May 6, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Susan Opava
Cal Poly Research and Graduate Programs
(805) 756-1508

Cal Poly Students Succeed at Statewide Competition

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly had four student winners among its 10 entries at the 24th Annual California State University Student Research Competition, held on April 30 and May 1 at San Jose State University.

The three first-prize winners and one second-prize winner were among approximately 205 students from 21 campuses who took part in this year’s competition. The students’ research and creative work were judged by panels of experts.

Cal Poly entries covered a wide range of topics, from gender bias in online role-playing games, to mathematical analysis of ocean currents and the use of computing techniques to evaluate the impact of news articles and sources on the price of individual stocks.

  •  Elise Bartley, an undergraduate student in art and design from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was awarded first place in the creative arts and design category for her development of an identity, branding, and marketing program for a women’s outdoor equipment company in Colorado.

  • Biological sciences graduate student Sarah Johnson, from Santa Rosa, took first place in the biological and agricultural sciences graduate division for her research study using proteomics to characterize the physiological response of fish exposed to the emerging environmental contaminant nonylphenol.

  • Kimberly Paterson, an English undergraduate student from Thousand Oaks, received a second-place award in the humanities and letters undergraduate category for her critical discourse analysis on the gender issues that discourage participation of females in massive multiplayer online role-playing games.

  • Simeon Trieu, an electrical engineering graduate student from San Jose, was awarded first place in the engineering and computer science graduate division for his research study on methods to maximize the efficiency of gallium nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Also representing Cal Poly were computer science undergraduate students Jason Anderson, Dominic Camargo, Ben Davini, and Brian Oppenheim; mathematics undergraduate students Dana Duke, Joseph “JP” Horton, and Paul Sinz; chemistry undergraduate student Kelli Farber; soil science graduate student D. Cameron Ripley; history graduate student Daniel Slusser; and mechanical engineering undergraduate student Andrew Sommer.

All participants were first nominated by their respective colleges, and then selected in a preliminary competition at Cal Poly.  Final competitors submitted written papers and made oral presentations to juries of experts.

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For news about other Cal Poly students' success, go to http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/student-success.html