Can tiny particles help protect our water and create more sustainable display technologies?

Dr. He Wei (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and his students are harnessing nanotechnology and quantum dots to develop new ways to detect water contamination and reduce the use of heavy metals in electronic displays.

“I’m really lucky to initiate my independent research career at Fresno State,” Wei said. “This is a great place to make an impact on local, regional, national and even global missions.” Watch the video to see their research in action.

• Jiaqiong Li (Mechanical Engineering) received a $200,000.00 grant from National Science Foundation (NSF) for the project, “ERI: Bridging Sensing, Learning, and Reasoning for Trustworthy Manufacturing Defect Inspection.”

• Virginia Crisco and Courtney Hughes (English) were awarded a $30,000 grant from Adobe to support multimodal student writing and A.I. critical ethical literacy.

• Hyunjin Shim (Biology) received third-year funding from NIH for the project, “Surveillance of drug-resistant bacteria in resource-limited settings: a focus on cost-effective long-read sequencing of eyedrop-associated P. aeruginosa and locally sourced metagenomic samples.”

• The Department of Linguistics has received two grants, the Modern Language Association Pathway Step Grant and the Broadening Participation in Cognitive Science Grant, from the Cognitive Science Society to strengthen outreach to future generations of students in linguistics and cognitive science.

• Paulina Freire and Susan Pheasant (Food Science) received a $92,166 grant from the Calif. Dept. of Food and Agriculture for their project, "Effect of high-pressure processing on shelf-life of raw milk."

• Kyle Weir (Counselor Education and Rehabilitation) received a $60,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente for the project, “Increasing Access to Mental Healthcare in California's Central Valley through Student MFT Recruitment, Training, & Mentorship.”

FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS

• Melanie Ram (Political Science) recently published a book based on her Fulbright research in Central and Southeastern Europe, titled "Bridging Europe’s Divides through Regional Organizations: The Balkans, Brussels and Beyond (Routledge 2026)."

• Katherine Fobear (Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies) contributed research that helped highlight housing discrimination and homelessness amoungst LGBTQ people.

• Victor Torres (Chicano and Latin American Studies) received a grant throught the California Arts Council's Individual Artists Fellowship, administered through the Kern Dance Alliance.
  
• Veena Howard (Philosophy) presented a paper at the 11th annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School, held at Merton College, University of Oxford, in August. 

• Marie Gilbert (Central California Center for Excellence in Nursing) discussed with KVPR how a new $186,300 grant will strengthen nursing education and training across the San Joaquin Valley. 

The Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Review Committee is now operational and accepting submissions for the review and authorization of drone activities conducted on- or off-campus for University business.

UAS committee approval must be obtained before any activities involving drones may begin. If you are planning to use a drone for university-related activities, please visit our website for information about the review process, requirements, and how to submit a request.

FALL HIPs SYMPOSIUM

Instructors, mark your syllabi and calendars and register your classes for the end of semester Fall HIPs Symposium. This event gives students a chance to share their high-impact learning experiences with the community, earn presentation and peer-reviewing badges and also be considered for presentation distinction. Both in-person and online formats are accommodated.

All instructors and course types are welcome with faculty able to sign their courses up for end-of-semester-student presentations until Friday, Nov. 7. Click here to register.

For more information, visit the Office of Institutional Effectiveness or email Alejandro Mendez at alexandros@mail.fresnostate.edu.

RSP / FOUNDATION ZOOM HOURS

• You're invited to join Dr. Jason Bush, AVP for Research and Sponsored Programs, for weekly virtual office hours every Wednesday and Thursday from 4-5 p.m., in-person in TA126 or via Zoom. Ask questions, discuss the latest in federal policy updates, research opportunities, and more. Enter via the Zoom link on RSP's homepage.

• The California State University, Fresno Foundation has the following Zoom office hours:

1. Auxiliary HR and Payroll: 2 - 3 p.m., Tuesdays
2. Financial Services (Travel, Trust Accounts, Purchase Orders, Payment Status, etc.):
   10:30-11:30 a.m., Wednesdays
3. Post-Award Administration: 9 - 10 a.m., Thursdays

Visit the Auxiliary HR and Foundation websites for contact information. For more info or questions, contact Auxiliary HR and Payroll assistant director Sara Skardoutos at spena@mail.fresnostate.edu.

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