Service Learning Course Development Grant
Fernando Carvalho, Assistant Professor
School of Design |College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Fernando Carvalho will pilot a service-learning model in DES 410: Product Design 2, integrating community engagement into SF State’s participation in the international Biodesign Challenge. In partnership with The Nature Conservancy’s Big River Kelp Recovery Project, students will co-develop biodesign solutions addressing environmental restoration and sustainability. This collaboration offers students real-world experience at the intersection of design, ecology, and social impact.
Daniel Curtis-Cummins, Director
Experiential College |Division of Undergraduate & Academic Planning
Dan Curtis-Cummins will launch a new course, EXCO 302: CSL Topics in Experimental College, which empowers undergraduate teacher-leaders to design and lead classes that explore local social issues through community partnerships. Students will complete 20 hours of service connected to their course topic, deepening both academic inquiry and civic learning. This innovative model expands experiential learning opportunities and strengthens campus-community connections.
Eisman Award for Engaged Scholarship
Supriya Misra, Assistant Professor
Department of Public Health | College of Health & Social Sciences
Supriya Misra will lead a community-engaged project to co-create an online resource that expands how immigrant communities understand and respond to experiences often labeled as “psychosis.” Through peer-led storytelling and reflective workshops, the project challenges narrow biomedical narratives and uplifts cultural, ancestral, and spiritual interpretations. The goal is to promote mental health equity and self-determination by centering immigrant voices and lived experiences.
Community Engagement Support Grant
Zubaida Qamar, Associate Professor
Family, Interiors, Nutrition & Apparel |College of Health & Social Sciences
Zubaida Qamar will lead a campus-wide service-learning initiative inspired by the EcoFarm Conference, centered on gardening and sustainable food systems. Through a partnership with Alemany Farm and the UC Master Gardener Program, students will engage in hands-on activities that promote food security, ecological awareness, and civic engagement. The initiative also includes a large-scale Earth Week event featuring workshops on gardening, composting, and food justice—creating a dynamic, community-centered learning experience rooted in sustainability and collaboration.
Erica Pulley, Faculty Lecturer
Department of Biology |College of Science & Engineering
Erica Pulley is part of the interdisciplinary team behind the Climate HQ Earth Week FilmFest, a dynamic platform where student media-makers present their work alongside established environmental filmmakers and activists. This initiative offers a novel framework for integrating Community Service Learning across disciplines—transforming classroom projects into public discourse and civic engagement. By bridging art, science, and community action, the FilmFest empowers students as environmental justice advocates and demonstrates the transformative potential of creative, participatory learning.
Mayuran Tiruchelvam, Assistant Professor
School of Cinema |College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Mayuran Tiruchelvam is part of the interdisciplinary team behind the Climate HQ Earth Week FilmFest, a dynamic platform where student media-makers present their work alongside established environmental filmmakers and activists. This initiative offers a novel framework for integrating Community Service Learning across disciplines—transforming classroom projects into public discourse and civic engagement. By bridging art, science, and community action, the FilmFest empowers students as environmental justice advocates and demonstrates the transformative potential of creative, participatory learning.
Gopal Dayaneni, Faculty Lecturer
Department of Race & Resistance Studies |College of Ethnic Studies
Gopal Dayaneni is part of the interdisciplinary team behind the Climate HQ Earth Week FilmFest, a dynamic platform where student media-makers present their work alongside established environmental filmmakers and activists. This initiative offers a novel framework for integrating Community Service Learning across disciplines—transforming classroom projects into public discourse and civic engagement. By bridging art, science, and community action, the FilmFest empowers students as environmental justice advocates and demonstrates the transformative potential of creative, participatory learning.