Cal Poly Update - October 2009
Alumni News
Homecoming Dining: Tri-Tip BBQ, 20 Wineries, Cheese and Chocolate
Thinking about coming to Homecoming? Get your tickets now for the 14th annual Cal Poly Alumni Association Wine Tasting and the Tailgate BBQ. Both are set for Saturday, Oct. 17 on the O'Neil Green. This year, the popular CPAA wine tasting will feature more than 20 Central Coast wines, including award-winning Cal Poly Wine vintages. Between tastes, sample Cal Poly Cheese and Cal Poly Chocolates. Make plans after to join fellow Mustangs at the Cal Poly football game against Southern Utah. Tickets are still available for all of Saturday's events: the CPAA Wine Tasting; the Tailgate BBQ, put on by Cal Poly Athletics; and the football game in Spanos Stadium. Don’t wait too long to order -- the wine tasting and barbecue usually sell out beforehand.
Visit the Homecoming Web Site for Wine Tasting tickets and BBQ tickets
Visit www.GoPoly.com for Homecoming Game tickets
Success in a Bottle: Taste Gold Medal Cal Poly Wines at Homecoming
Click to see the video interview with
Cal Poly '07 student winemakers.
Requires Flash. Download Flash player free
The first public pouring of two award-winning student-made Cal Poly wines will take place Oct. 17 at the Cal Poly Alumni Association Wine Tasting. The popular event takes place on the Business Lawn. Come taste the creations of the Cal Poly Wine program's 2007 student winemakers: Mike Bruzus (Wine and Viticulture, ’09) and Nicole Chamberlain (Wine and Viticulture, ’08). The students hit pay dirt with a collection that won accolades at the San Francisco International Wine Festival and the California Mid-State Fair. Mustang Red was the big winner, coming away from the San Francisco show with a rare double gold award.
Watch the video on the 2007 student winemakers and their creations
Order Cal Poly wines online at www.calpolywine.com
On Campus for Homecoming?
Check These Major Auto Access Changes
If you haven't been to campus for a while, get ready for these auto access changes: South Perimeter Road is officially closed to vehicle traffic between the old Powerhouse and Grand Avenue. And there is now a STOP sign for incoming traffic at the California Boulevard entrance to Cal Poly at Campus Way. South Perimeter Road between Campus Way and Grand Avenue closed for good in September. Access there is now limited to emergency and service vehicles only. Construction vehicles will be allowed to use it until completion of the UU Plaza and Rec Center expansion projects. Cal Poly students voted to pay more fees to pay for those two projects.
For details, visit http://www.asi.calpoly.edu/rec_center_project | Click here for campus maps
Alumni in the News -
Mustangs' Company is Topic of TIME Magazine Article
TIME Magazine's Sept. 14 edition (online and print) featured a story on Guayaki Yerba Mate - the "Tree-Hugging Tea." Herbal-drink-maker Guayaki Yerba Mate imports directly from small suppliers across Latin America with the goals of producing natural foods and preventing further rainforest deforestation. The flavored, mate-based herbal drink now has sales over $10 million annually. The company is owned by two Cal Poly alumni: Alex Pryor (B.S., Food Science and Nutrition, 1998) and David Karr (B.S., Business, 1996). They are just two of the Mustang alumni in the news this month - read on to find out who else made headlines, including tango dancer and ultimate fighter Chuck Liddell (B.S., Business Administration, 1999), a young cattlewoman taking the reins on a historic ranch, and more.
Read about this month's Alumni in the News
Read the Sept. 14 TIME magazine story on Pryor and Karr and their company
WASC With the University - Cal Poly Needs Alumni Input
Our Polytechnic Identity, Learn-by-Doing, Student Learning, Teacher-Scholar Model -- you may have heard these phrases, but what do they mean to you? And what should they mean for Cal Poly? The university has launched a study to address those questions as part of its accreditation process with WASC - The Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Cal Poly needs your opinion as part of the accreditation process. Participate by commenting on the draft Cal Poly WASC study.
Get details and the report at www.wasc.calpoly.edu - and comment online
CPAA Events; Networking Naturally, Football at UC Davis
Take advantage of CPAA's "Networking Naturally" workshop series. Natural networking can help you navigate through changing times. Access the program anywhere using phone or web. And it's true: Friends don't let friends go to Davis. Unless it's for Cal Poly Golden Horseshoe Weekend and the Mustang tailgate before the big game. Cheer Cal Poly Football at UC Davis as they face the Aggies in the annual battle for the Golden Horseshoe. Tickets on sale now.
