Dr. Aly Tawfik, associate professor of civil engineering and director of the Fresno State Transportation Institute, and the Transportation Institute staff successfully hosted the inaugural K-12 railroad model competition at the Satellite Student Union earlier this month. Student teams from eight Fresno County schools demonstrated their creative railroad track models, presentations, and reports during the competition. The competition was sponsored by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Dr. Balaji Sethuramasamyraja, professor, Department of Industrial Technology, served as a panelist at the AgTechX Ed Summit on May 9 at West Hills College Lemoore. The event, dedicated to developing the next generation of tech-savvy agricultural workers, is part of the AgTechX Ed Initiative, which is a statewide effort with the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology, California Department of Food and Agriculture and West Hills College Lemoore. Sethuramasamyraja represented four-year, California State University faculty at the event, and has been a member of campus since 2006. The full-time professor also serves as a coordinator for the department's Precision Agriculture Technology minor and program director for its Agricultural Systems Management option.