty to integrate quantum concepts into their courses. Now Perron is tackling the next barrier: getting students hands-on experience with the technology itself. 

"Most undergraduate QIST education is theoretical or textbook-focused," Perron said. "While simulations and cloud-accessible systems are valuable, the quantum sector also needs scientists and engineers with hands-on experience operating these systems. Because quantum technology is expensive and typically limited to research and industry settings, most students don't have access to that kind of training." 

Perron’s team is developing a curriculum that teaches core QIST lab competencies without requiring access to a full quantum system. The model will draw on data from quantum industry stakeholders to define workforce needs, then design and test the curriculum at CSUSM and partner institutions, measuring its effectiveness from the perspectives of students, faculty and potential employers. 

While Perron’s project focuses on preparing students for emerging careers in quantum science, other newly funded CSUSM projects are reimagining how students engage with mathematics and biology from the start of their academic journeys. 

"It's exciting to see our faculty leading nationally competitive projects that connect research and teaching in powerful ways," said Charles De Leone, dean of graduate studies and research. "These grants reflect what's possible at an institution like ours, where faculty are deeply invested in student success and bring that commitment into cutting-edge work." 

Additional projects funded this academic year include: 

• Rethinking the gateway to calculus 
  A $173,098 grant from the National Science Foundation supports a collaborative project led by mathematics professor Kimberly Ayers, in partnership with Florida International University, Clark College and the University of Virginia. The project introduces a more interactive model for teaching introductory calculus, a course that serves as a gateway to most STEM majors but has some of the highest failure and withdrawal rates nationally in undergraduate education. 
  Rather than lecture-centered instruction, students work in small groups to solve problems and explain their thinking out loud, building procedural skills alongside the mathematical confidence that research shows is essential to staying in STEM. The collaboration across four institutions allows the team to test the approach across different student populations and refine what works.
• Putting field research into the biology curriculum 
  Funded with a $499,970 grant from the National Science Foundation, a project led by biology professors Mallory Rice, George Vourlitis and Jane Kim will embed hands-on, community-driven scientific research directly into biology courses at CSUSM. Students will investigate biological questions about how urban development is affecting wildlife and natural resources across North San Diego County.
• Building the region’s behavioral and mental health workforce 
  CSUSM received a $450,000 grant from the County of San Diego to help strengthen the region’s health and human services workforce through a partnership with the county’s Health and Human Services Agency and San Diego State University.
• Preparing future public health leaders 
  Kim Pulvers, a professor of psychology, and Richard Armenta, an associate professor of kinesiology, received a competitive renewal award for the Research & Action for Community Health (REACH): CSUSM/UCSD Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Program in partnership with UC San Diego. The program trains undergraduate and master’s students to address tobacco-related health disparities through research, community engagement and public health workforce development. Since the program’s launch in 2022, scholars have presented their work more than 30 times, published nine papers and gone on to graduate programs and health-related careers. This $1,331,620 grant is funded by the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program. 

“What’s especially meaningful about these projects is the way they connect research, teaching and workforce preparation,” De Leone said. 

Research funding is an integral part of CSUSM’s “Blueprint for the Future” fundraising campaign, helping advance the university’s $200 million goal through both philanthropy and grants. 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Not only was Brandt able to resolve a longstanding problem for the Career Center, her solution will support Cal State San Marcos students for years to come.

Brandt is a transfer student from MiraCosta Community College, majoring in computer science and graduating from CSUSM this spring. Brandt enjoyed her time at MiraCosta but felt she wasn’t very involved. So when she transferred to CSUSM, she knew she wanted to change that.

She served on the Orientation Team during her first semester at CSUSM, creating many new friends while welcoming new students to the campus community.

With hopes of continuing her involvement on campus, Brandt applied for a technology student assistant position with the Career Center. This position had been vacant for a long time but was brought back in hopes of fixing a data issue that had been building up.

Through the Career Center every CSUSM student is automatically enrolled with an account in Handshake, a network for posting and applying to jobs. However, when students graduate or leave, their accounts remain active on Handshake, showing the university had around 80,000 accounts last fall. With hopes of clearing out excess data from students no longer enrolled, the Career Center posted a job application looking for a student to assist with this problem, and Brandt checked every box.

Brandt had two previous internships that made her a desirable candidate for the position. She worked for Renesas Electronics, a semiconductor manufacturer, as an applications engineer coding for various radio frequency parts and with Northrop Grumman, the global aerospace and defense technology company, as a systems engineer coding for the RQ-4 Global Hawk, a remotely piloted surveillance aircraft.

So when asked if she could aid the Career Center with its data problem, the answer was a clear yes. In fact, Brandt actually suggested her own procedure for doing so.

Cullwell, the Career Center’s technology coordinator, had originally proposed a method for cleaning out the excess data on Handshake by manually going through each account to review whether the person was still enrolled as a student. However, Brandt explained that would take significant time and suggested her own method to fix the problem.

“On her first day, we discussed the broader goals of what we hoped to accomplish,” Cullwell said. “By the end of her second shift, she confidently proposed developing a script to automate the exact process we had envisioned. Over the course of the semester, she coordinated testing efforts, collaborated with IITS and Handshake liaisons, and refined the solution. Once deployed, her automation cleaned our data in a single afternoon.”

Cullwell was so impressed by Brandt’s ingenuity that she gave Brandt “The Departmental Wizard” nickname.

“She doesn’t have the same experience in programming that I do, so to her it seemed like magic, but for me, that’s just how my brain works,” Brandt said.

Not only did Brandt get to use her computing skills to help the Career Center, she also fulfilled her goal of becoming more involved on campus. During her time working for the Career Center, Brandt met so many friends, gained valuable skills for interviewing, and was encouraged and supported in applying for jobs.

Using resources from the Career Center, Brandt applied to 85 jobs over the past year in anticipation of graduation. The work paid off. Brandt will begin working full time after graduation for Trabus Technologies, a small business in San Diego that specializes in technology solutions for government and private sectors. Brandt will be working as a full stack software engineer for the company’s weather and boat transportation services.

Brandt’s time working for the Career Center not only propelled her into her first post-grad job, it made her time at CSUSM feel special.

“Sierra has made a lasting impact on the Career Center,” Cullwell said. “The systems she built will continue to benefit our team long after her time with us concludes.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

These are just a few of the more than 130 hands-on, interactive activities and demonstrations that will engage thousands of attendees at Super STEM Saturday on March 14 at Cal State San Marcos. This rain-or-shine science festival is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Children of all ages are invited to attend.  

“What we take away from our childhood is really meaningful to what we decide to do as adults,” said Simon Kuo, vice president of corporate quality for Viasat, one of the lead sponsors of Super STEM Saturday. “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.”  

“Super STEM Saturday is a powerful event,” said Jackie Trischman, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics at CSUSM. “I want our community to see someone who looks like them having fun doing science. It’s also an opportunity to bring our community together and celebrate what science does for us on a daily basis.”  

“Super STEM Saturday is more than a day of discovery; it’s about sparking a lifelong passion for innovation,” said Kurtis Indorf, CEO of The Classical Academies. “We are proud to partner with our community to show students that their curiosity today is the foundation for the breakthroughs of tomorrow.”

The sponsors of Super STEM Saturday include ASML; Bristol Myers Squibb; Hunter Industries; North City; Viasat; Columbia Bank; Cox Communications; General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation; Grifols; Burns & McDonnell; Calsense; C.W. Driver; Dimensions Collaborative School; Hologic; Sign Post Studio; Young, Minney & Corr, LLP; Hilbers, Inc.; Mission Fed Credit Union; and San Diego Foundation.

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

When: Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

Where: Cal State San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos  

Parking: Free in lots E, F and H

More information: www.csusm.edu/superstem 

About The Classical Academies  

The Classical Academies is an organization of award-winning, tuition-free public charter schools serving grades TK-12 since 1999. The Classical Academies partners with parents to provide a flexible educational environment that combines the best of hybrid, virtual and independent study. Beyond rigorous academics and small class sizes, the schools prioritize a character-driven environment that develops thoughtful thinkers and effective communicators to achieve success. With locations in Escondido, Vista and Oceanside, the program welcomes students from San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties.

It wasn’t until he met one of his colleagues and mentors in a lab at Cal State San Marcos that Alvizo realized he needed to change his answer to that question.

Alvizo was diagnosed with testicular cancer the day before his high school graduation. He attended a physical required for his high school golf team that didn’t thoroughly examine for testicular cancer. After his appointment, he felt the need to self-screen, and that’s when he noticed something was off. 

He requested another appointment – disguising it as an HPV vaccination so his parents wouldn’t worry – where he was advised to receive an ultrasound and meet with a urologist. After a month-and-a-half of anxiously waiting, Alvizo met with Jeffrey Zeitung, a urologist at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, who delivered devastating news: Alvizo had testicular cancer and needed an orchiectomy, which is the removal of one or both testicles.

Alvizo remembers thinking: “I'm 18, I graduate tomorrow, my mom is in the waiting room, I was just told I have testicular cancer and now I have to get an orchiectomy next week. This is a lot at once.”

But Zeitung made Alvizo feel comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation, assuring him that they would get through this diagnosis together. He guided Alvizo through the process, teaching him about the disease and comforting him with the knowledge that 99% of testicular cancer patients end up fine.

“Seeing how my urologist comforted me during this time made me want the privilege to be in that same position for other patients as well,” Alvizo said. “It inspired me to move down the path of becoming a physician.”

Since his diagnosis, Alvizo, who is graduating from CSUSM this month with a bachelor's degree in biology and a minor in Spanish, has involved himself in numerous opportunities to further his education and spread awareness for cancer patients. His biggest contribution has been the creation of a nonprofit organization called Bricks for Change.

Started by Alvizo and a few friends, Bricks for Change aims to spread awareness for all types of cancer.

“You usually hear about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is in October, and outside of that, maybe Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. But you don't often hear about the other ones, so our goal is to spread awareness for the cancers of every month,” Alvizo said.

The nonprofit raises money to donate Lego sets to kids in the hospital with cancer. Since the organization launched in October 2024, it have donated 550 Lego sets ($9,000 total value) between Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego and MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital in Long Beach.

Included in every child’s Lego set is a card that allows patients to share a photo of themselves with the set they built. The pictures are posted to the Bricks for Change Instagram page and website with clearance from the hospital.

Alvizo plans to continue this organization for the rest of his life and is working toward making it a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to attract the involvement of larger companies and more funding. He also hopes to build connections with more hospitals as he begins medical school.

This isn’t the only advocacy Alvizo has done for cancer awareness. He is heavily involved with the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation and ran his first marathon to raise money for testicular cancer awareness. Since then, he has found a passion for running and has completed seven marathons and 19 half-marathons for various charities.

He has been asked to speak at the American Urological Association on behalf of the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation.

Alvizo is finishing his last semester at CSUSM, where he has been a member of professor Julie Jameson’s biology lab since he was a senior in high school. After reaching out to her via email while in high school, Alvizo was invited to join her lab, in which they studied inflammation in the skin relating to various diseases like psoriasis and obesity. Alvizo co-published two scientific papers during his time in the lab and traveled with his lab colleagues to conferences to present their findings.

Alvizo is also a STEM ambassador for CSUSM's Center for Research and Engagement in STEM Education (CRESE). Every week, CRESE ambassadors visit middle and elementary schools in the region to lead after-school programs and STEM-based projects to get kids interested in science. In addition, they staff a booth every March at Super STEM Saturday, which is where Alvizo first found his love for science as a middle schooler many years ago.

Clinical experience is required to apply for medical school, so Alvizo has been interning at Palomar Hospital for the last two years as a weekly hospice volunteer. He has worked on both the ICU floor and in the emergency department, checking in on patients and providing them comfort. Alvizo also is in the process of obtaining his EMT license so he can transition into a paid clinical position during his gap year before medical school applications open in June 2026.

Recently, Alvizo has had the opportunity to shadow Aditya Bagrodia, a urologist researching testicular cancer tumor markers in the blood at UC San Diego, as well as urologist Ramdev Konijeti, who works closely with Alvizo’s urologist at the Scripps Clinic.

“It's been a privilege to have a full-circle moment where I'm at the same cancer center, in the exact same room I was diagnosed, but now I get to see it from the other way around. It's really surreal,” Alvizo said.

So now, when asked why he wants to be a doctor, Alvizo isn’t hesitant to tell his story. He is reminded of words from a former lab colleague, Alex Gonzalez, who is also a cancer survivor:

“Every cancer patient has their own story. Just even hearing a diagnosis of cancer is a big deal. But you have a way of advocating that a lot of other people don't because you are young and healthy. Your interest in becoming a doctor will go a long way for spreading the word about cancer awareness.”

Which is exactly what Alvizo plans to do.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Perry wasn’t worried about pay or even the tasks he would be doing. He simply wanted an opportunity to gain some hands-on experience. 

It wasn’t an easy sell, even if CSUSM is known for high-impact, experiential learning. Perry wasn’t a physics major (he was studying mathematics at the time), and he didn’t have any lab experience. 

Perry wasn’t having much luck when he knocked on the door of physics professor Stephen Tsui. 

“He just said, ‘Sure, why not?’ ” Perry said. 

The simple gesture was the catalyst for Perry’s switch to physics and the beginning of his journey to co-founding TP Engineering Services, a Poway-based company that builds laser and electro-optic systems for defense and fusion applications.  

The company has flourished since its founding in 2017, but a fusion contract that it secured three years ago has accelerated its growth. 

“It’s pretty insane to think about us getting to this point already,” Perry said. “Did I ever think we'd get here? Yeah, but I had no idea what it was going to look like, and I had no idea how it was going to happen.” 

The experience is similar to the one Perry had at CSUSM, where he practically lived in Science Hall 2 as a student. In fact, he was there so early and so late that the physics department eventually entrusted him with keys and after-hours access to conduct his work. 

“That was my thing – just being in a lab setting, being around hardware, being around something that was tangible, something that wasn't just theoretical,” he said. “It was where I could put my hands on hardware and get some experience.” 

After graduating in 2016, Perry headed north to UC Santa Cruz, where he earned a master’s in phototonics. His master’s thesis – on the design and development of a deep ultraviolet fiber laser system – caught the eye of a defense contractor who funded the project, leading to the formation of TP Engineering with his mother and father. 

TP Engineering quickly grew from an optics table in Perry’s bedroom where they navigated every project to the Poway lab it calls home today. The company has expanded from the initial trio of co-founders to over 20 employees, including two from CSUSM. 

The university still holds a special place in Perry’s heart. It’s where he met his wife, Amanda, who earned a bachelor’s in kinesiology. More than a decade after they met while both lived on campus in the University Village Apartments, they welcomed daughter Elli, who will be 3 years old in December. And he still returns to campus every year for Super STEM Saturday, an annual one-day science festival that brings thousands of community members to campus. 

A longtime supporter of CSUSM Giving Day, Perry increased his contribution last year with a matching gift for the physics department. 

“He's an alum who really believes in giving back,” Tsui said. “It's nice that so many of our graduates remember us so fondly and want to see younger alums and students do well.” 

That’s certainly the case for Perry. He doesn’t take for granted the impact that people like Tsui had on him and his career. 

“CSUSM took a chance on me a long time ago, and I want to support them being able to give other students a chance as well,” Perry said. “My professors gave me a unique perspective on life. If Dr. Tsui hadn't given me that opportunity to work in his lab, I don't know if any of this would have happened. They gave me a chance, and that changed me forever.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

“Being in Dr. Luna’s lab has been such a great experience. He’s not only an amazing PI, but also a really great mentor,” said Oscar Loyola Torres, a molecular and cellular biology student.  

Luna, a biology professor at Cal State San Marcos, received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Universidad de Sonora in Mexico and a Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Maryland. He decided to pursue postdoctoral research closer to his parents, who live in Mexico, which brought him to UC San Diego. 

Luna always knew he wanted to pursue a career in the STEM field, as his father is a mechanical engineer and his mother a nurse. During his Ph.D. studies, he joined the Summer Program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success (SPINES), where he met a former CSUSM biology professor who further inspired his move to San Diego and his pursuit of a job at CSUSM. 

Luna believes that finding a good balance between research and teaching is important. He explained that one of his biophysics professors would play soccer with his students and invite them to important seminars, creating a meaningful relationship with the students beyond just research. So when he was told of the community between faculty and students at CSUSM, it felt like the right choice to apply. 