PolyLink Photo of the Month: Hitting the Trail for a 50-mile Endurance Ride in Nevada
Cal Poly alumna Marci (Schmidt) Cunningham (B.S., Ag Business, 1974) is the October PolyLink Photo of the Month winner for this shot of her on horseback last June during one stage of the Schellbourne Summer XP Ride outside Ely, Nevada. Her PolyLink Photo Album is full of scenes from her horseback adventures. She's a regular endurance rider, lately with her 8-year-old half Arabian Blaze (pictured). When she's not in the saddle, Cunningham is in Bakersfield, where she is an associate vice president for grower services with a cotton marketing cooperative. Cunningham is just one of the more than 13,300 alumni in PolyLink (www.calpolylink.com), Cal Poly's free, private social network for alumni, faculty and staff. This November, current Cal Poly seniors will be invited to the network. Got a great photo? Upload it to PolyLink (login required). You can't win Photo of the Month if you don't have PolyLink Photos.
Click here to see the 2010 Photo of the Month Gallery - no login required.
We Want YOU To Vote for the
2009 Alumni Photo of the Year
This year's PolyLink alumni photo entries include whopper fish, an alumna on Everest, cute future mustangs, alumni in various exotic places around the world, and more. In the running are the 12 PolyLink Alumni Photo of the Month winners from the past year. PolyLink editors select the monthly winners from among hundreds uploaded by alumni to their PolyLink Personal Page albums. The 2009 Alumni Photo of the Year winner will receive a $50 El Corral gift card good for Cal Poly gear. One lucky voter will receive a $25 El Corral gift card - just for voting.
Cast your ballot online by midnight Friday, Oct. 16! (requires login)
See a slideshow of the 12 Alumni Photo of the Year entries (no login needed)
University News
Cal Poly Earns Top Grades for Sustainability
GreenReportCard.org has named Cal Poly a Campus Sustainability Leader for 2010 for its ongoing efforts in sustainable campus practices. Cal Poly is the only California State University campus to earn the award this year. Cal Poly moved up to an overall B+ for 2010 on the annual College Sustainability Report Card, from a B- in 2009. The university was graded on eight of nine possible categories. It earned As in Administration, Climate Change & Energy, Student Involvement and Transportation and Bs for Food & Recycling.
More on Cal Poly's Sustainability Report Card
President Baker Outlines Progress,
Challenges in Coming Year
Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker outlined progress and challenges facing Cal Poly during the opening of Fall Conference in mid-September. Cal Poly has a reputation for excellence, the largest undergraduate enrollments in architecture, engineering and agriculture in the CSU, and the highest graduation rate in the CSU System, he noted. But the university needs to work on developing funding sources not dependent on the state. "Unfortunately, the state’s recent cuts for the CSU were merely prologue," the president told university faculty and staff. " California’s budget difficulties are not going away anytime soon."
Read the full text of President Baker's remarks to faculty and staff
Passings:
Philanthropist, Cal Poly President's Cabinet, College of Liberal Arts Supporter Robert Leach
M. Robert Leach, a Stanford graduate and longtime supporter of Cal Poly, passed away Sept. 26 after a battle with cancer. Leach was a generous contributor to many philanthropic organizations supporting education and the arts. He was a member of the Cal Poly President's Council and received various awards and commendations over the years, most recently being awarded the Cal Poly College of Liberal Arts Dean's Philanthropy Award in 2008. Contributions in his honor may be made to Cal Poly.
Details on Robert Leach
Second Phase of Poly Canyon Village Now Open
With Apartment-Style Living for 2,700 Students
The second, final phase of the Poly Canyon Village apartment-style student housing opened in September. The $300 million project can now house 2,700 students. Phase I of Poly Canyon Village opened to students in Fall 2008. Poly Canyon Village spans approximately 30 acres at the base of Poly Canyon. Its nine multi-story buildings are grouped around a plaza square including Einstein Bros. Bagels, Peet's Coffee and Tea, Jamba Juice, and the Village Market. This state-of-the-art complex includes a community center, swimming pool, study rooms, knowledge center, and conference room. It also includes parking garages for residents. With the new Poly Canyon Village open, plus the Cerro Vista complex and the traditional residence halls, there are now a total of 6,436 students living on campus.
