College of Science & Engineering

Genentech scientist brings cutting-edge AI course to SFSU

New class introduces students to protein modeling and deep learning for biotech research

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 intelligence (AI). The result is “CSC 511: Protein Modeling with Deep Learning,” now giving SFSU undergraduates the opportunity to learn from a working Genentech scientist. 

Taught by Thrift, the class launched in the spring of 2026. Undergraduates learn the fundamentals of deep machine learning (an AI approach that trains computer models to recognize patterns in complex data) as it applies to protein systems, protein property predictions, protein folding, generative and discriminative models, and more. Since many diseases originate from proteins misbehaving, AI can help predict how a protein may malfunction and support drug discovery.

“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 Kulkarni. As a Computer Science professor and associate chair, she’s an expert in machine learning. But protein AI isn’t her area of expertise.

“My reaction to CSC 511 was excitement,” said Psychology senior Akemi Smart. “I felt proud that I was taking it. The school wanted me to succeed, and that’s a theme I felt throughout the PINC program.” 

Read the SF News Story

 

Alumna makes scents out of SFSU Chemistry degree

Ashley in Paris: Alumna is the youngest perfumer at leading fragrance creation house

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.

Santiago is the youngest perfumer at Givaudan, the world’s largest manufacturer of flavors, fragrances and active cosmetic ingredients. She is the only American perfumer at Givaudan’s Fine Fragrance Creative Centre in Paris, where fragrances are developed for major fashion houses and beauty brands such as YSL, Prada, Marc Jacobs and Maison Margiela.

Her path to that role — and to Paris, where she lives today — began early. Since she was a teenager in the Bay Area, she’s been obsessed with fragrances. She read blogs about perfume, researched ingredients and even asked her parents to drive her to department stores so she could smell the fragrances there.

“In high school, you start thinking, ‘What are you going to do?’ I Googled, ‘Where do fragrances come from?’” Santiago said. “I didn’t even realize there was a person making them. I just thought it was a factory or something.”

She soon learned that becoming a perfumer requires extensive training and a Chemistry degree. That realization pointed her toward Chemistry — and ultimately to SFSU.

Read the full SFSU News story.

Tale of the lava heron: SFSU student describes new Galapagos species

A longstanding SFSU-Cal Academy partnership enables high-caliber SFSU student research

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.

“I feel super lucky with this project. I think we fell into this beautiful story that is really rare,” Mendales said of his work with SFSU Associate Professor Jaime Chaves and California Academy of Sciences Ornithology Curator Jack Dumbacher.

They found that the common Galapagos lava heron (Butorides sundevalli) is a distinct species, upending a decades-long assumption that it is a subspecies of the South American straited heron. 

“I’d say the vast majority of ornithologists alive today have never been part of a new species description,” said Dumbacher, who shares a lab with Chaves and was on Mendales’ thesis committee.

Read the full SF State New story

W+iSE Seminar - Dr. Lisa Whie

BIOL 870: Colloquium in Biology

Dr. Lisa White, Director of Education and Outreach, UC Museum of Paleontology

Integrating paleontology collections, seagoing expeditions, and interactive web-based tools to enhance STEM instruction for undergraduate students

Sponsored by BE-STEM and W+iSE

Student time: 3-3:30 p.m.

SFSU mentorship helps STEM students succeed in competitive doctoral programs

Graduate students supported by SFSU’s Student Enrichment Opportunities office complete Ph.D. programs, regardless of undergrad institution or GPA

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.” 

She came back to campus to talk to SFSU Professor Teaster Baird, who was the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Chair at the time and is now a College of Science & Engineering (CoSE) Associate Dean. Other SFSU mentors reached out to Gourdet — in person and by phone and email. Some even contacted faculty and program managers at Gourdet’s Ph.D. institution, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), to help in situations where she felt powerless. 

Read the full story at SF State News

SFSU student hackathon makes the major leagues

Annual event draws 200 hackers for 48 hours of creating solutions, networking 

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 projects focused on sustainability and taking care of our future. 

The student-run event attracted 300 people to the Student Life Events Center. Participants included hackers from across the country, as well as judges, panelists and mentors. Corporate sponsors included Major League Hacking, the venture-capital fund JFFVentures, Meta, IBM, Backboard, Medsender, Broxi AI, Actian, CRS, Upstreman and Shipyard, with beverages provided by Celsius, Red Bull, Poppi, Monster, Bloom and GST Living Foods. SFSU sponsors included the Computer Science Department, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs and the campus chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery.  

Read the full SF News story.

Gilead Innovation Initiative opens doors for SFSU student scientists

Elmer Guzman didn’t always see himself as a researcher. A first-generation Chemistry senior at San Francisco State University, he wasn’t sure he belonged in a lab until this summer, when he became one of the first Gilead Innovation Initiative Scholars.

“It makes me feel proud of myself,” Guzman said. “Just seeing the recognition and knowing that there are opportunities trying to help students who are new to research makes me feel like there is a future to these things.”

Guzman is one of 30 student scientists who made up the first cohort of the Gilead Innovation Initiative at SFSU. The Gilead Foundation generously gifted $1.25 million in programmatic support to SFSU’s College of Science & Engineering (CoSE) via two awards during fundraising for the University’s new Science and Engineering Innovation Center (SEIC). In addition to supporting student research activities, the foundation also provided $3.75 million to outfit SEIC labs with state-of-the-art equipment and furnishings.

The Gilead Innovation Scholars — 11 undergraduate and 19 graduate students — were awarded $5,000 stipends to conduct research between June 1 and August 23. (Faculty members were also awarded a $1,000 honorarium for mentoring the scholars). Many of the student awardees were first-time researchers as well as students who had never received financial support for working in research labs. 

The Gilead award is unique in that it is inclusive of research activities throughout CoSE. It included at least one student from each of the eight CoSE departments and schools, supporting the training of astronomers, biologists, chemists, computer scientists, engineers, geologists, mathematicians, physicists, psychologists and others. Projects ranged from molecular biology and ecology to nanoparticles, artificial intelligence, youth psychology and many other topics in science and engineering. 

Read the full story at SF State News

Hackers designed ‘tech for good’ at this year’s SF Hacks

Projects tackled memory loss, data protection, mental health and more

After successfully reinstating San Francisco State University’s in-person hackathon last year, SF Hacks kept the momentum rolling by jumping into planning their 2025 event and making it bigger and better. 

On April 4 – 6, 300 hackers convened at SFSU’s Annex 1 for the annual SF Hacks hackathon. Participants came from all over the country, with over 80% coming from all over California and 30% returning from SF Hacks 2024. The attendee number jumps to 430 when considering volunteers, judges, mentors and more. The event almost hit the venue limit on the first day.

At its core, SF Hacks is a 48-hour hardware and software building competition, but that description doesn’t fairly encapsulate the event. It is really a community affair with mini events, panels, workshops, professional and social networking, fun activities like Bob Ross painting and tennis, complimentary food … and it’s a totally free event to boot.

Read the SF State News story

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