SJSU Awarded $4M in Federal Funding for STEM Research

by Cassie Myers | Dec 11, 2024 | Awards and Achievements, Featured, Research and Innovation

The nearly $4 million in federal funding was granted to several STEM research projects. Photo by David Schmitz.

As the year comes to a close, SJSU faculty and staff have one more reason to be grateful. Thanks to the generous support of U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, along with her colleagues, U.S. Representatives Anna Eshoo (CA-16), Ro Khanna (CA-17), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), San José State University recently received nearly $4 million in federal funding for STEM research.

The funding comes from several government agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and will go towards nine research projects. The projects span multiple disciplines and funding will include money for new scientific research equipment, work with mixed-reality simulations, professional development for K-12 teachers and more.

“San José State University is a leader in cutting-edge, innovative STEM research, and we are proud to announce this federal funding that will help support the work of students and researchers in our community. We will continue to work together to secure federal resources that help foster sustainable growth in the STEM sector and allow for new discoveries and successes in the 21st century economy,” said Reps. Lofgren, Eshoo, Khanna and Panetta in a joint press release.

“These federal awards – totaling nearly $4 million – underscore San José State University’s leadership in innovative, interdisciplinary STEM research,” explained SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson. “From groundbreaking projects in AI and robotics to critical advancements in geological mapping and semiconductor modeling, this funding empowers our faculty and students to tackle some of today’s most pressing challenges. We are deeply grateful to representatives Zoe Lofgren, Anna Eshoo, Ro Khanna and Jimmy Panetta for their unwavering commitment to supporting research that drives discovery, inclusivity and sustainable growth in our region and beyond.”

The nine grants are as follows:

$811,965 from the NSF, awarded to Madelyn Radlauer, associate professor of chemistry, to purchase research equipment, specifically a spectrometer, to better understand the structure of and interactions between small molecules.
$771,657 from the DoD awarded to Elizabeth Madden, assistant professor of geology, to conduct research using remote sensing technologies to improve terrain and landscape models.
$628,773 from the NSF overseen by Bob Lim, vice president of information technology, to improve technology used for data-intensive research.
$599,969 from the NSF, awarded to Lin Jiang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, to improve human-robot interactions through mixed reality simulations.
$432,096 from the ED, awarded to Ellen Middaugh, interim associate dean of the college of education, to promote innovative and inclusive American history and civics education curriculum.
$215,913 from the NSF, awarded to Hiu-Yung Wong, associate professor of electrical engineering, to build an online database for semiconductor device models.
$174,095 from the NEH, awarded to Matthew Spangler, department chair of film and theater studies and professor of communications, for a professional development program for K-12 teachers.
$150,000 from the NSF, awarded to Kyle Hambrook, associate professor of mathematics, to study math techniques involving fractal sets.
$138,779 from NIST, awarded to Hohyun Lee, department chair of mechanical engineering, to study how utility rates impact the adoption and benefits of distributed energy resources, like solar panels and battery storage.