Visit the Housing & Residential Life Web site for more details
Video Tour of Poly Canyon Village (Grand Opening Video, 2008)
Stay Current on Any Future Swine Flu News from Campus
Cal Poly has a new "swine flu" H1N1 Information Center Web site. Developed over the summer, the new site provides information, updates and links to local, national and international health organizations for faculty, staff, students, parents and friends of the university. Find current information on the site anytime at http://flu.calpoly.edu.
2009-10 Academic Calendar Now Available - Including Graduation Dates
Fall classes began Tuesday, Sept. 22. For the complete 2009-10 academic calendar, including scheduled dates for holidays and December 2009 and June 2010 commencement ceremonies, visit http://www.calpoly.edu/~acadprog/acad_cal/2009_10cal.htm
Cal Poly To Help Improve K-12 Teaching with Shared $12.6M Grant
Cal Poly has received a shared $12.6 million grant to strengthen the quantity and scale up the successful techniques in K-12 teacher preparation with special focus in math, sciences and special education. Cal Poly is partnering with CSU Monterey Bay and CSU Bakersfield in the grant program, which will focus on high-needs schools in Central California. The $12.6 million grant will be spread over the next five years to fund the Central California Partnership for Teacher Quality Programs (CCP-TQP). The Tulare County Office of Education and the Kern County Superintendent of Schools are also participating in the program.
Read the CSU news release on the $12.6 million grant
Current Students
Finance Major Is 2009 Cal Poly Hearst Scholar
Phong V. Dang, a finance major in Cal Poly's Orfalea College of Business, is the 2009 California Polytechnic State University recipient of the prestigious William Randolph Hearst CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. The winners, one from each campus in the system, were honored by the Trustees Sept. 22 at the Office of the Chancellor in Long Beach. The award is among the highest forms of recognition for student achievement in the CSU.
More on Dang's Hearst Scholar Award
Cal Poly Students Take Silver in National Aircraft Design Competition
A team of student aircraft designers from Cal Poly soared to second at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) annual Undergraduate Team Aircraft Design Competition. The event drew 22 international entries. Cal Poly’s Hummingbird Aeronautics won the silver for its design of the Tersus, a 150-seat “environmentally compatible” transport aircraft.
More on the Cal Poly aircraft designers
Graphics Students Get the Benefit of Ricoh Support
As part of the Partners in Education Program, Ricoh Americas Corporation donated a fully-configured Pro C900S digital color production printing system valued at more than $155,000. The donation advances applied student in the Graphic Communication Department.
Read more about Ricoh's donation
Cal Poly AmeriCorps Students Help Habitat for Humanity, Children's Museum
Cal Poly's chapter of student AmeriCorps volunteers has been busy. AmeriCorps members helped Habitat for Humanity of San Luis Obispo on Sept. 26. More than a dozen AmeriCorps members worked with Habitat for Humanity volunteers to build a shed, which will be auctioned in Paso Robles on Oct. 29. More than two dozen AmeriCorps members gave a thorough cleaning to the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum on Sept. 11 as part of the National Day of Service and Remembrance.
More on Habitat help | More on Children's Museum Help
Student Club
Wins
National Gold Award for Service
The Cal Poly chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars has received the gold award from its national group for recruitment, induction and community service efforts.The society is the nation’s only honors organization for university freshmen and sophomores. It focuses on members’ involvement in their communities.
More on the Cal Poly NSCS chapter's award
Students 'Learn by Printing' a Benefit Book
About
Poly Parent's Life as a Russian Princess
Cal Poly students working for the university's Cal Poly Graphic Communication Institute (GrCI) are now putting the final touches on a book about on one alum's mother and her secret life as a Russian princess. The GrCI is publishing the book about Mustang mom Tatiana Volkonsky: "She Cried for mother Russia: A Princess in San Luis Obispo." It tells the story of Volkonsky, a Russian princess and long-time San Luis Obispo resident (and Mustang Mom) who passed away in 1988. Volkonsky's younger son, Alec Kelley, graduated from Cal Poly and the author’s father, Hubert Semans, was the first dean of humanities on campus. Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Graphic Communication and English departments as well as the San Luis Obispo Historical Society.
Read the news release on "Mother Russia"
Faculty & Staff
Susan Elrod Moving to AAC&U
Susan Elrod was recently selected to be the new director of Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), a signature program of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Elrod will assume her directorship in January 2010 in Washington, D.C. The new appointment culminates more than a decade of Cal Poly service for Elrod. She has been a faculty member in the Biological Sciences Department since 1997 and the director of the Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education (CeSaME) since 2007, and she was recently appointed the associate dean for Strategic Initiatives in the College of Science and Mathematics.