Luna has taught upper-division cellular and molecular biotechnology classes as well as biostatistics and bioengineering classes at CSUSM since 2017. He also occasionally teaches advanced molecular seminars, and currently he and his lab students are studying the effects of fat cells on breast cancer growth. 

The tests examine how lipid metabolism is driving parts of cancer growth. Lipid metabolism is the process of creating or breaking down lipids (fats) to help with energy storage, structural cell membrane support and cell signaling. Since breast tissue is full of lipids, it creates the perfect environment for cancer cells to thrive, utilizing these functions to their advantage.  

Luna and his students monitor the interactions between cancer cells and two different types of fat cells, white and brown adipocytes. These cells work to store energy, produce hormones and regulate body temperature, all basic functions crucial to the success of the human body.  

Utilizing his background in engineering, Luna and his students built a device that creates spheroids, 3D circular clusters of cells. The spheroid is made of biomaterials replicating human tissue, allowing the students to get the most accurate results from their cancer research. 

“There are so many things I get to learn from him and the lab that are helping me grow as both a student and a future physician,” Loyola Torres said. 

Luna said this is only a portion of what their research encapsulates. Every time a new discovery is made, it opens a door for further questioning, and the research continues. 

“When you have something in your mind and you get the chance and the resources to be able to put that into the world, it’s so exciting,” Luna said. 

Luna loves watching his students grow and be creative, as it reminds him of when he was a kid. Not only can he exercise his own creativity, but he gets to bring his students along for the journey. With him having watched some of them grow from first years to graduating Ph.D. students, the relationship Lopez has been able to create with his students makes his job all the more rewarding.  

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

That commitment received a boost recently, as CSUSM was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a learning community for chemistry and biochemistry majors and award scholarships to qualified students. The program will incorporate a Vertical Mentoring Learning Community (VMLC) for up to 30 chemistry and biochemistry students each year, with eight first-year students receiving a renewable $15,000 scholarship based on financial need.

The program is led by chemistry and biochemistry professor Robert Iafe, the principal investigator, and co-principal investigators Afra Panahi, a chemistry and biochemistry professor, and Aswad Allen, CSUSM’s chief diversity officer.

Together, they plan to create a community of high-achieving, motivated students recruited from introductory chemistry classes. Students who prove proficient and committed to their studies will be invited to join the learning community, and those who qualify financially will be able to apply for the additional scholarship to help with tuition and housing.

“The community aspect of it gives it a supportive place to really go for your goals, but also a safe and secure place to experiment,” Iafe said.

Students selected for the VMLC also will receive priority enrollment for chemistry classes and labs required for their major.

The vertical mentoring learning experience highlights a discipline-specific learning community of students supported by each other, faculty members and professionals. This offers students a comfortable learning environment filled with like-minded individuals guiding them toward their futures in STEM, whether that be graduate school or pursuing a career.

“We make sure they participate in professional development activities so they can build a strong science identity and become more competitive for graduate school and the job market,” Panahi said. “The supportive environment from their peer mentors, academic advisers and professional mentors can really help them build a stronger network.”

The smaller, more intimate setting of the vertical mentoring program provides a comfortable space for students to ask questions freely and create a closer relationship with faculty. This environment creates a rewarding experience for all and promotes a sense of happiness and job satisfaction among the faculty involved.

“There are concrete benchmarks along the way for students to actually see themselves progressing,” Allen said. "Vertical learning allows students to visualize their futures and see themselves where they want to be.

“We're going to create the right atmosphere, the right environment and all the right ingredients for them to thrive.”

Learn more on the Vertical Mentoring Learning Community website.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

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.

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, is the world’s largest multidisciplinary honor society with an international community of scientists and engineers dedicated to research excellence, promoting public engagement with science, and cultivating the next generations of researchers.

Maya Qaddourah, a graduating biochemistry major, helped start the CSUSM chapter. She first brought the idea up to the Committee of Undergraduate Research (CUGR) in November 2023. She helped create a student organization through the Student Leadership and Involvement Center. It was a complex effort that involved bringing together groups across departments, colleges and divisions. As an informal honor, Qaddourah’s was the first student nomination accepted in a brief ceremony on May 6.

Robert Iafe, associate professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry, is the president of the new chapter. He will lead a group of founding members through the early years of chapter development. The chapter’s other founding members include David Barsky, Charles De Leone, Erika Díaz Almeyda, Kang Du, Sajith Jayasinghe, Julie Jameson, Jane Kim, Dennis Kolosov, Afra Panahi, Betsy Read and Deanna Schmidt.

At CSUSM, Sigma Xi will provide a platform to celebrate STEM students while opening new avenues of support for grants, networking and presentation at professional STEM conferences.

Media Contact

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

The National Science Foundation has made drastic cuts to research funding, with hundreds of grants terminated and the proposed budget slashed by more than half. The National Institutes of Health has been hit equally as hard.

Few universities have been spared from such reductions, including Cal State San Marcos.

As the dire headlines piled up this semester, a group of faculty members in the School of Arts began conversing about what they could do to show solidarity with their science colleagues.

“The real-life impact of cutting scientific research and inquiry will reverberate for generations,” music professor Merryl Goldberg said. “We feel that being silent equates to complicity.”

Rather than marching in angry protest with bullhorns, the arts faculty opted to take a more positive, life-affirming approach. They chose love.

In March, the professors – a group led by Lucy HG Solomon, Goldberg, Judy Bauerlein and Karen Schaffman – began holding events called “Love Letters to Science” that involved exactly that: faculty, staff and students writing letters in which they expressed their admiration for scientists and the vital work they do for the world.

“The arts have always been first on the chopping block, and that vulnerability makes us sensitive to the extraordinary, arbitrary and indeed existential threat facing the sciences,” said HG Solomon, an art, media and design professor. “At the same time, some of our students shared that they did not feel that they had a positive outlet for responding to those same threats to their education.”

The meetings took place weekly, with some letter-writing sessions occurring in the Arts Building and some at The Makery in CSUSM’s library. Sometimes they intersected with other events, as when the Office of Safety, Health and Sustainability co-hosted a table outside the University Student Union on Earth Day because, as HG Solomon put it, “climate science matters.” Sometimes science faculty would stop by to express their gratitude for the effort.

Some members of the campus community wrote letters to science in general while others addressed them to specific scientists at CSUSM. Student Melanie Wollrabe, for instance, wrote to Heather Cook, a lecturer in the chemistry and biochemistry department who Wollrabe said has been a source of constant support.

“I have a lot of friends studying STEM, so it was important for me to write letters to them to let them know that their area of study is still important and appreciated,” said Wollrabe, a liberal studies major and STEAM ambassador who’s graduating this month.

“I haven’t had a lot of science classes, but the few ones that I have had, instead of feeling intimidated, the professors made me feel included and not inferior to my classmates.”

The “Love Letters to Scientists” campaign culminated on Wednesday afternoon, when arts faculty led a final writing session in The Makery. Then they took a brimming box of letters compiled over the last two months and – holding posters decorated with messages like “Science Rules,” “Science is Real!” and “Dear Scientist, Your research sustains me. Love, The Planet” – paraded across campus to the USU Ballroom, where the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was holding its annual Celebration of Achievement. The worlds of art and science melded as the letters – along with buttons for CSTEM faculty, personalized according to research interests – were delivered to an emotional audience.

“I think this initiative had great meaning for our faculty, our community guests and our student awardees,” CSTEM Dean Jackie Trischman said. “What a great group of colleagues!”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Honorees were nominated by faculty or staff and endorsed by their college’s dean. Here is a closer look at each award recipient: 

Alexandria (Alli) Mulqueen, psychological science  

President’s Outstanding Graduate  

Dean’s Award, College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences 

Mulqueen is engaged on campus and in the community, where she demonstrates unique commitment to her passion around disability inclusion, equity and justice. She serves as co-president of the Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance (also known as the CSUSM Best Buddies Chapter), which is aimed at empowering people to become advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to bringing awareness to the disability rights movement.  

As the only student organization on campus focusing on neurodiversity and disability justice, Mulqueen’s leadership has provided a voice and place for community building, belonging, learning and advocacy for students with disabilities and allies. 

Learn more about Mulqueen. 

Tyler Glasser, business administration 

Gerevas Family Dean’s Award, College of Business Administration 

Glasser was selected for his collective leadership contributions to the college and the student community, including helping to advance the Cougar Fund. Through his leadership and knowledge, the Cougar Fund has enhanced its investment strategy and rebalanced the holdings of the fund’s portfolio.  

The diversification has helped mitigate risk and established a foundation for the financial sustainability of the Cougar Fund. As important, the knowledge and techniques introduced by Glasser will move the Cougar Fund’s chief investment officer position forward, motivating future leadership to new levels of performance. It has also enhanced student hands-on learning, a cornerstone of CoBA degree programs, better preparing Cougar Fund students for their future investment careers.  

Nathan Lenski, master's, public health 

Dean’s Award, College of Education, Health and Human Services 

Lenski has consistently demonstrated exceptional research skills and a deep commitment to improving public health, particularly among vulnerable populations. Additionally, he has taken up the mantel of the department’s student organization, Graduate Organization of Public Health. He has accomplished this over the course of CSUSM’s accelerated Master of Public Health degree program while still employed full time for the County of San Luis Obispo.  

Lenski was lauded for his research capabilities and for being both intuitive and open to learning. His commitment to public health is not limited to his academic work but is also reflected in his actions. He seeks to leverage his research and leadership to create meaningful solutions. 

Maya Qaddourah, biochemistry  

Dean’s Award, College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

Qaddourah has shown a remarkable commitment to leading efforts to support and encourage her peers and her community at a time when her peers were consumed by isolation, fear and self-doubt with all that is happening in the world. She did this all while balancing a heavy academic load and performing at an exceptionally high level in the classroom, demonstrating a deep commitment to interdisciplinary biochemical research that resulted in working in multiple labs across campus and bringing her research to the point of publication, almost unheard of at the undergraduate level.  

She also served as a teaching assistant in several advanced courses where it is unusual to have even one of these experiences. Even with such extraordinary academic and research accomplishments, what set Qaddourah apart was her insight into the importance of community and sense of belonging and her exceptional persistence that led her to develop a personal mission of leaving an enduring impact that fosters inclusivity, innovation and career readiness in STEM at CSUSM. 

Kate Carlson, master’s, kinesiology 

Dean’s Award, Graduate Studies 

Carlson’s work ethic, attention to detail, professionalism, communication, reliability, leadership and organization skills are impressive to her peers and professors.  

These qualities were on full display during Carlson’s thesis defense on Feb. 20. Following the presentation, the committee unanimously agreed that it was the most exceptional master’s thesis project, defense and written document they had encountered in their academic careers. One committee member even noted that Carlson’s performance was on par with Ph.D. dissertation defenses from former students who now hold full or associate professor positions at top-tier research institutions. 

Miyah Walker, psychological sciences 

Dean of Students Leadership Award 

Walker’s ability to provide a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for residents, while promoting wellness, has been a hallmark of her time as a resident adviser. Additionally, she has demonstrated exceptional counseling, mentorship and facilitation skills, leading educational conversations that center on personal development, cultural understanding and co-curricular programming in a diverse learning environment. 

Walker is a rare student who has integrated her studies, co-curricular experiences and embodies a holistic student experience at CSUSM. She has taken what she has learned in psychology and applied it to her RA and peer educator roles. After graduation, in the near term, Miyah intends to become a registered behavioral technician to work with autistic children. Her long-term goal is to earn a doctoral degree and work in underserved communities as a psychologist. 

Learn more about Walker. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Hosted by Math and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI) and the CSUSM Noyce Teacher Scholars Program, the event reinforced the shared commitment to preparing and empowering STEM educators.

“The STEM Teacher Celebration had guest speakers who provided invaluable insights and teaching strategies that greatly benefited the teacher candidates,” student Sunny Naidu said. “The seasoned educators highlighted successful case studies and provided examples of how these strategies can be implemented in the classroom to foster collaboration, critical thinking and creativity among students.

“The interactive nature of the small-group presentations allowed the teacher candidates to ask questions, share their experiences and participate in discussions, leading to a rich exchange of ideas. Many teacher candidates left the celebration feeling inspired and equipped with new strategies that they could immediately apply in their future classrooms.”

Some 40 STEM teacher candidates, MSTI Cougar Mathematics and Science Teacher Scholarship Program recipients, Noyce Scholars, undergraduate Students of Promise, practicing STEM teachers, and faculty and administrators attended this year’s event at the McMahan House on campus.

Through engaging roundtable discussions, participants explored practical strategies for implementing California mathematics and science curriculum frameworks. The event highlighted the importance of ongoing professional learning and support in advancing effective STEM teaching and learning.

“As a teacher candidate, I appreciated the roundtable discussions at the STEM Teacher Celebration,” student Courtney Wilson said. “It was a unique opportunity to hear real teachers share innovative and practical approaches to teaching – and the food was great, too!”

Media Contact

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

Mendoza has worked in the lab of biology professor Elinne Becket for two years, applying her independent research skills to studying taxonomic and functional profiles associated with plastic marine substrates.

In her recommendation letter for the award, Becket noted that “Marisa has already made a tremendous impact on our lab’s research productivity, leading efforts on two projects. Overall, Marisa is an incredible researcher who is effective, reliable, collaborative and highly resilient.”

Becket said Mendoza began making an impact while still a student at Palomar College before transferring to CSUSM. In furthering her education at CSUSM, Mendoza continues to give back by mentoring students in the Bridges to the Baccalaureate program, which prepares community college students who are interested in biomedical research careers to seamlessly transition to four-year universities.

“She is already an exceptional researcher at such an early stage, and her grit, integrity and adaptability will lead her to be very successful in her Ph.D. endeavors and beyond,” Becket wrote. “I believe she will make a strong impact in the microbiology field in her future career.”

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986, and the scholarship program that honors Sen. Barry Goldwater was designed to identify, encourage and financially support outstanding undergraduates interested in pursuing research careers in the sciences, engineering and mathematics.

From a pool of more than 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, 1,350 science, engineering and mathematics students were nominated by 445 academic institutions to compete for the 2025 Goldwater scholarships.

Learn more about applying for the Goldwater Scholarship and other opportunities by visiting CSTEM's Funding Opportunities webpage.

Media Contact

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

Sessions will be held from Saturday, March 8 through Thursday, March 13. 

Saturday will be a “mini-event” that is 45 minutes and free for all participants. On Sunday-Thursday, the event is 90 minutes and $4 per person. Reservations are required and can be made online.

No science background is necessary. The event is intended for groups of 4-8 people ages 12 and up.

Media Contact

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

Ask Iafe and he’ll say the crack he made about Becket’s beloved Croatian soccer team did the trick. Not so, says Becket.

“At first, I actually disliked him for weeks,” Becket said. “Once he finally started being nice to me, then I started liking him. But he's like, ‘No, that's what caused interest.’ This is one of those agree to disagree moments.”

But there’s no such controversy when it comes to their engagement in 2022.

“It was perfect,” they both said, nearly in unison.

Becket, a biology professor, and Iafe, a chemistry professor and department chair, tied the knot two years later, exchanging vows last Oct. 5 at the place that has become a second home for them – Cal State San Marcos.

If getting married at one’s place of employment seems unconventional, it shouldn’t to those who know Becket and Iafe. The passion they have for their students is the same passion they have for the university. And CSUSM’s Event and Conference Services (ECS) team ensured there wasn’t a moment of doubt about having their wedding at the McMahan House on campus.

“Everyone at ECS literally brought me to tears in a good way multiple times because they were just so helpful and so thoughtful,” said Becket, noting the tireless work and attention to detail of event planners Lizette Alvarado and Zayla Paschall. “It went perfectly because of them. I'm just so, so grateful for the fact that they made it even more special than I thought it was going to be.”

It was a day that was 16 years in the making.

Becket and Iafe met in 2008 at UCLA where each was working on their Ph.D. (Becket in molecular biology and Iafe in organic chemistry). Though they were in different departments, they met through one of Becket’s former teacher assistants who was lab mates with Iafe.

They were friends for about six months before they started dating, though the friendship could have been derailed by Iafe poking fun at Croatia’s painful exit from the 2008 Euro Cup when Turkey tied a quarterfinal match as time was winding down before advancing on penalty kicks.

“It was just enough of a bite for her to be annoyed but have that interest,” Iafe said.

Becket remembers it a bit differently. Born in Los Angeles, she traveled between the U.S. and Croatia frequently as a child during the Croatian War of Independence, spending time with her grandparents while her mom helped guide humanitarian aid to the front lines.

