Cal Poly Update - April 2009
Alumni
Economic Survival 101: Use Your Cal Poly Connections
Yes, there's a recession on but you can survive -- and thrive -- by using your Cal Poly connections. Get advice from some of the pros plus tips on how to network in order to land your next job. What's changed since the last downturn of the '90s? In addition to real-time (face-to-face) business networking, career survival now requires online social networking too. Even if you think your job is secure, alumna and career coach Jennifer Rosky says both types of networking are always a must: “The truth is everyone’s career is always in transition.”
Read more about using your Cal Poly connections for career networking
Come to Campus April 18 for Open House 2009
Open House began in 1994 and has its roots in Poly Royal. It's an annual showcase spotlighting the best of the university for prospective students, their families and the community. This year, thousands of families will be in town for Admitted Students Preview Day Friday, April 17. Saturday's Open House events are open to those families, alumni and the public and include more than 200 displays and activities put on by clubs and university departments. Highlights include the Design Village collegiate architecture competition in Poly Canyon, Robo Rodentia, the Tractor Pull and the Poly Royal Rodeo. Open House kicks off at 9 a.m. April 18 with the Poly Royal Parade. Alumni: Look for the Cal Poly Alumni Association Welcome Booth on Dexter Lawn.
Details on Open House 2009
Business Alumna, One of Wall Street Journal's
'Women to Watch,'
Speaking on Campus April 23
Delta Airlines executive and Cal Poly Alumna Joanne Smith will speak as part of the Orfalea College of Business Distinguished Speaker Series on Thursday, April 23. The San Luis Obispo native and Business Administration grad was named one of "50 Women to Watch" by the Wall Street Journal in November 2008. Smith graduated from Cal Poly in 1982 and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business. She's the senior vice president of in-flight service and global product development for Delta Air Lines. Smith helped Delta survive bankruptcy reorganization by restyling Delta’s global brand and spearheading an effort to energize the customer experience across the airline.
Read about Smith coming to campus
Read the WSJ's "50 Women to Watch" 2008 List
Alumni in the News: Astronauts, Pilots and Winemakers
Engineering alum 'Hoot' Gibson was the subject of a Smithsonian story -- complete with a very long list of all the aircraft he's piloted in his career. Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Brown Trafton spoke out on being a steroid-free example for young athletes. Another alumna is now a Superior Court judge in Kern County. Longtime Cal Poly supporter and Orange County leader Richard O'Neill passed away at age 85. Alumni made headlines this month for making wine, gourmet cornmeal and becoming trustees on corporate boards. Find out who they are -- and if you know any of them.
Read about Alumni in the News
Photo of the Month: Architecture Alum in Rio
Byron Wong (B.S., Architecture, 1999) is this month's PolyLink Photo of the Month winner for this shot overlooking Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. "I think the Photos of the Month are great! It inspired me to take a trip to Brazil and show my Mustang Pride," he said. The photo was taken in the Tijuca Forest in Rio de Janeiro overlooking Sugarloaf Mountain during Carnival 2009. Wong says studying in Florence as a student with Cal Poly's international study program left him primed to experience life on a world stage. "I've carried this learn-by-doing philosophy in my travels and would like to encourage my fellow alumni to probe the globe," Wong said. He won a cool 'Cal Poly Alumni' window decal for the shot. Wong is just one of the 11,500+ alumni in PolyLink, Cal Poly's free, private online community.
See more alumni photo galleries on PolyLink (login required)
See the full, uncropped shot in the Photo of the Month Winners Gallery on PolyLink anytime
-- no login required.
University News
$1.4 Million in Stem Cell Research Funding Headed to Cal Poly
Some $1.4 million is headed to Cal Poly as part of $16 million in stem cell research funding awarded to the CSU. The awards from the state will fund instruction, laboratory work, internship placement, faculty mentoring and career guidance. In addition to Cal Poly, 10 other CSU campuses received stem cell grant funding: Channel Islands, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pomona, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San José, and San Marcos. Cal Poly and 10 other CSUs will use the funding for research in the field of regenerative medicine.
