California State Controller John Chiang

Register now for the third annual San Jose State University Economic Summit presented by Bridge Bank in association with Hopkins & Carley. The event, to be held May 30 in Morris Dailey Auditorium, will focus on the analysis and forecast of economic activity both at the local and national levels. California State Controller John Chiang will provide up to date information on the political and fiscal landscape of our state. Charles Gay, president of Applied Solar and chairman of the Applied Solar Council at Applied Materials, will offer insight into the solar energy industry and how it can impact economic growth at the national and global level. Finally, Christopher Thornberg, founding partner of Beacon Economics, will round up the panel of notable experts and deliver a lively analysis of the latest economic trends as well as a forecast of economic growth and labor market activity. The event will provide its intended audience, small and mid-size business owners and executives, with relevant information to make educated decisions. The event is free of charge and open to the public. Registration and a light breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m., followed the presentations and a question and answer session beginning at 8:15 a.m. The event is organized by the Center for Banking and Financial Services within the College of Business. Register now.

“The SJSU Research Foundation Early Career Investigator Award recognizes tenure-track SJSU faculty who have excelled in areas of research, scholarship or creative activity as evidenced by their success in securing funds for their research, peer-reviewed publications and other scholarly and creative activities at an early or beginning point in their career at SJSU,” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ellen Junn said.

“Our two recipients are excellent examples of individuals who have achieved this level of success.”

The SJSU Research Foundation has established two Early Career Investigator Awards in order to encourage participation beyond those colleges where large numbers of faculty have traditionally participated. One award goes to a faculty member in the Colleges of Science and Engineering and another is made to a faculty member from all other colleges. Each awardee will receive a cash award of $1,000 to be used at their discretion.

Camille Johnson

Camille Johnson, in her sixth year at SJSU, has demonstrated an outstanding record of research and scholarship in her field of social psychology. Since joining the Department of Organization and Management, Johnson successfully competed for a three-year National Science Foundation grant totaling $131,204 that has provided funding to furnish a behavioral research lab in the College of Business, furthering the research capabilities and infrastructure of SJSU’s Behavioral and Applied Research Group.  In addition, Johnson has established a strong basis for student mentoring with several of her students currently working as active researchers in industry and graduate school. Johnson has nine peer-reviewed publications, including two in top-tier journals as a first author. She has not only furthered her own research agenda, but has actively participated in the extension and support of the research culture at SJSU by serving as a mentor in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Grants Academy, managing a research participant pool for all faculty, and organizing a series of research development workshops, all which serve to promote collegiality, research partnerships, and research productivity at SJSU.

Juneseok Lee

Juneseok Lee, in his fifth year at SJSU, has been tremendously productive in his field of water resources engineering with major research focus on sustainability issues of water resources and infrastructure management.  Since joining the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, he has secured $385,399 to support his research.  His funding sources include the National Science Foundation, the California Water Service Company and Hewlett-Packard.  As an assistant professor, Lee has published seven journal articles including in The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, The Journal of American Water Works Association, and The International Water Association: Water Supply, all highly respected journals in the area of water resources engineering.  In addition, Lee has made a total of 21 presentations at professional society meetings including the American Society of Civil Engineers conferences of which 10 were published in proceedings, and has delivered five invited talks to various professional research societies. Lee obtained his California Civil Engineering Professional Engineer License in 2011 and was selected as the 2011 ASCE Fellow for Excellence in Civil Engineering Education. Lee is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in his specialized area of sustainable water resources and infrastructure management.

Maimona Afzal and Travis Lopez have been named SJSU’s 2013 Outstanding Graduating Seniors in recognition of their scholarship and contributions to the community. Sarah Swift and Shruthi Thirumalai have received the 2013 Outstanding Thesis Award in recognition of the exceptional quality of their research.

