Cal Poly Update | The E-Newsletter for Cal Poly Friends & Alumni

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Alumni
Cal Poly Alumni sphere of Influence Cal Poly Alumni Are Front Page News
San Luis Obispo's local newspaper, The Tribune, ran a front-page Sunday feature on Cal Poly alumni, and their growing sphere of influence. From Delta Airlines to Northrop Grumman to designer diaper bags, Cal Poly alumni are leading national industries and trends. The Sunday spread also included two multi-media presentations and profiles of six leading alumni.
Graphic courtesy of The Tribune

Read the Front Page article
View the 'Sphere of Influence' photo gallery
Read the Business Page industry leaders profile
View "From Living Space to Outer Space"

More Alumni Make Headlines
Even more alumni made headlines last month around California and the West this month. A psychology grad's biofuels firm in San Diego is making energy from African plants; an ag alum tossed his hat into the ring in a Central Valley county supervisor's race; former Mustang Kyle Shotwell signed with the Philadelphia Eagles (quick quiz: what Mustang is already there?). See who else was promoted and written about this month -- and if you know them.Read more about alumni in the news

Professors Jim Hayes, Bob Reynolds Sign Books in SLO Dec. 13
Professor Jim Hayes Two longtime Cal Poly professors will be signing copies of their book, "Quiet Journey," at the Cal Poly Downtown store in San Luis Obispo Thursday, Dec. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The full-color, glossy book features written reflections by Hayes, a mentor to hundreds of professional journalists in California and across the West, alongside paintings and drawings by Reynolds, a well known artist. The book is a benefit for the Cal Poly Alumni Association and is on sale for $50 during the holidays. Order copies online, buy them at El Corral, or come to Cal Poly Downtown for the book signing Dec. 13 during Farmers' Market.
Find out more about 'Quiet Journey' | Read the Cal Poly Magazine Story about Hayes

Mia Brown PolyLink Photo of the Month:
Little Mustang Homecoming Spirit
Cal Poly alumna Monica Brown (B.S., Ag Business, 1999) won hearts and the December PolyLink Photo of the Month award for this shot of her three-year-old daughter, Mia. Mia Brown had her Cal Poly colors on (and a little Mustang cheer outfit) at the Homecoming Barbecue Nov. 10 on the O'Neill Green. Monica and husband Matthew Brown (B.S., CPE, 1997, MSEE, 1999) brought Mia and their two-year-old son Mason to meet friends at the Homecoming Tailgate Barbecue. Monica Brown now works in marketing and public relations with an international web services company. She received a nifty Cal Poly Alumni decal for submitting the winning shot. Add your photos to your PolyLink page, and we could be asking you if you'd like to be our PolyLink photo of the Month winner.
Photo of the Month Gallery |
See More PolyLink Photos in Cal Poly Magazine Online

University News
Hundreds See Student Research at Cal Poly Marine Science Pier
Central Coast residents and visitors got a closer look at Cal Poly's Center for Coastal Marine Science in Avila Beach Nov. 17. About 200 guests attended throughout the day. It was the first public event at the pier, hosted by the College of Science and Mathematics. In 2001, the Unocal oil company -- which has since been bought by Chevron -- donated the 3,000-foot steel and concrete pier to Cal Poly's College of Science and Mathematics for coastal marine science studies. Today, more than 1,300 students and faculty from Cal Poly and Cuesta College use the pier for classes and research.
Read the story about the Open House | Visit the Center for Coastal Marine Science Web Site
See the KSBY story and video from the pier

Congresswoman Capps, President Baker Celebrate Student Aid Increase
U.S. Rep. Lois Capps came to campus Nov. 29 to celebrate the enactment of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the largest investment in college financial aid since the 1944 GI Bill. Capps and Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker spoke to students in the University Union about the bill.
Read the Mustang Daily coverage of the event

Vegetables from the Cal Poly Organic Farm – The Perfect Holiday Gift
veggies Need a fresh idea for a holiday gift? How about a certificate for a box of crisp, hand-picked winter vegetables from the Cal Poly Organic Farm. The farm is offering holiday-themed certificates for a “Gift of Veggies.” The certificates are $26.50 and entitle the bearer to one full harvest box of winter herbs and vegetables. Order by Dec. 21. The Organic Farm takes a two-week operations break from Dec. 24 to Jan. 7. Harvests and weekly deliveries resume Jan. 14. Fall/winter season crops include lettuce, leafy greens, onions, arugula, leeks, carrots, tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, broccoli, chard, kale and more.
More about the Organic Farm gift certificates & subscriptions

Dairy Products Tech Center Helping California Become a Powerhouse
Experts interviewed by Dairy Field Magazine cited Cal Poly and its Dairy Products Technology Center along with UC Davis as factors aiding the California's emergence as a national dairy powerhouse. "We have a tremendous resource in the scientific research and technical expertise at UC Davis and Cal Poly," the trade magazine article noted.
Read the coverage on the Dairy Field web site

