San Diego State University Magazine

This story is a preview of SDSU Magazine's summer 2026 online edition, coming July 20. Mathys Herbert (’24, MFA) was a serious SpongeBob SquarePants fan growing up. Everything in his childhood room was reminiscent of the eternally optimistic, yellow cartoon character who lives in a pineapple under the sea. “I had a 10-gallon fish tank, and there was a pineapple. There was Patrick’s rock. There was Squidward,” Herbert says of the show’s familiar landmarks and characters.

As food innovation accelerates, scientists are working to better understand one of its most essential building blocks: protein. A new project led by San Diego State University is taking on a long-standing challenge in food science by creating a comprehensive, standardized database designed to predict how proteins behave in real-world food systems.

Growing up in a tight-knit Filipinx neighborhood in San Diego, Jenna Ramiscal wanted to find a way to marry two passions: writing and her love for her community. She found that perfect marriage in journalism. Now a third-year journalism major at San Diego State University, Ramiscal prides herself on amplifying voices from the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community through her reporting, as well as advocating for diversity in newsrooms.

Two San Diego State University graduates have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants to conduct research and teach English abroad. Eva Coleman, who graduated in May with a master’s degree in geography, will travel to the Philippines, collaborating with local marine researchers to deploy remote sensing tools for mapping the health and distribution of seaweed, an ecologically important resource.

Faculty who completed a generative AI micro-credential developed at San Diego State University reported increased use of AI tools and greater confidence engaging with the technology while continuing to emphasize ethical and responsible use, according to newly published research. The study, led by David M.

More than 25 invited skateboarder-artists ambassadors from San Diego and Tijuana have designed visual acts of peaceful protest using skateboards as canvases for a transnational project sponsored in part by San Diego State University’s Fred J. Hansen Peace Chair. The forthcoming binational event, “Boarder Crossings: Patinetas, Paz y DIY Democracy,” will include original artworks displayed during exhibitions taking place in Mexico at Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) June 19 through Sept.

Children whose caregivers show traits of empathy are more likely to display generous behavior toward others themselves, past research by Rodolfo Cortes Barragan found. Now the SDSU Imperial Valley psychology professor wants to study multigenerational Indigenous cultures in Mexico to find out how grandparents and other extended family members help shape children’s lifelong moral values.

Long known for its youthful cultural traits --- think action sports, yoga studios and tech-driven networking --- the Golden State is increasingly going Golden Age. San Diego State University is helping prepare for it. The latest population projections show nearly one in five residents of California at age 65 or higher in 2030, and one in four by 2050.

San Diego State University assistant professor of accounting Amanda Marino and two professors from Mexico’s Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) spearheaded a six-week learning program designed to give students hands-on experience with tax, trade and regulatory compliance issues within multinational companies.

Before a wildfire starts, the landscape may already hold clues about how severely it could burn. A study published in April in AGU Advances found pre-fire fuel conditions were dominant drivers of burn severity in three January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires: the Eaton, Palisades and Hughes fires.