Dr. Kimberly Stillmaker, associate professor, Civil and Geomatics Engineering, has been chosen as the 2025 receipient of the prestigious Wang Family Excellence Award in the "Outstanding Faculty Innovator in Student Success" category.

This recognition acknowledges the exemplary achievements and contributions to the California State University (CSU) and is accompanied by a one-time award of $20,000.

Dr. Monique Bell, professor, Department of Marketing and Logistics, will be awarded a Trailblazer Award from The African-American Historical & Cultural Museum of the San Joaquin Valley at the annual Trailblazer Award Annual Banquet on Feb. 1, in recognition of her pioneering research on Black wine entrepreneurs and for her service to the local African American community.

Dr. Marie Gilbert, director, Central California Center for Excellence in Nursing, has been recognized as a Class of 2025 Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare Academy in honor of her significant contributions and impact to the field of healthcare simulation.

Dr. Nupur Hajela, associate professor, Department of Physical Therapy, delivered the keynote speech on “Revolutionizing Physiotherapy Through Patient-Centric Digital Innovations: Harnessing Virtual Reality and AI for Optimizing Rehabilitation” at the 10th International Physiotherapy Conference in New Delhi, India this past December, where she shared insights on digital technology and ways immersive VR and AI can optimize physical therapy outcomes.

Dr. Ting-fen Lin, assistant professor, Department of Communicative Sciences and Deaf Studies, gave a presentation on COPD and dysphagia at the National Taipei University of Nursing Health Sciences in Taiwan. She also published “Managing Functional Biopsychosocial Outcomes Impacted by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Using Telehealth” in the Journal Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups.

Dr. Michael Mahoney, chair and professor, Department of Recreation Administration, was invited to speak at the International Research Workshop on Sustainable Sport, Tourism, and Community Development within the International Kautz Conference, hosted by Széchenyi University in Győr, Hungary. His presentation "The Impact of Venuescape Attributes on Consumer Satisfaction and Behavior at a Three-Day Music Festival", featured his research on the importance of venue design and amenities in enhancing the festival experience.

During his trip, Mahoney also guest lectured for classes at Széchenyi University and the Hungarian University of Sport Science in Budapest, Hungary. Additionally, he has initiated the process to establish collaborative endeavors in educational, research, and training opportunities between Széchenyi University and Fresno State.

Major Dinishia Maldonado, faculty and recruiting officer in the Department of Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC), will begin a new assignment this summer as the junior executive officer for Brigadier General Snelson, who is the commander of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center. Competitively selected for this role, Maldonado will be stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and will support 42 units stationed in 24 countries to enable rapid global mobility.

Dr. Janice Peterson, professor emerita, Department of Economics, was awarded the Veblen-Commons Award from theAssociation for Evolutionary Economics on Jan. 3. The prestigious Veblen-Commons Award is given annually in recognition of significant scholarly contributions to the field of evolutionary institutional economics.

Dr. Helda Pinzon-Perez, professor, Department of Public Health, traveled to Kenya in November to participate in the program "Leadership and the Environment: Case Studies from Africa” organized by Harvard University and the Kenyan government.

Dr. Devendra Sharma, professor, Department of Communications, is one of the newest board members of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts. He is a writer and performer keeping the Indian classical musical theater traditions of Swang-Nautanki alive.

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts board members are leaders and culture bearers who are shaping the landscape of traditional arts and community empowerment across California.

Dr. Anil Shrestha, professor, Department of Plant Science, published a research article in the MDPI Agronomy Journal entitled, 'Potential of Cover Crop Use and Termination with a Roller-Crimper in a Strip-Till Silage Maize Production System in the Central Valley of California.' The article was a part of campus row crops manager Robert Willmott's MS thesis project.

Abhilasha Srivasatava, assistant professor, Department of Economics and Aseen Hasnain, assistant professor, Sociology Department, had their article, “Caste doesn’t just exist in India or in Hinduism – it is pervasive across many religions in South Asia and the diaspora,” cited in a task force report of Rutgers University.

Dr. Steven Waite, assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology, earned the USA Weightlifting Level 1 Certification, which recognizes him as a nationally accredited Olympic weightlifting coach and enables him to teach lifting techniques at the national level. He also published "Relationship of BMI and FMS Scores in College Athletes" in the Journal of Rehabilitation Practices and Research.

Dr. Teira Wilson, digital accessibility specialist, Office of Digital Accessibility, had her dissertation, "Navigating the Digital Landscape: A Web Accessibility Analysis of California College and University Homepages", published. Her dissertation is related to digital accessibility for colleges and universities in California.