Athletics
Kylie Atherstone Thirteen is a Lucky Number:
Mustang Athletes Named League's Best
Mustangs had a lot to be thankful for as the November holiday weekend opened. Some 13 Mustang athletes were honored by their leagues and recognized as "bests." The Cal Poly football team earned the Great West’s offensive player and freshman player of year awards, and the Women's Volleyball team earned its second straight Big West player and coach of the year honors. Junior wide receiver Ramses Barden was named the Great West Football Conference’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year. The Cal Poly Women's Volleyball team added two more prestigious awards to its trophy case for a second year in a row. Junior opposite Kylie Atherstone was named the Big West Conference’s Player of the Year and head coach Jon Stevenson its Coach of the Year.
(l) Kylie Atherstone in action

Read the SLO Tribune story on the league awards

Playtime in Portland: Mustangs vs. Portland State Vikings Dec. 12
Going to be in Portland next week? Join Cal Poly as the Mustangs basketball team plays the Portland State Vikings on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the Stott Center on the PSU campus. The Cal Poly Alumni Association is holding a pre-game social off-campus before the basketball game and has a block of seats reserved in the stadium. Wear your green and gold, meet Portland area alumni and cheer the Mustangs to victory. $12 gets you a game ticket and pre-game hors d'oeuvres; buy your own beverages.
Details on the Portland basketball game & gathering

Former Cal Poly Coach, Hall of Fame Inductee
Tom Lee Passes Away at Age 90
Tom Lee, who coached boxing, baseball, football and basketball for decades at Cal Poly, passed away at his home in San Luis Obispo Nov. 29 surrounded by family members. Lee, father of current Mustang baseball coach Larry Lee, was inducted into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990. He celebrated his 90th birthday with family members on Nov. 6. He was perhaps best known for coaching the Mustang boxing team from 1952-61, producing one national champion, five Pacific Coast Intercollegiate champions and 25 NCAA Boxing Coaches Association champions. Lee was considered one of the top coaches in the nation and held boxing clinics internationally as well. A memorial service in his honor is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. at the Old Mission Church in San Luis Obispo.
Read the Cal Poly Athletics story on Coach Lee's passing

Today's Students
Cal Poly Captures National Collegiate Club Water Polo Championship Photo of Polo team
The Cal Poly Men’s Water Polo team knocked off the No.1 nationally ranked and defending champion Michigan State University in overtime to capture the 2007 National Collegiate Club Championship. In addition, Mustang Daniel Harris was named Tournament MVP, following his game-winning goal, and Cal Poly head coach Matt Landre was named the Coach of the Year for guiding the Mustangs to their first national title since 2004. The Mustangs 7-6 victory over Michigan State was due in part to goalie Casey Ryan’s eight key saves, including two in overtime. During the three day tournament, the Mustangs also beat teams from Georgia Tech, Middlebury College, and Miami University in Ohio. This is Cal Poly's fifth national title since 1999.
More details about the Cal Poly water polo champs

Cal Poly Fencing Team Gobbles Top Prize at 2007 Turkey Tournament
The Cal Poly Fencing Team placed first overall in the 2007 Turkey Tournament, with members earning five first place and five second place awards in individual events and team events. Andrew LeBeau and Kyle Yamasaki led the way for the Mustang fencers, placing first and third respectively out of 30 competitors in the Mixed Advanced Epee.
Read more about the Cal Poly Fencing Team Victory

Cal Poly Ranks Second in Nation
for Study-Abroad Student Numbers
Cal Poly ranks second in the nation among peer universities for the number of students it sends to study abroad, according to a survey by the Institute of International Education. The Open Doors 2007 Report on International Education Exchange found that Cal Poly sent 817 students to study-abroad programs during 2005-2006. Cal Poly ranks in the “universities that offer master's degrees (non-doctoral universities)” category.
Read more about the Open Doors ranking

CAFES Student’s Research Takes Top National Award
A Cal Poly student’s research about environmental heavy metal contamination just earned a top national award. David Guerena, a senior from Santa Barbara majoring in soil science in Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, won the award for his work assessing levels of zinc in soil and plants around a galvanized power line tower in San Luis Obispo. His study was part of a class project conducted in spring 2007 in a soil and water chemistry class taught by Professor Chip Appel.
Read more about the award and the study

Order Holiday Cheese from Poly Creamery by Dec. 15
Students are still wrapping up a wide array of university-made cheeses for holiday gift packs. The seven varieties for sale this year include Gouda, Smoked Gouda, Mustang Cheddar, Smoked Cheddar, Chipotle Jack, San Luis Lace and Reduced-fat Lace. The Lace cheeses are award-winning Cal Poly originals. All are available for order through Dec. 14 at www.calpolycheese.com. The program’s award-winning cheeses are made and packaged entirely by students, who work closely throughout the year.
More on Cal Poly Holiday Cheese

