CONTENTS FRESNO STATE NEWS BRIEFS 4 GET SOCIAL 8 HANDY DEVICE 10 IN THE KNOW | ACADEMICS 20 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 22 SPORTS 24 ALUMNI NEWS 30 Cover photo by Cary Edmondson. Dr. The Nguyen, a Fresno State mechanical engineering professor, is working with a graduate student to develop new tremor-suppression technology to help improve quality of life for Parkinson’s patients. (Note: The device pictured is subject to change.) FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK ith academics and research at the core of Fresno • Providing free health services, like blood-pressure Magazine is published by University Communications at California State University, Fresno. State, our talented faculty are critically important screenings and flu shots, in underserved areas. FALL/WINTER 2018 W to the University’s mission to boldly educate and empower students for success. They are committed to teaching • Developing, testing and improving innovations to equip Senior Editor Vol. XXVIII, Issue 2, Published October 24, 2018. Fresno State serves the richly diverse region of Central California. We are proud to have the undergraduate and graduate students in a way that fosters farms of the future with cutting-edge technologies and Eddie Hughes Fresno State Magazine publishes twice annually U.S. Department of Education designate our strategies to enhance irrigation efficiency. (spring and fall). Opinions expressed critical thinking and welcomes diverse ideas and opinions. Senior Graphic Designer University as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution Todd Graves in this magazine do not necessarily reflect official University policy. Letters to the editor and an Asian American and Native American Our continued rise in several national rankings of excellence In addition to being leaders in their fields, Fresno State University Photographer and contributions to Class Notes are welcome; Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. — including our No. 24 national ranking by Washington faculty are also motivated to contribute to the well-being Cary Edmondson they may be edited for clarity and length. Unless otherwise noted, articles may be reprinted as Monthly — is a direct reflection of the extraordinary talent of society. In this issue of Fresno State Magazine, you will Videographers long as credit is given. Copyrighted photos may Stay in touch! and contributions of our faculty and their work with students. learn about the remarkable strides one professor is making Randy Haar, Domenick Satterberg not be reprinted without express written consent We welcome your comments about Fresno in improving the quality of life for those with Parkinson’s Web Coordinator of the photographer or the office of University State Magazine at [email protected]. With more than 1,500 faculty, including 309 new tenure-track disease (Page 10). Adriana MacDonald Communications. Clippings and other editorial If you receive more than one copy, please contributions are appreciated. All inquiries and faculty hired since 2013, the breadth of the professoriate’s pass it along to a friend of Fresno State. Contributors comments, including requests for faculty If you would like to support the University, expertise is impressively broad, varying from viticulture and * It is an extraordinary privilege to work among such talented Lisa Maria Boyles, Victoria Cisneros, contact information, should be sent to Editor, visit fresnostate.edu/givenow to make your * enology to digital humanities to accounting. and dedicated educators. I hope you enjoy the snapshot we Alexis Ford, Esra Hashem, Angel Langridge, Fresno State Magazine, 5200 N. Barton Ave., contribution. Thank you. BoNhia Lee, Abigail Puente Martinez,* ML49, Fresno, CA 93740-8023. provide in this issue of the many types of contributions they Melissa Tav, Jenny Toste Phone: 559.278.2795 On any given day, instances of Fresno State professors are making to our students, this community and the world * student engaged in academic and research programs highlight All Fresno State wordmarks and logos used herein fresnostatemagazine.com on a daily basis. President are trademarks of California State University, numerous fields of study: Joseph I. Castro Fresno. All rights reserved. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. twitter.com/FresnoState_Mag Vice President for University Advancement • Designing low-power sensor nodes for wireless networks Paula Castadio © 2018 California State University, Fresno that can be used in forest-fire detection and smart- fresnostatenews.com Director of University Communications watering applications. Dr. Joseph I. Castro President, Fresno State Patti Waid fresnostate.edu RED Plenty to Cheer For EYE Photo by Cary Edmondson In what has quickly grown into a beloved tradition on campus, hundreds of Fresno State faculty and staff lined the entryway of the Save Mart Center on Aug. 20 to welcome new students to campus with high-fives and cheers before an uplifting performance from the spirit squad. Each new, transfer and graduate student who attended received a free Bulldog born, Bulldog bred T-shirt and entered the arena to hear inspiring messages and campus tips from Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro and administrators. Keynote speaker Dr. Matthew Jendian, chair of the Department of Sociology, discussed “Maximizing your University Education at Fresno State,” and the Bulldog Marching Band and spirit squad provided entertainment while students got a glimpse of Victor E. Bulldog III. Fresno State received more than 29,000 applications for the fall 2018 semester, including 26,000 undergraduate applications for about 5,400 new spots. 