Cal Poly Update | The e- Newsletter for University Alumni and Friends

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Alumni
Banquet for 2006 Honored Alumni, Distinguished Service Awards
Cal Poly will recognize eight outstanding alumni during Homecoming 2006 at the annual Honored Alumni Awards and Grand Reunion Banquet set for Friday, Oct. 20. Each year, Cal Poly honors seven Honored Alumni, one from each of the university’s academic colleges: Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences; Architecture and Environmental Design; Education; Engineering; Liberal Arts; Orfalea College of Business; and Science and Mathematics. Every year, one graduate is also selected to receive the Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. Join the Cal Poly Alumni Association, the Class of 1956 and other grads in Chumash Auditorium for the banquet! This year, the College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Education have joined to recognize two graduates who went on to much-awarded careers in one of the nation's most grueling fields: teaching middle school. Deadline for banquet reservations is Friday, Oct. 13. Get your tickets now, and make plans to come to San Luis Obispo for Homecoming 2006 -- and see the top-ranked Mustangs battle the South Dakota State Jackrabbits Saturday, Oct. 21. While you're here, visit the new Memorial Plaza and see progress on Spanos Stadium.
More details on Homecoming 2006
Who are the 2006 Honored Alumni? Click Here to find out!

University News photo of Bell family, friends at plaza

1960 Mustang Football Team
Inducted to Hall of Fame, Honored at Plaza
The 1960 Cal Poly football team received an honorary induction into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame Friday, Sept. 29. Families of those 1960 Mustang team members who perished in the crash of a chartered airplane on the way home from a game in Ohio, as well as team members who survived the crash, coaches and other members of the 1960 team, received personal invitations to return to campus and join past Hall of Fame inductees and special guests for the ceremony and recognition.
More | Read the Mustang Daily story

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Oreggia Foundation Donates
$1.5 Million to Proposed Ag Tech Center
The Oreggia Family Foundation of Salinas has donated another $1.5 million to the Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. The latest gift is earmarked for planning and construction of the proposed Agriculture Technology Center at Cal Poly. Including the latest gift, the foundation has so far donated a total of $2.5 million to Cal Poly’s nationally-recognized agriculture program. “Our goal is to support the priorities of the college, and the Agriculture Technology Center appears to be the number-one priority,” said Oreggia Family Foundation trustee Robert Taylor.
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New Beef Center Debuts
at 50th Anniversary Bull Test and Field Day
Cattle buyers, breeders and ranchers from across the state converged at the new Cal Poly Beef Center Sept. 30-Oct. 1 for the University's 50th Annual Field Day and Bull Test Sale - and the first look at the center. The annual Field Day was held Saturday, Sept. 30, at the new beef center, located off Highway 1 at Education Drive, across from Cuesta College and behind the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. Daytime events included the grand opening of the beef center, educational workshops, a commercial trade show, refreshments, lunch and a "bull session." Evening events included a benefit barbecue and auction at Twisselman's Alberti Ranch. The Bull Test auction was held Sunday, Oct. 1.
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Graphic Communication Department Joins International Consortium
Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department has been selected to participate as part of an international consortium of digital publishing groups to study and advance the cause of digital publishing throughout the world. Lorraine Donegan, a professor in Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department, recently attended a meeting of the DPUC at the University of Nottingham, and professor Brian Lawler will attend a meeting later this fall in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department will also be part of a meeting scheduled for spring 2007 at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez.
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Today's Students
photo of London Graphics Students Study Print Origins in London
It wasn’t all tea and crumpets for 18 Cal Poly Graphic Communication students and their professor, Ken Macro, when the group spent five weeks in England studying at the London College of Communication as part of GrC’s London Study program. The five-week extended field trip included two courses taught by Macro about the history of the graphic communication industry in England and Europe. Macro said the experience expanded each student’s view of the origination of print and its affect on the English language. “It provided students with an up-close hands-on analysis of rare and valuable early printed incunabula that was simply riveting," Macro said. The students toured companies and historical sites in England and Scotland.
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Ag Grad Student Honored as Hearst, CSU Trustees Scholar
The California State University Board of Trustees named a Cal Poly agriculture graduate student as one of 19 selected systemwide to receive the 2006-07 William R. Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. Cal Poly student Melissa Jean O’Neal is working toward a master's degree in plant protection science. Coping with the death of her father and her mother’s serious illness, as well as surviving a near-fatal car crash in the Central Valley fog, O'Neal has supported herself since the age of 18. She was among the winners were honored earlier this month at the CSU Office of the Chancellor in Long Beach, California. The award came with a $3,000 scholarship.
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Read the Mustang Daily story on O'Neal
Read the SLO Tribune story on O'Neal

Architecture Students Take Top Honors in International Competition
drawing of park structure A Cal Poly architecture student took first place and another team tied for second place in the international 2006 Leading Edge Student Design Competition. Participating students were invited to design a 24,600 square foot Nature Museum and Interpretative Center within a new master planned community at the 5,000-acre Orange County Great Park site, formerly the El Toro Marine Base. First place winner Jason Conner won $3,000 for his design of a museum and center. A Cal Poly team of Scott Rothi, Chris York and Bryce Sigourney won $1,000 and tied for second place.
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Faculty & Staff