More on the stem cell grants
Mustang Athletics Brings New Men's Basketball Coach Onboard
Cal Poly has announced its new men's basketball coach: Joe Callero. Callero coached the men's basketball team at Seattle University and led its return to NCAA Division I basketball. Last season, Callero coached the Seattle U Redhawks to a 13-8 record in their first season back in Division I. In Seattle, he had a record of 117-105 in eight years, with five winning seasons. The new coach said he's eager to get started at Cal Poly. At the press conference in Mott Gym announcing his appointment April 3, he compared the Central Coast and Cal Poly to Camelot: "it's perfect."
More on the new men's basketball coach
Financial Aid Announces Change to Campus Direct Loan Program
The Cal Poly Financial Aid will begin using the William D. Ford Federal Direct Student Loan program beginning fall 2009. Under the program, students and parents will borrow their loans directly through the federal government. The application process will change only slightly. Families will still need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and student loan eligibility will be determined by the Cal Poly Financial Aid Office.
Read more about financial aid changes
CSU Trustees Support Measures on May 19 Ballot
The California State University Board of Trustees has endorsed five of the propositions that will come before voters in a May 19 special election. Recognizing the state’s unprecedented fiscal crisis, the trustees agreed to support Propositions 1A through 1E, saying the measures will help solve the state’s critical budget problems. Most of the measures provide new revenues to help balance the state’s General Fund budget over the next several years. This directly impacts the CSU, as two-thirds of its budget comes from the state General Fund.
More on the measures and CSU Support
Sign up to be a Cal Poly Advocate
College Based Academic Fees Deferred While State Debates Budget
Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker has announced that he will defer any decision on increasing the College Based Academic Fees at the request of California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed. “In light of the uncertain economic environment, the chancellor of the CSU system has asked the CSU campuses to defer any decisions on implementation of campus-based academic fees until there is more clarity on the state budget and its impact on the CSU,” said Baker. “We would be remiss to make a decision until we know how Cal Poly’s 2009-10 operating budget might be affected.”
Read more about fees
Artist Donates $1.7M Worth of Oil Paintings
To Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department
Well-known Northern California artist and humanitarian Duane Armstrong recently donated 59 oil paintings valued at more than $1.7 million to Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department. “Armstrong is one of America’s most published painters and is no newcomer to the world of contemporary fine art,” said Pat Waters, a 1973 Graphic Communication graduate who helped arrange the donation. During the 1970s, the popularity of Armstrong’s paintings made him one of the top five print sales artists in the nation.
More on the donation
See the paintings on the GrC Web
U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy Tours Cal Poly, Meets with Faculty, Students
Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) took time out from Washington, D.C., to tour Cal Poly in March and learn about university projects, faculty, students and its historic 'learn by doing' approach. McCarthy is the Chief Deputy Minority Whip in the House of Representatives and represents California's 22nd Congressional District, which includes parts of the Central Coast. He toured the Cal Poly Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education. McCarthy also met its Director, Susan Elrod; with College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Dean David Wehner; with College of Engineering Dean Mohammad Noori; and Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker.
Read More on McCarthy's tour of campus
Click here to see photos from the visit
University's Patent Portfolio is Growing
Cal Poly’s Research and Graduate Programs Office has two patents headed for approval from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The first is for a lightweight, portable water-treatment system. It was designed primarily to clean drinking water in emergency situations in the wake of major disasters. The second patent is for a tag that identifies and tracks reusable plastic containers and their contents. The tags can be read when barcodes and other optical scanning technologies are not available. They can also be equipped with sensors that can significantly improve tracking for food shipments.
Read more about the technology here
What Happens to the Cows:
History Channel Films
for 'Life After People'
Crews from the History Channel came to campus in March to interview Dairy Science Department Head Bruce Golden and film at the Dairy Unit. The shoot was for an episode of the network's series "Life After People." What happens to the Earth's dairy cows if people suddenly disappear? Will feral cows rule the globe? The episode will have the answers -- plus at least one close-up of a Cal Poly cow ready for stardom.
See photos from the film shoot
Check the show's Web site to watch for episode details
Will We Be Saved by Pond Scum?
Find Out in Cal Poly Magazine
Find out how one Ag Engineering professor is helping the world go green -- with algae. Go inside the Chocolate Lab. Learn how to survive and thrive in an economic downturn by using your Cal Poly connections. See how Cal Poly is helping disfigured soldiers mend and blend into civilian life. It's all in the Spring 2009 Cal Poly Magazine -- now online.
