News
Solo Quad Conversion Project Scheduled to Launch May 16
During the SLO Life without Limits Week, scheduled May 8th-16th, the Cal Poly Adapted Paddling Program will launch the final product of the Solo Quad-Conversion Project – a kayak designed specifically for a person with quadriplegia.
Read more about Solo Quad Project

Cal Poly Students Take Top Prizes at Statewide Research Competition
Cal Poly had two first-prize winners among its ten entries at the 22nd Annual California State University Student Research Competition. The Cal Poly winners were among nearly 200 students from 22 campuses who took part in this year’s competition. Biochemistry major Daniel Le,from San Jose took first prize in the undergraduate physical and mathematical sciences division. Mechanical Engineering major Chi-Yeh Hsu from Mountain View and electrical engineering major Xian Wang from Pleasant Hill won first prize in the undergraduate engineering and computer science division.
Details on the winners and other Cal Poly competitors

Fifth 'Polyhouse' Transformation Underway
Cal Poly Professor Roya Javadpour and her project management class are planning their fifth home renovation service project, this time for a Nipomo man confined to a wheelchair. Javadpour's students have raised more than $50,000 dollars in donations of cash, building materials and other assistance for repairs and improvements for the home of the man, who has minimal use of his hands and legs, unable to move, feed himself or handle any personal needs without assistance. His wife is his primary caregiver.
Read more about "PolyHouse" project

Organic Farm is Blossoming
Nestled at the end of a dirt road just behind the Cal Poly rodeo arena, the university's organic farm is comprised of 11 acres planted in a wide range of produce from artichokes to garlic and leeks to tomatoes. The farm has more fields on the west side of campus. "Cal Poly is really unique in that it has enterprise projects within the university so students can learn by doing in an actual business that is housed within the university," said Cindy Douglas, organic farm manager.With a budget of about $280,000, 90 percent of the revenue of the farm is generated through the CSA program with additional funding from the university, grants and partnerships with local producers.
Read more in the Capital Press

Poly Canyon Village On Target, More Construction Coming Online
If you haven't been on campus in awhile, you might be surprised at all the new buildings springing up everywhere. One of the biggest is Poly Canyon Village, the new student housing complex. It's ahead of schedule. The first phase of the project, with 1,545 beds, is on target to be completed by this fall. The next phase of 1,134 beds should be done by fall 2009. More than 3,400 students have already applied for housing in the new complex. The project will be paid for over the years by student rent. Across campus, the new construction management and engineering building funded by previous school bonds approved by state voters, as well as private donations from industry, is steaming ahead.
See the Poly Canyon Village Webcam |
Read the SLO Tribune story on campus construction

Alumni
Alumnus George Gomes Honored
For Years of Advocating, Supporting Cal Poly
California State University Chancellor Charles Reed honored Cal Poly alumnus George Gomes (B.S., AgBusiness, 1966, M.S., Ag Education, 1971) for his efforts in promoting and advocating for the university. Gomes currently serves as the undersecretary to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, an appointment he received from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in March 2007. Previously, he was the chief deputy director of the Department. He joined the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Division of Fairs and Expositions in 1975 and became its assistant director in 1977.
More on the honor for George Gomes

State Budget 2008
Students, Faculty Staff Join to Call Governor About the Budget
Students, faculty and staff called and faxed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger from the University Union Plaza Thursday to urge him to reconsider his proposed cuts of $386 million to the California State University system budget. The event is set from 10:50 a. m. to 1 p. m. at the campus’ University Union plaza. The public was invited to join in, too. “We want all the alumni and parents and anybody who cares about the CSU to help by sending a fax or making a call,” said Alice Sunshine with the California Faculty Association. The call-in was set for exactly one week before Schwarzenegger submits his May budget revise to the Legislature.
Find out more about the budget and how to become an advocate for Cal Poly funding

Students
Cal Poly’s Water Polo Teams Ranked Among Top in the Nation
The Cal Poly Women’s Water Polo team earned the title of National Collegiate Club Champions after winning a match against the University of Oregon on May 4. Sarah Ur shot the winning goal during the first three-minute overtime period in a match that had the two teams tied at 6-6. A total of four lead changes, 13 goals, 48 shots, and 25 saves took place during the game, which is the team’s fourth championship win. The Cal Poly Men’s Water Polo team also scored big this school year, winning their fifth National Championship title in November. In March 2008, the Collegiate Water Polo Association placed team members Daniel Harris and Josh Mix in Division 1 of the All-American Team.
More on the water polo teams

Cal Poly Equestrian Team Now at National Competition in L.A.
The Cal Poly Equestrian Team is heading to national championships in two weeks. The team will be competing and volunteering at the 2008 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championship at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center May 8-11. Cal Poly Equestrian Team member Kaitlin Spak is competing in two events, along with two Mustang team horses, Peerless Pete and Mick. Spak, a third-year mechanical engineering student, will be representing Cal Poly in the novice hunt-seat equitation on the flat individual competition.
More on the Equestrian Team

Cal Poly Architecture Seniors 'Unleash' Design Projects May 23-25
Cal Poly’s fifth-year architecture students will exhibit their thesis projects Memorial Day Weekend in a program entitled “Unleashed.” The exhibit begins with a reception on Friday, May 23, from 3-6 p.m., in Chumash Auditorium, and continues through Monday, May 25 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.The largest exhibition of its kind between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the show will feature the final projects of more than 150 graduating Cal Poly students in a variety of formats, including large-scale models, digital renderings, theory books, and hand drawings. Proposals for residential, mixed use, urban, historic, and cultural structures will all be featured in settings that range from the Central Coast to the moon.
More on the Unleashed Design exhibit

