CSUB College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering

10/16/2026

The California Well Sample Repository (CWSR) recently honored its late curator, Charles James, who passed in January 2025. Gathering at the repository earlier this month, colleagues, friends and family of James gathered at the repository for a special dedication event.

A plaque on a boulder outside the repository says the beloved curator served “with dedication, expertise, and an unwavering commitment to preserving and sharing geological knowledge.” The boulder was donated by the Golden Queen Mine in Mojave, with support from Ariel Espindola and Sam Salveson.

James’ surviving family — wife Sylvia, son Andrew and daughter-in-law Victoria — attended and received their own plaque, fittingly set in a rock.

Following a career in the petroleum industry, James’ dedication to geology didn’t stop after he retired from Aera. He served as the CWSR curator from May 2011 until his death. Through CSUB’s 60+ Club, he inspired many volunteers to contribute to the repository. To the student assistants at CWSR, James was generous mentor who shared his expertise with the next generation.

“It is important that we honor Charles James with an enduring plaque because he had the rare and wonderful combination of having a cheerful disposition, being a hard-worker and an effective student mentor, and having an enthusiastic dedication to the Repository and its mission,” said Dr. Anthony Rathburn, Geology Department Chair. “He was beloved by colleagues and students alike.”

His friends and colleagues at the repository and in the Geology Department remember James for his warmth, kindness and infectious positivity, able to brighten every room he entered. With the plaque in his honor, his memory and dedication will live on.

10/15/2026

Very exciting news today! Thank you, Valley Strong Credit Union!

10/15/2026

NSME in the News: Biology faculty Dr. Antje Lauer and Dr. Lucas Hall and their students talked to the National Wildlife Federation about their efforts to monitor and conserve kit fox populations on campus and around town. As kit foxes lose habitat as more industry development continues, the biologists have created a campus conservation model that could be scaled up to protect populations elsewhere in the city. Their work involves collecting s**t to know where kit foxes den, which could help pinpoint locations where no further development should occur.

Read the story at the link!

Faculty and students at California State University, Bakersfield, have a plan to bolster the population of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes who call the school home

10/14/2026

Last night, we welcomed prospective students and their families to our annual Open House event. They were able to meet with NSME faculty and staff, tour our labs and classrooms, and hear about our programs, including our new Environmental Geosciences and Mechanical Engineering degrees!

Thank you to everyone who came out to learn more about NSME! We hope to see you back on campus as new Roadrunners! 💙💛

10/12/2026

Register by this Thursday to attend the Faith and Health in the Central Valley Symposium! Use the QR code in the flyer to register!

Next month, please join us for the Faith and Health in the Central Valley Symposium! This will be held on Friday, October 30 in the Walter W. Stiern Library and will bring together healthcare professionals, educators, faith leaders and community organizations to explore the intersections of religion, health and community wellbeing in our region.

📅 October 30
⏰ 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
📍 Walter W. Stiern Library, CSUB
🔗 Register by October 15: https://csub.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1HS7uivr0JpYnA2?Q_CHL=qr

09/30/2026

You never know who you’ll run into on a Roadrunner Science Friday campus tour! Visiting 7th and 8th grade STEM students from Semitropic School District got an unexpected meet-and-greet with CSUB President Dr. Vernon Harper earlier this month!

The NSME Grants & Outreach team regularly hosts K-12 school groups to give them a glimpse into college life and all the STEM programs the college offers. If you’re an educator interested in scheduling a Roadrunner Science Friday visit for your students, email [email protected].

09/29/2026

Last year, four California State University, Bakersfield geology undergraduates got the opportunity to join a five-week research voyage off the coasts of Canada and Greenland, working with a collaborative group of scientists to gather sediment core samples from the Labrador Sea.

This summer, one of those students — now earning his master’s — and two new undergrads continued the paleoclimate research, working in facilities across the country to better understand what the samples can tell them about ancient ocean conditions.

At the University of Delaware (UD), CSUB geology grad student Garrett Cooper continued his work studying the geochemistry of the sediment cores collected from the Labrador Sea, plus new cores from the Okhotsk Sea. Meanwhile, geology undergrads Virpal Kaur and Alessa Linares conducted their research sampling the Labrador cores at Oregon State University (OSU) before interning at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts.

Read more about the students and their work at the link!

Geology students conduct summer research on seafloor sediment

09/25/2026

Earlier this month, NASA Ames Research Center scientist Dr. Anna Winter visited the CSUB campus to install a ground-based ozone sensor on the roof of our Science II building. The installation was coordinated by Dr. Anna Cruz, CSUB Department of Geological Sciences, as part of a new collaborative effort involving CSUB faculty from Geology, Mathematics and Public Health.

The project, Ozone Where We Live (OWWL), is a NASA-led air quality study focused on the San Joaquin Valley. The ground-based sensors collect ozone measurements that are integrated into the SJV Air Dashboard and provide data for validating satellite-based observations of air quality across the region.

The collaboration provides an opportunity for CSUB faculty to incorporate environmental data collected at CSUB and other locations throughout the San Joaquin Valley into geology, environmental science and related courses. Students will have opportunities to learn how air-quality instruments operate, participate in data acquisition, process and analyze ozone measurements, and investigate spatial and temporal patterns in ozone concentrations. Hands-on experiences with ozone data collection and analyses will help students apply scientific concepts to current environmental and health issues affecting the San Joaquin Valley.

09/23/2026

Prospective students and families, please join us on October 13 for the NSME Open House! This is a great opportunity to learn about our programs, meet faculty and staff, and see our facilities. The first 100 high school and community college students with an active ID will get free pizza!

📅 Tuesday, October 13
⏰ 5 to 6:30 p.m.
📍CSUB campus, 9001 Stockdale Highway
🔗 https://bit.ly/NSMEOpenHouse26

09/22/2026

Engineering students learn a lot in the classroom, but seeing the real-world applications of the concepts they study can bring them to life even more. This summer, seven students from California State University, Bakersfield got the opportunity to take experiential learning to the next level with a study abroad trip to South Korea.

Led by Dr. Gyeong Sung Kim, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Engineering, the trip focused on the country’s water and energy industries. From July 26 to August 8, students toured facilities across South Korea, seeing how another country addresses common resource issues.

“Rather than learning only through lectures or textbooks, I wanted students to visit operating facilities, meet professionals in the field and see firsthand how engineering, science and technology are being used to address challenges related to water, energy, sustainability and infrastructure,” Dr. Kim said. “My hope is that when they encounter these concepts again in their courses, they will be able to connect the equations and theories to something they have actually seen and experienced.”

Read more at the link!

Students travel to South Korea to learn about water, energy