Maimona Afzal, 2013 Outstanding Graduating Senior

Maimona Afzal is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. She says that her college experience has given her opportunities to interact, collaborate, and serve her community in many ways. A Kaucher Mitchell Honorable Mention recipient, Afzal is graduating with a 3.98 GPA. She led 15 volunteer tutors as a coordinator for the Homework Club and managed the Reading to Children program. Off campus, Afzal advocated for orphaned children as a volunteer with the GiveLight Foundation and spent her summers as a counselor and troop leader for a youth camp. Graduating at the age of 18, Afzal hopes that her drive will inspire others to act on their dreams. Afzal has accepted a position at Teach for America, where she will be working with special needs children in East San Jose.

Travis Lopez, 2013 Outstanding Graduating Senior

Travis Lopez is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He says he has enjoyed increasing awareness about globalization while at SJSU. He is graduating with a 3.936 GPA. Lopez served as a leader in the Entrepreneurial Society and the Executive Leadership Council, and still found time to pursue entrepreneurship through the Spartups Incubator and the MIS Association. A Salzburg Scholar, Lopez also worked in Hong Kong through the Thompson Global Internship Program and analyzed mobile applications for the city of San Jose and Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, as part of two honors student programs. Lopez has accepted an offer to work at NetApp, a network storage and cloud computing company, and will continue with his most meaningful contribution, Mobedio, a start-up that uses an online public opinion platform to increase civic participation.

Sarah Swift, 2013 Outstanding Thesis Award

Sarah Swift is graduating with a master’s degree in communicative disorders and sciences. For her thesis “Low-tech, Eye-Movement-Accessible AAC and Typical Adults,” Swift studied augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Some types of AAC make use of eye movements as a means to communicate wants and needs, engage in social relationships and continue with daily life for those who have lost the ability to speak. Swift focused on low-tech eye-gaze methods in typical adults. Before her study there was not much research on the preference of commonly used eye-movement accessible AAC systems by non-neurologically impaired adults. Her study added to the knowledge in the field by providing a baseline for low-tech eye gaze methods. Swift is currently a speech pathologist in Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s rehabilitation unit.

Shruthi Thirumalai, 2013 Outstanding Thesis Award

Shruthi Thirumalai is graduating with a master’s degree in general engineering. She dreams of continuing research that will help people lead healthy lives. For her thesis, “Opto-Acoustic Interrogation and Ultrasound Imaging Of Acoustically Sensitive Microcapsules,” Thirumalai examined the use of ultrasound to locate and modulate the release of cancer-killing drugs from microcapsules when they are implanted in breast tumors. Her biomedical engineering research crossed the fields of ultrasound, microencapsulation and microfluidics, and has resulted in two conference publications, one journal article, one poster presentation and the San Jose State research award for engineering. Thirumalai says that each class at SJSU has given her different ways to challenge herself. She is currently considering biomedical engineering doctoral programs and hopes to give back as a mentor by becoming a professor one day.

Of the five micro entrepreneurs who presented their product or service in class, the students chose three: a cleaning business, a taco stand and a daycare (Jessica Olthuf photo).

This semester, the BUS2 134B Integrated Marketing Communications class within the College of Business will take a new approach to learning by serving as consultants to small businesses in neighborhoods near campus.

“Our students will work with real businesses and real individuals with real issues when it comes to their area of expertise,” said Professor of Marketing and Decision Sciences Marilyn Easter.

The three-unit capstone course focuses on using effective communications marketing solutions to a targeted audience, mainly through promotions.

The businesses are in or near neighborhoods served by CommUniverCity, a collaborative project of the Five Wounds/Brookwood Terrace communities east of campus, SJSU and the city of San Jose.

SJSU concentrates service-learning classes in these neighborhoods with the goal of building community and engaging students in civic life.

Throughout the semester, student consultants will work in teams to apply skills that they are learning in class to create the best marketing promotional plan (Jessica Olthuf photo).

Student consultants

Throughout the semester, student consultants will work in teams to apply skills they are learning in class to create marketing promotional plans.

