People
As Principal Investigator, Dr. Cabrales has the strong academic credentials necessary to oversee this important project, is bilingual in Spanish and English, and is deeply committed to developing modern STEAM programs at CSUB that are responsive to regional needs. Dr. Cabrales has the willingness in working closely with local stakeholders, and in ensuring that the education needs of the service area are met. Dr. Cabrales is a traditional scientist, but also has experience outside academia that has exposed him to workplace realities and the understanding that the academy and workplace must be linked. Since becoming an assistant professor in 2012, Dr. Cabrales has been involved in the engineering curriculum development Dr. Cabrales is responsible for dissemination of project activities once successful outcomes are demonstrated.He was born in Tampico, Mexico. He received a BS in Chemical Engineering at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Tamaulipas in Altamira, Mexico. He gained experience working as an engineer at M&G Polymers, one of the largest polyester producers in the world. Afterwards, he went on to earn an MS in Chemical Engineering at Texas Tech University (TTU) working on research projects related to polymer science. Then, he joined the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI) at TTU as a research associate. While working at the Institute, he earned a Ph.D. with specialization in Fibers and Biopolymers from TTU in 2011. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics and Engineering at California State University-Bakersfield. His research interests are in the areas of functionalization of polymeric surfaces to impart antibacterial, hydrophobic, UV protection, photocatalytic, and oleophobic properties to textile materials. He is also interested in the study of cellulose materials and the synthesis of polyesters from renewable resources, their characterization and their processing. At CSUB, he continues to work on research related to materials and polymer science and engineering while initiating the engineering sciences program.
He is chair of the Physics and Engineering department, and the Engineering lead faculty member for this project. Since 1990 at CSUB, he has taught all physics and mathematics courses that are prerequisites for engineering majors. He has extensive experience designing, developing and implementing innovative and complex projects, and has worked collaboratively with CSUB faculty and staff, high schools, and community partners. Dr. Talamantes has been a faculty leader at CSUB and was awarded the Faculty Research Award for his contributions in physics and engineering. Dr. Talamantes also has significant experience in outreach efforts especially as it pertains to teacher training and has developed close relationships with local high school teachers.
Dr. Ampatzidis is an agricultural engineer with research interests in the area of mechanization and automation of specialty crop production, focusing on the design, development, and testing of sensors and control systems for optimal management of inputs, resources and products. His current research focus is on mechatronics, precision agriculture and machine systems with special interest in development, implementation and evaluation of agricultural machines and control systems for high value crops.
The following students have been selected for the USDA Agricultural Engineering scholarship at CSUB.
Ruben Sanchez, BS in Engineering Sciences with Emphasis in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering(Expected graduation spring 2015).
Fernando Ceja, BS in Engineering Sciences with Emphasis in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering(Expected graduation spring 2016).
Gonzalo Muniz, BS in Engineering Sciences with Emphasis in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering(Expected graduation spring 2015).