Welcome to the August newsletter updating you on everything going on in the College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering.

CSUB welcomes first doctoral nursing students 

When thousands of students arrive at California State University, Bakersfield for the fall semester, 18 of them will launch a new era as the first Roadrunners in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, only the second doctoral program in the university’s 55-year history.

And it couldn’t come at a more critical time for the health of Kern County families, said founding DNP Program Director Dr. Heidi He, who sees firsthand the repercussions of the region’s poor access to primary care in her work as a clinician.

“Patients suffer because of the long wait times to see a provider or specialist,” said Dr. He, who specializes in pulmonology. "I’ve been a nurse practitioner for a long time. You get to know your patients over 20 years, see their children grow up and then see their children. When you have that relationship, you’re able to guide them to maximize their health care potential and to make sure their chronic disease is well-managed. And that’s what the nurse practitioner does best."

Read more about the new DNP program!

NSME welcomes new faculty member

With the start of the computer science degree program at California State University, Bakersfield’s Antelope Valley campus, the College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering would like to introduce Dr. Yasser Youssef. He joins the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science as an assistant professor working primarily on the CSUB-AV campus. He is excited to join the university, saying he felt “a very positive and welcoming environment” right from his first interview.

“The culture at CSUB — especially the collaboration and mutual respect I observed — stood out to me as both healthy and highly productive,” Dr. Youssef said. “It’s clear that faculty here care deeply about their students and each other, which aligns closely with my own values and teaching philosophy.”

Read more about Dr. Youssef!

NSME students keep busy with summer research

Summertime on the CSUB campus might be quieter than during the school year, but inside the College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering’s buildings, the laboratories were still abuzz with research activity.

Students in two concurrent summer research programs spent the month of June diving into research ranging from robotics to wildlife biology and so much more in between. The Chevron-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), now in its fifth year, saw 50 students working across nine projects, while the Department of Education-funded CSUB/Bakersfield College Summer Research Experience had 65 students working across five projects.

“These summer research projects are a great opportunity for our students to get hands-on learning experience working with faculty on real-world issues,” said Dr. Andrea Medina, director of grants and outreach for NSME, whose team helps facilitate the programs. “We know how important this can be for students, so we are truly grateful for Chevron’s continued support of the SURE program. With the DOE grant, we get to offer a second program and provide research opportunities to even more students, some of our own and some from BC.”

Read more about one project from each research program!

NSME student selected for California Pre-Doctoral program

For biology major Kenya Espinoza, her dream of attending graduate school and earning a dual M.D.-Ph.D. degree is now one step closer to reality. Espinoza has been selected as a 2025-26 Sally Casanova Scholar as part of the California Pre-Doctoral Program, which helps prepare students for success in a doctoral career. Fellow biology major Dayana Aguilar-Hernandez received an honorable mention from the program.

Espinoza is receiving a $5,000 scholarship to help pay for her graduate school application fees and will also receive support for her research through opportunities to work with faculty from doctoral-granting institutions.

“Being a first-generation student, I am very grateful programs like this exist,” she said. “It helps people like me overcome the obstacles that we face. I won’t have to worry about where the money is going to come from when I apply to these programs. Being able to have that kind of support from people who want to see us succeed is very important.”        

Read more about Espinoza and Aguilar-Hernandez!

CSUB receives grant for kit fox research project

A new grant has given California State University, Bakersfield the opportunity to expand its research into the endangered San Joaquin kit fox population on campus.

The university has received $8,500 from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and the National Wildlife Federation for Biology Professor Dr. Antje Lauer and three students to conduct a survey on the kit fox population on campus and along the floodplains of the Kern River to determine their preferred denning and hunting grounds.

As part of the project, Dr. Lauer and her students will develop a habitat conservation plan aimed at providing long-term protection for the species that will be implemented in CSUB’s Master Plan and presented to the Bakersfield City Council.

“We’re excited to receive this grant,” Dr. Lauer said. “This is an ambitious project that will give us more information about where the kit foxes are so we can have a real solid conservation plan.”

Read more about the project!

Geology professor, students go on month-long research expedition

This summer, geology professor and chair Dr. Anthony Rathburn and some of his students set sail off the coasts of Canada and northern Greenland for a month-long research expedition. The team collected seafloor research samples as part of a National Science Foundation-funded project in collaboration with researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Delaware, Florida Sate University and Oklahoma State University.

Check out the blog for more on their research!

NSME faculty member receives CSU-wide AI award

Congratulations to Dr. Kanwal Kaur from our Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science for receiving an award from the CSU AI Educational Innovations Challenge.

Dr. Kaur’s project “Utilizing the Information Literacy Framework for the Computer Networks Course at CSUB” is a one-year funded project aimed at meaningfully integrating the Information Literacy Framework and AI tools, specifically ChatGPT, into the Computer Networks course. Through innovative pedagogical practices, the project will enhance students' critical thinking, AI literacy and ethical use of technology, ultimately preparing them to meet modern challenges in computer networks and cybersecurity.

Read more about this and other winning projects!

NSME IN THE NEWS

CSUB geologist talks about the 8.8 earthquake near Russia 

Dr. Matt Herman, an assistant professor in our Geology Department, recently talked to 23ABC and KGET about the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula that triggered tsunamis across the Pacific. Dr. Herman also worked with colleagues at the United States Geological Survey on a geonarrative story map showing what happened and where during this seismic event, which was the seventh largest since 1900.

EVENTS

Welcome Back Pizza Party

Thursday, Aug. 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Chevron Outdoor Makerspace

Nursing celebration

Celebrate the DNP program and the new Varanasi Simulation Center

Friday, Aug. 29 at 9 a.m.

Romberg Nursing Education Center

Royal Industrial Solutions information session

Tuesday, Sept. 9 from noon to 1 p.m.

Business Development Center, room 163B

"What's New at NSME" is a monthly newsletter produced by the College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering at California State University, Bakersfield. This newsletter will go out every month during the regular school year to highlight the work our students and faculty are doing both on campus and off. If you have any questions or entry submissions, please contact Kelly Ardis at kardis@csub.edu.