TEMPORARY SHIFT TO VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION
The first two weeks of the spring semester, January 19 through Friday Feb. 4, will be held virtually with limited exceptions. Our normal in-person course schedule will resume as planned on Monday, Feb 7. As announced last month by the California State University system, all eligible students, faculty and staff will be required to have a COVID-19 booster on file by Tuesday, Jan. 18 to be considered fully vaccinated. More information can be found on the university’s COVID-19 site.
Finding Her Niche
Outstanding Graduate from Department of Biology flourished while at SDSU. Step one: meet the beetles.
X Marks the Spot
Spontaneous adventures and the close-knit nature of the geology community have been defining features for this graduating senior
College of Sciences Photo Archive
The College of Sciences at San Diego State University was officially established in 1931. Over the years, the technology and tools used for the College’s joint missions of teaching and creating new knowledge have advanced significantly.1915: A student enrolled in the...
New Psychology Clinic Director is a Perfect Fit
Equitable access to services and evaluating effectiveness are essential elements for clinic’s future.
Geologists Get Together
Since the 1930s through today, SDSU geologists have been gathering to appreciate earth’s wondrous landscapes.
Student Research Shines at Symposium
Across 150 posters and talks, sixteen CoS Students won awards for their presentations at the 2022 Student Research Symposium.
Focusing on Facility and Felines
A fascination with cells and cats led Ingrid Niesman on a winding road to her role as the director of SDSU’s Electron Microscope Facility.
The Sequoia of Spiders
SDSU biologists identified a new lampshade spider species in the southern Sierra Nevada.
Making a MARC
SDSU’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers program has helped 173 students find success as nascent researchers.
Keeping Things Fresh
Alumnus Ray Berry learned many lessons at San Diego State that catapulted him into a successful career in the grocery industry.
Astronomy’s Renaissance Man
Graduate student Eric Bratton has pursued many paths to find what satisfies his plethora of passions.
Managing Risk to Find Fulfillment
SDSU Homeland Security alumnus Erik Antons (‘17) took several leaps of faith on his path to becoming a global leader
Stereotypes to Subatomic Particles
Transfer student Ky Putnam finds their footing amongst creative community of physicists
Perfect Partnership
SDSU’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the Nepali government are researching the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.
Almost All Kids Have Tobacco On Their Hands
Researchers from SDSU’s Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center identify disparities in nicotine levels that can lead to respiratory and infectious illnesses.
Combatting Cancer with Collaboration
SDSU Cancer CoRe Takes Interdisciplinary Approach
Finding Evidence of Extraterrestrial Life in Rocks
Lasers and liquids could help SDSU chemists detect amino acids on rocks from moons and other planets.
Chemists Receive Prestigious Grants For Innovative Research On Improving Drug Development
Two professors are the most recent recipients of NSF CAREER awards at SDSU for their work on mechanisms underlying cancer and COVID-19 treatments.
New Cyber Tech Academy Launches January 2022
These 14-week professional certificates are focused on the most critical topics in cybersecurity, bringing together prominent current and former government, military, and industry practitioners to develop a workforce that can defeat the threats posed by nation-states and advanced cyber criminals.
Three Students Find Community in Chemistry Research
Read how three students have benefited from participating in the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program, which provides funds and mentorship for undergraduates conducting biomedical research and interested in pursuing a PhD.
Planarians, Sea Anemones, and Acoels, oh my!
Biology professor Ricardo Zayas received a Whitman Fellowship to conduct research on organisms that regenerate their nervous systems at the Marine Biological Laboratory
Students Get Hands-On Research Experience with Stem Cells through SDSU’s BSCRIP
The Bridges to Stem Cell Research Internship Program (BSCRIP) gives students extensive, paid research experience in the field of regenerative medicine.
Are You New Here? Tracing the Origin of Viruses
With support from a grant, SDSU’s Viral Information Institute is exploring theories on whether some viruses pop up spontaneously.
Kim Olsen Featured in National Geographic Episode
What led to an unusual string of shark attacks in San Diego in 2009? Geological Sciences professor Kim Olsen explains whether earthquakes were to blame.
Two College of Sciences Projects Selected as Big Ideas Finalists
Two project proposals led by College of Sciences professors were recently selected as finalists for SDSU President Adela de la Torre’s Big Ideas initiative. These interdisciplinary teams aim to solve society’s toughest challenges.
Cathie Atkins Retiring After Nearly 50 Years at SDSU
Dr. Cathie Atkins, former Associate Dean for the College of Sciences, and professor of Psychology is retiring after an illustrious career of cultivating collaborations across San Diego State University.
Homeland Security Students Recognized by County Supervisor
While interning with the Red Cross, SDSU graduate students provided assistance to multiple families after large apartment fire.
Computer Science Students win Startup Pitch Competition
Chance encounters lead to victory and a potential business venture
College of Sciences & Community Colleges Receive $3.8 Million Grant to Support Transfer Students in STEM
Focused on research and mentorship, the project supports Latinx students as they graduate and begin their careers.
Biologists Devise Arks to Save Coral Reefs
Ph.D. candidate Jason Baer and the Rohwer Lab team are deploying first-of-their-kind floating structures in an attempt to rebuild damaged reefs.
