October 27, 2005

Shahin Ghazanshahi, professor of electrical engineering, is back in the classroom and sharing her experiences as a 2004 NASA Administrator’s fellow.

Ghazanshahi — one of just six faculty members in the nation chosen for the 2004 program — was the first selected from a California university since NASA launched the program in 1997.

The researcher spent 12 months at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., studying different techniques for actively controlling arrays of telescopes, flying in formation, to maintain optical path lengths to construct ultra-high resolution imagery of stellar disks and extra-solar planets around these systems. She is continuing her research on campus for the next nine months.

In early October, Ghazanshahi — whose research interests include modeling, simulation and analysis of biomedical systems — was honored during a brief reception where she was presented a $25,000 NASA check to support her ongoing research.

“Dr. Ghazanshahi was a great representative of your university and college,” said Gilbert Knowles, project manager for the NASA Administrators Fellowship program, during the presentation. “She has been an amazing person,” he added, noting that during her stint at Goddard, Ghazanshahi also performed outreach activities in the Washington community.

“It is a great experience to be a NASA fellow — a great experience,” said Ghazanshahi. “I hope to continue my research in collaboration with NASA personnel and some of my fellow faculty members.”

The NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program is designed to enhance the professional development of faculty members in mathematics, science, engineering and technology at colleges and universities designated as minority-serving institutions. The program also has a separate category of fellows for current NASA employees.

Ghazanshahi, who holds a doctorate in biomedical engineering from USC, joined the CSUF faculty in 1985. She has published many articles in refereed journals and received grants from such agencies as Lockheed Martin and Hughes in support of her research. In 2001, Ghazanshahi was recipient of a Carnegie Academy Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

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