Of the five micro entrepreneurs who presented their products or services to the class, the students, with guidance from professors and staff, chose three: a cleaning business, a taco stand and a daycare.

John Dance is one of 18 students in the class who will apply theory to practice.

“I’m learning what it takes to build a solid business plan,” Dance said. “I’m excited to acquire knowledge from the class.”

Building community

According to Easter, the goal of the pilot program is to create an ongoing project that allows micro entrepreneurs to work with SJSU students and to become part of the San Jose State community.

Already, the project has brought together a cross disciplinary team including several SJSU marketing instructors and students, local residents, CommUniverCity leaders and Catholic Charities staff members.

“It’s a fantastic relationship that everyone can benefit from,” Easter said.

The Family Giving Tree recently met a milestone: one million children served with holiday gifts and backpacks, including these at Dorsa Elementary in San Jose (photo courtesy of Family Giving Tree).

At 7:15 p.m. Dec. 17, The Family Giving Tree, the largest gift and backpack donation program in California, served its millionth child.

“We threw some confetti, blew some horns and then went back to work,” said Founder Jennifer Cullenbine.

Cullenbine started The Family Giving Tree as a class project in 1990, while pursuing her master’s in business administration at SJSU.

“The professor gave us a challenge to add value to someone else’s life,” Cullenbine said, and so she did.

Over the past 23 years, The Family Giving Tree has grown to meet the needs of children across 16 counties by partnering with social service agencies to grant wishes through its annual Holiday Wish and Back to School drives.

“Our programs are about providing joy and happiness to the children who need it,” Cullenbine said.

According to Cullenbine, 85 percent of The Family Giving Tree’s clients are children 13 and under, while the remaining 15 percent range from senior seniors and adults with disabilities to older kids and teen moms.

And while the Queen Elf is busy filling the needs of children year around, she still makes time to promote volunteerism.

“I’ve had over 100 students come to me to talk about the program,” Cullenbine said. “I love being able to be a positive influence in young people’s lives.”

Michael Du, ’14 hospitality, recreation and tourism management, volunteered at The Family Giving Tree’s warehouse to fulfill a class requirement, but ended up getting much more from the experience.

“Community service is important because it helps broaden your world view,” Du said. “I used to be in this tight shell, but this has opened me up and made me want to help.”

Thompson Global Internship Program participant Diane Leija, ’12 business administration, at the Parliament building in London (photo courtesy of Diane Leija).

Each morning, Diane Leija, ’12 business administration, walks 15 minutes from the Tower Bridge near London’s financial district to a train station, where she hitches a ride to the London borough of Enfield.

“[In London], everyone walks fast, so don’t be surprised to see people wearing walking shoes with slacks and business attire,” Leija said. “You literally hit the ground running when you get here.”

Leija is one of four students participating this winter in the Thompson Global Internship Program, designed to offer College of Business students the opportunity to live abroad while working on a project for Crown Worldwide Group, founded by alumnus Jim Thompson, ’62 aeronautical engineering.

This winter’s group brings to 43 the total number of students who have participated in this unique program since its inception in late 2009.

As a marketing research intern, Leija is applying her two-semester experience in the College of Business Gary J. Sbona Honors Program to complete research for Thompson Global entitled “Market and Competitive Analysis for the Records Management Industry.”

“I get to access the threats and strengths of competitors and look at the different angles of dissecting a company,” Leija said.

Besides learning to work in the real world with real companies that have real problems, Leija has appreciated working with people from different cultures and seeing how they interact.

“The world is in London. There are people form Africa, Asia and other parts of Europe,” Leija said. “If you think Silicon Valley is diverse, you should see this!”

The 13-day internship concludes next week, but Leija plans to extend her trip to visit Paris and Rome. She is a Hollister native and first-generation college graduate.

A business major with a concentration in corporate financial management, Leija also accepted a position at Ernst & Young and plans to pursue CPA certification this year.

