The Department of Biology
Fiscal Year 2023-2024 College
Dear Donor,
Thank you for partnering with us to change the lives of our students, enhance our faculty ranks, and keep pushing the bounds of knowledge about the living world around us.
With your support, we have been able to hire and retain outstanding faculty, whose research spans from bacteriophage therapy to heart development and disease; support a diverse group of graduate students whose research delves into the essential roles of seagrass in combatting climate change, or how proteins inside the cell can be manipulated to understand and treat cancers that disproportionally afect individuals; and enable our undergraduate students to get their frst tastes of biological research on their way to changing the world via medical and graduate programs across the country.
These achievements would not have been possible without the help of our donors, who, along with grant and state support, comprise the three essential legs that we need to build and sustain our internationally recognized teaching and research.
Richard Cripps, Ph.D.
Department Chair and Fred Henry Professor of Life Sciences
The
Department of Biology
Changing Lives through Program Support
Prebys Research Heroes Fund
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.”
SDSU cell biologist Angelica Riestra
Living the Aztec Experience
Niveditha Ramadoss, Class of 2024
Class Level: Ph.D. Candidate College: College of Sciences
Major: Evolutionary Biology
My experience at San Diego State University has been nothing short of amazing.
The JDP-EB program here is robust, ofering a perfect blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application. The bio faculty here are close-knit, and everyone is aware of my research, contributing their knowledge and support in some way or another. My PhD advisor Dr. Flores-Renteria has been a great pillar of support and inspiration, providing invaluable guidance and encouragement throughout my academic journey.
Additionally, my lab members have been wonderful collaborators, creating an environment of mutual support that has enhanced my research experience.
As an international student, the International Student Center has been particularly helpful, providing resources and fun events to ensure a successful stress-free academic journey. Organizing cultural events at the APIDA Center on campus has made me feel a true sense of belonging, allowing me to stay connected to my roots.
I am grateful for the opportunities SDSU has provided me, and I look forward to continuing my journey here.
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I
am grateful for the opportunities SDSU has provided me.
Laura Sisk-Hackworth, Class of 2024
Class Level: Joint Doctoral College: College of Sciences
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology
In spring 2024, Laura Sisk-Hackworth graduated from the joint doctoral program in cell and molecular biology.
She paved an impressive legacy in her time at SDSU, exploring the mystery of microbes with the goal of improving treatment for microbial-linked diseases.
“Laura is a star and has been a fantastic student,” said Scott Kelley, San Diego State University biology professor and program director for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics. “She has built up a really strong career, producing a lot of publications early on and winning multiple awards at SDSU, as well as a prestigious NIH F-31 fellowship, which is fairly hard to get.”
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Congratulations, Laura, on graduating from the joint doctoral program!
Celebrating Shared Success
Recent Rankings
SDSU was recognized as the #119 program in biological sciences
Statistics of Interest
Awarded 303 undergraduate degrees, 19 master's degrees, and eight doctoral degrees In fall 2023, The Department of Biology welcomed 350 new frst-time freshmen undergraduate students
In spring 2024, there were 1,141 undergraduate students and 145 graduate students enrolled in The Department of Biology Faculty in the department continues to grow, with our total faculty headcount reaching 52 this year
Degrees Awarded
SDSU was recognized as the #119 program in biological sciences
Awarded 303 undergraduate degrees, 19 master's degrees, 8 doctoral degrees
Helping to Build a Brighter Future
Cristal Zuniga , PhD
Title: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology College: College of Sciences
Achievement: San Diego State University researchers in biology, nutritional science, and aerospace engineering received awards from the NASA Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) initiative for their innovative projects in algae-infused space guacamole and drone highways.
Researcher Cristal Zuniga, an assistant biology professor in SDSU’s College of Sciences, joined forces with assistant professor Jing Zhao and associate professor Changqi Liu, food scientists in the College of Health and Human Services, to create the superfood recipe in their SDSU laboratories.
After extensive brainstorming, the team selected guacamole as the food to serve in space for several reasons, including its green color, which allows the green algae to blend in easily. Additionally, guacamole is favorful and can help minimize some of the algae’s salty, ocean-like favors and smells, similar to those of seaweed products. Guacamole is also an enjoyable way to broaden astronauts’ food options.
Algae is full of antioxidants, making it an innately healthy food. But Zuniga’s team will pack it with even more nutrients to meet crews’ dietary needs in space.
“With our advanced modeling tools, we can change the composition of the algae, altering the carbohydrates and protein levels to fnd the conditions in which the algae will be most benefcial,” she said.
Foods like this could be especially valuable to communities lacking access to fresh food on our home planet. It doesn’t take much to cultivate algae, which grow abundantly worldwide. Because algae handle stress remarkably well, it could prove a crucial sustainable food source in the harsh conditions of deep space and extreme environments on Earth.
Thank you for your generous support.