Click here for the Spring 2009 Cal Poly Magazine
Dude! Cal Poly Ranked as No. 3 'Surf School' in the Nation
Surfline.com just put out its list of the 10 best surf schools in America. Thanks to the nearby waves off Pismo Beach, Montana de Oro, Morro Bay and Cayucos, Surfline ranked Cal Poly No. 3 -- right behind No. 2 U.C. Santa Cruz and No. 1 U.C. San Diego. This is one ranking where the Mustangs topped the Gauchos -- rival U.C. Santa Barbara ranked No. 4.
Read the rankings on Surfline.com
Read the story in the SLO Tribune
Faculty & Staff
Faculty Honored by American Institute of Architects
Cal Poly Architecture professor Thomas Fowler, IV and full-time lecturer Barry L. Williams will receive an American Institute of Architects Education Honor Award for excellence in course development and architectural teaching. Fowler and Williams received their award for the Integrated Project Studio, which combines the content of a third-year building design studio and a building environment systems studio.
Read more about the IPS
Students, Profs Spend Spring Break Mapping Malta with Robots
Six Cal Poly students and their professors spent spring break on the Mediterranean island of Malta working on an archaeology expedition. The Cal Poly group was part of the first-ever International Computer Engineering eXchange program. The program, and the trip to Malta, are the result of a collaboration between Cal Poly's Computer Engineering Program and several international partners. Assistant Computer Engineering Professor Chris Clark (pictured in Malta) and Center for Teaching and Learning Lecturer Christine Victorino supervised the students. The Cal Poly team used underwater robots to map ancient water storage systems dating back to Roman times. Students blogged about the trip, posting photos and daily updates online.
News release on the spring break research trip
Go straight to the Malta blog
Professor Bergman's Photography On Display in Santa Barbara
Cal Poly Art and Design Professor Sky Bergman's photography is on view at the Santa Barbara County Administration Building’s Channing Peake Gallery through June 19. Bergman's work is part of the "FAST FORWARD 2009" exhibit featuring 11 Central Coast artists. Bergman's recent trend toward photojournalism is evident in her newer works from Cuba and Burma on display in the show.
More on the Fast Forward Exhibit
Current Students
Black Widow Supermileage Racer On The Prowl Again
Students from Cal Poly's College of Engineering are tuning up the 'Black Widow' supermileage racecar and looking for another first-place win. Cal Poly will enter its vehicle, the Black Widow, to compete against 51 other high school and university teams from around the world in the 2009 Shell Eco-marathon Americas. This year’s supermileage challenge event takes place at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana from April 16 to 18. In 2008, with a whopping 2,752.3 miles per gallon, Cal Poly’s ‘Supermileage’ car finished second place in the competition. In 2007, Cal Poly's "Black Widow" took first place with an impressive 1,902.7 mpg.
More on the 2009 Black Widow supermileage racer -- including video
Students Use GIS to Map Bird Habitat Across California
A group of Cal Poly students majoring in Natural Resources Management put their knowledge of GIS mapping to work for San Luis Obispo City GIS Supervisor David Yun to help identify key habitat areas for birds throughout California. Commissioned by the National Audubon Society and BirdLife International, the Important Bird Areas (IBA) program designates locations essential for breeding, wintering and migrating birds.
More on the GIS mapping project
Business Students Gain Experience -- Central Coast Residents Get Help
Cal Poly accounting students and their professors spent their Saturdays offering free tax preparation help to low- and moderate-income families in February and March. A grant from Pacific Capital Bancorp allowed the Orfalea College of Business to expand its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program from a single site in San Luis Obispo to a second at the Allan Hancock site in Santa Maria. Students, professors, community organizers and low-income families are grateful for the program.
Click here to see video of
VITA students in action
Details on Tax Prep Help
Read the Tribune story about the VITA program
CM Teams Score Multiple First Place Finishes at Nationals
Cal Poly Construction Management student teams received more first-place finishes and more trophies overall than any other school during the Associated Schools of Construction National and Regional Student Competitions in Reno.
Read more about the CM triumph
Mustang Daily Student Newspaper Wins Top State and National Awards
The Mustang Daily, Cal Poly’s student-run daily newspaper, won two first-place awards in the recent annual California College Media Association contest. The newspaper’s coverage of the crops house incident and the following protests on campus won first-place for daily newspapers in the Best News Series category. The writers were Bridget Veltri, Omar Sanchez and Joshua Ayers, under the direction of editor Marlize van Romburgh. Nationally, the Mustang Daily was named the 2009 College Newspaper of the Year by the College Newspaper Business and Advertising Managers association. The Daily's advertising students earned more points in the competition than any other school in contest history.
