Home

10%

NSME students keep busy with summer research

Two programs offered undergrads hands-on experience

By California State University, Bakersfield

July 8^th, 2025

Summertime on the California State University, Bakersfield campus might be quieter than during the school year, but inside the College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering’s buildings, the laboratories are still abuzz with research activity.

Students in two concurrent summer research programs spent the month of June diving into research ranging from robotics to wildlife biology and so much more in between. The Chevron-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), now in its fifth year, saw 50 students working across nine projects, while the Department of Education-funded CSUB/Bakersfield College Summer Research Experience had 65 students working across five projects.

“These summer research projects are a great opportunity for our students to get hands-on learning experience working with faculty on real-world issues,” said Dr. Andrea Medina, director of grants and outreach for NSME, whose team helps facilitate the programs. “We know how important this can be for students, so we are truly grateful for Chevron’s continued support of the SURE program. With the DOE grant, we get to offer a second program and provide research opportunities to even more students, some of our own and some from BC.”

Read on to learn more about one project from each research program!

Chevron-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

If simply playing a game of chess demands a certain level of strategy and intelligence, building a fully autonomous robotic arm that can play chess probably takes that requirement up a few notches. Fortunately, the students in Dr. Amin Malek’s SURE group were more than up to the challenge.

“The experience aims to provide students with practical skills in robotic assembly, programming, system integration, problem-solving and teamwork,” said Dr. Malek, an associate professor in CSUB’s Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “Hands-on learning is critical because it allows students to apply theoretical concepts in real-world situations, reinforcing their understanding and making them better prepared for careers or further research in robotics and engineering fields.”

Though every student learned the different skills needed to build the robotic arm, they were all split into three groups to focus their efforts on a specific task: 3D design to create a model of the robot and its parts; electronics to get the arm moving as needed; and computer visioning to make sure the camera correctly identifies the chess board and pieces.

Previous research experience varied for the 10 students in the project — five of them are official SURE students receiving a stipend and five of them are volunteering just for the opportunity to boost their robotics skills. As Dr. Malek hoped, working as a team has been a major boon for the students.

“Before I did this research, I used to do projects like these on a smaller scale by myself,” said Omar Zamora, a computer science student going into his second year at CSUB. “Now to have someone else collaborating on this project, it’s way better because we’re able to bounce off ideas and solve things more quickly than I would by myself. Thinking outside of the box with someone else’s perspective is really mind-opening.”

Building a robotic arm that plays chess is more than just a fun demonstration of students’ skills. It’s significant because it integrates advanced robotics, machine vision and artificial intelligence into a cohesive, functional system, said Dr. Malek. What his students learn about this technology over the course of the project has broader applications in areas like automation, precision manufacturing and assistive robotics for people with disabilities.

Incoming freshman John Williford will be majoring in biochemistry but has always enjoyed working on electrical projects. Working with Dr. Malek gave him the opportunity to expand his skillset in areas like soldering. He’s now considering adding a minor in electrical engineering, thanks in part to his time working on this project.

“I really would recommend not only this project specifically but the SURE program in its entirety,” Williford said. “My experience with this specific project and the team here has been really great, and I’ve really enjoyed my time doing all the research and designing and printing, alongside everyone else doing their own respective parts.”

Collin Stillwell is heading into his first year as an electrical engineering major. In addition to the research experience itself, the program has also helped him feel more prepared to make the most of his time at CSUB before he has even officially started. Working with current students and project teammates like Serenity Loveless — a sophomore electrical engineering student who is involved in clubs like the CSUB chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) — Stillwell can begin his education with valuable connections already made.

“Programs like these are a great way to meet people,” Stillwell said. “Without this, I wouldn’t know Serenity and wouldn’t know to join all the clubs that she’s a part of, or where to go once my educational journey starts here. I’d be lost, just a person who just comes to class and goes home. Now, I can be one of those people who are actually involved in their school.”

As a mentor on the particularly popular research topic of robotics, Dr. Malek is always looking for ways to bring projects like these to more students. He’s grateful for SURE for allowing him to offer students more lab experience that adds a bit of fun to what they learn in the classroom.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Chevron and Dr. Medina for their generous funding and support,” he said. “Without their contributions, this research would not have been possible. Their commitment enables us to provide invaluable hands-on learning opportunities for our students, fostering innovation and advancing critical skills essential for their future careers.”

John Williford, Collin Stillwell, Dr. Amin Malek, Serenity Loveless, Diego Excontitta, Johny Vega and Omar Zamora

Collin Stillwell solders a piece for the robotic arm.

Johny Vega, Serenity Loveless and Diego Excontitta work together on an electrical component of the robotic arm.

Students split into three teams to build the chess-play robotic arm: 3D design, electronics and computer visioning.

Dept. of Education-funded CSUB/BC Summer Research Experience

Anyone who lives in Kern County long enough has probably spotted their fair share of San Joaquin kit foxes, and that’s especially true for those who spend any amount of time on the CSUB campus, where many of the animals have made their homes. For the university’s biology students, the kit fox population naturally piques their scientific interest.

