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CECS’s Alvaro Monge Completes Google Faculty in Residence Summer Program

Graduating computer science students are all too familiar with the technical interview, where they’re asked to solve a problem on a whiteboard to demonstrate why they might be a useful addition to the team. However, that approach is in sharp contrast to the usual college lectures, where students sit quietly as professors click through their slide decks.

That will now change—at least in some of Professor Alvaro Monge’s computer science classes—thanks to his newfound experience with project-based learning.

Monge was one of 21 faculty from 20 U.S. institutions serving underrepresented students who participated in Google’s Faculty in Residence program this summer. The four-week program in Mountain View, Calif., offered an immersive learning experience to explore hands-on, project-based learning workshops. Continue reading “CECS’s Alvaro Monge Completes Google Faculty in Residence Summer Program”

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College Welcomes Incoming Freshmen

student rocket clubFor incoming freshmen, there’s a long list of things to fret about: getting used to a new campus, adapting to living on their own, navigating a confusing system, or passing prerequisites.

To help alleviate some of those normal pre-semester worries, about 250 pre-engineering students living in on-campus housing had a chance Monday to hear from a successful alumnus, get familiar with support services, and tour engineering labs.

Tracy Maples, associate dean of academic programs, said about one-quarter of incoming freshmen want to be engineers. Although popular, the major is also demanding.

Continue reading “College Welcomes Incoming Freshmen”

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Lamberson Scholarship Recipient is First-Generation College Student

Savanna Arguijo grew up in a construction industry family in California’s Central Valley. The summer after finishing high school, she helped her father on a condo remodel that involved demolition and reconstruction of the entire unit—and also changed her life.

That project made her want to follow in her father’s footsteps. Although she wouldn’t be the first family member to work in construction, she would go on to become the first in her family to attend college. Continue reading “Lamberson Scholarship Recipient is First-Generation College Student”

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CSULB College of Engineering Makes Dramatic Advances in Diversity

Due to its commitment to inclusiveness and student success, the CSULB College of Engineering has made dramatic gains in serving underrepresented students and attracting diverse faculty.

Over the past four years, the College of Engineering has steadily increased in American Society for Engineering Education rankings for attracting female faculty and awarding degrees to Hispanic and Asian-American students.

In the most recent ASEE statistics, the CSULB College of Engineering ranked 6th among U.S. universities in awarding undergraduate engineering degrees to Hispanic students. That compares with its 11th-place ranking in 2014 and an 8th-place ranking in 2016. Continue reading “CSULB College of Engineering Makes Dramatic Advances in Diversity”

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New Faculty Add New Technical Expertise to College of Engineering

New tenure-track faculty joining the CSULB College of Engineering in Fall 2018 bring expertise in solid composite propellants, fluid dynamics, machine learning, and multiprocessor system-on-a-chip.

Joseph Kalman hails from the Combustion Science and Propulsion Research Branch at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, where he has worked since earning his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2014. Continue reading “New Faculty Add New Technical Expertise to College of Engineering”

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Cybersecurity Applications Minor Intended to Help Close Skills Gap

Cybersecurity skills are in high demand. According to Cyber Seek, there are currently more than 10,000 openings in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area for cybersecurity workers. Nationwide, there are more than 300,000.

To help close the skills gap, the CSULB College of Engineering this Fall is introducing a Cybersecurity Applications Minor. The 18-unit program is designed to provide students with skills to help in job seeking and career building. The minor is open to any student with at least a 2.0 GPA. Continue reading “Cybersecurity Applications Minor Intended to Help Close Skills Gap”

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MAE Department Celebrates Graduates’ Accomplishments

Hope Daley and professors Daniel Whisler and Jalal Torabzadeh

CSULB Mechanical and Aerospace students on Monday gathered with faculty and advisers for a celebration before their graduation. “This is a milestone,” said MAE Chair Jalal Torabzadeh. “It was not easy for some of you. The road was rough, but you have shown you can overcome challenges.”

Said Hilal, CEO of Applied Medical, who received the Distinguished Alumni Award, advised graduates to search for a sense of belonging and purpose. “You’re about to go onto the next chapter. But corporations may be thinking of you as the workforce, not the think force or the innovate force.” Continue reading “MAE Department Celebrates Graduates’ Accomplishments”

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Electrical Engineering Department Sends Its Grads Out Into the World

Dr. Tracy Maples and Nicole Forrest-Boggs with the Dunbars.

When Chris Dunbar attended CSULB, Electrical Engineering Chair Henry Yeh was a new professor and the ECS Building didn’t yet exist. “It doesn’t seem very long ago, but it was 37 years,” said Dunbar, Associate Principal Director of the Aerospace Corp.

The recipient of the department’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, Dunbar told graduates they’re living in a time of immense change for engineering. “”You guys are living in the most challenging and revolutionary time in engineering. Thirty-seven years goes by in the blink of an eye,” said Dunbar. “If you’re going to do something for 37 years, you better be doing something you enjoy.”

Dunbar said when he graduated with his BSEE in 1981, he didn’t know what to do. After working for three other companies, he joined the Aerospace Corp. and became a subject-matter expert in control systems. He now supervises 130 engineers. Continue reading “Electrical Engineering Department Sends Its Grads Out Into the World”

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Chemical Engineering Celebrates with a Chest Pound and a Fist Bump

ChE award winners

Outgoing Chemical Engineering Chair Larry Jang gave a final chest-pound fist bump to graduates Monday as the department celebrated the accomplishments of its students and supporters.

“Everyone deserves an award,” said Jang, who is retiring but plans to still teach some classes. “If you think you deserve an award, let me know.”

One of Monday’s award winners was Distinguished Alumni John Crouch, a retired VP and Underwriting Manager for the Starr Companies. “I’m so excited to see so many people pursuing this field,” said Crouch, a 1978 CSULB graduate. “Keep in touch with the people around you and you’ll be very successful.” Continue reading “Chemical Engineering Celebrates with a Chest Pound and a Fist Bump”

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CECEM Grads Recognized for their Achievement

CECEM Department Chair Antonella Sciortino and alumni

Students graduating from the Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Management Department and program supporters were recognized for their achievements Friday at the CECEM Department Celebration.

William Wolfe, CSULB’s first Beavers Endowed Chair of Heavy Civil Construction, was singled out for special recognition for helping the heavy civil construction program acquire its first major piece of equipment. Wolfe, Faculty Emeritus for the Ohio State University Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodesic Engineering, joined CSULB in fall 2016.

“It has been a great privilege to have you with us,” Dean Forouzan Golshani said to Wolfe. Continue reading “CECEM Grads Recognized for their Achievement”