Needless to say, her ties to Croatia – and its soccer team – run deep.

“Oh, he knew what he was doing,” she said.

Iafe rebounded from the faux pas and their friendship evolved as they regularly hung out in UCLA’s grad lounge while waiting on results from their respective research experiments.

Both play piano, leading to battles in the grad lounge pitting Becket’s classical music against Iafe’s penchant for Elton John (Becket’s wedding processional was to John’s “Your Song,” which Iafe often played for her). The piano duels led to another talent they share – dancing. Becket has danced a variety of styles throughout her life and Iafe competed in ballroom in college.

Their friendship blossomed, and, on Dec. 16, 2008, they had their first official date, even marking the occasion with a photo.

The 16-year wait from that first date to their wedding day wasn’t intentional so much a product of juggling a relationship with the challenges of establishing their respective careers.

“Marriage was always what we wanted to work toward, but we were just enjoying what we had,” Becket said. “It was less important about the legal thing and more important about saying vows in front of our loved ones.”

And it was those vows that remain a highlight from their wedding day, particularly Iafe’s words. He took to heart an early conversation they had when they were dating – though, much like the soccer joke he made, they don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on the way that conversation went.

“So, 16 years ago, she had a couple of demands for me,” Iafe said. “She said, ‘You are not allowed to read your vows. You have to say it from the heart.' ”

“This was when I was 20, when we first started dating,” Becket interjected. “And it wasn't a command, it was an off-the-cuff remark where I was like, ‘I don't understand how people can just read their vows.’ It was one of those things of, ‘If you really mean it, you should be able to say it, blah, blah, blah.’ ”

“And I listened to every word that she said,” Iafe said.

Fast forward 16 years and Becket jotted down some bullet points to ensure that she would hit on the topics that were most meaningful. Iafe, on the other hand, decided to wing it.

While there is friendly disagreement over whether it was truly off-the-cuff or well-rehearsed, they agree that Iafe nailed it.

“Of course, this guy has the best vows ever memorized and completely showed me up,” Becket said. “And what's really annoying was that when we were talking about who goes first, he's like, ‘You know what? I'll let you go first.’ He said he didn't want to repeat something I said.

“And, no, it was because he wanted to show me up,” she added, laughing. “The video shows me saying, ‘Oh, now I know why you wanted to go second.’ ”

Similar to how he lectures, Iafe said he had major points he wanted to hit and just let it flow from there. His groomsmen, Becket said, tell it differently.

“They were telling me, ‘He was practicing all day,’ ” Becket said.

“Just the major points,” Iafe said. “How we get there, I don’t know. It’s a journey. Live on the edge.”

As they approach their first Valentine’s Day as a married couple this week, there aren’t any special plans in the works. They’ll mark the occasion in the low-key way they normally do.

And before Becket can give details on what they normally do, Iafe jumps in.

“We don’t actually celebrate Valentine’s Day,” he said, “because every day is Valentine’s Day.”

Less than five months into marriage, spoken like someone who already knows the key to wedded bliss.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

As president and one of the founding members of the Lawrence E. and Neva B. Fenstermaker Foundation, Brooks has been instrumental in supporting STEM at CSUSM for nearly 30 years. While the Fenstermaker Foundation is now sunsetting, its legacy will live on through a $1.3 million endowment in perpetual support of STEM students at CSUSM. This transformative gift will be further amplified by a $1 million matching contribution from the Epstein Family Foundation.

“Supporting STEM has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life,” Brooks said. “Three decades ago, we chose CSUSM because it was new and so full of potential. This university is exactly what we needed in North County San Diego, and it has been wonderful to watch it grow.”

Over the years, in addition to the recent endowment, the Fenstermaker Foundation has donated $1.9 million to STEM initiatives at CSUSM, providing more than 130 STEM students with scholarships and establishing a $40,000 library endowment for science resources.

“We are deeply grateful to the Fenstermaker Foundation board of directors,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. “Their generosity has transformed countless lives, creating a ripple effect of innovation and opportunity that will benefit our community for generations to come.”

From first gen to multi-gen impact

As a first-generation college student, Brooks put herself through school at Adelphi University in Brooklyn. At the time, it was rare for women to pursue higher education or build careers in fields such as biology, making Brooks' achievements both groundbreaking and inspiring. Notably, she worked alongside pioneering scientist George Nicholas Papanicolaou, whose development of the Pap smear revolutionized cervical cancer detection.

The Fenstermaker Foundation was founded in 1995 by Lawrence Fenstermaker, who served in the 11^th Naval District in San Diego. While Fenstermaker did not attend college, he was passionate about learning and helping others obtain an education. Along with Brooks as one of the original five board members, the Fenstermaker Foundation started giving to CSUSM in 1996 and has remained a steadfast supporter ever since.    

“The Fenstermaker Foundation’s endowment will allow CSUSM Summer Scholars students to get paid, hands-on research experiences in STEM,” said Julie Jameson, director of CSUSM's graduate program in biology. “This type of opportunity truly changes lives and fulfills the university’s mission of student success.”

CSUSM proudly honors Brooks, a remarkable champion of STEM education. Through her visionary leadership, the Fenstermaker Foundation has made an enduring impact on CSUSM, fostering innovation and creating opportunities that will empower students and transform lives for years to come.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Residents of 13 states are in the so-called “path of totality,” meaning that they will have a chance to view a total solar eclipse, in which the moon completely covers the sun.

California isn’t one of those 13 lucky states, so the best we’ll see is a partial eclipse, which isn’t as dramatic but can still be plenty fun. And Cal State San Marcos is getting in on the action.

The College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics will host a solar eclipse viewing event on Monday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. outside the University Student Union.

There will be a solar telescope and sunspotters (weather permitting). Guests can make their own pinhole camera, create a moon crater and learn about research projects that engineering and physics students are involved in.

The physics department will provide free solar eclipse glasses, since you should never look directly at the sun during an eclipse.

The event is being organized by Tara Fetherolf, a visiting assistant professor in physics who specializes in astronomy.

In San Marcos, the maximum coverage of the sun will be 53%, and the time of maximum eclipse will be 11:12 a.m.

This will be the last chance to see a total solar eclipse in the continental U.S. until 2044.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

But working for Alcheme Bio in Cal State San Marcos’ Infinity Lab has exceeded all of Jha’s expectations. Not only has it provided hands-on learning opportunities, but Jha has been able to work closely with and learn from Vanessa Small, the founder, chief executive officer and chief scientific officer of Alcheme Bio.

“I knew since it was a startup that I would get to do a lot more than if I was at a bigger company, but the experience has been amazing,” said Jha, who will graduate from CSUSM with a master’s in biotechnology in May. “Working with Vanessa has been especially helpful. She is a great mentor.”

CSUSM’s Infinity Lab is a state-of-the-art research facility that launched last spring to offer affordable bench space for bioentrepreneurs. Alcheme Bio is one of four bioscience entrepreneurs that are part of the lab along with Grann Pharmaceuticals, Indaptus Therapeutics and GSD Bio. The Infinity Lab’s convenient location in CSUSM’s Extended Learning building, ready availability of research equipment and instrumentation, and collaborative environment are key elements of the laboratory’s success.

Originally designed as a teaching space, the university pivoted because of the pandemic and reimagined the Infinity Lab as part of its innovation ecosystem under the direction of Dr. Scott Gross, associate vice president of industry partnerships, and Dr. Betsy Read, the founder of the university’s biotechnology program. They’ve received added assistance from Debora Galasso, a 25-year veteran of the biotech industry who is a lecturer in the Master of Biotechnology: A Professional Science Master’s program.

The lab has become the perfect place for students like Jha to gain real-world experience while learning from seasoned professionals like Small.

“Vanessa is very patient,” Jha said. “Even though she's the CEO, she is very much willing to teach me and to answer questions.”

Growing up in India, Jha was always interested in biology and initially considered pursuing a career as a doctor. But her interests shifted more to research and studying how things work and why they work in a particular manner.

Jha earned her bachelor’s in biotechnology from St. Xavier's College, Ranchi in India. She chose CSUSM for her master’s degree both because of its location in a hub for biotechnology and its strong program that combines science and management.

The master’s program requirements include completing a semester-in-residence project, and Jha learned about the Infinity Lab from Read, who recommended reaching out to Alcheme Bio. Jha’s lab work includes protein purification, extracting protein, and trying to grow it and scale it up. She said the experience has been invaluable as she works toward finding a job in industry after graduation in May.

“It has been so great, especially for me being an international student,” Jha said. “This opportunity was perfect for me, and I'm grateful to Alcheme Bio.”

Visit the Infinity Lab website to learn more about joining the lab.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Datta, who will graduate from Cal State San Marcos with their master’s in biological sciences this May, has worked to overcome challenges with imposter syndrome and their own diagnosis of a disability a few years ago. Now they’re working to help others battling disabilities.

Datta has worked in several different places to fuel their experience at CSUSM, including helping with multiple biology courses, serving as graduate mentor for the Summer Scholars program and working as a tutor.

Those efforts have paid off. Last fall, Datta won the CSUSM Social Innovation Challenge and in January they won the Crellin Pauling Student Teaching Award.

“I always liked learning,” said Datta, who uses they/them pronouns. “Every class that I took added a lens in terms of how I see the world. I see a leaf and I see all of its different parts and I see the physics and the chemistry that comes together to make it, and it's a wonderful thing.”

Datta enrolled at CSUSM for graduate school after earning their bachelor’s from UC Davis for multiple reasons, including access to faculty who does research in their field and CSUSM’s proximity to their family.

“I’m a person with disabilities and I’m from San Diego,” they said. “My entire family is here and I needed that support system.”

Datta studies how to make higher education (particularly STEM) classrooms more accessible for students with disabilities. 

Currently a peer mentor in STEM, Datta has been interested in both the fields of STEM and education since they were a young teenager. Since this initial interest, Datta has taken on several roles that gave them experience and made them more well rounded as an educator.

“Exposure to different types of people’s experiences helps you understand how to be more empathetic and kind toward them as a person,” Datta said. “You realize these things that you might never experience and you start to notice those factors and begin to recognize the telltale signs of people struggling or needing help and recognize that better in the future.”

Datta produced an impressive project for CSUSM’s Social Innovation Challenge, an ideation competition in which students compete to solve real-world problems.

“My thesis is on how closed captioning affects the academic experiences of students with disabilities and STEM classrooms,” Datta said. “My business proposal was on how we can integrate that realistically and logically into higher education.”

Datta’s project has been in the works since their senior year of undergrad, stemming from an honors thesis during COVID when they saw how the pandemic affected people with chronic and physical disabilities and neurodivergent challenges. Some of their friends did not adjust well to the new climate while others (like Datta) thrived in an online learning environment.

The project has continued to grow. Datta has conducted extensive research and found ways to help students, including through recorded lectures with captions. Datta then looked for ways to get the project into action.

But Datta knows that change is slow.

“I had sections in my proposal for what we should do if my proposal wouldn't work, because I recognized that it was too ideal,” Datta said. “I want to get these resources universally implemented into as many institutions as possible, and that is a lot of money and a lot of coordination. With the amount of cooperation required, it's hard.” 

Datta had to use a deeper-level thinking process, focusing on whether institutions even had the resources needed to put their plan to action and whether it was equitable to ask instructors to do these tasks. 

As the first-place winner, Datta was awarded $500 and an opportunity to share their project, build their resume and get involved in networking. 

Datta cares deeply about making education accessible. They not only have their winning social innovation project, they also have been a graduate teaching assistant for over a year instructing labs, holding office hours and developing tools for their students to succeed. 

Beyond just the logistical roles of being an educator, Datta really stands out in the impression they leave on their students - being real. 

“I had a student tell me, ‘You’re like the first human professor I’ve had,’ ” Datta said. “I make mistakes and I have difficult days. I joke with my students and share struggles I had when learning the same materials and taking the same classes.” 

When students are learning a difficult subject or in a difficult class, honesty and relatability from their teachers can make a world of difference. Instead of being discouraged, students are more likely to improve, leading them to thrive. Datta also urges their students to find a healthy balance.

“I always encourage my students to prioritize their mental health,” Datta said, “but get the degree, do whatever you have to do, keep your head down. Take your time, but get the degree.” 

Not only have Datta’s students recognized their hard work, but so has their mentor, biology professor Mallory Rice.

“They care deeply about not only improving the experiences of students in their own classroom, but all students that cross their path,” Rice said. “Poorvi’s advocacy has even had a profound impact on my teaching and influenced me to integrate practices into my own classroom to improve students’ experiences.”

In January, Datta won the Crellin Pauling Student Teaching Award, which acknowledges those who show student teaching achievement in the field of biotechnology. The award branches across to students from any CSU, yet only two are selected. Winners received $2,000 and an invitation to attend the CSU Biotechnology Symposium. Datta’s acceptance speech had a strong impact on the audience.

 “I had so many people coming up to me and telling me about it when I had this moment, where I realized words have power,” Datta said, “I spoke for three minutes and impacted people in a way that's really significant and meaningful, and that was eye-opening for me.  

“Receiving this award means a lot. I put in so much work and I care so much about my students. Having your work recognized when you have imposter syndrome, that type of external validation can be very significant.”

As someone who deals with disabilities themselves, Datta understands the challenges that one goes through and incorporates these experiences into their teachings.

“I have a lot of flexibility with my students, and I also ask my students to be flexible with me,” Datta said, “The most important advice I would give to any student with disabilities is to spend less time thinking about how to fix yourself, assuming that you're broken, and spend more time trying to figure out how to be compassionate to yourself and how you can succeed because you deserve it.” 

Datta was recently admitted to the integrated life sciences Ph.D. program at the University of Georgia for the fall and intends to pursue a doctorate in neuroscience. Their ultimate goal is to become a teaching professor of biology. This career would allow Datta to continue their research and develop evidence-based recommendations that would help institutions retain more students with disabilities in STEM.

 After spending years of their life learning how to adapt to and grow through challenges, Datta wants to share their understanding with others.

“Sometimes situations can be unfair and it’s not your fault,” Datta said, “Being kind to yourself and giving yourself the space to be human and asking for things you need from the people you feel safe asking from will always yield you success because you deserve it, and all of us are capable of being successful.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

While 8-year-old Gideon’s spelling was a bit off, her desire to be a scientist came through loud and clear — and stayed with her throughout her elementary, middle and high school years. When it came time to pursue a bachelor’s degree, Gideon knew the path she wanted to take, and that path led her to Cal State San Marcos.  

“I have always loved biology and the niches of the subject,” Gideon said. “I love researching animals and discovering how they affect our world. It’s something I truly have a passion for.” 

Attending school in the San Diego area was essential for Gideon as her twin sister was attending UC San Diego and her grandmother wanted them to be near each other. Family is an important value to Gideon; one she credits originating from her grandmother. After all, it was her grandmother who took in 13-year-old Gideon and her three sisters when they became foster youth. 

“I never met my father, and my mother was experiencing mental health problems at the time, so my grandmother raised us four girls,” Gideon said. 

As a first-generation college student and former foster youth, Gideon’s adjustment to college life was anything but smooth sailing. She found herself facing failure, financial stress and strong fear of her peers and professors learning of her foster youth background. 

“I was ashamed when people asked questions,” Gideon said. “It’s hard to talk about things that hurt you, you know, especially when there’s such a stigma that comes with being a foster youth. I had to swallow my pride and accept it as being part of my journey.” 

Looking for support, Gideon explored a variety of campus resources and built close relationships with staff and faculty members. It was them who introduced Gideon to the Center for Training, Research and Educational Excellence (CTREE), a program designed to provide research and educational opportunities to students of marginalized groups. Through CTREE, Gideon conducts research alongside her mentor, professor of biological sciences Dennis Kolosov, and presents findings at conferences. 

“A lot of my science identity has been built by the people in my lab,” Gideon said. “The professors here are really good people and care about shaping students and getting those wheels turning in your head.” 

As Gideon continued to grow in the program, she found herself eager to expand her leadership skills. Her fellow peers recognized her devotion to the campus community and voted her in as the ASI representative of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In this position, she expresses student needs and collaborates with the dean to enhance the student experience. 

To Gideon, her passion for biology encompasses advocating for Black education. As a Black woman, she has experienced cases of racial discrimination and ignorance throughout her life. However, she is determined to transform these hurdles into steppingstones. 

“It’s a thing I have learned to leverage,” Gideon said. “My professors know when I miss class, they know my name, they remember me and sometimes that leads to them reaching out. As the only Black student, it’s hard to miss me.        

