CSUB College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering

09/25/2026

Earlier this month, NASA Ames Research Center scientist Dr. Anna Winter visited the CSUB campus to install a ground-based ozone sensor on the roof of our Science II building. The installation was coordinated by Dr. Anna Cruz, CSUB Department of Geological Sciences, as part of a new collaborative effort involving CSUB faculty from Geology, Mathematics and Public Health.

The project, Ozone Where We Live (OWWL), is a NASA-led air quality study focused on the San Joaquin Valley. The ground-based sensors collect ozone measurements that are integrated into the SJV Air Dashboard and provide data for validating satellite-based observations of air quality across the region.

The collaboration provides an opportunity for CSUB faculty to incorporate environmental data collected at CSUB and other locations throughout the San Joaquin Valley into geology, environmental science and related courses. Students will have opportunities to learn how air-quality instruments operate, participate in data acquisition, process and analyze ozone measurements, and investigate spatial and temporal patterns in ozone concentrations. Hands-on experiences with ozone data collection and analyses will help students apply scientific concepts to current environmental and health issues affecting the San Joaquin Valley.

09/23/2026

Prospective students and families, please join us on October 13 for the NSME Open House! This is a great opportunity to learn about our programs, meet faculty and staff, and see our facilities. The first 100 high school and community college students with an active ID will get free pizza!

📅 Tuesday, October 13
⏰ 5 to 6:30 p.m.
📍CSUB campus, 9001 Stockdale Highway
🔗 https://bit.ly/NSMEOpenHouse26

09/22/2026

Engineering students learn a lot in the classroom, but seeing the real-world applications of the concepts they study can bring them to life even more. This summer, seven students from California State University, Bakersfield got the opportunity to take experiential learning to the next level with a study abroad trip to South Korea.

Led by Dr. Gyeong Sung Kim, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Engineering, the trip focused on the country’s water and energy industries. From July 26 to August 8, students toured facilities across South Korea, seeing how another country addresses common resource issues.

“Rather than learning only through lectures or textbooks, I wanted students to visit operating facilities, meet professionals in the field and see firsthand how engineering, science and technology are being used to address challenges related to water, energy, sustainability and infrastructure,” Dr. Kim said. “My hope is that when they encounter these concepts again in their courses, they will be able to connect the equations and theories to something they have actually seen and experienced.”

Read more at the link!

Students travel to South Korea to learn about water, energy

09/21/2026

Wednesday, join us via Zoom for the September Teacher-Scholar Lecture, where Dr. Brian Ryals (Mathematics) will give a talk called "When Simple Biological Population Models Stop Being Simple: Stability, Evolution, and Randomness."

📅 Wednesday, September 23
⏰ 4 to 5 p.m.
🔗 Zoom link: https://csub.zoom.us/j/86754595149?pwd=QEUCgLLB7Wb5oIzhr2HisXmlJSVQIe.1

09/18/2026

Since graduating from CSUB in 2024, public health alum Gurvir Singh Sidhu has continued his education at NYU School of Global Public Health (GPH), earning his master's in both public health and public administration! He's featured in the school's latest "I Am GPH" episode talking about what he's up to now, how he first found his passion for public health, and the mentors like our own Dr. Linh Bui who helped him along the way!

We speak with Gurvir Singh Sidhu, a Master of Public Health and Mas...

09/16/2026

Next month, please join us for the Faith and Health in the Central Valley Symposium! This will be held on Friday, October 30 in the Walter W. Stiern Library and will bring together healthcare professionals, educators, faith leaders and community organizations to explore the intersections of religion, health and community wellbeing in our region.

📅 October 30
⏰ 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
📍 Walter W. Stiern Library, CSUB
🔗 Register by October 15: https://csub.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1HS7uivr0JpYnA2?Q_CHL=qr

09/04/2026

Six students from California State University, Bakersfield spent time at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) this summer gaining experience solving real-world problems with experts in the fields of cybersecurity and data science.

While two students spent 12 weeks in LLNL’s Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Summer Institute (CSI), four more participated in the lab’s two-week Data Science Challenge. The summer activities are the latest in a partnership between the prestigious research laboratory and CSUB and its College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME).

As the director of CSUB’s California Energy Research Center (CERC), Katy Larson champions partnerships like the one between the university and the laboratory. Students at CSUB can research alongside faculty even as undergrads, and the growing partnership with LLNL expands those research opportunities even more through competitive fellowships and internships.

“Our students competed nationally alongside applicants from some of the country’s most recognized universities,” Larson said. “We are incredibly proud of their selection for these prestigious programs and of the outstanding work they have accomplished.”

Read more at the link!

`Runners spend summer at Lawrence Livremore National Laboratory

09/03/2026

📰 NSME in the News 📰 CSUB Professor of Biology Dr. Anna Jacobsen is featured in two articles about a plan to eradicate invasive mule deer on Catalina Island. Dr. Jacobsen provided essential background information for the article, including on how the deer make the island less fire resilient, threatening its ecosystem and the 60 plants and animals found only on the island.

Read more from The New York Times here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/us/catalina-island-deer.html

Read more from The Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/03/catalina-island-deer-california

Cull of animals that eat native shrubs, causing spread of fast-igniting grasses, to go ahead despite fierce opposition

08/28/2026

STUDENT-FACULTY RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: An academic paper authored by CSUB biology students and faculty has been published in the Journal of Experimental Botany. “Leaf vessel length and stem-node connectivity in woody angiosperms” by Tagacy Valdez, Lhea Kathlyn Mae Domondon, Danica Bergin, Dr. R. Brandon Pratt and Dr. Anna L. Jacobsen is the culmination of years of student-faculty collaboration.

The project was initially developed in the Jacobsen lab during SURE 2022, where Bergin, a graduate student, served as a graduate mentor and was supported through the CSUB Title Vb Graduate Excellence program. Valdez, an undergraduate researcher, then continued the project throughout the following academic year, taking on an increasingly independent role in conducting the research, analyzing the results, and communicating the findings. Domondon also supported the project during this time while working on her own separate project. From there, the project was expanded, refined and finalized during Dr. Jacobsen’s Spring 2026 sabbatical.

“This paper is a wonderful example of the impact of student-driven research, mentorship and the sustained contributions that students can make to scientific research,” Dr. Jacobsen said. “The publication represents not only an important scientific contribution, but also a strong example of how sustained undergraduate research experiences can lead to meaningful contributions to cutting-edge scientific work and peer-reviewed scholarship.”

The team’s research looks at the transition between stems and leaves, where the plant’s water transport system must shift from the stem into the leaf. This work helps fill a gap in understanding of an important but little-studied part of plants.

Read the paper at the link: https://academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jxb/erag422/8772312

08/26/2026

Construction crews were busy this summer, slowly but surely bringing our Energy Innovation Building to life! While we wait for its completion next fall, you can check out the construction livestream at any time to see the building's current progress.

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