Five students working with biology professors Dr. Lucas Hall (CSUB) and Anne-Marie Hodge (BC) took on a project comparing how urban and exurban kit fox populations use artificial dens. For the first part of the program, students placed 10 artificial dens made from high-density polyethylene pipes in locations throughout the city of Bakersfield and 10 more in rural Lokern and set up cameras at each site. From there, they monitored footage to see whether kit foxes used the man-made dens and sorted photos according to the animals pictured, with some jackrabbits and cottontails also making appearances.

Artificial dens are a common mitigation strategy for developers who might find kit foxes inhabiting land they are building on, a way to provide an alternative home and safe space for the endangered species that doesn’t put them at further risk. As Kern County continues to expand and urbanize previously rural areas, understanding how best to help kit foxes facing habitat loss is essential.

“We know that urban foxes will use anything as a den — literally anything,” Dr. Hall said. “But we have no idea how rural foxes on natural lands behave toward these types of novel objects. So, to get a better idea of conservation for mitigation strategies, we thought it’d be a good idea to see how these guys behave toward them, because it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to use artificial dens as a mitigation strategy if the foxes avoid them altogether.”

Yarali Albisurez and Anika Ruelas, biology students at BC and CSUB respectively, were both drawn to this project because of their interest in animals. With both hoping to eventually become veterinarians, they jumped at the chance to get research experience studying wildlife.

“I have worked in groups before, but not in a research setting,” said Albisurez. “Just learning how to interact with people and navigating through all the sorting and everything, I think it was a good lesson for me.”

The students aren’t just researching kit foxes for an educational summer experience — they are also contributing valuable work to the master’s project of Alyse Gabaldon, a graduate student in Dr. Hall’s lab who will be continuing this work over the next year.

“I was kind of surprised that we were doing actual research,” Ruelas said. “I didn’t think we’d be going out into the field and setting up things and then actually getting data and processing it. Like, this is going to be published one day!”

For Gabaldon, leading a group of undergraduates on a research project is a full-circle moment. It was just three years ago that she participated in the SURE program, an experience that was hugely formative for her.

“Getting to meet professionals in the wildlife biology field and helping out with the research being done that summer is the main reason I decided to pursue a master's degree,” Gabaldon said. “I was really inspired by the work the biologists were doing with kit foxes and wanted to get more involved.”

Working with younger students who are contributing to her project has been “a surreal experience” for Gabaldon.

“I never thought I would find myself in a position where I could be seen as a leader,” she said. “I remember looking up to the project leads and wanting to be as involved as possible, so getting to be in that position now and guiding students who are eager to get involved in research, such as this group I got to meet and get to know this summer, is an amazing feeling.”

Research opportunities like this project are a great way for students to get a practical understanding of the scientific method, Dr. Hall said. He also hopes they come away with a greater appreciation for the work biologists are doing on behalf of endangered animals like the kit fox. Conservation might conjure up images of caring for cute animals but, as his students learned from setting up the dens, it can also involve a bit of hard labor.

“I think just having that appreciation for literally pouring their blood, sweat and tears into a project that's helping this little species — anytime you invest energy, effort and time into something, it becomes a part of you a little bit,” he said. “I think the stronger the connections that we can have with species and their habitats around us is only going to benefit us moving forward as well as them.”

Dr. Lucas Hall, Anne-Marie Hodge (rightmost and leftmost, respectively) with students in their kit fox project.

Students set up a camera near one of the artificial dens on the CSUB campus.

Early on in the project, student efforts included a bit of hard labor, digging in places where the artificial dens would go.

Anika Ruelas sets up a camera near an artificial den on the CSUB campus.

Yarali Albisurez and Anika Ruelas work together to prepare a site for an artificial den.

Alyse Gabaldon and a student in Dr. Hall's lab

Yarali Albisurez measures an on-campus site for an artificial den.

Back in the lab, students sort through photos captured by the cameras near the artificial dens.

Students sort photos by days, location and animals spotted. Though their research focuses on kit foxes, they do sometimes see rabbits too.

As seen in a photo from a wildlife camera, a kit fox emerges from an artificial den.

As seen in a photo from a wildlife camera, three kit foxes play near the artificial den, with one inside it.

Three kit foxes play near the artificial den, with one going inside it.

One of the three kit foxes leaps over the den, while another appears to look right at the camera.

Support CSUB — Give now

Footnotes

Story and photos of robotics group by Kelly Ardis, communications specialist, College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME); photos of kit fox group by Abel Núñez-Guerrero, Outreach & Community College Coordinator for NSME; wildlife camera photos courtesy of Alyse Gabaldon.

Button Label

FootNotes

Migrant education champion shaped thousands of students’ futures

NSME students keep busy with summer research

Two programs offered undergrads hands-on experience

FootNotes

Janie Flores to be inducted into Alumni Hall of Fame

Awards honor CSUB alumna and beloved Bakersfield community member

Fred Plane to be inducted into Alumni Hall of Fame

David Zulfa to be inducted into Alumni Hall of Fame

Two biology, two chemistry students presented their research

Thirteen-day trip 'opened the door to more knowledge and wisdom' for students