2008 Design Village
'Mission to Mars' Winners Announced
Innovative – and sometimes quirky – designs are always part of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design’s annual Design Village competition, held during Open House. The event challenges teams of architecture, construction management and engineering students from universities across the West to design structures and live in them for the weekend. This year, Cal Poly's "Team Mars Exclamation Point" entry won first place in the "Most Sustainable" category, and an honorable mention for best mode of transportation. Overall winner was Team Triad of West Valley College. Photos from the competition will be posted soon on the Design Village web site.
Read the list & see photos of Design Village 2008 winners
See photos from past competitions | See KSBY News video of 2008 Competition

Faculty & Staff
Russell's Compositions  to Premiere
at Walt Disney Concert Hall June 8
New music by noted contemporary composer and Cal Poly Professor Craig Russell will be premiered by the San Luis Obispo Symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8. The 2 p.m. concert will also feature guest performances by renowned guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey, violinist Kathleen Lenski, and French hornist Richard Todd.
Read more about the concert

Biology Professor Receives Grant
to Study Damage to Fish in Morro Bay
Cal Poly biology professor Lars Tomanek has received a $30,000 grant to investigate why gobies in Morro Bay are developing cancerous tumors. Tomanek believes the tumors are being caused by contaminants in the bay that disrupt the fishes’ endocrine systems.Analysis of the fishes’ livers showed high levels of a byproduct of compounds found in detergents that help break down oil and grease. “The question is where is it coming from?” Tomanek said. “We don’t know that, yet.”
Read the full story in the SLO Tribune

Professor Lin Speaking on Nanoethics May 10
Cal Poly’s Nanoethics Group director, Patrick Lin, will be the featured speaker at The Discovery Institute for the Advancement of Science and Technology Education’s Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Showcase on Saturday, May 10, at Cuesta College. Lin, a visiting assistant professor at  Cal Poly and post-doctoral associate at Dartmouth College, will present “Nanotechnology’s Promises and Challenges.” In his talk, he will focus on the basics of nanotechnology and its applications in such areas as computing, the military, medicine, energy, environment, and food and agriculture. He will also explore the ethical and social issues arising from nanotechnology.
More on the nanoethics talk

College of Education Dean Receives National Research Award
Bonnie Konopak, dean of Cal Poly’s College of Education, has received the 2008 Award for Distinguished Research in Teacher Education. The award was presented by the Association of Teacher Educators and recognized Konopak and her co-authors for their research study, “Student Engagement in the Teaching and Learning of Grammar: A Case Study of an Early Career Secondary English Teacher.” The study was published in the Journal of Teacher Education.
More on Dean Konopak's award

Events & Entertainment
Quilt Exhibit Now Running at U Art Gallery
The rich and complex history of quilt-making is told through the quilts on display now at Cal Poly’s University Art Gallery. The exhibit runs through June 14. Cal Poly’s Art and Design Department is co-curating the show with noted quilt author. Carolyn Mazloomi. The exhibit, titled “A Tear in the Fabric: The Conceptually Driven Quilt,” features work by 25 quilt-makers from around the country.
Read more about the quilt exhibit

Monday, Tuesday
Religious Studies Professor Speaks on Women and Islam, Life After 9/11
Zayn Kassam, chair of the Religious Studies Department at Pomona College, will give talks on Monday and Tuesday, May 12 and 13, as part of a Cal Poly lecture series on Islam in the Modern World. Kassam will present “My Journey After 9/11” from 7 to 9 p.m. May 12 in the Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Building, Room 123. On May 13 from 11 a.m. to noon she will talk on “The Veil: Piety or Punishment,” also in the Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Building, Room 123. Kassam is a frequent commentator on Islam in the modern world.
More on Professor Kassam's lectures

Workshop Outlines ‘Green’
Grass Roofing, Paving, Walling Wednesday
Find out how to use grass and turf on the roof, on the wall, and as pavement in a free workshop at Cal Poly May 14. Cal Poly’s Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium and the Horticulture and Crop Science Department will host “Innovations in Green Landscaping” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, in room B-5 in the Science Building. The event will outline the latest developments in permeable pavements, green roofing and green walls.
More on the "green" grass workshop

Cal Poly Theatre & Dance to Stage ‘Animal Farm' May 15-17, 22-30
Cal Poly’s Theatre and Dance Department will present a stage production of George Orwell’s” Animal Farm” at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, May 15-17, Wednesday and Thursday, May 21-22, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 18, at the Spanos Theatre on campus. This theatrical version of “Animal Farm” presents an allegorical tale of revolution: the overthrow of Farmer Jones by the animals.
More on the 2008 production of 'Animal Farm'

Jazz Prodigy to Perform at Cal Poly Jazz Night May 30
One of jazz's brightest young stars will showcase the new generation's approach to jazz at Cal Poly's Jazz Night concert at 8 p.m. Friday, May 30, in Harman Hall in the Performing Arts Center's Christopher Cohan Center. Pianist Taylor Eigsti will perform with both Cal Poly's University Jazz Band #1 and the Cal Poly Jazz Combo. University Jazz Band #2 and another jazz combo will also be performing in concert.
More on Jazz Night

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