College of Sciences Impact Report FY23-24

College of Sciences

Fiscal Year 2023-2024

Dear Donor,

In a world that often feels unpredictable and challenging, one thing remains steadfast: SDSU's profound impact on our students, community, and the world. I consider myself fortunate to be in a position where I can support the incredible work of our faculty and students. These dedicated scholars are tirelessly working to make our world a better place, and much of what they achieve is made possible by your generous support.

Every day, I witness the tangible diference your philanthropy makes. It is evident as I walk through our campus buildings and engage with the researchers whose groundbreaking work is reshaping our understanding of the world. I hear it in conversations with industry leaders who express high regard for the degrees our students earn. I feel it every May as I proudly congratulate our graduates at commencement and each August as I greet new students embarking on their academic journey. Whether your contributions support student experiences, research, or facilities—your gifts have a tremendous impact.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Sincerely,

Jefrey T. Roberts, Ph.D. Dean College of Sciences

Changing Lives through Philanthropic Support

Prebys Research Heroes Fund to Support Dr. Angelica Riestra

The Prebys Research Heroes grant is intended to support research opportunities for women and underrepresented groups. San Diego State University cell biologist Angelica Riestra, whose lab studies one of the world’s most common sexually transmitted infections and the parasite that causes it, was selected for this award in December 2023, along with 13 other recipients from San Diego institutions.

Trichomoniasis is associated with several severe health conditions and disparities, including an increased risk of contracting and transmitting HIV. The philanthropic support represents “a critical award as an early-stage investigator,“ Riestra said in an interview. “It’ll give us an ability to really catalyze the projects that we have going and bring them to fruition with publications and more grant applications.”

Jerome M. Sattler and Eleonora De Amorim Silva Scholarship Endowment

The College of Sciences received a signifcant donation to establish the Jerome M. Sattler and Eleonora De Amorim Silva Scholarship Endowment, providing scholarship support to undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Psychology.

Lowell Burnett Endowed Award in Physics

The Department of Physics received signifcant support to extend the Lowell Burnett Endowed Award in Physics, which typically supports one exceptional undergraduate or graduate physics student annually. This year, however, the foundation extended the award to three students: undergraduate student Dilon Suliman and graduate students Joe Garbarino and Nicholas Casteloes. The gift will provide support for tuition and laboratory fees as well as research-related expenses.

Living the Aztec Experience

Rodney Speight Jr., Class of 2025

Class Level: Undergraduate Student

College: College of Sciences

Major: Physics major, Mathematics minor

Rodney Speight Jr. is a third-year physics major and mathematics minor whose work is beyond extraordinary.

While exploring the mysterious origins of the universe, he works to promote minorities in STEM as Black Student Science Organization (BSSO) treasurer, vice president of Schwartz Astronomical Society and a Physics-Astronomy CalBridge scholar.

“One of the biggest things I try to live by is that hard work is everything,” says Rodney. “It is one thing to be talented or extremely smart, but that can only get you so far if you are not willing to put in the work. Like me, I am not the best mathematician, not the best physicist, but I will outwork anybody. It is not all about your grades and what you are on paper; it is about what you are willing to put forward.”

“

It is not all about your grades and what you are on paper; it is about what you are willing to put forward. ”

Diego Leon, Class of 2025

Class Level: Undergraduate Student

College: College of Sciences

Major: Psychology

Junior Diego Leon is many things: A NorCal native, a presenter at scientifc conferences, a former foster youth, a valedictorian, a mentor and a researcher working to make research on early language development more inclusive of Hispanic/Latinx communities.

Leon is currently a research assistant in SDSU’s Infant and Child Development Lab, which conducts basic research on early language development. The lab hones in on children’s vocabulary learning, a factor that has a cascading efect on their lives through adulthood.

Leon’s advice for others interested in pursuing research: “There’s a place for everybody. In this type of environment, there’s so much learning and you have endless possibilities for exploring the questions that you’ve always asked. It just takes one little step at a time.”

“ ... there’s so much learning and you have endless possibilities for exploring the questions that you’ve always asked.