“Anytime I experience microaggressive comments, I have learned to build my armor and be confident in who I am. I will not let it tear me down.” 

Indeed, she lets it make her stronger. By using the tools in her arsenal, Gideon is sharing her story and striving to make a difference on campus. She joined the National Society of Black Engineers, founded the club Black in Stem and works as a peer mentor at the Black Student Center. In each of these roles, she is carving out a space for Black students to have a voice and increase chances of success. 

As a prominent leader in the campus community, Gideon serves as a role model not only to her peers but also to her two younger sisters, each of whom followed in her footsteps and are now attending CSUSM.

“My sisters, grandmother and mother, who overcame her own life challenges, are my biggest supporters," Gideon said. "They make up my village and are the greatest cheerleaders. I am so grateful to all of my loved ones for supporting me throughout my academic journey.”

It was also Gideon’s hard work and determination that led her to this semester, where she will be graduating and heading to UC Irvine to earn a doctorate in immunology.  

The challenges Gideon encountered shaped her into the person she is today, someone who values community over all else and is dedicated to increasing resources in the education system for students who experience adversity like she did.

“Seeing the stereotypes about foster youth and how the statistics just get smaller and smaller for us when it comes to attending college and graduating, and on top of being Black, you carry so much baggage,” Gideon said. “The statistics are against you.”

“But I know what it’s like to persevere. Each time I have fallen, I have gotten back up. I crawled, walked and ran the whole way to this degree, and I couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who helped me get to this point.”

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

The other winners were from Yale, Cornell and MIT.

To be selected for the award, Brown had to shine in an applicant pool of more than 350, the largest number of submissions in the four-year history of the award. The honor includes sharing a young Black scientist's story and their future goals. Brown’s article, published in “Cell Press” on Feb. 15, details how he pushed through his past with an admirable goal to decrease medical distrust among underrepresented groups.

Brown writes how he became interested in science and medicine after a trip to the ICU in his childhood. He suffered from ventricular tachycardia, a heart condition in which the lower chambers of the heart beat quickly, and had to undergo heart surgery to help fix the issues.

Since this life-altering experience in the ICU, Brown has worked in several different avenues of medicine, including research at California's Institute for Regenerative Medicine BRIDGES internship, where he studied full time for a year in the neuroscience lab. He later worked on his own project centered on Alzheimer's disease. For that research, Brown said he “worked toward better understanding synaptic development of stem cell-induced neurons across various genotypes that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease.”

The main goal of Brown's project was to “see if genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease had any effect on the growth and maturation of developing neurons.”

Brown’s experience on the project helped him grow his passion for medicine. He used this passion to work with a mentorship program that helped aspiring STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) majors with the high school-to-college transition process. He also built a tutoring company that has since helped several students pass their organic chemistry classes.

Brown took his passion for science and medicine abroad, continuing his studies in Lisbon, Portugal, where he worked at another neuroscience lab. There, his research “explored the effects of a genetic mutation in the cerebellum.” Using a mouse model, Brown was able to show that, “a single point mutation in a single gene produced deficiencies in learning and memory.” Brown is aiming to find breakthroughs in medicine that will be beneficial in the treatment of disease in underrepresented groups.

After all of the challenges Brown has overcome, he is grateful for this award recognition.

“This award helps me grapple with the idea that I belong here; I am where I’m supposed to be,” Brown said. “I am humbled by the recognition of my hard work and truly honored to have an entity like Cell acknowledge my potential.”

Brown, who is currently applying to Ph.D. programs, plans to continue striving to leave a positive impact on the world with his research and accomplishments that help others.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

CSUSM was announced recently as among 10 recipients of the NIH Institutional Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in Biomedical and Behavioral Research Prize. The award is given by the NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD) team.

Of the 10 winners, CSUSM is one of only three that are considered limited-resource institutions (LRIs). NIH defines LRIs, among other criteria, as “institutions that have a documented mission to serve historically underrepresented populations in biomedical and behavioral research.”

CSUSM received the NIH prize specifically for the work of the Center for Research, Training and Educational Excellence (CTREE), the mission of which is to enhance the educational and research experiences of students from underserved backgrounds in higher education. CTREE is led by director Denise Garcia, a biology professor, and associate director Richard Armenta, a kinesiology professor.

“The establishment and operation of CTREE represent a university-wide achievement,” Garcia said. “Our success is attributed to exceptional administrators who recognized and supported our vision, dedicated staff tirelessly managing our programs and grants, and amazing faculty members who generously invest their time as research mentors for our students. Above all, our achievements are fueled by the remarkable efforts of our incredible students, who wholeheartedly strive to turn their dreams into reality.”

CTREE was founded in 2002 as the Office and Training, Research and Education in the Sciences (OTRES). The name was changed two years ago when OTRES achieved center status, which allowed it to centralize services normally housed in multiple offices to offer an array of resources, including comprehensive academic advising, research support and mentorship, research and ethics training, and community building among like-minded students.  

In its new iteration, CTREE has witnessed rapid expansion in program offerings and student outreach, growing from directly supporting 40 students to more than 90. There has been a corresponding spike in annual funding, which has increased from $827,144 to nearly $3 million since 2019, and in the rate of students who go on to doctoral programs (from 69% to 95%).

“We are honored to receive the NIH Institutional Excellence Prize, which acknowledges the impactful strides we’ve made in creating an inclusive and equitable environment for students to thrive at CSUSM,” Armenta said. “We are committed to providing opportunities for students from minoritized backgrounds to succeed in higher education, and this award will help us expand the mission of CTREE and CSUSM.”

CTREE houses nine federal- and state-funded programs that provide multiple entry points during a student’s education, allowing for flexibility in admissions. Each program provides students with research opportunities, seminars, workshops and peer mentoring.

In addition to student support, CTREE plays an instrumental role in faculty development. This includes engaging with new hires to facilitate grant submissions and providing resources, training and mentorship to faculty to ensure that they can best support students from minoritized backgrounds.

CTREE also has built valuable partnerships with local community colleges Palomar and MiraCosta, and prominent institutions such as UC San Diego, San Diego State and Scripps Research.

Qualcomm is supporting CSUSM – specifically the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) – through The Inventor’s Patent Academy (TIPA), an engineering capstone program, an intro to coding technical interview workshop and engineering scholarships.  

In 2022, Qualcomm partnered with Invent Together, a coalition of universities, nonprofits, companies and other stakeholders dedicated to understanding the diversity gaps that exist in invention and patenting. The company launched TIPA to close these gaps, through public policy and private initiatives. The free course guides inventors through the process of obtaining a patent, particularly targeting potential inventors who are underrepresented in the patent-heavy science and engineering fields, including women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, people from lower-income communities, people with disabilities, or those with backgrounds that did not allow exposure. 

“Currently in the United States, only 13% of inventors listed on patents are women, while Black, Latinx and Indigenous people account for less than 8% of all U.S. inventors, and children of families in the top 1% of income are 10 times more likely to patent in their lifetimes than children in the bottom half of family income,” said Emma Lacey, senior program manager at Qualcomm.  

“It’s so important for us to give back to students and invest in making the current workforce more diverse because we are of the firm belief that everyone should have the opportunity to invent and seek out opportunities for upward mobility in their personal and professional lives. We want to foster a larger pool of innovators because diverse minds solve diverse problems, and that benefits the whole of society.” 

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, intellectual property supports more than 45 million jobs and contributes over $6.6 trillion to the nation’s economy. Invent Together has found that including more Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC) and women inventors in the early stages of innovation would boost the U.S. economy by up to $1 trillion every year and would fuel U.S. economic growth, social mobility and intergenerational wealth. 

In developing TIPA, Qualcomm was motivated by the belief that anyone can invent, that every inventor can learn to patent and that strong patent rights empower individual inventors to transform the world in ways that benefit all. 

“Qualcomm gave CSUSM a gift to do some activities to try to figure out what is the best way to implement TIPA in higher education,” said Scott Gross, CSUSM's associate vice president of industry partnerships.  “So we are doing three things: facilitating a faculty learning community, appointing a faculty to pilot the program in classes and introducing TIPA modules during a conference in January.

“I firmly believe that faculty at CSUSM are discovering new intellectual property daily, and aside from sharing it with students, they might be uncertain about what to do with these findings. Based on the Bayh-Dole Act, when a faculty member discovers intellectual property, it is the university's responsibility to make sure it gets into the hands of the public so that society can benefit from it. And at CSUSM, we take that responsibility very seriously.” 

Aside from TIPA, Qualcomm is impacting the STEM community at large by investing in CSUSM students through mentorship and scholarships.  

Since founding its engineering program in 2018, CSUSM has focused on creating a pipeline of diverse graduates who are career-ready. These opportunities are not only life-changing for many students, but also transformative for the industry.  

At CSUSM, 53% of engineering students are first-generation, there has been a 50% year-over-year increase in female students, and 47% identify as Latinx, a striking number since the national percentage of Latinx engineering graduates is only 9% and the percentage of graduates within the California State University system is only 26%.  

CSUSM and Qualcomm aim to increase representation and success in engineering. This is accomplished by teaching students skills through the engineering capstone program, teaching them how to obtain a job through coding technical interview workshops, and supporting their degree completion through engineering scholarships. 

When an opportunity to go to college presented itself, Daniel Beltran, an electrical engineering student and Qualcomm scholarship recipient, paired his life experience as a farm laborer with his savviness in mathematics. With so many possibilities in these careers, Beltran felt the weight of too many crossroads. That was until a field trip to Qualcomm headquarters in San Diego showed him a path in engineering that he was confident in.  

“Qualcomm's commitment to empower and support the new generation of engineers is inspiring,” Beltran said. “Receiving an award from them has allowed me to plan out my educational career in a secure way.” 

For students, seeing active industry projects is motivating. During their final academic year, students discover innovative solutions to real-world problems of their choice while connecting with these industry partners as part of the engineering capstone project. For the 2023-24 academic year, Qualcomm is funding three of these projects, and a professional from its team is providing industry access and mentorship. 

Ten students in need of support also will receive $2,500 scholarships from Qualcomm.  

“Being awarded this scholarship has made it easier to continue pursuing my educational goals, and I will be able to breathe easy knowing that the Qualcomm engineering scholarship made it easier to remain focused on my studies,” said Deavan Contreras, an electrical engineering student who received the scholarship this academic year. 

“Serving in the Navy, I was fortunate to have provided medical support to the Marines as we completed two tours of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. The memories I have of those times bring a sense of pride as well as self-reflection on the hardships that are faced in military operations. Having firsthand knowledge of the technology that allowed us to complete our missions inspired me to continue my education, and every semester that I complete is a step closer to becoming a contributing member of society as an engineer.”

Finally, Qualcomm and CSTEM are piloting an “Intro to Technical Coding Interview” workshop that will teach third-year students majoring in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science and information systems how to ace their technical coding interview. This skill is imperative for them to earn a summer internship and career opportunity. 

Through each of these robust exercises, CSUSM scholars steward the future of STEM in the region. In fact, eight out of 10 students stay in the region after graduation, a significant win for the advancement of Southern California. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

As a young boy, Yuri Rodea loved the freedom that a camera provided. His 1970 lens gave him a reason to explore the world. That thin strip of film laid the foundation for a strong bond with his father. And through that rudimentary camera body, with the only customizable feature being the speed of a shutter, he was able to make life his own. 

 Grinning jovially, Rodea explains some of the many layers of being a photographer: 

1. Being an equipment nerd, knowing intricate details of lenses and camera bodies. 
2. Living in the moment, always ready to snap experiences as they arise. 
3. Having an artistic eye that’s always searching for imaginative shots and angles.  

Rodea grew up knowing these layers well, as photography was a pastime he shared with his father. They were not professionals, but they found joy and connection in documenting the family's outings. In his adult life, Rodea found himself spending a large amount of his time in a niche field of photography – designing cameras to be used in space.  

 On a daily basis, Rodea reimagines what a camera is. As one would assume, this is no easy task. The composition of every camera, satellite or product he works on is elaborately tested to ensure that it can survive the conditions in space because, in space, everything changes.  

A Cal State San Marcos alumnus, Rodea spent the last six years working for Malin Space Science Systems as an engineer, and he will soon start a new position with Rocket Lab, a company that launches rockets and does satellite integration. In these roles, he has been responsible for the setup, testing and calibration of cameras used in flight programs, and the list of impactful projects that he has been a part of is extensive.  

To name a few, Rodea worked on the WATSON camera used in the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission as part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach; NASA’s ShadowCam, which offers views into shadowed areas near the lunar poles; Mastcam-Z, a mast-mounted camera system with a zoom function on the Mars 2020 rover; and the Psyche multispectral imager, which provides high-resolution images with filters to discriminate between the Psyche spacecraft’s metallic and silicate constituents, etc.  

All equipment used in such projects must be failproof, robust and long-lasting – essentially perfect. This is because, in harsh and hazardous environmental conditions with unpredictable circumstances, there are no second chances or backups. Once it’s in space, the product can't be physically changed. 

“When you think of a challenge of space, imagine taking a camera out of the oven and then putting it immediately into the freezer," Rodea said. “The atmosphere in space heats up, then goes to negative temperatures, and as soon as you’re out of the sun, it’s a dead zone.”

Even small, minor details must be tested to ensure functionality, such as the type of paint on the exterior or the softness of a brush bristle. Perfection is crucial, as cameras are used to photograph galaxies for public consumption or groundbreaking scientific research. 

“These cameras introduce a new generation of people into photography, which is cool because people have wanted to explore planets since the dawn of man,” Rodea said.  

This work is quite complex in its composition, and the deadlines can be rigorous. But Rodea’s family, especially his father, is immensely proud. 

“When I talk about the different focal lengths or different types of cameras such as infrared or ultraviolet, my dad loves it,” Rodea said. “It’s a nice connection to have with him because in space fields, whether it's rockets or spacecrafts or satellites, the details are hard to understand. But for the big ideas, everyone can connect more easily and understand concepts, because I work with what they’re seeing on television."

In addition to familial support, Rodea credits his professional advancements to the ability to learn engineering during his CSUSM undergraduate years on the same equipment he uses in the workforce. Specifically, using vacuum equipment and high-end electronics for control data analysis in the lab of CSUSM physics professor Gerardo Dominguez cut out a year-and-a-half of on-the-job training and allowed him to get hired immediately.  

“I was impressed by Yuri since the very first day that I met him," said Dominguez, who's also chair of the physics department.  “He was always a standout student in my lab and is someone I’m very proud to call an alumnus.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Temple toured private facilities in the region that failed to meet his expectations in myriad ways – whether the culprit was age, accumulated dust or debris. And for the privilege of occupying such a space, the going rate was a shocking $10,000 a month, or more.

What a pleasant change it was for Temple, then, when his nascent company’s head of business development told him about a new opportunity to rent room in Cal State San Marcos’ Extended Learning building. The bright and modern lab on the fourth floor marked such a sharp contrast to what he had been seeing that he accepted on the spot.

“It’s been wonderful,” Temple said. “This lab space is incredibly nice.”

Temple is the president and CEO of Grann Pharmaceuticals, a biotech that he formed with several classmates while they were still students at Whittier College. This spring, before they even had graduated, Grann moved into the Infinity Lab, a state-of-the-art research facility in the Extended Learning building. Just last week, Grann was joined in the lab by a second client: Alcheme Bio, a small startup founded by Vanessa Small, a member of the advisory council for CSUSM’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

The Infinity Lab was designed as a teaching space, but partly because of the pandemic, it hasn’t been used for that purpose since the building opened four years ago. In 2020, CSUSM initiated an experiment to reimagine the lab by leasing space to cancer diagnostics company Volition, which stayed for about a year before moving on.

Now, CSUSM is doubling down on the growth of its innovation ecosystem under the direction of Scott Gross, associate vice president of industry partnerships, and Betsy Read, the founder of the university’s biotechnology program, and with the added assistance of Debora Galasso. Galasso is a 25-year veteran of the biotech industry who became a lecturer in the Master of Biotechnology: A Professional Science Master’s program in 2019 and this year was enlisted by Gross and Read to manage the expansion of the Infinity Lab.

Galasso said CSUSM is the only university in San Diego County that is dipping its toe into a venture that is typically the province of for-profit companies.

“Our goal is to demonstrate proof of concept,” Galasso said. “The space was sitting idle, so we wanted to see if we could create an environment that could benefit students. As education is our primary focus, we are not intending to make money, but to cover our costs while we develop an environment where students, faculty and staff can interact directly with entrepreneurs.”