Ethnic Studies Professor's Book on SoCal City Published
Cal Poly Ethnic Studies Professor Victor Valle's latest book, “City of Industry: Genealogies of Power in Southern California,” was released in mid-September by Rutgers University Press. Valle researched public records, media coverage and city archives of Industry (located in the Los Angeles basin) to expose scandals that transformed a working class city into what Valle calls a social, economic and environmental no-man’s land. He chronicles the city's journey from a place of productive factories to a wasteland of warehouses. The book details pivotal actions of several key players including the city’s founder and one of the nation’s biggest private developers.
Will Biotech Build Frankensteins?
Professor, Center Look for the Answer
We have the (bio)technology. We can now build better, faster, stronger humans. Is that a good idea or a step toward a 'Frankenstein' future? The question is the topic of the latest report released by the Ethics and Emerging Technologies Group at Cal Poly -- a report funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. Entitled “Ethics of Human Enhancement: 25 Questions and Answers,” the 50-page report serves as a convenient and accessible starting point for both public and classroom discussions about ethics issues such as bioethics.
More on the Human Enhancement Report
Passings: Aero Professor Emeritus Sandlin
Aerospace Professor Emeritus Doral Randolph Sandlin, known as "Sandy" to family and friends, died at home on Sept. 3, at the age of 79, with his wife of 50 years, Terri Sandlin, at his side. Sandlin started the master of science program in Cal Poly's Aeronautical Engineering Department in the late 1970s after obtaining research grants from NASA. His research projects helped scores of students obtain their master’s degrees from the 1970s through the 1990s. He was instrumental in bringing the aircraft design course at Cal Poly to national prominence. He served as department head during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was the founder of the department’s Industrial Advisory Board, which has been instrumental in maintaining educational excellence in aerospace engineering over the decades.
Read the full obituary in the Albuquerque Journal
Coming Up
Fibre Channel Pioneer Kumar Malavalli Speaking on Campus Oct. 15
Kumar Malavalli, considered one of the originators of high-speed Fibre Channel computer networking technology, will speak at Cal Poly on Thursday, Oct. 15 as part of the Orfalea College of Business Distinguished Guest Speaker Series. Malavalli is chairman and chief security officer of data protection with InMage Systems and chairman of data security solution provider CryptoMill Technologies. He was a co-founder of Brocade Communications Systems, the leader in storage-area switching. He is a 2003 inductee into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame.
More on Malavalli
Parents' Weekend Set for Oct. 24
Cal Poly's annual Parents' Weekend is set for Saturday, Oct. 24. The schedule of events includes a Parents for Philanthropy reception, the Mustang Tailgate BBQ, Oktoberfest, a football game vs. Dixie State, the Cal Poly Choirs’ concert and Deyo Dances. Parents: register by Oct. 16.
Details on Parents Weekend
Cal Poly Choirs Debut in Concert on Oct. 24
The Cal Poly Choirs' Debut Concert, "Sounds of Autumn," is set for 8 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Performing Art Center's Christopher Cohan Center. Meet the 2009-10 Cal Poly Choirs as they perform masterpieces based on poems for the season of autumn. Works include pieces by Johannes Brahms, Samuel Barber Stephen Chatman, and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel.
Details on the fall choir concert
Hear Alternative Acoustic Greats in Concert Oct. 27
Cal Poly Arts presents three masterful genre benders and leading virtuosos Béla Fleck (banjo), Zakir Hussain (tabla), and Edgar Meyer (bass) in concert Oct. 27. The three move with ease among the worlds of classical, bluegrass, and world music. Each a superstar in their own fields, they combine their brilliance for a one of a kind collaboration.
More on acoustic trio
Provocative Perspectives Brings Jewish-Arab Comedy Duo Oct. 29
Cal Poly’s Provocative Perspectives series will present a free performance Thursday, Oct. 29, by comedy duo Azhar Usman and Rabbi Bob Alper. The event, titled “Laugh in Peace: Understanding and Appreciating Diversity,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Pavilion. The New York Times declared that Alper and Nazareth (a Christian Arab) "had the audience convulsing" -- with laughter.
More on Usman and Alper
Get
Your HANDs on Health Oct. 30, 31
Cal Poly’s STRIDE will host its first annual HANDS on Health collaborative event on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31, showcasing health in a fun and interactive way. The entire county is invited to partake in this free event on the Cal Poly Campus. It will showcase national and regional research in health, nutrition and fitness for an audience of educators, medical professionals, students and scientists.
More on HANDs on Health