Cal Poly Art & Design Faculty Exhibit at University Art Gallery
painting by prof Piehl Faculty members of Cal Poly's Department of Art & Design showcase the heart of their creative practices in "Primary Sources," on view in the University Art Gallery from Sept. 26 through Oct. 21. Faculty exhibitors include Sky Bergman, Robert Densham, Daniel Dove, Tera Galanti, Crissa Hewitt, Robert Howell, Chuck Jennings, George Jercich, Eric Johnson, Mary LaPorte, Enrica Lovaglio, Charmaine Martinez, Kathryn McCormick, Michael Barton Miller, and Michelle Perlich.
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CSU Chair Roberta Achtenberg
Delivers Fall Conference Keynote Address
CSU Board of Trustees Chair Robert Achtenberg told Cal Poly faculty and staff gathered Sept. 18 for the annual Fall Conference that the system must take the lead in helping the state provide “true access” to higher education. Referring to the dramatic increase in the number of first- or second-generation, non–native speaking students in California, she said access is an important driver of the CSU mission. “There is a great need for California to do something about the potential loss of a generation,” she said. “It’s time to push ourselves and the state to do more.”
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Cal Poly Names 2005-2006 Distinguished Teachers
Cal Poly has named one professor from the college of Engineering and two professors from the College of Liberal Arts to receive this year's highest teaching award. Associate Professor Yarrow Nelson of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Professor Michael Miller of the Art and Design Department and Mary Armstrong of the English Department are the recipients of a 2005-2006 Distinguished Teaching Award.
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Two Faculty Members Receive Annual Distinguished Scholarship Award

Cal Poly has named a professor and an associate professor to receive the university's Distinguished Scholarship Award for 2005-06, the third year for this award program. Aerospace Engineering Professor Daniel Biezad and History Associate Professor Andrew Morris were recognized for outstanding accomplishments in their research endeavors. They were honored at commencement ceremonies June 10 and were honored during the university's Fall Conference General Session on Sept. 18.
Professors Morris, left, and Biezad, Right
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Graphics Professor Gives Keynote Address in Russia
Penny Bennett, associate professor of Graphic Communication at Cal Poly visited the historic home of the czars to present the keynote address at the International Conference of Printing Technology SPb' 06, recently held in St. Petersburg, Russia. The international conference organized by the St. Petersburg (Russia) State University of Technology and Design was held in June and attracted leaders in industry and education from the United States, Europe and Asia.
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Coming Up
Cal Poly Music Department Announces 2006-2007 Season Concerts
The Cal Poly Music Department's 2006-2007 season has something for everybody, with programs to suit musical tastes ranging from classical to jazz. The department is even sponsoring the four-day California Wind Band Festival in March. Patrons who buy season tickets to four events will receive a 10 percent discount; a 15 percent discount is given for tickets to five or more events.
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U-Pick Apple Season On Now
at Swanton Pacific Ranch Organic Orchard
Cal Poly's Swanton Pacific Ranch announces the opening of U-Pick apple season at its Organic Apple Orchard. Enjoy Ginger Gold, Lodi, Royal Gala, Red Delicious, Jonagold, Yellow Newtown, Red Fuji and Granny Smith apples now through late harvest in December. All are grown by Cal Poly students and staff at the beautiful Swanton Pacific Ranch in Davenport, just north of Santa Cruz on Highway One.The apple orchard is certified 100 percent by the California Certified Organic Farmers. In addition to U-Pick harvesting, students also hand-pick apples throughout the season. The two-acre orchard yields five tons of apples every year.
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Arianna Huffington Opens Provocative Perspectives Series Oct. 19
Arianna Huffington will open Cal Poly’s Provocative Perspectives speaker series on Thursday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. in Spanos Theater. Her talk, “A Political Update: Focus on California” will be followed by a question and answer period, as well as a book signing. The event is free and open to the public. Huffington’s presentation kicks off the 4th annual series which focuses on “California's Challenges: Provocative Solutions for Compelling Problems." In 2006, Time magazine’s named Huffington one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is a nationally syndicated columnist, author of ten books and co-founder and editor of HuffingtonPost.com. She is also co-host of “Left, Right and Center,” a public radio political roundtable program.
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St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble Concert is October 20
Cal Poly Arts presents The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble Friday, October 20, at 8 p.m. in the Spanos Theatre. The Academy created the Ensemble in 1967 to perform the larger chamber works with players who customarily work together, instead of the usual model of a string quartet with additional guests. Since then, the Ensemble has made annual tours to five continents and more than 30 CDs. Under the direction of artistic director Kenneth Sillito, the legendary string octet performs Schoenberg's Transfigured Night, Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings in Eb-Major, Op. 20, and in a new program they call "Innocent Ear."
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Fifth Annual Sustainable Agriculture Pest Control Conference is Dec. 1, 2
The California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and Cal Poly's Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium will co-sponsor a two-day conference on sustainable pest control for agricultural consultants and growers on Friday, Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2, in San Luis Obispo. Workshops on Dec. 1 will address incorporating sustainable agricultural practices into a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management program. The Dec. 2 agenda will feature a workshop on "Assessing Operational Sustainability from a Pest Management Perspective" at the beautiful Castoro Cellars winery in Templeton. Continuing education units are available for participants.The conference offers a wealth of information on biologically integrated pest control.
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