Business majors Vanissa Hernandez, Sandhya Kodippily and Danny Vongkhamchah won third place in the Elevator Pitch competition (Robert Bain photo).

The Student Union was buzzing with confidence Dec. 6 as students rivaled for top prizes at the 2012 Silicon Valley Innovation Challenge.

Only the cream of the crop made it to the poster and elevator pitch competitions this year because all entrants were pre-screened online.

“Through the use of social media, we were able to build a community of 1,200 members from all over the world,” Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship Director Anu Basu said.

Judges selected forty-seven finalists from more than 250 submissions from all seven SJSU colleges and, for the very first time, West Valley College and Mission College.

Cash Prizes

Cash prizes ranged from $1,500 for Best Innovative Idea to $500 for the top elevator pitch. Partners and sponsors include Bridge Bank, Cisco, TechShop and Signature Building Maintenance.

Many entrants focused on highly technical topics, such as Brandon Schlinker, Stephanie Fung and Phil Cyrthe, who took the top prize with “Smart Bulb,” a lighting system that adapts to your needs.

But among the ideas wowing the poster session’s 400 attendees and judges was third place elevator pitch winner “Froyotini.” You got that right — it’s a combination of frozen yogurt and your favorite mixed drink, plus toppings.

Business majors Vanissa Hernandez, Sandhya Kodippily and Danny Vongkhamchah pitched the idea, which was of course an instant hit with the student crowd.

“We brought a lot of color and glitz and glam and we do appeal to Generation Y through the Las Vegas beauty and glamor,” Hernandez said.

Practical Thinking

To help students outsmart bike thieves, economics major Roy Vera came up with MyCycle, which uses NFC (Near Field Communications).

The bike only works when the owner’s in the saddle, carrying a special device embedded in many cell phones that communicates with a receiver in the bike itself, unlocking the chain and wheels.

So a thief can take the bike, but can’t peddle away without the phone that goes with it. Vera received a “special mention” from judges for his idea.

View a complete list of this year’s Silicon Valley Innovation Challenge winners.

The event is a great opportunity to gain first-hand experience with emerging technology and to interact with industry professionals.

You’ve seen it on TV and maybe even tried it with your own phone. Now NFC is coming to SJSU.

The SJSU NFC Hackathon begins 1 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Student Union. Advance registration is preferred, though teams can enter at the event.

Entrants will be asked to develop NFC applications that could be used at San Jose State. They will also draft business plans.

NFC stands for Near Field Communication, and it’s a way to transfer info over radio waves using a cell phone.

If you tuned in to the World Series, you saw NFC in action during the commercial showing a couple swapping videos by tapping together their cell phones.

But there are many more ways to use NFC, including mobile payments and unlocking doors.

Like a QR code, NFC can even be used to get more info on a product or event from an ad or sign embedded with a special tag.

One key difference is NFC works off tech inside phones, while QR codes run off downloadable apps.

Four Gary J. Sbona Honors Program students are organizing the hackathon, providing them professional marketing experience.

The event is also a great opportunity for contestants to gain first-hand experience with emerging technology, and to interact with industry professionals.

In fact, the grand prize includes guaranteed interviews for paid internships during spring term at a Bay Area startup.

Partners include Motorola, Samsung, Bank of America and the Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship.

The event will be hosted by Kovio, SJSU and the Sbona Honors Program. Learn more by visiting the hackathon website.

By Kathleen Pender

What can managers in business learn from San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who led two very different teams to World Series championships in three years?

I asked a variety of management professors, consultants and managers themselves that question. Their answers focused on his communication skills, humility, confidence and ability to manage away from a superstar mentality.

Here’s what they had to say:

– Chester Spell, an associate professor of management at San Jose State University, says Bochy epitomizes what management consultant Jim Collins calls a “level-five leader,” someone who can transform a company from good to great through a “paradoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will.”

