Welcome to the School of Science & Technology's fall newsletter! |
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Dear friends,
Fall is underway at Sonoma State and we are continuing to forge new paths following the pandemic. In the School of Science and Technology, we are offering about 45% of our classes in person, with an emphasis on our laboratory and experiential courses, and we are working on growing that to 70% in person for Spring 2022. We are excited to see so many more students on campus, interacting with each other as well as with our faculty and staff!
I began my second year as Dean this last July, and have been excited to bring several grants to campus during my first year. This included $450,000 for Genentech to support our MESA students and a multi-campus grant with Sara Kassis of Physics and Engineering to work on expanding the use of virtual and extended reality (VR and XR) in the classroom at SSU.
We also welcomed two new Visiting Assistant Professors to campus, Christine Koh in Physics and Astronomy and Youngmin Chun in Kinesiology. They are already settled into their departments and making contributions in the classroom and with student researchers.
We are also continuing the diversity, equity, and inclusion work set forth in the Strategic Plan. The Department of Mathematics and Statistics launched their TIPS Toward Justice grant from NSF, led by Brigitte Lahme, to encourage faculty to work together on ways to create equity in the classroom and better serve all of our students. Next year, these faculty learning communities will extend to other departments on campus.
In this newsletter, we will share new research directions and updates from our departments. There is a lot going on in SST and Sonoma State University, and our faculty, staff, and students are engaged in many projects that they are passionate about and happy to share with you!
Wishing you a wonderful fall,
Elisabeth Wade
Dean, School of Science and Technology
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Meet Christina Thao, SST's new MESA Lead and Academic Advisor! |
My name is Christina Thao and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am the new MESA Lead and Academic Advisor in the School of Science and Technology. Before transitioning into this new role, I was an academic advisor in The Advising and Transfer Center for almost 3 years. I supported students in a variety of majors during my time there. I have worked in education for over 10 years and in higher education specifically for 6 years. I am a product of student support programs. Being a first-generation college student, programs like Upward Bound and EOP supported my dreams of obtaining a college degree. As the new MESA Lead, I'm excited to continue supporting our SST students to reach their goal of graduating from Sonoma State. Prior to moving to the area, I lived in San Jose for 3 years while completing my Master's in Education/Counseling & Student Personnel and Credential in School Counseling at San Jose State University. I earned my Bachelor's degree at Chico State and majored in Health Sciences, specifically Health Services Administration.
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Meet our visiting professors! |
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The Department of Physics & Astronomy is delighted to have Dr. Christine Koh join us as a Visiting Professor. Her Ph.D. is in Physical Chemistry from UC Berkeley. Dr. Koh was a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University. Prior to joining SSU, she was a lecturer at Dominican University of California. Dr. Koh's research focuses on spectroscopic methods studying light scattered or emitted by aerosols. These techniques reveal a wealth of information about aerosol dynamics in real-time. Dr. Koh has hit the ground running, both as an instructor and in leading students as they build an aerosol scattering experiment.
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Dr. Youngmin Chun is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology. He received his Ph.D. degree in Education, emphasis in Exercise Science, specialization in Biomechanics at the University of Idaho. He taught "Applied Human Anatomy and Biomechanics" and "Concepts of Strength and Conditioning" as a lead instructor while his doctoral program. His research focuses on the relationship between joint stiffness and human performance in order to achieve maximal performance with the minimal risk of musculoskeletal injuries.
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Biology graduate students win big at CSU-wide research competitions |
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Originally published by SSU News on May 17, 2021
“Julianne Bradbury's win at the first CSU Grad Slam event demonstrates that graduate research at Sonoma State is thriving,” said interim Provost Karen Moranski. “We provide a first-class graduate education that rivals institutions much larger and offers faculty-student research mentorship that is second to none. We are rightfully proud of our graduate programs at Sonoma State.” Read more...
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CS team places first at 2021 CSU Student Research Competition |
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CS majors Alex Dewey, Jonathan Calderon Chavez, Vincent Valenzuela and Antone Silveria presented their work "Using Machine Learning to Measure Biodiversity from Sound Recordings" at the virtual 35th Annual CSU Systemwide Student Research Competition on April 30, 2021. They explain:
"Our group explores the utility of machine learning in combination with other techniques to best categorize sound recordings. The four main categories are anthrophony, geophony, biophony and other. The purpose of measuring biodiversity is to provide insight into changes in vegetation communities, animal communities, ecosystem health and human impact."
This collaborative research involved Colin Quinn (Northern Arizona Univ.), Dr. Gurman Gill (SSU, Computer Science), Dr. Matthew Clark (SSU, GEP) and was supported by the Koret Foundation.
The CSU Student Research Competition recognizes outstanding student accomplishments from throughout the twenty-three campuses of the CSU, through a selective process. The student team was selected to represent SSU, and further honored by being recognized by placing first within their category. Their award-winning research is summarized in the video below.
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SSU Nursing graduates ranked as top-educated and top-earning |
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Originally published by SSU News on April 19, 2021
Multiple academic rankings from the past year show Sonoma State University’s Department of Nursing is among the top registered nursing programs in the state and features the best return on investment in the nation.
According to rankings from GradReports, Sonoma State ranked No. 1 in the country for the highest median salary for students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, with a median salary of $110,300 for students one year after graduation. Graduates of SSU’s Nursing Program also have the second-lowest median debt for students of the top 25 schools. The GradReports ranking looked at data from the U.S. Department of Education, specifically at alumni data published in November 2019 for graduates one year out of college. Read more...