The Infinity Lab is a molecular and cellular biology lab that features four benches (three are available to lease, one is reserved for CSUSM students and faculty), a tissue culture room for culturing cells and an impressive collection of the type of equipment any biotech startup would require. Space can be rented by the linear foot, with Grann taking up a whole bench (34 feet) and Alcheme only 7 feet. The lab can accommodate three to five companies at a time, and renewable leases are for six-month terms, as befits a place that considers itself a biotech incubator.

“The idea would be to not have companies in for over two years,” Galasso said. “By that time, they should have secured angel or venture capital funding, been purchased or their intellectual property been purchased. Within two years, you should be growing enough that you need to go somewhere else.”

Because of its university affiliation, a requirement of the Infinity Lab is that students benefit from any industry partnership. That can take multiple forms, from students being hired as interns, to companies hosting classes in the lab to tell their story, to biotech entrepreneurs speaking on campus in a casual, roundtable style.

Grann, for example, has brought aboard two CSUSM master’s students as interns for the upcoming school year, and the students will learn Grann’s process of re-expressing proteins using mRNA lipid nanoparticle technology.

Temple, a San Diego native who graduated from Cathedral Catholic High School, said the directive that Grann involve students in its operations is nothing but a win-win proposition. His company has added interns who might end up being future employees, while CSUSM students can not only tap into Grann’s collective brainpower, but also borrow expensive scientific instruments that not even the Infinity Lab possesses.

“Cal State San Marcos has been great,” Temple said. “This place couldn’t be any better.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

From June 26-30, the schedule was jam-packed with activities intended to pique an interest in STEM fields, challenge thought-processes, instill a sense of leadership and demonstrate how beautifully applicable STEM is to everyday life.  

Among the activities, students tasted complex chemistry in the beloved dessert, chocolate; visualized complex notes strummed on a guitar through electrical engineering; saw the vibrant oil paint strokes of the Mona Lisa, which has been hanging in the Louvre Museum in France since 1804, from a virtual reality headset in Markstein Hall; and learned how to cast their own fingerprints from an active FBI special agent.   

During the fan-favorite activity, the students were divided into four groups where they crafted a boat out of broken-down cardboard boxes and duct tape, using the mathematics and physics methods of their choice. With their horizontal rafts, house-shaped boats, and square-tipped oars in hand, one camper from each team bravely sat in their submerged boat and raced to see which boat was durable enough to reach the end of the University Village Apartment pool.  

“Aha moments” of realization also struck the faces of many campers during Math Magic, a special activity led by mathematics professor Hanson Smith. Smith utilized chalk on campus walkways to push the perception of the subject. Without using any numbers or formulas, students created their own geometric designs and patterns. Many were surprised at the fun they had when vague instructions provided a new freedom for math exploration.  

“I really found Math Magic interesting [because] it gave me a new perspective on math,” said Emilee Thipphavong, STEM IDEA Academy student. “Typically, when you think about math, you think about numbers but in actuality, a really broad definition of math is that it’s the study of patterns; it really doesn’t have to include numbers at all.”  

 On Wednesday, June 28, the group also went on a special field trip to program sponsor, Encodia, Inc., a biotechnology company located in San Diego.  

 Encodia was honored for the opportunity to be the founding member of this academy, as it aligns with their corporate mission to Unlimit Biology. During the field trip, the campers shadowed scientists at interactive demos covering oligo synthesis, peptide synthesis, mass spectrometry, engineering, automation and next-generation sequencing.  

 “A huge highlight of the event for me was the sheer excitement the students showed when they put on lab coats for the first time and they had a glimpse of their future selves as scientists,” said Samantha Beasley, senior scientist at Encodia and CSUSM alumna.  

 “It was an honor to inspire these high school students to visualize their future in STEM, and, as a bonus, to even consider CSUSM as the starting point of that journey. Being able to form this partnership with CSUSM was so important to me as both a CSUSM alumna and a fellow female in STEM, because CSUSM was such a strong foundational point in my STEM career development. I would not be where I am today without the amazing faculty there and the great courses they offered.”  

 Much like CSTEM, Encodia strives to enlighten and support accessibility to STEM and encourage diversity as a key to driving discoveries. STEM IDEA Academy was indeed designed to follow the mission of increasing diversity by empowering all genders to feel welcome in STEM disciplines.  

 "The success of the program is attributed to many STEM faculty, students, and staff who set aside time from their busy schedule to interact with the participants, many of whom are to become the first in their families to attend college,” said Youwen Ouyang, a professor in the department of computer science and information systems who led the planning and implementation of STEM IDEA Academy.  

“Their kindness and encouragement towards the participants are strong testimonies of our campus’ dedication to helping students thrive.”  

 To see the STEM IDEA Academy photo album, click here or visit https://bit.ly/STEMIDEAPhotos.  

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Her active, impactful work has earned Farrell the 2023 CSTEM Dean's Outstanding Graduate Award. During her time on campus, Farrell has held many roles, including a founding member of Dennis Kolosov’s lab, an undergraduate mentor, a summer scholar, U-RISE scholar, a voice for change as an Associated Students Inc. (ASI) leader and a student-athlete, team manager and student-athlete advisory council representative for cross country and track and field. 

In each curricular and extracurricular task she juggled, she quickly became known among peers and mentors as a leader who goes above and beyond, is not afraid to rally for change, and enthusiastically gives others a sense of belonging.

“Since joining my lab, Serena has demonstrated countless times that her enthusiasm does not stop at bench research,” Kolosov said. “In the past two years, Serena has served the CSUSM community in several leadership service roles, standing out for her ability to work collaboratively (and an) infectious way of sharing her knowledge and passions.” 

A love for animals, problem-solving and “Grey’s Anatomy” led Farrell to pursue an undergraduate degree in biological sciences, and it was through conducting research in the Kolosov lab that she found an unparalleled level of support. 

“The kind of methodology that Serena has established and mastered in the Kolosov lab requires manual dexterity, sterile technique, and microscope skills rivaling that of a neurosurgeon,” Kolosov said. 

In his lab, she primarily tackles issues related to mosquito larvae. Mosquitos are moving close to coasts and becoming native to a number of areas they were invasive to only a couple of years ago.  This is an issue because they can carry a substantial number of infectious diseases, such as the West Nile Virus, malaria, yellow fever, the Zika virus, etc. Currently there isn’t much exposure to these diseases in California. However, the more mosquitos that come to an area and acclimate, the higher the chance of exposure. Thus, it becomes crucial to control the population.  

Farrell is working toward this goal by researching how mosquitos acclimate so well – a theory she believes would lie in how excretion works in mosquito larvae.  

“Voltage-gated ion channels are integral membrane proteins famous for their function in excitable tissues of animals (e.g. muscles and nerves). They’re what enables individuals to catch a baseball which is about to hit their face, just in time to stop it,” Kolosov said. 

Kolosov’s research has recently shown that many of these channels are found in non-excitable non-contractile epithelia of animals, including the epithelial tissues of mosquito larvae called Malpighian tubules (mosquito version of the kidney) and anal papillae (mosquito version of the gill). These channels help mosquitos maintain salt and water balance in the face of changing environmental salinity using their kidneys and gills, but this process could be impacted by an environment’s salinity.  

Through her tireless work in the lab, Farrell has seen that mosquitos can maintain their salt and water balance in different salinity levels with the help of voltage-gated ion channels found in their epithelia.  

“If we can find channels that would help in this ion transport, we can try to either block or activate these channels,” Farrell said. “This would help us see if it could shut down the ability for the mosquitos to acclimate … and prevent them from spreading to more saline habitats in the future.” 

Farrell’s research with molecular biology was an opportunity she did not expect to have in an animal physiology lab. This rare opportunity has been paired with two others: the chance to complete this research herself from start to finish and be the first author on the research manuscript, which she hopes to have published before graduating. Both accomplishments are especially uncommon for STEM undergraduates. 

Once published, any scientist will have the chance to reference Farrell and Kolosov’s research, then use the findings as preliminary data for their own research. And because there isn’t much known about how voltage-gated ion channels function in epithelia, the manuscript has the potential to impact a lot of research in the future.   

Outside of the lab, Farrell also pours herself into service for ASI. As the college-wide CSTEM representative leader, she is often the sole representation for students on committees comprised primarily of faculty and staff. Farrell uses her position on these committees to advocate for diversity within the university and CSTEM. She’s worked with CSTEM Dean Jackie Trischman to provide safe spaces for students through events like Embrace Equity in STEM, which allowed students to learn from current industry leaders about the challenges they may have faced as a female in the field.

“At times, it's hard to find a support system within our college and to want to continue with the degree because (historically, there’s been a lack of) representation of women in the field,” Farrell said. “Through talking to Trischman, the provost and the ASI Board of Directors, I’ve realized that diversity is a really important because people need to be able to see themselves in their dream position. 

“The people who are going to make change ultimately is going to be the people who haven't felt change.”  

Farrell plans to continue sparking change in her next chapter of life: a Ph.D. program at Texas A&M University, where she plans to study ecology and conduct research on grasshoppers. She credits the acceptance into the program to the support of the Center for Training, Research and Educational Excellence (CTREE), where many late nights, computer charges and coffee breaks in the pursuit of admittance led to the opportunity to transform her passion into a career. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Green chemistry is the design or creation of chemical products and processes that reduce and eliminate the generation of waste and/or use of hazardous substances. This responsible approach to chemistry reduces the chemical footprint by utilizing methods that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly.  

“We have something that's going to save us, but if the production of this material will harm us, then it actually doesn't do an overall good for the environment,” said Robert Iafe, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We have a choice to not use carcinogens in a synthetic method; we have a choice not to make compounds that could be released downstream; we have a choice to not release something into the environment that could later cause harm.” 

While green chemistry principles can substantially help the environment, they’re not widely known or accepted because they’re frequently thought of as a side discipline. The American Chemical Society (ACS) Student Chapter at CSUSM, however, is changing this narrative.  

During the fall 2022 semester, members of the ACS Student Chapter had their minds set on increasing green chemistry recognition and practices. In January, they were recognized by Beyond Benign’s program for minority serving higher-education institutions’ (MSI) ACS Student Chapters.  

Beyond Benign is a public charity organization that equips MSIs with the “tools, training and support to make green chemistry an integral part of chemistry education” with the intent to ensure the next generation of chemists and scientists are prepared to address sustainability globally. 

“I think this is really the direction where chemistry should be heading in the future because green chemistry addresses several major issues, like pollution, environmental racism and sustainability,” said Gabby Martinez, a senior chemistry major and president of the institution’s ACS Student Chapter.  

“Chemistry is beautiful in terms of how powerful its applications are because the knowledge of science can help people better their lives. Students are the catalysts for change on campus, and that’s really empowering.” 

ACS has already started making changes, bringing Beyond Benign representatives to campus to share insight with students. In the future, ACS plans to host a green chemistry summit, with hopes of having John Warner, one of the founders of the field, as the host. This summit will hopefully bring together campus leaders, students, CSUSM deans, and even local colleges to discuss what green chemistry is, what efforts will help fulfill goals, and which changes are urgently needed. Their efforts last year also led the organization to being recognized as an Outstanding Student Chapter nationally. 

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is also continuing to explore approaches to green chemistry within the curriculum. Leaders within the department are frequently making innovative efforts to replace reagents to be more “green” while still producing the same result. This is especially true in CHEM 150, CHEM 201 and the biochemistry laboratories. 

Students are encouraged to participate in problem solving, where they find solutions to large issues, such as their need to use plastic within labs. But the solution, switching to reusable containers, raises another problem: Reusable containers must be frequently washed, and the overuse of water is a large concern with California in a drought. 

“I see potential to use (concerns within the classroom) as a way to teach students how to think about the problems of the world and how to use chemistry to solve them,” said Sajith Jayasinghe, department chair of chemistry and biochemistry. “This generation (of students) really cares about (using innovation to tackle) these big issues.”

These mindsets and practices align with Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Commitment, which states that the university agrees with the Green Chemistry Student Learning Objectives. CSUSM was the first California State University school to sign the agreement. 

In the future, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry plans to continue fulfilling this agreement by soon adding a green chemistry or environmental chemistry minor, which would include courses in toxicology and green chemistry. Such an addition would make graduates highly marketable, as few local programs offer these specializations, particularly in green chemistry.  

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

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

The College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics encourages students to seek out and attend conferences, locally and nationally, so that they can present their research findings. This is especially a goal of the Physics Department because these types of conferences allow undergraduate students to network with industry professionals, gain exposure in their discipline, and gain confidence and leadership traits; all skills and experiences that will help students be successful academically and post-graduation.

Corey found that to be true, as she was able to meet other passionate physicists and had the opportunity to network with well-respected individuals in the physics community during the two-day conference.

For “Characterizing Gate Defined Quantum Dots in a Mesa-Etched Silicon Nanowire,” Corey began working with Justin Perron, a physics associate professor and condensed matter researcher at CSUSM. Corey's research work this fall is funded by Hologic. As a Hologic Scholar, Corey is part of a pilot program that is helping her continue her Summer Scholar research into the academic year. Corey’s project included making single electron transport measurements and investigating gate-defined silicon quantum dots.

During summer 2022, Corey prepared and began measuring a device that was designed to operate as a double quantum dot, which is intended to isolate individual electrons into two separate but coupled regions. Quantum dot devices like these are versatile platforms for studying solid-state physics, nanotechnology and quantum computing.

While characterizing the device’s behavior, Corey discovered that although the data initially appeared consistent with double quantum dot behavior, quantitatively, there was a significant disagreement with theory.

“We proposed that there was an unintentional quantum dot in the device, making it a triple quantum dot,” Perron said. “Corey showed how this triple quantum dot model was consistent with the data she had collected and proposed additional measurements be made which could confirm the interpretation of their observation.”

The primary disagreement was a blockade of current through the device for applied voltages that should have allowed current in the double quantum dot model.

“As the name indicates, a triple quantum dot is similar to a double quantum dot but with electrons isolated into three separate regions,” Perron said. “In this model, it is possible that the presence of the third region and the electric fields from the electrons isolated there could block current.”

Corey and Perron then compared the predictions of this model with their observations and realized they were consistent. Corey proposed further measurements that could test and confirm this hypothesis. Her measurements and proposed follow-up were what earned her the recognition for best undergraduate research at the American Physics Society Far West Section’s Annual Meeting.

“As a passionate physicist and researcher, winning the Steven Chu award for best research conducted by an undergraduate student is surreal,” Corey said. “I feel so honored, and it only motivated me to continue working hard.

“I'm the first in my family to pursue college and anything STEM related, so winning the award just felt like a confirmation that I'm heading in the right direction.”

Corey and Perron are now working toward measuring a similar device to the one described above and implementing an additional measurement technique that will increase the properties they can probe to further their investigation.

Corey is wrapping up her last semester at CSUSM and will be graduating this fall with her degree in applied physics. Her career goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in physics and to one day run her own research lab as a condensed matter experimentalist.

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

CTREE formerly was known as the Office for Training, Research and Education in the Sciences (OTRES) from 2010-2022 and as the Office for Biomedical Research & Training (OBRT) from 2000-2010. Denise Garcia, CTREE director, changed the name this fall to reflect the official recognition of center status and the expansion of programs to support students from all majors. 

CTREE offers nine programs to support students, though the number often changes as the team consistently looks for opportunities to expand resources. The mission of the center is to enhance the educational and research experiences of students from historically/presently excluded and underserved backgrounds in higher education. CTREE enhances the experience of its scholars by offering one-on-one advising and research opportunities, assistance with the graduate school application process, Graduate Record Examination resource materials, student presentations and attendance at conferences across the U.S., and the chance to network with industry professionals.  

“All of our students are from historically/presently excluded backgrounds in education, and so helping them see and understand the value and knowledge they bring into their unique fields is such an important aspect of what we do,” said Richard Armenta, CTREE associate director and an associate professor of kinesiology.  

“So many times, students don’t see anyone who looks like them or they’re told, ‘You don't belong here.’  So an incredibly important aspect of what CTREE does is help these students develop confidence that they belong and can contribute significantly to their fields.” 

For 2019 graduate Faye Raymond, being part of the CTREE programs provided her with the resources and structure to apply to graduate school. Now a Ph.D. student in biochemistry at the University at Buffalo, Raymond praises the center for teaching her fundamentals that set her ahead of her peers in graduate school – skills such as networking, making a research poster, writing data and constructing data in a way that’s consumable.  