2 FALL/WINTER 2018 » fresnostatemagazine.com 3 FRESNO STATE NEWS FRESNO STATE Washington Monthly has been ranking Energizing a colleges and universities for 13 years 8 Tips Fraternity House with what it calls “a different kind of NEWS BRIEFS college ranking” focusing on three for Identifying The Sigma Chi fraternity at Fresno State is well By Eddie Hughes equally-weighted criteria: social mobility, research and public service. Fake News positioned for the future thanks to some forward- The rankings are “not based on what thinking alumni who donated $177,388 for a colleges do for themselves, but on what 135-panel solar energy system that is expected to they do for their country,” recognizing power the house for the next 30 years. universities that “push the boundaries Jim Boren, executive director of the new Institute for Media of scientific discovery and provide paths and Public Trust at Fresno State, shared insights gleaned According to Sigma Chi’s national headquarters, the to opportunity for the next generation of from his 48-year journalism career in a blog post where Fresno State chapter house is the first known to have low-income students.” he lists tips for identifying fake news. Boren, the former a solar system that offsets the majority of its energy executive editor of The Fresno Bee, also recently hosted costs. “These types of national distinctions are a First Amendment forum to explore free-speech issues possible when we choose to be bold in on university campuses nationwide. The system, installed by Sol-Tek, is mounted on a all that we do at Fresno State,” Castro structure over the fraternity’s parking lot on Bulldog says. “Every day on campus and in the Lane to provide shade and it includes additional Boren’s tips include: community, we encounter students and security lighting underneath and two electric vehicle alumni who are using the opportunities charging stations. provided at Fresno State as a launching 1 . Look past your own biases. We often believe the worst point to advance in their lives and about people or politicians we despise. Those biases can Mike Patton, who achieve their goals. That happens with temporarily blind us to what we are sharing. joined Sigma Chi thousands of graduates each year and in 1963 and retired the result is a more prosperous region.” 2. Do you recognize the source of the news item? Take five years ago after extra time to confirm the facts on sites you may not selling his Patton In May, Fresno State celebrated its recognize. Air Conditioning Cary Edmondson largest graduating class ever with more business, says this than 6,000 students earning degrees. 3. Use search engines to see if anyone else is reporting solar system will Enrollment at Fresno State this fall the story. If it’s as big a story as is being promoted, surely offset 97 percent of the house’s $17,700 electrical is at an all-time high of more than some other outlet will have a version of the story. costs each year, allowing the Sigma Chi House Fresno State was selected alongside 25,200 students, and more than Corporation to provide amenities to give students in seven Ivy League institutions, including Top 25 87 percent of those students are 4. Check the link in your browser. Many fake news sites the house the best experience possible. top-ranked Harvard University; six from the Central Valley. try to mimic actual news sites. The link might have a slight University of California campuses; and Again and Again variation from the legitimate news site. “We’re in for the long haul to serve this community MIT on the list. Fresno State ranks and this University,” says Brad Fischer, president of The newest national ranking of the 12th among the 17 public institutions WASHINGTON MONTHLY 5. Are there other stories on that particular website, and Sigma Chi’s Fresno State alumni chapter and a senior top universities in the United States included in the rankings. FRESNO STATE RANKINGS what is their tone? Do they pass the “smell test”? Does the vice president for Premier Valley Bank. “It puts a shows Fresno State is delivering on its writing style have excessive capital letters, exclamation challenge on others to take pride in the property and mission to boldly educate and empower “Fresno State is proud to once again Among points or grammatical errors? for alumni to reinvest. The Sigma Chi alumni have students for success.