2024 Dean's Medalist Nominees

Perry Jeorge Causing, B.S. Architectural Studies

Perry Jeorge Causing is completing a B.S. in architectural studies with a 3.8 GPA. He joined the program in 2020 and has served as an Instructional Student Assistant for CM 162 - Mechanical Systems under Professor Molly Smith. In this role, he assisted in helping fellow students understand various concepts and course materials, further solidifying his understanding of mechanical system principles and their practical applications within architectural design. 

Additionally, he gained valuable hands-on experience by assisting architecture historian Karana Hattersly-Drayton at the Kearney Mansion Museum in Fresno. In this role, he conducted survey work, including measuring and drafting a plan of an existing structure on site and analyzing its materials.

Perry participated in the 2023 American Institute of Architects San Joaquin Student Design Competition, where he designed a fire station facility for the City of Fresno. Additionally, his architectural thesis project focused on creating a therapy/counseling office building aimed at promoting mental well-being through various thoughtful design elements. Outside of the classroom, Perry is active in local community theatre. 

Perry’s short-term career goal is to secure a position as a draftsperson within an architecture firm. In the long term, he aspires to attain licensure and contribute to the architectural community by designing spaces that fulfill functional requirements and inspire and uplift those who inhabit them.

Eduardo Vega, B.S. Civil Engineering 

Eduardo Vega completed a B.S. in civil engineering last fall with a 3.9 GPA and acheived Summa Cum Laude. He attended Fresno City College before transferring to Fresno State in 2021. Eduardo’s goal during his time in the program was to make meaningful impacts on the community and the field through various internships. He achieved this by participating in various projects that aimed at benefiting the public as well as the next class of students in STEM.

In 2021, he served as a research assistant for the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics. In this role, he presented potential future geotechnical practices to faculty and experienced civil engineers, analyzed data and researched STEM education in the United States.

In 2023, he served as a research assistant for the California Water Institute where he prepared preliminary feasibility reports for recharge basins, conducted hydraulic assessments to determine water pipeline requirements and created site plans through detailed drafting and design processes. 

That same year, he completed an internship at Luster National where he gained experience conducting on-site visits to assess field conditions, managed document tracking and organization systems and examined project contracts and plans. Eduardo is now a CP1 project engineer at Harris & Associates. 

Liam Goss, B.S. Computer Engineering

Liam Goss is completing a B.S. in computer engineering and a minor in applied mathematics with a 3.8 GPA. He is a recipient of the Presidential Honors full-ride scholarship and a member of the Smittcamp Family Honors College. Liam currently serves as the president of the Theta Kappa Chapter of Eta Kappa Nu within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

During his time in the program, he has completed two internships at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has gained valuable work experience as a Test Automation Engineering Intern with the Mission Control Systems Test, Integration and Deployment Team. He has focused on automated subassembly tests for the Deep Space Network Telemetry, Tracking, and Commanding software.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Shahab Tayeb, Liam has been conducting research on a project titled “In-Vehicle Network Security,” the focus of which has been to identify and demonstrate in-vehicle security vulnerability exploits through network traffic analysis of protocols such as Controller Area Network, On-Board Diagnostic II, and Automotive Ethernet. Through this project, Liam has led a team of six undergraduate researchers and has contributed to two pending publications.

His fascination with programming and embedded systems has inspired numerous hobby projects, particularly in the realm of reverse engineering. Liam’s ultimate goal is to work at NASA, Firefly Aerospace, or another leading aerospace company, where he can continue to explore the intersection of engineering and space science. 

Matthew David Forney, B.S. Construction Management

Matthew Forney is completing a B.S. in construction management with a 4.0 GPA. Matthew joined the program in 2020 after originally planning to be an electrician after high school. As a sophomore, he joined the construction management department’s commercial competition team. It was also during this year that he became a Champion in the Bluebeam User Group. He spent that summer with McCarthy Building Companies as a scheduling intern in San Francisco.

During his junior year, Matthew led the commercial team as a co-captain. The team placed second in the 2023 Associated Builders and Contractors Construction Management Competition, which was also Fresno State’s first appearance at the competition since 2018. Throughout the year, he continued his service in the BUG Group, where he obtained his Bluebeam Certified Professional License, and continued interning with McCarthy.

Under his continued leadership, the commercial team placed first in the Associated Schools of Construction Commercial Competition this past February. This was Fresno State’s first placing since 2007. A few weeks later, Matthew’s team won 2nd place Overall, and placed 1st in the Project Management and 3rd in the Safety Categories at the 2024 Associated Builders and Contractors Construction Management Competition.

Matthew also served as Secretary for Sigma Lambda Chi, the Construction Management Honor Society. In his spare time, he runs a kettle corn business with his brother. Matthew will transition from intern to Project Engineer with McCarthy Building Companies after graduation.

Sophie Lewis, B.S. Mechanical Engineering

Sophie Lewis completed a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics last fall with a 3.8 GPA and achieved magna cum laude. During her time as an undergraduate, she joined Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honors society.