Each CTREE program provides support in a more personal way as well. For students like Raymond, it gives them a community and family to call their own. 

“For myself, especially as a person of color in STEM and a woman of color in STEM, the program really did help me in grappling with loneliness (that I experienced). Just the community that the program provided for me alone was fantastic,” Raymond said. “I would 100% recommend CTREE to any student – I actually can’t recommend it enough.” 

This atmosphere is fostered by the center’s open-door policy and a welcoming culture that's made possible with the help of an entire village across campus. Many faculty members work closely with the students and teach them how to be successful not only in research labs but in life.  

Faculty are at the root of CTREE’s accomplishments. They take students in their labs, conduct creative activities, offer hands-on mentorship and attend conferences with students. Fundamentally, they are dedicated to providing meaningful opportunities for students, instilling the confidence not only to achieve goals, but surpass them.   

Natalie Campos, a CTREE scholar and pre-med biological sciences major, discovered a calling for research after working in a lab with Casey Mueller, a CTREE faculty mentor and biological sciences professor.

“I came into this program thinking that I was going to go straight into pursuing a career in the medical field,” Campos said. “I never knew I needed time in research, but this opened my eyes to involving research in my future goals. Now, I might want to work as a clinical researcher.”  

Campos found a home in CTREE after discussing her research findings with peers at a conference in Seattle. Those peers soon became a family she would lean on, cry to and celebrate with. 

CTREE encourages, and provides funding for, students to attend discipline-specific conferences across the United States, where they can network with keynote speakers, visit graduate school booths, present research findings, engage in activities from universities they may be interested in applying to, and attend professional development seminars. 

Raymond Malfavon-Borja, assistant director of the TRIO McNair Scholars Program and a biological sciences lecturer, knows firsthand how transformational these opportunities can be for students. Malfavon-Borja is a CSUSM alumnus, and after excelling in one of Garcia’s genetics courses, she invited him to join her lab. He was subsequently accepted to a CTREE program. The program’s resources and Garcia’s training helped him gain acceptance to a summer training program at Stanford University followed by a Ph.D. program for genome sciences at the University of Washington immediately after he earned his undergraduate degree.  

Once Garcia received funding for the McNair program, she knew Malfavon-Borja would be the perfect person to lead the initiative because, like her, he is passionate about fostering students' growth, academically and personally. 

“CTREE as a whole is student-focused,” Malfavon-Borja said. “We work really hard to build up these programs and put our heart and souls into them. A lot of us have a philosophy in the office: Our students have limitless potential. They’re ambitious and they’re hard-working. So we’re going to meet them where they are and hold ourselves to the same high standards, because they deserve it.”

For Garcia, watching scholars get accepted into graduate school makes her feel like she’s a parent, humbly and proudly watching a child go off to college. A large smile crosses her face when she describes the joyous feeling of seeing a student, who two years earlier knew nothing about graduate school, hold their head high and radiate confidence after nailing an interview.

“This institution wouldn't exist and CTREE wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the students,” Garcia said. “We are truly here to support students in any way that we can so that they can be successful throughout their pathway in their education.”

Students from over 22 majors have completed programs through CTREE, and the team conducts outreach across campus to improve students’ awareness of their programs. For the most up-to-date list of programs with application information and eligibility criteria, visit the CTREE website. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Public Affairs and Operations

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

Black Voices in STEM, a student-led panel held in September, was a platform for these students to safely address where CSUSM and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) had either succeeded or fallen short of caring for their Black students. After facing jarring experiences and hearing stories of hardship from peers, Yetunde Adebayo, a CSTEM student and Black Voices in STEM host and panelist, approached Mallory Rice, assistant professor of biological sciences, with a call for change. Adebayo and Rice gained support from the dean of CSTEM, the director of the Center for Training, Research, and Educational Excellence, the Black Student Center, and the Office of Inclusive Excellence, with sponsorship provided by Viasat. 

 Adebayo’s peers and fellow CSTEM students, Siaje Gideon, Jamison Stalter and Alexis Vaughn, bravely joined her on stage to share their individual encounters as a Black student. Before the panelists shared their answers to many challenging questions, moderators Rice and Ariel Stevenson, interim deputy chief diversity officer, shed light on some concerning national statistics.  

 According to Pew Research Center’s 2021 report, “Across the United States, Black employees in the STEM workforce earn an average of $69,200, which is less than the national average of $77,400, and Black women earn the least at $57,000.” 

 Data from California State University’s (CSU) Graduation & Success Dashboards show that across the CSU campuses, only 16% of Black first-time freshman who entered as a STEM major from 2000-2015 earned a STEM degree within six years, compared to 44% of White students. 

The CSUSM 2021 Campus Climate Report (CSUSM login credentials are required to view this resource) showed that only 64% of Black students who filled out the survey felt like they belonged to the CSUSM campus, with nearly 20% of students who filled out the survey sharing they felt there was a lot of racial tension on campus. Within STEM, nearly 70% of Black students who filled out the climate survey do not feel comfortable contributing to classroom discussions.  

“These statistics demonstrate that there is a systemic exclusion for individuals based on their identities, with race and ethnicity being the number one predictor of who we see and who we do not see in STEM disciplines,” Rice said. “Individuals can face barriers across sectors of their identities, such as first-generation status, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual identity, and many more, and all of these interact to inform an individual’s experiences in the world and how they are perceived by others.”

People with marginalized identities face multiple systems of oppression, including sexism and racism, which negatively influence their earning potential in the United States. While statistics can be shocking across all minority groups, Black Voices in STEM focused on those of Black individuals. Below, is a recount of just a few experiences shared by Adebayo, Gideon, Stalter and Vaughn. 

Have you ever felt discouraged about being in a science major? 

 Adebayo: Personally, I have been discouraged a million times. I’ve experienced microaggressions after sharing that I wanted to go into the health care field, which is very competitive. People have told me that I wouldn’t be a perfect fit or that I wouldn’t be good enough. It really gets to me when people don’t believe in me from the very beginning.

What does it look like when a professor supports and cares about their Black students? 

Gideon: I feel supported when teachers prioritize that I’m a human first and a student second and when my personal needs come before my academic ones. I feel cared about when teachers are welcoming, supportive and especially when they spell and pronounce my name correctly – that’s a little detail that I look for when I meet a new professor. 

Stalter: When I know that you, as a professor, as a teacher, as an educator, are an ally – for all students, not just Black students but all students – that makes the difference. 

What are ways you haven’t felt supported or safe at CSUSM or in CSTEM? 

 Vaughn: I had an experience in where a White student asked a question, then the professor was very generous and understanding in their tone and response. However, when I, a Black student, asked a question, the response I received was passive aggressive, rude and dismissive. 

Have you had any negative experiences with another student and if so, how would you expect your professor to respond? 

Gideon: I have had negative experiences, including racist microaggressions on this campus. Once in a class, we were going over geography and a girl next to me said “I’m surprised you didn’t get an A because you’re from Africa.” All I could do was drop my mouth. This was someone my own age making this kind of remark. Just because I’m Black does not mean I’m from Africa. If my peers are racist, then I’m going to be quiet in class. It’s important for instructors to shut that kind of behavior down and not tolerate that kind of dialogue. 

Stalter: If a situation like this were to erupt in the classroom, I would expect the teacher to shut it down immediately and blatantly say, “This is unacceptable behavior.” Teachers need to put their foot down and make it clear as to what is and what is not tolerated. 

What other barriers have you faced on your journey so far?  

Adebayo: I’ve experienced a lack of diversity within faculty, and especially within CSTEM, in addition to feeling unwelcome in my own classroom because I’m the only Black student. It makes me feel like I must perform and work harder than everyone else in order to prove myself. That’s something I didn’t expect coming into higher education. It would be nice to have somebody that looks like me who I could look up to. 

Vaughn: I’ve been looked at as the dumb Black girl, especially if I’m confused during a lecture. Yes, I’m a Black person, but I am more than that. 

What suggestion do you have for the CSUSM community to make your experience more supportive and inclusive?  

Vaughn: Having conversations like this is a great starting point because the community is willing to learn and help students of color then be a guide throughout the student’s time at CSUSM.  

Adebayo: I think we would benefit from more voices similar to mine, who can make events like this possible, because having the drive and determination to do something paired with the perseverance to succeed will only take you so far. But when people within the community are willing to step up and say something to make sure that all voices are known, that will take us to places we’ve never been before.  

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“Our faculty and staff are committed to helping all students succeed, but we sometimes fall short," said Jackie Trischman, dean of CSTEM. "This student-led event helped us to shine a spotlight on the national and local statistics for our Black students. It also helped us see that some of our own practices can set up unintended barriers to their sense of belonging, learning and, ultimately, student success. 

“At our campus, we want our students to be at their best selves; to be their whole selves and that’s not where we are. Frankly that’s just not acceptable. I know we’re going to get there because our community in attendance is committed to learning, understanding and growing.”  

These small but impactful changes shape the narrative and instill hope for a larger shift in behaviors and mindsets institutionally and nationally. 

“I encourage faculty always to remember that you’re still a facilitator and a guide in the classroom. We're trying to get away from those prior days when people invited students of color to classes and said, ‘Look to your left, look to your right; only one of you will graduate,’ ” Stevenson said.  “No, no, no, not at Cal State San Marcos! We say, ‘Look to your left, look to your right; let's be a community and do this together.’ Let's be guides and facilitators for one another.”  

While Black Voices in STEM focused on sharing the experiences of Black students, there are other marginalized groups not far behind where CSTEM students are in terms of their feelings and sense of belonging on campus. In light of this, CSTEM aims to continue hosting student panels where students can share their experiences in hopes of eliciting change.  

“Our students were brave enough to voice their experiences; I am grateful to the CSTEM faculty who validated those experiences by being present and listening to those students with care,” Stevenson said.  

“To me, the questions from faculty indicated they wanted to ensure CSUSM is a student-ready institution where centering the student’s experience is heavily intertwined with the student’s overall success. The Office of Inclusive Excellence is always happy to partner with CSTEM faculty who have a willingness to engage in making our campus and their classrooms more welcoming to all students.” 

To watch the full video recording of Black Voices in STEM, click here. To see photos of the event, click here. To see a list of education and support resources for Black students, faculty, and staff click here. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

COMPASS, which stands for Creating Opportunities through Mentorship and Partnership Across Stem Cell Science, works to prepare a diverse group of undergraduate students for careers in regenerative medicine by combining hands-on research opportunities with strategic and structured mentorship experiences. COMPASS at CSUSM is a comprehensive program that aims to recruit local high school students to the university and train them in stem cells and life sciences, culminating in summer capstone experiences on campus.  

The $2,877,200 grant will fund stem cell awareness at three North County high schools; support 30 students for two years of training; and provide diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training for research mentors. 

The program will recruit first-year CSUSM biotechnology undergraduate students as well as students from High Tech High North County, Mission Hills High School and San Marcos High School. One of the first events under the grant, Stem Cell Awareness Day, will kick off Oct. 11 as CSUSM biology professor Bianca Romina Mothé, the director of the grant program, takes undergraduate students to the partner high schools to introduce the COMPASS program to high school seniors. 

“This new program highlights our growing commitment to creating a diverse workforce, one that taps into communities that have been historically underrepresented in the biomedical sciences,” said Dr. Maria T. Millan, president and CEO of CIRM. “The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that the benefits of scientific discovery are not always accessible to communities that most need them. CIRM is committed to tackling these challenges by creating a diverse and dedicated workforce that can meet the technical demands of taking novel treatment ideas and making them a reality.” 

In addition to Mothé, other CSUSM professors participating in the program include economics professor Ranjeeta Basu, who will serve as the diversity and outreach coordinator; biology professor Mallory Rice, who will serve as mentoring coordinator; biology professor Sujal Phadke, who will help develop and deliver DEI programming and training; and biology professor Denise Baker, who will develop formal and informal mentoring plans for trainees. 

Additionally, sophomore biotechnology majors who are selected to the program will have the option to work in several different CSUSM laboratories on campus that focus on immunology, virology, stem cells and bioengineering. These include the labs of Mothé and fellow CSUSM biology professors Julie Jameson, James Jancovich, Jane Kim and Carlos Luna Lopez. 

As part of the mentoring program, CSUSM is partnering with La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery. The institutions will present tours and instruction on the different components of each organization’s research and development pipelines. 

Sanford Burnham Prebys will be a major training site for COMPASS trainees. The institute has a long history of commitment to training students in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, particularly those from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. The institute has a CIRM-funded training program for Ph.D., post-doctoral and clinical fellows; a CIRM-funded program for mentoring high school students; and a longstanding partnership with CSUSM’s CIRM-funded Bridges program. Sanford Burnham Prebys has a unique graduate school that is ideally suited for the COMPASS program – highly individualized, tutorial-based learning with rapid immersion into bench research.

Sanford Burnham Prebys, by virtue of the fact that it is part of the broader La Jolla Mesa Training Network, will also enable trainees to participate in “patient-facing” and “clinical correlation” events, as well as exposure to opportunities in the private industrial sector. Because of the longstanding partnership between CSUSM and Sanford Burnham Prebys, the COMPASS program will seamlessly integrate into that infrastructure. 

At LJI, Drs. Mitchell Kronenberg and Sujan Shresta will serve as mentors for COMPASS trainees. Kronenberg is focused on learning more about immune cell roles in the airways, lungs and gut. He will also share his expertise in autoimmunity with COMPASS trainees. Shresta is dedicated to shedding light on how immune cells interact with viruses such as Zika, SARS-CoV-2 and dengue. Her lab also specializes in the development of cutting-edge mouse models for immune-system research. Through her work, trainees can learn how researchers can leverage their findings to fuel new studies into vaccines, therapies and more. 

“We’re thrilled to give COMPASS trainees a firsthand look at the challenges and opportunities in immunology,” Kronenberg said. “This is a fascinating field where students can follow their curiosity to pursue many different career opportunities and contribute to life-saving work.” 

Additional quotes related to the grant: 

“Here at High Tech High North County, we strongly believe in connecting our students with meaningful projects, learning experiences and opportunities that produce curious, creative, emerging adults and citizens of the world. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to partner with Dr. Mothé and the CSUSM COMPASS program. Our students have a variety of lived experiences, and the access and opportunity this partnership offers will have significant impact, especially for our students with disadvantaged backgrounds. This program will contribute greatly to our students’ ability to successfully navigate the CSUSM application process while engaging in the exploration of biotechnology, life science and stem cell career path options. It will also connect HTHNC graduates majoring in biotechnology at CSUSM with potential opportunities to work in various CSUSM laboratories focused on immunology, virology, stem cells and bioengineering as they progress as an undergraduate. The COMPASS program will be instrumental to High Tech High North County and our ability to successfully bring the goals established in our shared vision to life as a school community." 

Joseph Davidson, director, High Tech High North County 

“We are excited to partner with CSUSM to provide our high school students with this introduction to life sciences. This work aligns perfectly with our vision to ensure all SMUSD students are ‘future ready’ by providing opportunities to explore future career fields." 

Andy Johnsen, Ed.D., superintendent, San Marcos Unified School District 

“Education and infrastructure are two funding pillars critical for creating the next generation of researchers and conducting stem-cell-based clinical trials. The importance of these programs was acknowledged in Proposition 14, and we expect that they will continue to be important components of CIRM’s programs and strategic direction in the years to come.” 

Jonathan Thomas, Ph.D., J.D., chair of the CIRM board 

Cano and Salazar are developing a Tijuana-based company, SinerLab, that will introduce an innovative online sharing platform for reagents, equipment and services to address the deficit of laboratory resources faced by many scientists in Mexico. This creative solution will both reduce costs and increase availability of the critical supplies needed for research and development.

“José and I talk about how we develop science in the United States and how there is a huge gap in research and development in Mexico,” Salazar said. “There are good institutions in Mexico, but they are lacking in technology.”

Cano and Salazar each launched their careers in Mexico after earning their undergraduate degrees — Cano in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry and Salazar in agricultural mechanical engineering. Their paths didn’t cross until after both had moved to the United States and enrolled in the Master of Biotechnology: A Professional Science Master’s Degree (MBt) at Cal State San Marcos.

For his capstone project, Cano was working on a nonprofit business plan to match San Diego biotech companies that could donate used equipment with researchers in Mexico who need access to equipment. Realizing ultimately that this plan was not viable — import/export procedures alone were prohibitive — he quickly pivoted to a for-profit model based in Mexico with a shared online network of resources that scientists could either offer or access.