In a Harvard Business Review article, Collins says a level-five leader demonstrates compelling modesty, shuns public adulation and is never boastful. He acts with quiet, calm determination and relies on inspired standards, not inspiring charisma, to motivate. He looks in the mirror to apportion responsibility for poor results and looks out the window – to other people, external factors and good luck – to apportion credit for the company’s success. He also “demonstrates an unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, no matter how difficult.”

Spell, who has studied demographic diversity in baseball, says the most successful team managers are also able to “dampen or handle any harmful effects of having a lot of differences between players on a team.” This includes differences in race, national origin and age.

“Diversity is a good thing, but it’s a complicated thing,” Spell says. Bochy’s team this year included five players from Venezuela, three from the Dominican Republic and two from Puerto Rico, and ranged in age from 22 to 39.

When you have such diversity, in baseball or business, “divisions are very apparent. Some call them fault lines,” and they can do more harm than most people realize. “A good manager can actually manage these divisions and focus on what brings them together and help them work as a unit,” Spell says.

– Byron Deeter is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners who is working with a dozen companies. He was also part of four national championship rugby teams at UC Berkeley under renowned coach Jack Clark.

He says managers can learn two lessons from Bochy. One is that “culture matters.” Before games, you would see players jumping up and down in the dugout, just having fun. Instead of telling them to get serious for the big game ahead, “Bochy did the opposite; he allowed the team to be themselves. They really enjoy playing together and play better when they are loose and relaxed.”

In business, “helping establish a culture in whatever way is right for that company is time and money well spent. Team bonding activities may in some cases seem childish, like the pranks going on in the Giants dugout,” but they help when the going gets rough, he adds.

“We see this in our companies. They are investing in the little things – beer bashes, bringing dogs to the office, swag, road trips and hackathons – to build up this team culture and energy so that when those tough times come, it’s just much easier to turn to those around you and say everyone is needed and ‘Coach, how can I help?’ ”

The other lesson is “team first,” he says. “People joke about how baseball is an individual team sport.” Sports, like business, is full of prima donnas. But a good manager, through consistent actions, sends the message, “we are all a unit, no one is above the team.”

Deeter says Bochy’s decisions not to reactivate left fielder Melky Cabrera after his drug suspension to preserve the team dynamic, and to transfer struggling starter Tim Lincecum to relief are good examples. At Cal, coach Clark “would bench all-Americans if they showed acts of selfishness,” he adds.

“Asking an engineer to go on a sales call is the equivalent of Lincecum coming out of the bullpen or a sacrifice bunt,” Deeter says.

SJSU is now on Pinterest, a visual bookmarking website for bringing together online themes. Users collect and combine their own themes by “repining” items onto their boards, creating their own virtual spaces.

This week, SJSU launched its official presence on Pinterest, a visual bookmarking website for bringing together online themes. Users collect and combine their own themes by “repining” items onto their boards, create their own virtual spaces.

We’ve posted 18 boards including Sammy Spartan, Helping and Caring, and Bright Ideas, side by side with our top hits, South Bay Eats and Dorm Décor. So far we have received great responses, not to mention 48 followers. up from 13 followers since our launch Oct. 8.

We carefully crafted pins that we think represent SJSU and Spartan culture. The use of Pinterest allows us to bring awareness to our campus and show off our community.

We are also supporting our fellow SJSU pinners who have joined the Pinterest community, including our friends at the College of Applied Arts and Sciences, Department of Justice Studies, Department of Kinesiology, Don and Sally Lucas Graduate School of Business, SJSU Special Collections and Archives, SJSU Career Center and King Library,

Michael Brito’s MCOM 139 Social Business class is a good way to see how Pinterest can be used as a medium for the classroom.

Stay tuned for opportunities to add your own flavor to SJSU culture with upcoming community boards.

We hope you’ll visit and repin us.

Visit us at pinterest.com/sjsu/.