More on the Mustang Daily State Awards
More on the Mustang Daily National Awards
Architecture Student Wins National Design Competition
Cal Poly Architecture student Derick Lee received one of two honors awarded in the annual Green Modular Building Design Competition sponsored by the Modular Building Institute. The competition asked architecture and engineering students at four-year universities to design a new community center for The Meadows, a low-income, senior housing community in Crozet, Va. Entries had to use modular construction with sustainable features including the ability to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
See the details on Lee's award
Coming Up
Tomato Mania is Coming April 11
Get out the trowels: Tomato Mania, the annual heirloom tomato sale at the Cal Poly Plant Shop, is set for April 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Take the Highland Drive entrance to campus, turn left on Via Carta and follow the signs. Metered parking is available in front of the shop.
More on Tomato Mania
Cal Poly Opera Presents Songs of Berlin April 11
The Cal Poly Music Department presents "The 20th Century with Kurt Weill" Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m. in the Spanos Theatre. Students will perform a pastiche of touching, fiery and brilliant songs by German native Kurt Weill. Hear “Mack the Knife” and “Pirate Jenny” (Threepenny Opera), “Alabama Song” (Mahagonny), “Surabaya Johnny” (Happy End), “Speak Low” (One Touch of Venus), “Lost in the Stars” and more in an homage to the music of 1920s and ’30s Berlin.
More on the Weill concert
Watch Out for 'The Drowsy Chaperone' April 14 & 15
Get ready to be transported to a magical, wonderful world with Broadway's "The Drowsy Chaperone." The plot? When a die-hard musical fan plays his favorite cast album, a 1928 smash hit called “The Drowsy Chaperone,” the show magically bursts to life in his living room. Follow the glamorous, hilarious tale of a celebrity bride and her uproarious wedding day, complete with thrills and surprises that take both the audience (metaphorically) and the cast (literally) soaring into the rafters.
More on Chaperone
Annual Open House Concert is April 18
Cal Poly will feature its student musicians Saturday, April 18, in the annual Open House Concert. This year's theme is “Around the World in 80 Minutes.” The concert features the Cal Poly Symphony, Wind Ensemble and University Jazz Band and begins at 8 p.m. in the Cohan Center. The Cal Poly Symphony will perform music of Latin America. The University Jazz Band will play selections from Ethiopia, and the Wind Ensemble will focus on Russia.
More on the Open House concert
All-State Music Festival Concert is April 19
Cal Poly is once again hosting the All-State Music Festival Concert, featuring the top high school student musicians from across California. The Symphony Orchestra Festival Jazz Band and Festival Wind Orchestra play beginning at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19, in the Cohan Center. Some 150 of the state’s finest young musicians will participate in this spectacular Open House event.
More on the All-State Band Concert
Annual Cal Poly Wine Festival Set for April 25
The seventh annual Cal Poly Wine Festival is set for Saturday, April 25, at the Santa Margarita Ranch. The benefit event, organized by Cal Poly's Vines to Wines Club, will feature wineries from all over California as well as many local restaurants and caterers. Last year the festival drew more than 1,000 wine enthusiasts, Cal Poly students and alumni. This year's festival features more than 100 wineries from the Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara regions and beyond. Proceeds benefit the new Wine and Viticulture degree program at Cal Poly.
More on the 2009 Cal Poly Wine Festival
Compania National de Danza Here April 28
When Compania National de Danza debuted at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in 2003, audiences raved. "CND2" offers a thrilling mix of vivid, Latin-style movement phrases and ballet in a wholly contemporary style that fires up the stage. The repertory features several signature works by founder and artistic director Nacho Duato, as well as works by promising new choreographers.
More on CND2
Spend an Evening with Garrison Keillor May 12
Charming, witty and always entertaining writer and humorist Garrison Keillor is coming back to the Performing Arts Center on May 12. "America's Storyteller" is best known for “A Prairie Home Companion” and his “Lake Wobegon” books. His May 12 appearance at the Cohan Center will feature all new material, including touching anecdotes, comic monologues and thought provoking observations.
More on Keillor