In 2022, Sophie completed the Valley Industry Partnership program, which involved spending a year as an engineering intern with two companies: MAF Industries and Motorola Solutions. At MAF Indsutries, her responsibilities included designing parts and full assemblies for fruit processing equipment such as belt conveyors and fruit sizers. At Motorola Solutions, she worked with a mechanical engineering team designing and 3D printing new security camera models, including housing, motors, and other hardware elements. 

She also spent nearly two years as a tutor within the college and as an assistant helping with the annual engineering summer camp. As an active member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, she learned more about aerospace engineering and was introduced to high-power rocketry. Her membership in the Society of Women Engineers allowed her to inspire her fellow women engineers and help them succeed as she has.

Sophie is continuing her education at Fresno State by pursuing a master's degree in mechanical engineering, focusing on hypersonic flow simulation and subsonic wind-tunnel experimentation research. She will work for Northrop Grumman Company as a Turbine Engineering Intern this summer.

Rodolfo Lopez, M.S. Civil Engineering 

Rodolfo “Rudy” Lopez completed an M.S. in civil engineering last fall with a 3.8 GPA. He previously earned a dual B.A. in Mass Communications and Journalism and in Spanish Literature from Fresno State in 2006. In 2014, Rudy decided to pursue a different career path. Although he did not have a background in engineering, he took the challenge to become an engineer and successfully completed all the prerequisites over the course of four years to enter the graduate program all while being a father of a newborn and a three-year-old. 

Rudy began his engineering internship experience in 2019 as an office surveyor in with Central Valley Engineering and Surveying, where he calculated survey points, analyzed and verified projects correct construction elevations and plotted point data maps.

In 2020, he moved to interning with the California High-Speed Rail Authority until December 2023. He assisted state engineers with many tasks including updating the main alignment reference map within the project’s central valley segments when changes happened in right of way, construction sites and parcel acquisition. In the summer months of 2021, while still working for California High-Speed Rail Authority, he had a chance to intern at Pauli Engineering Inc., where he assisted with home structural inspections to evaluate dimensions, damage and repair options.

Rudy successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam last November before completing his degree. He is currently a transportation engineer with CalTrans.

Ninad Doke, M.S. Construction Management

Ninad Doke completed an M.S. in construction management last fall with a 3.8 GPA. He previously earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Mumbai in India in 2019 and worked as a structural engineer for two years. He yearned to see another part of the world and in 2022, he moved to California from India to pursue his graduate studies as an international student. 

Ninad served as a teaching associate for the college and facilitated learning in two labs, covering SketchUp and Construction Outdoor techniques, guiding students in practical applications and hands-on experiences. As a research assistant, he completed four significant research projects including his final project, where he investigated the use of extended reality in construction and how such innovations transform business processes and improve the overall efficiency of construction projects.

As secretary for the Digital Innovation and Research Club and Champion for the Bluebeam User Group, he facilitated knowledge-sharing and fostered a culture of innovation and collaboration. In 2023, he spent his summer as a Project Engineer Intern at Webcor Builders in San Francisco. 

During his internship, he won first place in the intern presentation competition conducted for his innovative idea of implementing Augmented Reality to facilitate construction activities like excavation. Ninad returned to San Francisco earlier this year to work as a project engineer for Webcor Builders.

Venkateshwar Reddy Enukonda, M.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering

Venkateshwar Reddy Enukonda is completing an M.S. in electrical and computer engineering with a 3.7 GPA. He previously earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering & Technology, and a masters in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. 

Venkateshwar served as a graduate research from 2022 to 2023. Hec contributed to literature review, project proposal, modeling, implementation and report-making of 3-ph converter. He has also served as a grading assistant for multiple electrical and computer engineering courses since 2023. He has also served as a Supplemental Instruction Leader. In this role, he planned and facilitated weekly peer-led study sessions for students enrolled in ECE-90. 

Enukonda spent a full semester internship with Analog Devices Inc., as a Digital Test Development Intern in North Carolina. He worked on projects related to VLSI testing and verification. Using the experience he acquired as an intern, it led him to research Memory Built-In-Self-Test and March algorithms for his graduate project. In 2023, he was awarded the Edison International Research Award by the college.

Post graduation, he will pursue opportunities in ASIC/SoC/FPGA Design, verification, validation and testing. 

Kassandra Hernandez, M.S. Mechanical Engineering 

Kassandra Hernandez is completing an M.S. in mechanical engineering with a 3.8 GPA. She previously earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Fresno State in 2022.

Under the guidance of Dr. Aaron Hoskins, she developed the first part of her graduate thesis which included using machine learning to predict wildfires within California’s Central Valley. Her manuscript for this project was recently published in the Elsevier Journal Trees, Forest, and People. The second part of her research included using machine learning algorithms in surface modification and enhancement of three-phase composite-based films. She worked alongside Dr. Sankha Banerjee for this materials research project.

She was also given the opportunity to serve as a teaching associate for the Engineering Materials Lab, Engineering Graphics, and Computer Applications in Mech Engineering Lab courses throughout her time as a graduate student. She guided 12-24 students to perform various lab activities and supervised 20-25 students on how to use engineering software.

Kassandra also recently presented at the 2023 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting & Exhibit and will present her research at the 2024 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting & Exhibit in Seattle, Washington. She has been accepted to a Ph.D. program at Purdue University and will begin her doctoral studies this fall.