Celebrating Shared Success

Recent Rankings

#119 in Biological Sciences

#108 in Chemistry

#98 in Earth Sciences

#133 in Mathematics

#62 in Psychology

Statistics of Interest

2nd largest college by enrollment (17.6%) at SDSU (ASIR SDSU)

The College of Sciences awarded 1,665 total bachelor's, master's & doctoral degrees in 2023-2024 (ASIR SDSU)

Psychology and computer science rank as two of SDSU's top 10 degrees among 2024 graduates, with psychology as #1

Recent Highlights

SDSU was a platinum sponsor at the San Diego Science & Engineering Festival. The family-friendly event at Snapdragon Stadium was teeming with interactive activities, STEM-inspired art installations and engaging talks, as SDSU and other exhibitors came together to celebrate all things science, technology, engineering and mathematics with the community. This year’s event saw over 17,000 attendees, an increase of nearly 2,000 from last year, which was the festival’s frst year back since the pandemic.

SDSU has been awarded the San Diego Business Journal’s Cybersecurity Workforce Development Initiative of the Year Award – Public. The university was recognized for its innovative workforce development partnership, formed between its Cyber Security and Intelligence Student Club and Haiku, winner of the same Cybersecurity Stewardship Award this year for the private sector.

Eight SDSU mathematics faculty and graduate students attended the second annual CSU Mathematical Sciences Conference, an event hosted by the CSU Math Council which features mathematical and statistical researchers from all 23 CSU campuses. SDSU presenters included: Jerome Gilles, Christopher O'Neill and Mary Pilgrim, and graduate students Ernesto Daniel Calleros, Colin McGrane, Gerardo Cruz, Nicholas Jacome, Jaime Santos.

Degrees Awarded

The college awarded 1,665 total bachelor's, master's & doctoral degrees in 2023-2024 (ASIR SDSU)

Helping to Build a Brighter Future

Achievements:

Jillian Wiggins, Ph.D.

Title: Associate Professor, Department of Psychology

College: College of Sciences

On April 10 2024, Psychology professor Dr. Jillian Lee Wiggins spoke at this year’s TEDxSanDiego at the David and Dorothea Garfeld Theatre in La Jolla.

Dr. Wiggins is associate professor of psychology and director of the Translational Emotion Neuroscience & Development (TEND) Lab. She was chosen, out of 462 nominations, to speak on "Leveraging brain imaging to revolutionize the future of children's mental health."

"When scientists were studying electricity centuries ago, they could have never imagined that their work would lead to the cell phones, computers and technology that we have today. Similarly, I will probably never live to see the full impact of my work, but my team and I are building the road to a better mental health future for our children," shared Dr. Wiggins.

“

I will probably never live to see the full impact of my work, but my team and I are building the road to a better mental health future ... ”

Providing Resources for Today’s Students and Tomorrow’s Aztecs

New Endowments

Charles J. Stewart Endowed Fellowship Award in Biochemistry

Jerome M. Sattler and Eleonora De Amorim Silva Endowed Scholarship

John and Marjorie Rotner Family Endowed Scholarship

Vince Landis Geology Student Field Experience Endowment

Endowments (Active)

Albert W. and Susan G. Johnson Endowment

Alfred McLeod Chemistry Endowment

Alfred McLeod Mathematics and Statistics Endowment

Allan and Janet Dale Endowment

Avery and Grace Endowed Scholarship

Awona Harrington Endowment

Baylor Brooks Endowed Scholarship

Betty Wills Endowment for Applied Science

Beverly Butcher and Erin Ballard Memorial Scholarship Endowment

BMC Software Endowed Scholarship

Brage Golding and Susan Golding Endowment

Brenda & Dave Rickey Foundation Study Abroad Endowed Scholarship

Britt Lundberg Endowed Scholarship in Sciences

Chemistry Department Endowment

Clifford and Ruth Smith Memorial Endowment

Conrad Prebys Bio-medical Endowed Chair

Crellin Pauling Student Teaching Award Endowment

Crouch Endowed Scholarship for Avian Behavior

CSRC Alumni Award Endowment

CSUPERB Quasi Endowment

Daniel Krummenacher Graduate Student Fellowships in Geology

David Farris Endowment

Deborah M. Dexter Scholarship in Biology Endowment

Don Eden Graduate Student Research Award Quasi Endowment

Donald Kelm Geological Sciences Endowment

Dora M. Newell Endowed Scholarship

Dorathe Frick Memorial Endowment

Doris Townsend Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Geldreich Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Joi Weeks Endowed Scholarship for Chemistry and Biochemistry Students

