One of the “most touching stories” from California State University, Fresno over the past year is about students, faculty, and alumni from the Lyles College of Engineering who worked up to 10 hours a day in April to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) to help keep Valley health care workers healthy.According to Fresno State magazine, the engineering team completed the design and began production of about 1,000 face shields at a time when protective equipment was scarce for doctors, nurses, and other health care providers.In related news, the Lyles College of Engineering, College of Science and Mathematics, and the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology will lead Fresno State’s STEAM: Enriched Pathways. The program has been set up to get more students in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM) fields into high-paying jobs.A recent $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education will boost the Hispanic-serving institution’s efforts to develop a pathway program that will help students, particularly Hispanic students, obtain bachelor’s degrees in in-demand and high-paying jobs.

“The goal of the award is to democratize access to academic success for all students,” said Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, who began his term as interim president at California State University, Fresno on January 4. “The project creates efficient, guided pathways, augmented with course-embedded research experiences, work-based learning opportunities, and career and financial planning for STEAM majors. I’m very excited, as this is an innovative and comprehensive approach that will further student success,” added Jiménez-Sandoval, who has been a Fresno State professor and administrator for 20 years.