“The purpose is to connect researchers within Mexico to help them make better use of the resources that are already in the country,” Cano said. “That will facilitate research and make it less expensive.”

Cano’s capstone presentation caught the attention of many in the room.

“José is committed to doing the right thing and serving people in need,” said Betsy Read, a founder of the MBt program and CSUSM professor of biological sciences. “One of his committee members, the CEO of a large organization in San Diego, was so impressed with what José was proposing that he asked if José was planning to move it forward.”

That’s where Salazar came in. José recruited Salazar, who was in the cohort just behind him, and Salazar developed the new business plan for the online sharing company as his capstone project. The model, SinerLab, is going into pilot testing by the two graduates, who are now business partners. Both also hold full-time jobs — Salazar as a process development engineer for Illumina and Cano as a stem cell researcher for Fate Therapeutics.

To move their business idea from page to lab, Cano and Salazar are working with The Founder Institute, a Silicon Valley startup accelerator that helps entrepreneurs through the early phases of their business creation.

“José and Edgar are driven to help bring more science capability to Mexico and developing countries to improve the health and welfare of the people there,” said Al Kern, an MBt program founder and adviser for the SinerLab project.

“When I talked to Edgar about working on the project as part of the master’s program, I told him I didn’t want it to stop there,” Cano said. “I think this is a really good idea and I want to make it real because I think we can make science more affordable and help a lot of researchers get faster results.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The 10-week program concludes with the Summer Scholars Poster Showcase, which will be held on Friday, Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon in the University Student Union Ballroom on campus.  

Summer Scholars brings together research-driven students to prepare for graduate school and careers in STEM through hands-on research experience, networking opportunities and faculty mentorship. During the Summer Scholars Poster Showcase, the students share the methods, results and interpretation of their work in the program with faculty, staff, sponsors, donors and the public.  

More than 40% of Summer Scholars alumni go on to earn advanced degrees.  

“Being a part of the research experience has helped me understand what it means to be a scientist in terms of asking questions, getting answers, analyzing data, then making adjustments,” said Berenice Almaguer, a senior who’s majoring in biological sciences.  

Outside of the lab, the 2022 Summer Scholars program also offered several enrichment opportunities, including a career panel, various workshops aimed at soft skills and scientific communication, and field trips to Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Diego Gas & Electric, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and San Diego State University.  

“These activities promote a sense of community by fostering student-faculty interactions and creating different learning environments with opportunities to explore careers and sharpen professional skills,” said Betsy Read, a biological sciences professor and co-director of Summer Scholars.  

The program especially supports and improves the educational quality of talented students from underrepresented groups in the sciences, veterans, first-generation college students, and those with challenges that create obstacles to academic success.  

Sponsors of the 2022 edition of Summer Scholars include Hologic, Genentech, Illumina, the National Science Foundation, Lawrence E. & Neva B. Fenstermaker Foundation, Lilly, National Institutes of Health, Viasat, Beckman Foundation, GenMark Diagnostics, Inc., San Diego State, Thermo Fisher Scientific, SDG&E and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.  

The Summer Scholars Poster Showcase is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in Parking Structure 1 (PS1) on Level 6.  

That curiosity never dissipated, even when Wagner was laboring to get through high school. And, despite those difficulties, Wagner found her passion during her junior year at Valley Center High School.

“I was in a really bad place and just struggling with a lot,” Wagner said. “Then chemistry and science kind of came out of the woodwork. It was something that I was really good at and something that I loved to do.”

Wagner became the first person in her family to earn a high school diploma when she graduated from Valley Center High School. College was never a goal so much as an option that seemed as good as any other. So, it was only natural that, when she enrolled at Palomar College after high school, she would pursue her love of chemistry.

But when Wagner met with an academic adviser, she received an unexpected recommendation. The adviser told Wagner about the long odds she faced, how it would be difficult to complete a chemistry degree, how a first-generation college student would be better served in a field outside of STEM.

Wagner reluctantly heeded the advice and declared performing arts as her major – for one semester.

“I knew it wasn’t for me,” Wagner said. “I needed to do science.”

Wagner did that and more. She earned associate degrees in both arts and science at Palomar before transferring to Cal State San Marcos to fully devote herself to chemistry. Not only is she earning her bachelor’s in chemistry next month, she will be recognized at the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics commencement ceremony on May 20 as the dean’s outstanding graduate, an annual award that recognizes academic excellence, research and service to the college.

“Every challenge I threw in front of her, she just destroyed it,” chemistry professor Robert Iafe said.

Wagner thrived in Iafe’s organic chemistry class. She consistently scored in the top 1% on exams and was a regular at office hours and problem-solving sessions outside of lectures.

Wagner’s work in the classroom led Iafe to invite her to conduct organic methodology research in his lab, and she earned a 2021-22 CSUSM Beckman Scholars research award, which provides 15 months of mentored research experience.

“Dr. Iafe has been instrumental in my success here,” Wagner said. “I cannot thank him enough for the opportunities he’s given me. He's worked so hard to give me time in the lab, and he's supported me every step of the way. I'm really thankful for his mentorship and guidance.”

When Iafe asked Wagner about her post-graduation plans, she told him about her goal to make life-changing medicine.

Wagner’s older brother, Pierson, battled clinical depression and schizophrenia, and he died by suicide at 16. Wagner was just 4 years old at the time and didn’t learn until high school about how Pierson died. Now, she wants to help people with similar mental health struggles, and she realized at Palomar that it’s something she can do through chemistry.

“I thought about how I can really make a difference and how I can kind of impact people,” she said. “For me, that’s through medicine and treatments. I realized that I'm good at science and it’s where I could really make a difference.”

Wagner didn’t know much about graduate programs when she arrived at CSUSM, but Iafe helped her understand how important it would be in achieving her goals. She was accepted to multiple top-notch graduate programs, including UC Irvine and USC, before choosing to pursue her Ph.D. at Scripps Research this fall.

While Wagner paid for her undergraduate education through a combination of a Beckman Scholars stipend and scholarships earned through her participation in rodeo pageants (her many awards include winning Miss Rodeo California in 2019), she won’t have to worry about that at Scripps. The school covers tuition costs, and Wagner will be paid a stipend for living expenses, which means she can focus completely on her work.

“Madison went above and beyond, I think, of any undergraduate that I've seen in the past,” Iafe said. “She actively sought out collaborations, interactions and introductions with principal investigators at graduate schools.”

Wagner credits her parents, Billy and Madelyn, for instilling that work ethic. They set an example both through the successful commercial electrical company they established in Valley Center and through the daily work needed to care for dozens of animals on their property.

“My mom always says, ‘You go to college one way or another,’ ” Wagner said. “You either go to a higher education institution or you work really hard somewhere and kind of work your way up the ranks. They've worked so hard their whole lives to get there, and I think a lot of that drive and commitment passed on to me.”

Wagner’s mom was with her that day five years ago when she met with the adviser who recommended that she avoid STEM majors. Wagner never saw that adviser again after that meeting. She found another counselor who provided the type of guidance she needed.

While some people might be tempted to track down that first adviser to share how wrong they were, Wagner holds no animosity for the advice she received that day.

“I recognize the place she came from,” Wagner said. “I know the statistical odds of ending up where I did is really low, and I recognize that she saw that. My only advice to people would be that you know what's in you and you know what you're capable of. The person who you're meeting might have only met you for 10 minutes out of your whole life, so you have to take everything that you hear from people with a grain of salt. Because you might be capable of a lot more than you thought.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

“Dr. Trischman has done an outstanding job in her role as interim dean, and we’re delighted to have her in this position on a permanent basis,” said Carl Kemnitz, CSUSM's provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. “I’m grateful for her leadership and contributions during the transitional period and look forward to seeing her take CSTEM to new heights.

“She has a strong commitment to student success through the promotion of engaged learning and building of community and sense of belonging. She is particularly committed to the development of student clubs, internship and co-op programming, peer and professional mentoring, connection to our local community, and to the support of undergraduate research.”

Trischman earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Virginia Tech and her Ph.D. in marine chemistry from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She taught organic chemistry and spectroscopy at Tulane University and UC San Diego before joining CSUSM’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department in 1995.

During her time at CSUSM, Trischman has twice served as both Academic Senate chair and vice chair, twice served on CSUSM presidential search committees, was the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department chair from 2006-12, and is the faculty director for the EngiBeering program.

“I look forward to working with a dedicated group of campus leaders and a thriving CSTEM community as we move out of the crisis management of the last few years,” Trischman said. “The opportunity to build our physical space and our strategic directions together will be challenging and at times exasperating, but it will also be fun and fulfilling. I am excited to continue to lead a group of faculty and staff who truly understand that we are educating students who will change the world.”

To pass the time, Garcia’s grandmother, Antonia, introduced her to at-home science experiments they could do together. Garcia’s grandmother wasn't a scientist, but the two of them shared a genuine curiosity about biology.

Little did Garcia know that this would spark her interest in pursuing a career in science research years later.

“One of the things she bought was through an infomercial, and it was this rock tumbler,” said Garcia, who will graduate from Cal State San Marcos next month with a bachelor’s in biological sciences with a concentration in molecular and cellular biology. “It's personalized to you, and you can take any of the rocks that you find in your backyard or in a river and put it in a spinning turbine for weeks. It ends up polishing these beautiful rocks for you. It didn’t end up working. That was probably the best one I think we did, even though it didn't work.”

When the opportunity presented itself to study and run track at CSUSM, pursuing science made sense to Garcia. Not only did Garcia have the same inquisitiveness for science as her grandmother, but she had the opportunity to turn her passion into a life-long career.

But when Garcia told her parents she was admitted to CSUSM, her mom walked away from her bedroom and didn’t say much when she heard the news. 

Garcia knew her family had to make sacrifices to provide her with opportunity. She remembers the stories of her grandparents immigrating from Mexico and being pulled out of kindergarten to start working. They worked trade jobs and never had the ability to attend college because it was too expensive, so Garcia understood why her mom would be hesitant about higher education. And it was difficult for Garcia’s mom to see her daughter leave home at 18 to attend CSUSM.

“It was kind of awkward,” Garcia said. “I still decided to go, and I think the reason why I wanted to go is that I knew what was out there. I knew it would open so many doors for me. I knew that I wouldn't be as limited, and I could have the experience of meeting new people and making new connections and have that freedom to navigate my own career.”

That career likely will involve cancer research, a disease that has hit close to home for Garcia. Antonia died of lung cancer when Garcia was 11 years old and her maternal grandmother, Luisa Tejeda, died from cancer last October.

Garcia spent five months during the pandemic helping to care for her bedridden aunt, Martha Betancourt, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Garcia would catch up with her classes in the evening after taking care of her aunt. She maintained a 3.8 grade-point average despite those challenges.

Garcia was accepted into CSUSM’s Undergraduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (U-RISE) program, which is helping her pursue a career path in cancer research in honor of Antonia, Luisa and Martha.

“I think the biggest thing that has helped me is the U-RISE fellowship, because now I have a cohort of people in the STEM field who are also first gen or minoritized,” Garcia said. “And those are like my life-long friends, so it's been very helpful, especially to be a first-gen student at Cal State San Marcos.”

Garcia attended a summer research program in 2019 at George Washington University through U-RISE and explored an immunology-based lab on lymphoma. The program experience led Garcia to join biology professor Jane Kim’s lab to broaden her research background. It was a challenging time as instruction temporarily moved online because of the pandemic. But Garcia was still able to complete a project involving bioinformatic analysis using publicly available datasets during fall 2020 when on-campus research at CSUSM was limited.

“Clarissa is a model of perseverance and strength in the way that she seeks out opportunities to move toward her goal of being an independent scientist in the field of cancer research,” Kim said. “She took the initiative to audit a population genetics course to gain further knowledge and reached out to the authors of published papers to inquire about their datasets. Her efforts have been validated by awards for her conference presentations and all-academic honors as a track and cross-country athlete over multiple semesters.”

Over the past three years, Garcia has worked on a half-dozen research projects in four different labs. These were intentional decisions as Garcia wanted to broaden her research knowledge as much as possible.

Garcia will continue her work this fall in a Ph.D. program. The schools she is considering include Stanford, Sanford Burnham Prebys, Oregon Health and Science University and the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz.

It has been a remarkable journey. Despite her mother’s initial hesitancy about seeing Garcia leave home, she has seen how higher education is putting her daughter on the path to a successful career.

“My mother has now started to realize my sacrifices in leaving the house at 18,” Garcia said. “Usually Hispanic people, we stay pretty close to home for a very long time. I think she's come to realize that it was necessary for my growth, and that I am getting great opportunities and the potential to have a very stable life and career and doing something that I'm passionate about. So she is very proud of me.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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But he had parents who instilled perseverance, gratefulness and the promise of brighter days ahead through building an academic foundation.

Theresa Mai has no teachers, doctors or scientists in her family either. Her parents emigrated to the United States during the Vietnam War, and they still only speak Vietnamese. Their path to success in their new country was forged through one way and one way only: work. And despite that work ethic, Mai grew up extremely poor without examples of advancement through academic means.

But what she did have was love and curiosity.

What Hernandez and Mai both had growing up in Southern California was a sliver of opportunity. And sometimes that’s all it takes.

The two Cal State San Marcos biological sciences graduate students – both currently working in biology professor Jane Kim’s lab – are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. While their decisions growing up often came between helping the family and doing homework, they’re both now deciding which great Ph.D. programs in the country to attend.

“To be honest, I didn't have anybody to inspire me,” said Mai, who graduated from the former Serra High School in nearby Tierrasanta. “No one told me that it was even possible for someone that looks like me and came from a background like myself to even be working in the lab going to school achieving a higher education. No one in my family told me go to college. It was something that I pursued on my own. My parents didn't really understand that we could go to college. But I had their support no matter what.”

Mai’s final decision is between Johns Hopkins, Stanford and USC. Hernandez has been admitted to eight Ph.D. programs, including Stanford, Cal, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, Washington and Michigan.

Heavy hitters all of them.

“The most important thing is I just want to be happy,” said Mai, who also did her undergraduate work at CSUSM. “The one thing about getting accepted to these prestigious schools is that there is kind of that culture where things can be a little bit cutthroat. So the most important thing to me is happiness and having the same support that I received here at San Marcos.”

While Mai earned her bachelor's degree at CSUSM, Hernandez earned his at Cal State Fullerton. His love for molecular biology had its origins in his high school AP biology class. It further developed at CSUF, and upon arrival at CSUSM as a graduate student, he was introduced to Mai in Kim’s lab.

It was truly a unique experience because not only were they in the midst of the pandemic, but Kim was on maternity leave.

The original plan was for them to start working in summer 2020 and receive training from graduating students. Instead, due to tight restrictions to on-campus research throughout the year, they were only approved to work on campus for 10 hours per week beginning January 2021.

Full restrictions were only lifted last August.

“Both Luis and Theresa have overcome many challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Kim said. “Both have made considerable research progress with limited research hours during the start of their M.S. programs. I was able to offer only limited guidance. Nevertheless, Luis and Theresa were able to write their own thesis proposals, initiate experiments, learn how to organize their time effectively, and ask for help as needed. I am excited for them to defend their M.S. theses and start their Ph.D. programs this fall.”

Although Hernandez admits the pandemic caused a huge setback because access to the lab was limited, taking classes online was perhaps a greater challenge. It was hard to develop a strong relationship with the fellow members of the cohort because of the lack of face-to-face interactions.

The unique circumstances helped them learn how to work without someone holding their hands through the process. It helped them mature in their scientific approach and to learn how to perform experiments on their own.

All done with the distance guidance of Kim.

“Dr. Kim has been a role model for how to approach science and teaching,” Hernandez said. “She is super organized and really demonstrates how to break down information to those that are brand new in the lab like Theresa and I were when we started. For the research aspect, she continually challenges you to push past current limitations. Without her and her support, we would never have garnered the skills to become successful in the pursuit of our future goals.”

Hernandez and Kim met in January 2020 at the CSU Biotechnology Symposium when he was presenting his undergraduate research.

In researching M.S. programs, he talked to CSUSM students who were in Kim’s lab at the time. On the last day of the conference, he sought out Kim to express interest in applying to be a graduate student in her lab.

“This display of initiative, motivation and curiosity stuck out to me as something that a senior graduate student would do in finding a postdoctoral research position,” Kim said. “I have been able to observe these same characteristics strengthen and flourish over the last two years that Luis has been a student in my lab, and I believe he will hit the ground running as a Ph.D. student.”

