College of Science and Mathematics at Fresno State

08/14/2026

Don’t swat the mosquitoes; they’re for research! 🦟🩸🔬

Recent M.S. in Biology graduate Jovana Benavides’ ('26) research into better, cheaper and more environmentally friendly methods to trap mosquitoes for disease tracking is especially impactful in the Central Valley, where vector-borne diseases are a huge problem.

“We’re in a race right now to find novel ways of attracting and trapping these mosquitoes, because we’re trying to prevent person-to-person transmission.”

This work began as Benavides’ award-winning master’s thesis project, which discovered insect species previously unseen in the Valley, and holds the promise of creating a powerful new tool in mosquito control.

Read the full story on Fresno State Today!
🔗 | bit.ly/FST-JovanaBenavides

07/31/2026

For Yazan Shalaldeh from the class of 2026, receiving offers from multiple graduate programs and medical schools after earning a degree in biology marked an achievement years in the making.

"Struggles and change taught me the resilience it takes to come this far. Although I had to learn a new language—English—during high school, I graduated as valedictorian. Although I once struggled with chemistry and questioned my major, [I graduated] with offers from multiple Ph.D. programs and medical schools."

Lessons learned in the classroom (or lab) provided the knowledge, and the time spent on the pitch as a member of the Fresno State Rugby club honed the leadership capacity needed for a future career in the medical field.

"Success does not become easier; instead, we become stronger, wiser, and more capable of overcoming the challenges placed before us. Every obstacle we face shapes us into the person we are meant to become so embrace the challenges!"

Congratulations, Yazan! We wish our stellar graduating class from this past academic year all the best in their next chapters! Go 'Dogs! 🐾 🎓 🩺

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

Reliving the moment that the class of 2026 graduates from the Fresno State Physics Department had their moment to cross the stage during the CSM Commencement two weeks ago! 🎓

📸 Megan Valdez

05/28/2026

IN PHOTOS: The Department of Biology faculty and staff proudly celebrated the graduates from the class of 2026 at a recent banquet in the Resnick Student Union! 🎓

05/21/2026

Scientific breakthroughs are on the horizon for Ayuba Abaka, our graduate dean’s medalist for the class of 2026! 🎓🥇🧬

In addition to earning an M.S. in biology, Ayuba is a graduate research assistant and teaching associate in the Biology Department, volunteered with the Black Excellence in Science and Technology Club and served as a mentor judge at the National Diversity in STEM Conference.

Abaka plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biology at UC Merced, where he will join a research project on genetic factors in Valley fever. He hopes to launch a biotech startup to create home diagnostic tools for early cancer detection. Read more about his journey at today.fresnostate.edu!

🔗 bit.ly/4dnxyEb | 🐾

05/20/2026

Putting physics research at the forefront is what drives class of 2026 student of distinction, Daniel Ho**er ⚛️

"The opportunities and support in the Physics department at Fresno State far exceeded my expectations, and I feel blessed to have been a part of such a distinguished program. Research opportunities such as CSU-ATLAS rival those of R1 institutions, and the department provides an exceptional balance between support and struggle to enable student to grow as independent young researchers and scientists; while also encouraging students to develop skills outside of what’s strictly necessary for coursework. Despite facing many hurdles, such as numerous health challenges and being first generation, I excelled in large part due to the incredible mentorship offered here; which I will not soon forget."

– Daniel Ho**er, Outstanding Thesis Awardee from the Fresno State Physics Department

03/20/2026

Congratulations to physics student Nursultan "Sam" Khudayberdiev whose innovative research has been featured while attending the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit this week! 🍓 🤖

Innovating on the Central Valley's rich tapestry of agriculture, Sam is developing a robotic arm which uses AI image recognition to precisely identify and gently pick strawberries for the future application of affixing his system to a rover for harvesting in extreme temperatures, around pesticides or other unsafe or challenging environments for humans.

Watch Sam speak to WebsEdge in depth about his vision and work on YouTube!

Can physics and artificial intelligence help harvest the future of agriculture?At the APS Global Physics Summit, we met Nursultan Khudayberdiev (Sam), a youn...

02/12/2026

CSM celebrates International Day of Women and Girls in Science 👩‍🔬🔬🧬🔭

“Being a woman in science means standing at the junction of resistance and curiosity. It represents recognizing the strides made by those who came before me while creating space for those who will come after. It means bringing my culture, my perspective, my empathy into rooms that once did not include voices like mine. Along with discovery, being a woman in science encompasses representation, responsibility, and the redefinition of what scholars in science can look like.”

Rosa I. Toro, Ph.D.
Department Chair (interim) and Professor
Department of Psychology

01/12/2026

APPLICATIONS OPEN: The Health Careers Opportunity (HCOP) and Health Professions Pathways (HPPP) Programs are accepting applications today through January 30, 2026!

Students interested in health career pathways may qualify for academic support, career guidance, networking opportunities, professional development, and connections to opportunities to become aspiring health professionals!

For information and to apply, visit bit.ly/FSCasa-Application, or reach out to the Center for Access to Science for All (CASA) at [email protected] or 559.278.4748, or visit our office in Science 1, Room 101.