SDSU Leads Collaboration to Detect Oil Spills Sooner
Researchers and alumni with the firm InterOcean Systems aim to develop sensors that use ultraviolet light to pick up traces of oil on the ocean surface.
Research Horizons: A Better Way to Make Life-Saving Drugs
SDSU chemistry professor Yong Yan, developed a new way to produce the critical chemical bonds necessary to make drugs using renewable solar energy. Yan’s novel process uses a solar cell material called perovskite to act as a catalyst.
Head Start to Microbiology Research as a Rising Sophomore
Sama Rakin Michael began as a teaching assistant and is now working on genetically modifying bacteria in a lab that focuses on how bacteria induce the metamorphosis of tubeworms, and how this can inform research to develop therapeutic drugs
Binaries are for Computers
“The message that I’d like to deliver to other trans students is this: nothing is more important than who you are. Nothing…” —Brienne Hayes, First Transgender/Nonbinary Person to Graduate with Distinction from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
SDSU Computer Science Grad Raises $1.6 million to Invest in Underrepresented Entrepreneurs
A newly graduated San Diego State University alum has raised $1.6 million — largely through her Twitter following — to invest in startups founded by diverse people rarely seen in the entrepreneurial world.
Red Flag: Childhood Irritability Could Signal Future Problems
Psychologist Jillian Lee Wiggins received $5.4 million in NIH grants to study irritable youth to predict risk for mental health issues.
Virtual Reality: Immersive Learning In Class and the Lab
In biology, students manipulate the skull and different bones to get 360º views of human bones in Sandra Garver’s anatomy class, but they’re not in the lab — this is taking place via remote learning. “In five years we’ll look back and wonder how we ever taught without these immersive learning tools.”
SDSU Joins Nationwide Study of COVID-19 Risk and Severity
Health researchers at SDSU’s South Bay Latino Research Center will join a nationwide study that aims to determine what causes COVID-19 risk and disease severity in diverse communities. The large study of 50,000 people aims to determine what causes disease severity and long-term impacts.
SDSU Professor Rees Garmann’s Research on the Assembly of Bacteriophage MS2 Recognized for Understanding COVID-19 and other Viruses.
Scientists are exploring the physics of viruses, to understand how these pathogens assemble themselves — and might be rent apart.
SDSU Faculty Address Mental Health During a Pandemic
College of Sciences psychology professor Jean Twenge and Florida State University colleague Thomas Joiner compared levels of mental distress experienced by U.S. adults during the pandemic to pre-pandemic distress levels.
A Will to Learn and Inspire
Deva Reign assisted with humanitarian relief in Haiti for the U.S. Navy, built satellites at the Hughes plant in El Segundo and recorded his own rap albums — but only now is Deva finding his place in a field that has fascinated him since childhood.
‘Little Brain’ or Cerebellum — Not so Little After All
Neuroscientist Martin Sereno, director of the SDSU MRI Imaging Center, and his collaborators discovered the cerebellum is much larger than previously understood, enabling future advances in research.
You Don’t Smoke – But Your Home Could Have Thirdhand Smoke Residue
“When you smoke, tobacco smoke chemicals accumulate over time and create these reservoirs that fill slowly and also empty slowly. Some of these reservoirs may never be depleted because chemicals are still sticky.”
Researchers Aim to Reduce LGBTQ Youth Suicide with $3.6M Grant to Fund Novel Intervention
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults, behind unintentional injury, with suicide attempts much higher among LGBTQ youth (23% to 45%) than their heterosexual and cisgender peers (5%).
Stockpiling and Stress: Dealing with Uncertainty
You have undoubtedly seen photos of empty shelves at the grocery store. During the (COVID-19) pandemic, people are stocking up on supplies such as toilet paper, water and hand sanitizer, leaving little for other consumers. This is an act known as panic-buying.
Nurturing Undergrad Cancer Researchers
Partnership Scholars Program offers underrepresented students paid internships, training and exposure to cancer research. By Padma Nagappan Nalani Coleman always knew she wanted to investigate diseases, especially cancer, so she found out about a research...
Upcoming Student Research Symposium Teaches Budding Scientists Confidence
“These presentations have helped me improve my scientific storytelling and learn how to convey my research so people are engaged and understand my results and why they are important,” she said. “I feel more and more confident each time I present.”
Common Foods Can Help ‘Landscape’ the Jungle of Our Gut Microbiome
San Diego State University researchers have found a new way to harness food as medicine, which has far-reaching implications to control harmful microbes in our gut while balancing microbial diversity by fostering the growth of beneficial bacteria.
First-Ever Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center Opens
“There’s a big illusion that when tobacco smoke disappears, we’re safe,” said SDSU psychology professor Georg Matt, director of the resource center. “Unfortunately, some of the most toxic compounds clinch to surfaces. They get embedded in carpets, they coat walls, they penetrate into walls. They become part of the indoor environment.”
Autism Center Answers Growing Need for Community Services
“We want to be a focal point for researchers, students and trainees, faculty, families and community, the additional space, she said, makes for a more comprehensive approach to training of future clinicians, scientists and therapists in autism and related …