SF State College of Science and Engineering

05/05/2026

After hearing positive things about SFSU’s PINC program, Genentech scientist Will Thrift wanted to create a protein AI course for the program. The course launched this semester.

“Protein modeling with deep learning is as cutting edge as it gets. And we get to have an industry practitioner — someone who knows the theory and practices the science — craft and lead the development of the course,” said PINC Director Anagha Kulkarni.

After hearing the positive things colleagues had to say about San Francisco State University’s Promoting Inclusivity in Computing (PINC) program, Genentech scientist Will Thrift reached out to PINC Director Anagha Kulkarni with a proposal: collaborate on a course focused on protein artificial inte...

04/13/2026

There’s a lot you can do with a Chemistry degree. Alumna Ashley Santiago (B.S., ’16) became the youngest perfumer at Givaudan, the world’s largest manufacturer of fragrances.

For San Francisco State University alumna Ashley Santiago (B.S., ’16), scent is memory: tied to a family member’s favorite perfume, a moment in high school or her freshman year of college. And it’s not just a reflection of the past. For Santiago, scent is also her future.

03/26/2026

A longstanding SFSU-California Academy of Sciences partnership enables high-caliber SFSU student research.

SFSU graduate Ezra Mendales not only lived out this dream of doing research in the Galapagos Islands but he described a new species of Galapagos lava herons as part of this master’s thesis with SFSU Associate Professor Jaime Chaves and collaborators at the Cal Academy.

“Getting access to not only the faculty at San Francisco State but the resources and employees at the California Academy of Sciences — it’s a match made in heaven,” says Mendales.

The Galapagos Islands are famous for the discoveries that shaped Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Now an SFSU graduate has added one more: Ezra Mendales (M.S., ’23) describes a new species as part of his master’s thesis.

03/20/2026

In a recent Quanta Magazine article, SFSU Mathematics Professor Matthias Beck provides insight about the "lonely runner" problem.

A straightforward conjecture about runners moving around a track turns out to be equivalent to many complex mathematical questions. Three new proofs mark the first significant progress on the problem in decades.

03/19/2026

Thirty years of data from the Student Enrichment Opportunities (SEO) office shows that the majority of SFSU graduate students supported by SEO who applied to Ph.D. programs were accepted to and completed prestigious Ph.D. programs, regardless of undergraduate institution or GPA.

“We have this amazing pool of students that are hidden,” Professor Megumi Fuse says. “Things like their GPA and need to work mask their ability to be successful. Once we give them money and mentorship, we see their true abilities.”

When San Francisco State University alumna Muryam Gourdet (M.S., ’16) wanted to quit her Ph.D. program, she received a message from one of her former mentors in the SFSU Student Enrichment Opportunities (SEO) program: “Don’t quit. Come talk to me now.” 

03/05/2026

48 hours, 300 people, 77 student projects, 30 SFSU student volunteers, corporate sponsors like Meta and JFFVentures, and a whole lot more made up this year’s SF Hacks.

“This event has the magic to pull alumni like me back,” said Jim Chen, who attended SFSU as an international student and has volunteered at the hackathon for the past three years. “You’re gaining connections from all around the world.”

San Francisco State University’s annual hackathon returned to campus Feb. 13 – 15, bringing 48 hours of new opportunities to our students to create solutions, network with industry professionals and more. The theme for this year’s SF Hacks event, “Tech for a Greener Tomorrow,” encouraged p...

02/18/2026

02/13/2026

Come see our co**se flower's peak bloom this weekend! This rare plant only blooms every 3 – 5 years and is famous for its size (up to 10 feet tall) and odor. The bloom only lasts for 24 – 48 hours. Since the event can change quickly, visit the greenhouse's Instagram () to get daily updates.

Public viewing hours:
- Today (Feb. 13) now – 8 p.m.
- Feb. 14 noon – 8 p.m.
- Feb. 15 noon – 8 p.m. (tentative)

📍 Location: Arrive on foot to the SFSU Greenhouse (campus map area E8)

11/13/2025

As part of the new Heising-Simons Foundation-funded Pacific Coastal Fog Research project, Associate Professor Sara Baguskas, her students and her collaborators are establishing a fog-monitoring network spanning the entire coastline to study how fog impacts different ecosystems.

“We’ve never had this opportunity to work together and coordinate, to ask big questions about this [fog] phenomenon that is going to be more and more important as climate continues to change,” she said.

If you live in the Bay Area, you know Karl the Fog. Many of us have a love-hate relationship with our misty friend and how it influences our outdoor plans. However, Karl — aka coastal fog — is vital for our ecosystem and what makes the California coast special.