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Playing with Purpose: ISU Doctoral Grad’s Research Explores Therapeutic Uses of Video Games
Gaming is serious business for Rifat Ara Tasnim.
The soon-to-be doctoral graduate from Idaho State University wasn’t fixated on the likes of Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox, or the latest Battlefield. For nearly six years, Tasnim’s sights have been trained on the niche of serious gaming.
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Congrats to Dylan Koenig, academic advisor, on being named a runner-up for the Fall 2025 Career Path Internship Supervisor of the Semester Award!
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New Faculty Spotlight: Dana Strong
Dana Strong is an associate lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. She got her bachelor's and master's degrees from Utah State University, and had research interests in Stochastic Processes with applications to Ecology and Epidemiology. She loves teaching students about Introductory Statistics, and getting them interested in how the field applies to their everyday life.
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Mashal Named Associate Vice President for Research: Innovation Partnerships, Cantrell Selected for Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships and Innovation Role with Office for Research
To support Idaho State University’s rapidly growing research enterprise and capitalize on surging external opportunities, the Office for Research announced a leadership realignment. Mustafa Mashal, previously the Special Advisor to the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, will transition into the role of Associate Vice President for Research: Innovation Partnerships. He will retain his tenured full professor position in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at ISU and his joint appointment at Idaho National Laboratory.
Meanwhile, Jared Cantrell will extend his current duties to serve as Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships and Innovation. This move aligns his existing technical expertise with a strategic focus on harnessing external collaborations to drive research and innovation growth across the university.
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Encourage Your Students to Present at the 2026 Research and Creative Works Symposium
Now is the time for students to be thinking about submitting research for the ISU Research and Creative Works Symposium, set for March 18. Submissions will open on January 28 with a deadline of February 25.
This event is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines and degree levels to present their scholarly or creative works, in progress or completed, for a chance to win cash prizes in both poster and oral presentation categories. In-person and online presentation options are available.
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Mathematica License Update
The College of Science and Engineering is in the process of renewing our Mathematica license. Previously, we had a sitewide license, but due to year-over-year cost increases, we have decided to purchase a smaller license with 10 concurrent faculty licenses and 50 student licenses.
Our sitewide license expired on December 7. While the purchase of the new license is still pending legal review, Wolfram has agreed to extend our existing licenses for a couple of weeks to ensure there isn't a lapse in service.
They have informed us that you may receive expiration notices when launching the product, but these alerts can be closed, and the notebook will continue to function normally.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact CoSE IT at CoSEHelp@isu.edu.
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Internal Idaho NSF EPSCoR Seed Funding Opportunity
This Seed Funding program is part of Idaho’s multi-year (2023-2028) statewide National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Track-1 Research Infrastructure Improvement award, “Idaho Community-engaged Resilience for Energy-Water (E-W) Systems (I-CREWS).”
I-CREWS Seed projects must address topics at the intersections of Energy-Water systems. Here, the term Energy-Water (E-W) systems refers to the intersection between the systems, consisting of the physical infrastructure, data/information/knowledge, the people, laws and policy, as well as the fuel and water that flows or is in reserve. This may include, for example, interdependent power and water systems tied to the physical infrastructure for generation, transmission, distribution, and use of power and water, along with governance and management practices, knowledge flows, and effects on end users.
Proposals are due January 8.
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Nominations Open for Distinguished Faculty
Celebrate the exceptional work of Idaho State University faculty by submitting nominations for the 2026 Distinguished Faculty Awards. This is your opportunity to recognize colleagues who inspire students, contribute to the advancement of their fields, and make a meaningful impact on our community.
Award recipients will be honored at a special reception in April and recognized during the 2026 Commencement ceremony. Nominations for Distinguished Teacher, Service, and Researcher are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 16.
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The College of Science and Engineering Dean's Excellence Fund is intended to support students in their journey through ISU. The Dean's Office is particularly interested in providing financial assistance to students who might not be able to enroll in or complete the semester because of short-term financial hardships. Students seeking such support should be in good academic standing.
If you know of a student who is in need of short-term support, please have them complete this form.
| | | | A Budget Update from President Wagner | Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent budget listening session and shared your thoughts through our online survey this fall. Your thoughtful engagement, feedback, and commitment to ISU are deeply appreciated. Please take a moment to watch this informative video from President Wagner and visit isu.edu/budget for an update on what has emerged through this process and next steps in our budget planning process. | | ISU Co-Leads Statewide Research Program to Expand Health Research and Faculty Opportunities | Idaho State University is playing a central leadership role in the launch of the Healthy Idaho Clinical and Translational Research Development Program, a groundbreaking, five-year initiative aimed at transforming laboratory discoveries into practical health care solutions that meet the pressing health needs of Idahoans. | | Center for Learning and Instructional Excellence Spring 2026 Faculty Learning Communities: Registration Now Open | The Center for Learning and Instructional Excellence is pleased to open registration for the Spring 2026 Faculty Learning Community series. FLCs provide a dedicated space for faculty to connect with colleagues across campus and deepen their teaching practice. These collaborative learning communities offer a supportive environment to explore pedagogical challenges, experiment with new approaches, and enhance student learning. | | | December 19 | Fall classes end | | December 20 | Commencement (August and December 2025 graduates) | | December 22 | Late 8-week and full semester course grading closes at 5:00pm | | January 12 | Spring classes begin | | January 19 | Martin Luther King Jr./Human Rights holiday (no classes) | | February 16 | Presidents' Day holiday (no classes) | | February 23 | Early 8-week course grading opens | | | Upcoming Events in the College of Science and Engineering | |
Help Us Share Your Accomplishments!
Our College’s outstanding faculty, staff, and students achieve many notable research and professional accomplishments. In addition, our departments regularly have newsworthy advancements. We want to make sure those stories are shared publicly. Here are a few ways you can provide a news tip to help get the word out:
Use this Story Submission Form to send your news tip to the Office of Marketing and Communications.
Send an email to Logan McDougall (loganmcdougall@isu.edu) with a brief description of the news to be shared.
You are always welcome to create a draft story, submit it via the Story Submission Form, or send it to Logan. The Office of Marketing and Communications and Logan will coordinate to get the story finalized and distributed to the media outlets/platforms that best tell the story.
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