Get Your Cal Poly Poinsettia at the Plant Shop by Dec. 15
White and red poinsettias There's still a chance to get a Cal Poly-grown poinsettia in time for the holidays. The plants are grown by students involved in the university's Poinsettia Agriculture Enterprise Project, which begins in the spring of every year. This year's poinsettia project offers 27 varieties and more than 2,500 plants -- an assortment of reds, whites, pinks, and other novelty varieties such as Jingle Bells and Marbles. Plant sizes range from a few inches to four feet tall. Offerings include traditional, centerpiece, and tree-shaped forms. The full array of 27 poinsettia varieties will be on sale at the Poly Plant Shop through Dec. 15.
More on the annual poinsettia sale

Faculty & Staff
Social Sciences Professor Kerbo
Receives International Educator Award
Cal Poly Professor Harold R. Kerbo of the Social Sciences Department in the College of Liberal Arts is the recipient of the 2007 Cal Poly International Educator Award. The annual honor, sponsored by International Education and Programs, recognizes a faculty member who has significantly contributed to international education at Cal Poly. Kerbo will receive the award during the International Education Week presentation “Helping Students Understand International Careers,” Thursday, Nov. 15.
Read more about Kerbo

Cal Poly Professors Working On Emerging Energy Technology
Amid calls for ending United States dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil supplies, three Cal Poly professors are using a multi-pronged approach to search for alternative sources of energy. Converting dairy waste into biodiesel fuel is the goal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Professors Yarrow Nelson and Tryg Lundquist. Producing inexpensive solar electricity and researching batteries for electric vehicles is on the agenda of Physics Professor Peter Schwartz. “No single resource can be expected to meet all energy needs. Our future needs will be met by a mixture of conventional and alternative energy sources,” says Nelson.
Read more about the professors applied energy research and projects

Philosophy Prof Lin Speaks on Issues Involved in 'Domesticating Atoms'
Nanotechnology was the topic of an international conference in November in San Francisco, and Cal Poly Philosophy Professor Patrick Lin was one of the conference speakers. So what's so important about nanotechnology? "The big deal here is that we're domesticating atoms. We're trying to make the basic building blocks of our world do our bidding," Lin told reporters at the conference.
Read the Reuters wire story

Coming Up
Holiday Sing-along With the Forbes Pipe Organ Dec. 16
Join the Performing Arts Center in celebrating the holidays with the Forbes Pipe Organ. For a true celebration of the holiday season join Gary Lamprecht and Beth Klemm, the Vocal Arts Ensemble Youth Choir and the Central Coast Children's Choir. Sing your favorites to the accompaniment of the university organist Paul Woodring on the spectacular Forbes Pipe Organ.
More about the holiday sing-along

Three Irish Tenors Irish Tenors Return
for Holiday Concert Dec. 19
Cal Poly Arts presents "Great Performances: Irish Tenors Christmas II" with the San Luis Obispo Symphony Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. in Harman Hall in the Christopher Cohan Center. After last season’s sold-out holiday engagement, the lyric Anthony Kearns, the romantic Finbar Wright, and the operatic Karl Scully have selected a new evening of traditional Christmas songs and classic Irish hymns and ballads for their Central Coast encore. An orchestra of 48 Symphony members joins the tenors again for a festive yuletide evening.
More on the Irish Tenors' return

Cal Poly Arts Brings Broadway Vocalist Sam Harris in Concert Jan. 5
Broadway vocalist and stage star Sam Harris will perform Saturday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. in the Spanos Theatre. Harris sells out houses from Carnegie Hall to London’s West End, and from the White House to the Great White Way. While fans may recognize him from the CBS hit comedy, “The Class,” Harris is best known as a captivating song stylist – a consummate crooner and Broadway belter with unique phrasings and an emotive range.
More on the Sam Harris concert

U.S. Public Printer to Address January Green Media Conference at Cal Poly
The United States Public Printer, Honorable Robert C. Tapella will be part of "The Business of Green Media," sustainability conference at Cal Poly on Jan.24. Tapella will be the evening keynote speaker at the banquet following the conference at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Luis Obispo. Tapella, who graduated from Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department in 1991, will discuss what the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is doing to promote sustainability. Tapella will also talk about the nation's efforts to achieve a "greener" America and what the graphic communication industry can do to help.
More on Tapella's talk at the Green Media Conference

Through Jan. 9
Social Science Exhibit Chronicles Contemporary Farm Workers’ Lives
The lives and struggles of today’s California migrant farm workers will be chronicled in an exhibit, “The Hands That Feed,” to run from Nov. 28 to Jan. 9 at the San Luis Obispo Art Center. The exhibit is part of the “Migrant Project: Contemporary California Farm Workers” project.
Read more about The Migrant Project

Hear the Sounds of the Monterey Jazz Festival Jan. 16
The Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Tour comes to the Christopher Cohan Center Wednesday, Jan. 16. Curtain time is 8 p.m. in Harman Hall. The MJF celebrates its 50th anniversary of being the longest continuously-running jazz event, acclaimed for bringing together veteran jazz masters and aspiring artists. This special concert fits an entire festival feeling into one unbelievably jazz-filled night. Featured performers include Terence Blanchard, trumpet; James Moody, tenor saxophone, flute; Benny Green, piano, musical director; Derrick Hodge, bass; Kendrick Scott, drums; and special guest vocalist Nnenna Freelon.
More on the Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Tour

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