Dr. Richard L. Jenkins Endowment in Honor of Professor Morey A. Ring

Eckis Seismology Endowed Chair

Edmond A. Duke Endowed Scholarship

Elliott Family Fund Endowed Scholarship

Elwood Beatty Endowed Scholarship

Franklin Alverson Memorial Endowment

Fred Henry Endowed Chair in Life Sciences

Geology Endowed Scholarship

Geology Utility Endowment

Gloria Ann Dylewski Endowed Scholarship

Gordon Gastil Endowed Scholarship

Gorostiza Endowed Scholarship

Grace Hoover Sciences Endowed Scholarship

Hardman Foundation Endowment

Harold and June Grant Memorial Biology Endowed Scholarship

Harold Walba Endowed Fellowship

Harrington Geology Endowment

Harry Hamber Endowed Scholarship

Hillix-Cronan Endowed Scholarship in Psychology

James & Mary Crouch Memorial Endowment

James Crouch Lectureship Endowment

Jerome M. Sattler and Family Endowed Scholarship

Jewel Tisdale Hovey Tribute Endowed Scholarship

John M. and Barbara M. Hood Astronomy Endowment Fund

John Schopp Endowment

John W. & Diane D. Robinson Endowed Scholarship

Jordan Dale Covin Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Kopp Research Endowment

Kung-Jong Lui Endowed Memorial Scholarship

Lane Family Computer Science Endowed Scholarship

Larry and Judy Sowder Endowment

Lester Skolil Memorial Endowment

Litrownik Distinguished Alumni Scholar Endowment

Lizon Family Scholarship Endowment

Louise McNally Endowment

Lowell Burnett, Ph.D. Endowed Award

Mabel Myers Endowment

Malik Harrington Endowment

Maravai LifeSciences Foundation Student Discovery Endowment

Marjorie S. and Merle B. Turner Endowed Scholarship

Martha Nastronero Ogness Scholarship for Mathematics Endowment

Mary and Phil Kantor Endowment

Maxson Family Biology Undergraduate Research Endowment

Michael and Donna Malley Endowed Fellowship

Michael S. Ptacek Endowed Scholarship

Neel Endowed Scholarship

Oscar Kaplan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Developmental Psychology Endowment

Paul G. and Margaret F. Peninger Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Paul Kurtz and Genevieve Jane Crecelius Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry

Prebys Biomedical Research Endowed Scholarship

Professor Emeritus and Ecology Endowment

R. D. Harwood Endowment

Rebecca B. Bryson-Kissinger Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Reginald F. Buller Award Endowment

Roger and Gail Sabbadini Quasi-Endowment

Roger Carpenter Endowment

Rollin and Caroline Eckis Endowed Scholarship in Geology

Ronald Dietz College of Sciences Endowment

S. L. Frankel Endowment

Shiley Life Sciences and Bioengineering Endowed Scholarship

Social Psychology Endowment

Student Field Experiences Endowment

Summer Visitor Program Endowment

The Campanile Foundation Endowed Chair

The Jivan & S.C. Tong Endowed Fellowship

Theodore William and Nhung Lu Booth Endowment

Thomas B. Day Awards for Excellence in Physics

Tom Ragan Memorial Endowed Fellowship

W. M. Keck Foundation Geology Endowment

Wassenberg Seminar Endowment

Wawanesa Insurance Endowed Scholarship

Willard Matteson Endowment

William E. Hazen Endowment

William F. Lucas/San Diego Astronomy Association Endowment

William G. Tong Endowed Fellowship

W. H. Trowbridge Endowment

WT Trott Scholarship Endowment Fund

To learn more, please contact Stacy Carota at scarota@sdsu.edu

Thank you for your generous support.