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Physics alumna selected to represent SSU for Made in the CSU |
Physics alumna Zee Hakimoglu has been selected to represent SSU for the Made in the CSU program. The program highlights some of the many CSU alumni who are making a difference in the lives of the people of California and the world. They are innovators, leaders, and trailblazers.
Zee graduated from SSU in 1975 with her BS in physics. She is the President, CEO and Chairman of the Board for ClearOne, a publicly listed NASDAQ communications company specializing in audio and video conferencing, and collaboration solutions.
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The following is an excerpt from a piece by Hazel Kelly on how CSU campuses are leading efforts in wildfire research, management, and workforce preparation.
In January 2021, eight CSU campuses came together virtually to host the first-ever CSU wildfire briefing, “Addressing Wildfire and Smoke Impacts in California." Chico State, Humboldt State, Cal State LA, San Diego State, San José State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CSU San Marcos and Sonoma State each presented a snapshot of their areas of research and academic preparation, followed by a question-and-answer session to discuss some of the state's most pressing wildfire issues.
“Not only does the CSU have the capacity, but we have the potential to directly address the critical questions in fire science research, education and outreach in the state today," said San José State University Provost Vincent Del Casino, Ph.D., who moderated the January briefing. “Simply put, we can change the landscapes of California, and the world, for the better."
From Sonoma State, Lisa Patrick Bentley, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, presented her research on conducting more accurate forest measurements.
The forest understory grows dense with flammable dead branches and brush—known as “fuel load." The greater the fuel load, the greater potential for a more severe wildfire, where more carbon can be released into the atmosphere. Dr. Bentley leads an interdisciplinary team focused on quantifying above-ground carbon stocks and fire fuel loads.
“Measuring precise dimensions of trees is key to determining how much climate-altering carbon is stored," Dr. Bentley said. “Fuel loads are difficult to measure, but they need to be accurately quantified to mitigate the severity of wildfires." Her team uses terrestrial laser-scanning technology and multispectral sensors on drones to assemble detailed 3D data of the forest's structure. “Graduate student-led research is finding that our methodology can increase the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of forest management."
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New grant expands XR use in the classroom |
Dean Elisabeth Wade and Dr. Sara Kassis from Sonoma State University were recently awarded a National Science Foundation I-USE HSI grant (Award # 2126711) in collaboration with colleagues from CSU Fresno, San Jose State University, Fresno City College, and the CSU Chancellor's Office. The project will focus on applying and assessing active learning with extended reality (XR) technologies to improve learning outcomes and narrow achievement gaps for underrepresented minority (URM) students in introductory STEM "gateway" courses. Dr. Kassis, an adjunct faculty member in the Departments of Engineering and Physics & Astronomy, will take the lead on the project at SSU and will contribute to the team with her expertise in creating and leading XR trainings and activities, researching XR's efficacy in STEM education, and extensive XR hardware/software development. |
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By Hannah Hellman, Lynn Cominsky and Laura Peticolas
Despite the pandemic and ongoing staff remote work, EdEon has moved ahead on four major projects during the past year:
EdEon’s Learning by Making program launched new WebApp software that can be used for both software and hardware based lessons.The software was primarily designed and written by SSU Physics alumnus Casey Lewiston (2017). The LbyM curriculum is now more accessible than ever, and the feedback from teachers has been very positive. With the launch of the new WebApp came a completely revamped Turtle Unit, complete with information about Sea Turtles and how we can help them thrive. The WebApp interface is available for use by students across the globe.
All 16 Interns participating in NASA’s Neurodiversity Network gave their presentations in Astrophysics, Earth and Environmental Science, or Heliophysics with the help of their assigned Subject Matter Experts. The projects were very impressive, including rocket/payload building, analysis of several different types of NASA satellite data, the acquisition of data using SSU’s GORT robotic telescope, and a wide variety of hardware and software projects. Videos of most of the talks can be found on the N3 site.
The MACH (Magnetic fields, Atmospheres, and the Connection to Habitability) Center aims to understand the processes and rates for atmospheric loss from rocky planets, in part to understand whether habitable worlds require magnetic fields. A MACH center partner, the Fiske Planetarium, published their Dome to Home series, exploring everything about water in our solar system: where we’ve found it, and what we’ve learned from our search so far. With the help of MACH, Meghan Miller’s 2021 senior capstone project studied how using globes in YouTube presentations about water on Earth and in space might help students learn about water. If you are interested in participating in MACH’s science education research, please visit the MACH website.
NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, student collaboration project held a Preliminary Design Review, in which a review board reviews the plan for the satellite and instrument design. Six SSU students (Walter Foster, Erika Diaz Ramirez, Onasis Mora, Jack David Dawson-Trujllo, Christopher Gopar Carreno, and Alex Vasquez) researched designs and created and presented their research to the members of the review board and NASA officials, who were very impressed. The student collaboration project will build a 3U CubeSat named 3U3, which also represents the three universities involved in the collaboration (SSU, University of New Hampshire and Howard University) and the goal of the project (Uplift Undergraduates studying thermospheric Upwelling). Cubesats are based on 1U units that measure 10 cm on a side. 3U3 aims to study the way in which the atmosphere above 60 km altitude moves upward, or upwells, due to the solar wind’s input to Earth’s geospace environment,which includes an active electromagnetic field. The next step for 3U3 is the critical design review, in which all details of the design will be worked out before the satellite is built.
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