The Faculty Development Center’s Writing Across the Curriculum program recognized Cal State Fullerton faculty members Yoonsook Choi and Kanika Sood as the 2026 WAC Student Writing Mentorship Award recipients.
Choi, professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been a faculty member at CSUF since 2014. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering with a specialization in computer engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea. Prior to his doctoral studies, he worked as a research engineer in nanotechnology and semiconductor-related fields at several institutions, including LIG Nex1 and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. His current research interests include AI and deep learning for multimodal data fusion in medical applications, hyperspectral analysis and remote sensing, and quantum information science. In addition to teaching a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, Choi actively mentors students through research projects, conference presentations and research competitions. He previously served as faculty adviser to Orbital Labs, a student organization focused on microgravity research.
Sood, associate professor of computer science at CSUF, serves as an AI writing and digital literacy fellow and a PIPE-LINE faculty fellow. She received a doctorate and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Oregon in 2019 and 2014, respectively. Her teaching and research expertise spans AI, machine learning and databases. Beyond the classroom, Sood is a dedicated mentor, serving as the faculty adviser for the Data Science Machine Learning Club. Over the past five years, she has remained committed to evolving her pedagogical approach, specifically adapting her teaching to meet the shifting writing and literacy norms of the modern classroom. Sood has successfully guided numerous students in publishing and presenting their research at various educational venues.