Mai didn’t exactly have that same initiative upon her arrival on campus as a freshman. In her words, she stumbled upon the science hall to find posters on the walls describing research projects. She was intimidated but wanted to contribute her own research, hang her own posters.

Thanks to the support and mentorship of her professors, she was quickly able to turn early struggles into a strong finish.

She has a 3.94 GPA during her master’s coursework while working up to 20 hours a week at various campus jobs. One of those jobs is in the Office of Sponsored Projects at CSUSM Corporation.

“Theresa has demonstrated a striking determination and laser-like focus on improving as a scientist and experimental biologist,” Kim said. “She is exceptionally reflective in how she thinks about her research project and continues to grow as a young scientist, a trajectory I anticipate will continue as a Ph.D. student.”

Both Mai and Hernandez have expressed interest in a career in academia. They not only want to teach and perform groundbreaking research, they simply want to mentor students like themselves who didn’t have the same advantages growing up that many others did.

“I would love to come back to academia and just be one of the mentors that have inspired myself and students like myself to do what we're doing right now,” Mai said. “I would really love to be able to inspire students like myself who come from low-income and first-generation students who don't really see themselves being successful, especially in a career in science – and show them that you can do anything that you put your mind to.”

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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

The first American woman and youngest American in space, Ride made her journey into history on June 18, 1983 as a crew member aboard the space shuttle Challenger STS-7.

About 25 years later, she inspired a fourth-grade girl from Escondido to pursue some science dreams of her own.

“I have always been interested in learning about physical science,” said Cal State San Marcos physics senior Daria Bonds. “I met Dr. Sally K. Ride at the San Diego Air and Space Museum when I was in fourth grade. Seeing her talk about being a physicist, an astronaut and steward of the environment was inspirational.”

That chance meeting, which came a few years before Ride died following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, started Bonds on a science path that has led her to becoming CSUSM’s current Society of Physics Students (SPS) president.

A graduate of Escondido High School, Bonds chose CSUSM for two reasons: the welcoming physics department and the supportive cross country and track coaches.

As if being a physics major and campus leader didn’t keep her busy enough, Bonds is a runner on the cross country team. While continuing to improve her personal bests each season, she earned CCAA All-Academic honors in 2019 and ’20 and captured the Big Blue Award three times – fall 2019, spring 2020 and again in fall 2020.

“I enjoy running and working out to maintain a mind and body balance,” said Bonds, who joined the cross country team at the same time as her brother David, who is a CSUSM junior majoring in software engineering. “I appreciate the leadership course that my coach Torrey Olson created to support student athletes developing leadership skills and positive team culture.” 

Gerardo Dominguez is an associate professor of physics at CSUSM. He has worked extensively with Bonds as she is one of just two undergraduate students working in his lab this year. He is not alone in his reaction to Bonds being a collegiate athlete while studying physics. The science/running combination literally runs in the family as her other younger brother is planning on studying STEM at CSUSM next year and running cross country as well.

Coincidentally, before Ride became a trailblazer in so many ways, she was a top juniors tennis player, even dropping out of college briefly to pursue a tennis career before returning to Stanford to earn two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree and a Ph.D.

“It is impressive for any student to maintain the GPA that Daria has achieved as a physics major,” Dominguez said. “To do so while being a Division II athlete is very impressive in my opinion. Daria does her homework, comes prepared to meetings and pays attention to the details of her work. She asks great questions, asks for help when she needs it and communicates well. She is mature and committed and a joy to work with.”

To prepare for her senior year and beyond, Bonds participated in a summer research program at Caltech.

Her research project concerned the study of outflows of material from the disks of galaxies, analyzing sophisticated computer simulations of galaxy evolution to determine the direction of those outflows within the composition and structure of the CGM halo regions.

“I had a wonderful time at CalTech (last) summer being surrounded by driven scientists and kind people,” said Bonds, who will also graduate with a minor in math. “I learned so much about my field of interest – astronomy and astrophysics. I made memories with other undergrad students exploring the L.A. area and memories with my lab group analyzing new data.”

In the spring, Bonds plans on bringing back Rocket Car Races with the SPS chapter. After the difficulties of being isolated during the pandemic, she is proud of the study and socialization opportunities she has helped create so far this school year.

She is also the president of the Women in Physics organization on campus. It’s easy to see her future is headed toward making a positive impact on the world.

Much like the hero she met in fourth grade.

“I want to be an advocate for science education and encourage other students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue studies in STEM,” Bonds said. “I’m looking forward to competing during the spring track season. I also plan to continue to run on my own time after I’ve graduated.”

For now, that means pursuing a Ph.D. program in astrophysics to do computational and theoretical astronomy research.

“I’m really happy for her to come out of being an undergrad and understanding what Ph.D. level research at a top R1 institution entails,” Dominguez said. “Beyond that, I think Daria will chart her course, do the homework and be successful. I’m excited to see how she develops as a scholar and I look forward to seeing her publish her first authored papers in a few years, maybe even sooner. Honestly, I find her inspirational.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

“This is critical in getting our students prepared to join the workforce and understand what research really involves and what their career path could be if they go into research,” said Jackie Trischman, interim dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. “The presentation skills that they gain from something like this can be very helpful in every stage of their career from this point forward.” 

The showcase was created more than a decade ago by the Committee for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) to share students’ passion for research while encouraging them to take the next steps in their future careers. This year’s event was presented by CUGR and the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.

“We are a campus that is deeply committed to undergraduate research for multiple reasons,” said Chuck De Leone, interim dean of Graduate Studies and Research. “We know that it's wonderful for our students and we know that it helps our faculty in accomplishing the research goals that they have.” 

There were 19 research posters at the showcase, covering an array of topics. 

Ciara Sanders, a master’s student in biological sciences, used the showcase as an opportunity to spread awareness around climate change. Sanders wanted to explore the effect of extreme weather conditions on horizontal gene transfer among coastal microbiomes. 

“It gives us a really good idea of how it's going to impact antibiotic resistance genes on the coast, which can be been really detrimental to human health because the of the antibiotic resistance crisis that's currently happening,” Sanders said. 

Sanders curated her experiment in the lab of biology professor Elinne Becket, who recently received an award from a state organization recognizing up-and-coming professionals in the life science industry.  

Sanders is hoping to publish her research before she begins a Ph.D. research program next fall. 

Devanshi Upadhyaya, Rosalva Romero and Kasandra Barajas studied the differences of wise reasoning in first-generation and continuing-generation college students under the direction of psychology professor Alex Huynh. Last summer, they were able to collect data from over 200 participants. 

“We're all psych majors,” Upadhyaya said. “We have a realm of amazing professors who have their own labs here. Professor Huynh was our mentor and he guided us through the study.” 

As a first-generation student, Romero was curious to explore the differences.

“I think for me personally, you oftentimes hear a lot of conversations between the experiences and differences between first gen and continuing gen,” Romero said. “I can resonate with a lot that we did with my background. This is just a great way to bring more awareness of these differences between first gen and continuing gen. It's very important.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

She began as a kinesiology major, hoping to work as a trainer or physical education teacher.

She got involved on campus, working for three years as part of the university’s Outdoor Adventures team. Her love of sustainability led her to earn a grant from the ASI Sustainability Project Fund that helped the group achieve its campus-wide sustainability goals such as zero waste.

Math was the furthest thing from her mind.

Until she took a pre-calculus course taught by Andre Kündgen, where her career path took a monumental detour.

“I had to take it as a requirement of my degree,” Kang said. “And at that time, since I wasn't really good at math, it was easily my least favorite subject up through high school. And then I take his class, and I start liking math. I feel like the reason why was that he didn't really force people to memorize formulas or equations or things like that. But he tried to explain why and how things work. And I think that part really made me started liking math.”

Kang eventually switched majors to mathematics, and now she has teamed with Kündgen again as the duo recently wrote a paper that they submitted to the Journal of Graph Theory.

The paper, which looks at graphs with a certain property or structure and attempts to find the minimum or maximum size and everything in between, is currently under review by the journal. Hopes are high in the math department that the paper will be published.

“The best way to describe the problem is that in highly connected systems interesting substructures emerge,” Kündgen said. “This paper considers the question of what the number of connections present can tell us about the nature of the cycles in the network. Specifically, we completely settle this question for the pentagon, and we also have some results for other cycles.”

Like any good teacher, Kündgen challenges his math students in various ways.

He gives students projects such as producing a paper not with the goal of getting it published necessarily, but instead with the intent to enjoy and learn from the process itself.

Kang isn’t shy about admitting her interest was piqued in that first course with Kündgen.

“Whether she found her passion there is for her to say, but it is true that I was her first math professor at CSUSM,” Kündgen said. “She was a quiet student then, but what struck me was that the questions she asked were at a deeper level than you usually get in that class, and her answers on the exams showed more mathematical maturity and deeper interest and understanding than you would expect as well. At the end of the semester I told her, ‘I think you are good at this, why don’t you try out calculus next semester?’ So she did and she was fortunate in that the next semester another tenure track faculty member, Dr. Amber Puha, was teaching that class and she saw the same potential in Michelle that I did. The reason I say fortunate is that we rarely have tenure track faculty teaching these classes, because we are spread so thin.”

After that first class with Kündgen and after several more math classes, Kang took an independent research course in her final undergrad semester.

On day one, she set out immediately to work on the graph subject.

The process – both challenging and thought-provoking – drove Kang to heights she never thought possible within herself in a subject like math.

The result was looking not at a trigger graph or something linear, but instead they looked more at the set of vertices and edges in shapes like a pentagon or a star shape. They were able to give all the ranges of edges given a number of vertices.

“I was really excited to wake up in the morning and look at the problem and just think of new ways to approach the problem,” said Kang, who is now a master’s candidate student and a teaching associate for the department. “And Dr. Kündgen told me that he also had lots of fun working with the problem. So I think it was not the end-all at least for me to be able to publish in one of those journals, but I think it just paid off for me to enjoy the process. And having fun with the problem and I think a little bit of luck. We just have a good end result as well.”

Kang started attending office hours with Kündgen and asking lots of questions.

Those conversations turned her curiosity to not only push the graph subject matter beyond her original theories, but also showed her two main things: maybe she actually could develop a passion for math, and maybe she could envision a future as a mathematician.

Her inquiries about how and why things happen turned into a paper collaboration between professor and undergraduate student – a relative rarity.

“I think very highly of our students in general,” said Kündgen, who also brought in mathematician Ron Gould to assist on the project. “They have so much going on in their lives and yet many of them are thoughtful and engaged. Research in mathematics can be challenging, and prior to the summer scholars program in CSTEM, we didn’t have very much undergraduate research in mathematics. Michelle took advantage of this program and did a project with Dr. Puha one summer. Another wonderful opportunity is our annual Reid lecture, which is supported by former Library Dean Marion Reid and founding math faculty K. Brooks Reid. This lecture has brought many excellent mathematicians to campus and given our students the opportunity to interact with them.”

It also turned into Kang’s quest toward a potential career in math.

It wasn’t just Kündgen’s ease of sharing knowledge. In fact, it was mostly the sheer joy he showed in sharing that knowledge.

“He was always so happy to answer those questions,” Kang said. “And I can just see that he's generally really happy doing that. That was interesting for me. So if he really enjoys this job and he's something like a senior mathematician and he can still have fun with the subjects that he's doing, that part also kind of fooled me into math. And he suggested to me, too, I’m going to be a good math major. And I honestly didn't believe at first, but I started liking it.”

So she started taking core math classes like calculus and some proof-based classes. She switched her major and graduated with a math degree last spring. She began the master’s program in math this semester and plans to pursue a Ph.D. program and eventually work in academia.

If Kang eventually teaches, she will do so having been inspired by her surroundings at CSUSM.

Not only have her professors shared their subject knowledge, but they’ve shown her the importance of making lasting relationships in your environment.

“I really like that close connection between instructor and student in our school,” Kang said. “And looking at my professors like Dr. Kündgen and some other professors that I did work on other research programs with. The fact that they really enjoy that and they really enjoy teaching really motivated me. If I can enjoy math for the rest of my life, I think I will just be really happy.

“And just by looking at how happy they are to be in classrooms and to connect with their students, that just inspires me. If I can do that, that would be really great.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are asked to register in advance.

The Student Poster Showcase, which is open to all CSUSM students in all disciplines, provides a valuable opportunity for students to present their work in a noncompetitive environment.

The showcase was created by a Committee for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) initiative to support the growing student research and creative activity projects at CSUSM.

The annual event is presented by CUGR and the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.

What: Student Poster Showcase, presented by CUGR and the Office of Graduate Studies and Research

When: Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 9

Where: Forum Plaza 

Cost: Free; RSVP online to attend

Information: Visit the Student Poster Showcase webpage

One glance at his phone told him otherwise.

Oakley had a slew of messages offering congratulations to his lab boss, MacMillan.

“I had no idea what it was about,” said Oakley, who earned his bachelor’s in chemistry from Cal State San Marcos in 2018.

A quick check of the news showed Oakley why his phone was going crazy: MacMillan had been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in chemistry “for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.”

“I immediately jumped out of bed with a massive smile on my face and just an overwhelming excitement,” Oakley said. “It was funny. About five minutes after that, Dave sent an email to all of us saying, ‘Despite the news, we're still having group meeting this morning.’ So we all got together and presented our research, but this time with a bunch of cameras and people from communications recording this historic event.”

MacMillan shares the award with German chemist Benjamin List. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prizes for physics and chemistry, lauded MacMillan and List for “their development of a precise new tool for molecular construction: organocatalysis. This has had a great impact on pharmaceutical research, and has made chemistry greener.”

Working in the lab of a Nobel laureate wasn’t something Oakley could have envisioned coming out of Valley Center High School, which is about 20 miles northeast of CSUSM.

An accomplished artist, Oakley spent some time training at an art atelier to hone his skills before realizing art wasn’t something he wanted to pursue professionally. That led him to enroll at CSUSM, where he took a wide range of courses his first year.

“Chemistry just really stuck out to me,” he said. “With the great chemistry professors at CSUSM and their passion for chemistry and also teaching chemistry, it just really got me into it. I just really fell in love with the subject and pursued it fully.”

Oakley’s closest mentor at CSUSM was chemistry professor Robert Iafe, and the two remain close today.

“James found a passion for chemistry at CSUSM, and his determination to learn and contribute to the field led him to receiving accolades (including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program) and joining a research lab whose PI is now recognized with the most prestigious award in chemistry research,” Iafe said. “I couldn’t be more proud and excited for him.”

Oakley thrived in CSUSM’s chemistry program and was even a finalist for the Glenn Nagel Undergraduate Student Research Award in 2018. He credits Iafe and his other professors for preparing him for the rigor of graduate school at Princeton.

“Cal State San Marcos really gave me an excellent education,” he said. “I came to grad school very prepared, especially with all the research I did with Robert Iafe. I was able to hit the ground running.

“The smaller classes and the intimate teacher-student interactions really gave me not just a breadth to my education, but also a depth that was really enabling for me when I began doing science at Princeton. There's a lot of really close mentorship, which I think is also a unique part of CSUSM. The professors really care about you. I made a lot of really close connections and had a lot of long scientific discussions with people like professors Paul Jasien, Kambiz Hamadani and, of course, my closest mentor, Robert Iafe.

“And there was so much hands-on undergrad research at CSUSM. I wasn't just washing glassware or doing menial labor. I really was able to get down and dirty with the science and work through tough problems and do actual research. And, thankfully, I was able to actually get a publication out of that. I think that's just a testament to the unique opportunity that CSUSM gives students. I know very few people who have a publication from undergrad, let alone first author, and I think that's really one thing that CSUSM does – it gives you these really hands-on, in-depth research opportunities.”

Oakley will graduate from Princeton in May 2023, but his job application process will begin next summer. Being part of MacMillan’s lab has presented opportunities for Oakley to work with a number of large pharmaceutical companies, and he is looking toward a career that allows him to work on problems that directly impact people’s lives.

Oakley has maintained ties to CSUSM even while 3,000 miles away. He remains close with Iafe, even collaborating with his CSUSM mentor and members of the university’s chapter of the American Chemical Society to host virtual “STEMinars” in which CSUSM undergraduate students had an opportunity to hear from Princeton students about the graduate school process.

“Robert Iafe really helped me figure out why I would want to go to grad school and the process of doing so,” Oakley said. “And that was a nice way that I felt I could give back because CSUSM really prepared me for a research career at Princeton and beyond.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

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