TOWER & BELL
2022 Top Highlights
As the official news source for San José State University, the SJSU NewsCenter provides accurate, informative and compelling content that shares the latest stories from the Spartan community. Here are a few highlights from 2022 so far:
January
Photo: Robert C. Bain.
By Kenneth Mashinchi
Silicon Valley’s bold business ideas got a new home in January when San José State University opened the Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Led by director Michael Cohen, the SBDC in downtown San José provides support, training, consulting, technical assistance and connection to resources for entrepreneurs at any stage of their journey — from ideation to structure for acquisition or merger activities.
“We are so fortunate to be in the heart of Silicon Valley and SJSU in particular,” says Cohen. “I encourage all students, faculty and alumni to take advantage of our free services.”
The SBDC hosts an event every third Wednesday of the month at SJSU’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library from 10 a.m. to noon that includes an hour of presentations on subjects of general interest to small business followed by an hour of networking. All are invited to register and attend.
March
Image: Pourya Nadimi.
By Tiffany Harbrecht
SJSU’s new HonorsX program, which launches* this summer, engages student teams across all fields of study to address the most critical societal issues. The program welcomes currently enrolled rising juniors who are interested in solving problems for tomorrow’s world and want to do so in meaningful ways.
HonorsX is uniquely designed with an emphasis on the intersection of justice and sustainability — environmental, economic and social — and will rotate the topics students study each academic year. The curriculum is also aligned with the university’s legacy commitment to equity and social justice. *HonorsX launched as of July 18, 2022.
March
Photo: David Schmitz.
By Julia Halprin Jackson
What if families could access wellness and mental health services — free of charge? This spring, San José State University’s Connie L. Lurie College of Education partnered with San José’s East Side Union High School District to open the Healthy Development Community Clinic (HDCC) at Oak Grove High School. The HDCC offers screenings, brief services, skills groups, educational workshops and other wellness services that support the healthy development of children, youth and families.
The HDCC is staffed by SJSU graduate students under the supervision of expert clinical researchers specializing in child and adolescent development, communicative disorders and sciences, and clinical psychology. Materials and workshops will be available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
April
Photo: David Schmitz.
By Tiffany Harbrecht
SJSU's in-person Grad Slam returned this April after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. Ten of SJSU's brightest minds faced off at the Hammer Theatre in the annual fast-paced competition, in which graduate students from across disciplines persuasively present a snapshot of their thesis research in three minutes, using only one presentation slide as a visual aid.
Winners of Grad Slam compete for cash prizes — and bragging rights — as well as the honor of representing SJSU at subsequent statewide and regional competitions. Projects this year ranged from studies on DNA and fire tornadoes to the shift in transportation patterns post-COVID-19. Katherina (Kate) Forrest, ’23 MS Meteorology, (featured above) won first place for her presentation “Fire Tornadoes: ‘The Unicorns of Fire Weather.’”
May
Photo: Robert C. Bain.
By Julia Halprin Jackson
Icelandic President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson stopped at SJSU during a planned delegation to the United States this spring. Interim President Steve Perez accompanied Jóhannesson on a tour of the campus and presented him with a Spartan vest, pen and pencil set with the Tower logo, and prints of his father from the 1965 SJSU yearbook. Jóhannesson, in turn, gave Perez a copy of his book “The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations: The History of Iceland.”
The delegation’s primary goal in visiting Silicon Valley was to connect with Apple and Meta to incorporate the Icelandic language into technology platforms, but the Icelandic president made the time for a personal pilgrimage to San José State. SJSU had long captured the president’s imagination, especially after the death of his father.
May
Photo: Javier Duarte.
By Kenneth Mashinchi
In April, the Times Higher Education 2022 Impact Rankings placed SJSU in the top 40 of universities overall in the U.S. These rankings assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach and teaching. SJSU finished in the top 15 among U.S. universities in two categories — “Life Below Water” and “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.”
Money magazine issued its 2022 Best Colleges ranking in May, with SJSU coming in as the 31st best college in the country — putting SJSU in the top 5% in the U.S. Money evaluated 623 colleges and universities on 24 factors, focused mainly on quality, affordability and student and graduate outcomes. SJSU also ranked 19th in Money’s “Best Colleges of the West” category and 27th nationally among public universities.
June
Photo: Robert C. Bain.
By Julia Halprin Jackson
Three SJSU artists: Jackelin Solorio, ’22 MFA Spatial Arts; Mark Fisher, ’24 MFA Pictorial Arts; and Eric Vasquez, ’19 Design, were commissioned by the South University Neighborhood (SUN) Board to beautify utility boxes along South 10th Street, with support from SJSU’s College of Humanities and the Arts, the San José Downtown Association and Phantom Galleries.
The collaboration united SJSU students, alumni and neighbors, said Katherine D. Harris, director of public programming for the College of Humanities and the Arts.
“The art box project is one example of H&A in Action’s focus on cross-disciplinary inquiry and community engagement,” said Harris. “We’re grateful for our downtown partners who have enabled us to showcase the work of SJSU students and alumni alike.”
June
Photos: Courtesy of (L–R) Tammie Visintainer, Melissa Beresford and Ozgur Keles.
By Kenneth Mashinchi
Assistant Professors Tammie Visintainer, Melissa Beresford and Ozgur Keles recently received National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER awards, bringing the total to 17 SJSU faculty members who have received the prestigious recognition for their research and teaching. According to the NSF, the awards recognize “early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”
“The NSF CAREER program is a prestigious honor, recognized across the world for identifying future leaders in science early in their careers, and we are pleased to see our faculty being recognized for the outstanding public impact research they do,” said Vice President for Research and Innovation Mohamed Abousalem.
July
Photos: Robert C. Bain.
By Mike Janes
SJSU’s Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC) and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML), two of the university’s signature research facilities, have recently received more than $8 million in critical funding for key infrastructure improvements among other improvements; $5 million is allocated to the WIRC and $3 million is earmarked for MLML.
Among other vital research, WIRC has quickly gained regional and national recognition for its role and expertise in understanding and mitigating near-term wildfire risks to lives and property. MLML, for its part, provides an unparalleled opportunity and environment for budding scientists to gain skills and training that prepare them to address societal needs related to marine issues. WIRC and MLML each play important roles in addressing environmental matters and impacts of climate change.
July
Photo: Courtesy of Cassandra Paul.
By Julia Halprin Jackson
The California State University’s Office of the Chancellor has awarded a $222,000 CSU CREATE Award (Creating Responsive, Equitable, Active Teaching and Engagement Award) to four members of SJSU’s faculty: Associate Professor Cassandra Paul, Professor Resa Kelly, Assistant Professor Gina Quan, and Assistant Professor Jennifer Avena. SJSU’s award is the largest bestowed by the CSU of the five winning proposals, which ranged from $48,000 to $222,000.
The inaugural award program is designed to accelerate momentum toward the CSU's Graduation Initiative 2025 goals by creating opportunities for faculty to lead innovative projects. The SJSU faculty, along with San Francisco State University Professor Kim Coble and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Assistant Professor Laura Rios, received the award for their proposal “Agents of Change: Faculty-Learning Assistant Partnerships Supporting Active, Engaging, Equitable Learning Environments.”
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