Faculty Accomplishments
Kevrim Kaya
In fall 2024, Kevrim Kaya, SDSU Imperial Valley assistant professor in public health, completed the Ethical Sewer Research (ESR) workshop series. The workshops, funded by the National Science Foundation's ER2 Program, addressed ethical challenges in wastewater-based epidemiology.
Linda Lara-Jacobo
Linda Lara-Jacobo, SDSU Imperial Valley assistant professor in public health, was honored with the 2026 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science for her impactful work linking environmental health research with communities along the U.S.–Mexico border. As co-founder of SDSU’s Binational Border Research Lab for Environmental Health, she leads collaborative studies on structural and ecological health challenges, bringing together researchers, and local partners to address health inequities in the region.
Vannessa Falcon-Orta
In fall 2025, Vannessa Falcon Orta, assistant professor within SDSU Imperial Valley’s Division of Education, published the following publications:
- “Borders are man made just like racism: Using photovoice to reveal transborder college students’ experiences of violence and militarization at the U.S.–Mexico borderlands”
- “Transcending borders and enacting servingness: A love letter for border HSI transformation.”
Huan Qin, Tingting Tang and Stacy Bodus
SDSU Imperial Valley faculty members, Huan Qin, Tingting Tang and Stacy Bodus, secured a $70,000 California State University grant to lead the new “AI-Enhanced Summer Math Methods Institute for Teachers (AI-SUMMIT),” which will provide mathematics and artificial intelligence training workshops to 100 in-service elementary school teachers across Imperial County. The program aims to strengthen teachers’ knowledge and help them integrate AI into lesson planning, instruction and assessment.
Weichen Zhao
Weichen Zhao, SDSU Imperial Valley assistant professor in mathematics education, was selected as a 2026 STaR Fellow by the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), a prestigious early-career fellowship that supports excellence in mathematics teacher education. The fellowship offers a year of mentorship, networking and participation in a summer institute, expanding her scholarly work on inclusive math teaching and teacher preparation.
April Mazon
April Mazon, lecturer within SDSU Imperial Valley’s Division of Education, was awarded the Dr. Debra D. Bragg Dissertation Award at the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) Conference.
Jeffery Osborne
Jeffery Osborne, SDSU Imperial Valley assistant professor in criminal justice, was awarded the inaugural SDSU Excellence in Community Engaged Learning (EXcel) Award. In recognition of his academic contributions, Osborne received an award of $1,000 to assist with ongoing projects.
Linda Abarbanell
For the past three years, Linda Abarbanell, SDSU Imperial Valley associate professor of psychology, collaborated with the Culture of Schooling project to examine the impact of formal education in rural communities in Chiapas, Mexico, whose community's long-held traditions and beliefs are rooted in deep spiritual connections, specifically as the younger generation is exposed to more advanced educational opportunities.
Rodolfo Cortés Barragán
Rodolfo Cortés Barragán, SDSU Imperial Valley assistant professor in psychology, co-authored a study showing ways AI can learn culturally shaped human values by observing human decision-making. His research, published in PLOS One, used inverse reinforcement learning to demonstrate that AI can infer and generalize value patterns from diverse cultural groups.
Eleni Gaveras
Eleni Gaveras, SDSU Imperial Valley assistant professor in social work, published a literature review publication, “Community-based Suicide Interventions in Rural United States: A Scoping Review.” The publication researches existing evidence base and growing patterns in the field of suicide prevention in rural U.S. areas.
Andrea Sanchez
Andrea Sanchez, lecturer and nursing skills and simulation coordinator at SDSU Imperial Valley’s School of Nursing, earned the Healthcare Simulation Educator Certification from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Her achievement strengthens SDSU Imperial Valley’s nursing program by expanding hands-on clinical simulation experiences that help students build confidence, and real-world patient care skills in a safe, immersive environment, while also mentoring colleagues in bringing simulation into their teaching.
Shiloh Williams
Shiloh Williams, SDSU Imperial Valley assistant professor of nursing, joined the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) as one of 18 participants in the association’s yearlong Rural Health Fellows program for 2025. Through this fellowship, she continues to gain in-depth experience in health policy development and advocacy while connecting with a national network of leaders who support regional and nationwide health initiatives.
Magdalena Altamirano
In fall 2025, Magdalena Altamirano, SDSU Imperial Valley professor in Spanish, released new publications; “Early Iberian Traditional Lyrics and the Romancero Viejo: Different Branches from the Same Tree,” and “Advertencias femeninas en el corrido mexicano tradicional.”
