Cal Poly Update - April 2010
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Alumni News
Open House is Saturday - And You're Invited
Join 2010's accepted students and their families on campus as student clubs, departments and faculty showcase Cal Poly. Admitted Students Preview Day is set for Friday, April 16. The community is invited to campus Saturday, April 17 for Open House, which kicks off with the traditional Poly Royal parade. Come see what's new on campus, see presentations from hundreds of student clubs, tour the Design Village collegiate architecture competition, the College of Engineering's 'RoboRodentia' mini-robot battles, performances by student bands and orchestras, children's activities, and more.
Go to the Open House schedule
CSU Nisei Project:
Looking for Japanese American Alumni
Cal Poly is looking for Japanese American alumni who had their education interrupted by relocation to internment camps during World War II. Cal Poly is one of six California State University campuses that had students who were removed from their programs and interned during WWII. The university has identified some 30 former students who are eligible to receive an honorary degree, and is reaching out to the former students and their families to make them aware of this opportunity. Japanese-American Cal Poly alumni who were interned during World War II will receive honorary bachelor’s degrees during a special commencement ceremony Monday, June 7 at 11 a.m. Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker will confer the degrees.
Read more about the CSU Nisei Project
Photo: Cal Poly baseball team, 1941
Universal Entertainment Executive Speaking Thursday on Campus
Journalism alumna Vivi Zigler, president of NBC Digital Universal Entertainment, is speaking on campus Thursday (April 15) at 5 p.m. in the Kennedy Library. Her talk is titled “The Art of Leadership,” and she will discuss her rise from local reporter to top entertainment executive at one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. The event is free and open to the public. It's part of the College of Liberal Arts’ 2010 Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series. Zigler was appointed president of NBC Universal Digital Entertainment in June 2008. She leads the NBC Universal Digital Entertainment team, which comprises the NBC Universal Digital Studio and NBC.com. She also lends her support and expertise to all of the NBC Universal entertainment Web sites. Previously, she was executive vice president of NBC Digital Entertainment & New Media.
More on Zigler
Alumni in the News: April
Aero Engineering alum Burt Rutan brought the world one step closer to private space travel with the successful test flight of SpaceShip Two and its carrier aircraft, the VMS Eve. Two alumni made waves with their "opening day" webcast dismantling a new iPad to see what's inside and how it works. From water conserving landscape to architectural heritage to socially responsible investing, alumni made headlines on the job and off. Find out who they are, and if you know any of them.
Read about alumni in the news
Alumni Discount for New Cal Poly 'Mustang White' Wine Release
Cal Poly wines just released the 2008 Mustang White, a Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc blend. Until May 1, alumni and friends can purchase the new Mustang White for $14 per bottle at calpolywine.com, the Downtown Bookstore and Central Coast Wines. Purchase a case online and receive a 10 percent discount. This inaugural Mustang White was made by student winemaker Michael Horton. It exhibits the minerality and crispness of a European-style wine. Melon, tangerine, citrus and pear flavors make this light, refreshing wine a perfect complement to crab cakes, smoked cheeses, bruschetta or grilled vegetables.
More about Mustang White on calpolywine.com
Find Your Networking Comfort Zone
Brush up on your business and social networking skills in May with a three-part Webinar series - no name tags or hotel ballrooms needed. If you've got a computer with an Internet connection, you can join the "Networking Naturally" sessions the evenings of May 4, 11 and 18.
This is the second year the Cal Poly Alumni Association is offering the series, conducted by career coach Carol Ross, founder of MyAlumniLink. Sessions are 75 minutes each.
More Details on Networking Naturally
Golf Tournaments, Beach Cleanup - CPAA Events Around the State
Enjoy the beach in San Diego, and help the environment at the same time April 24. Join members of the San Diego Alumni Chapter and "I Love a Clean San Diego" for the 8th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup. It's free to participate and "I Love a Clean San Diego" is providing lunches for volunteers. If you're a golfer, it's your season. Join Tulare/Kings County Alumni Chapter for the annual Rita B. Hill Golf Tournament at the Tulare Golf Course May 7. Join Modesto Alumni Chapter for the Robert J. Cardoza Hall of Fame Golf Tournament at Stevinson Ranch Golf Course May 21. And Join GrC Alumni for the 23rd Annual GrC/Jason Gore Golf Tournament at Hunter Ranch in Paso Robles May 22. Join Cal Poly alumni and friends for the annual Nor Cal Golf Tournament at Roddy Ranch in Antioch June 26.
Check the Alumni Events Calendar for details
Alumni Photo of the Month: Lots of Louvre
It's Daniel Yoder, a 2007 Civil Engineering grad, in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Yoder is the PolyLink Photo of the Month winner for the shot. Yoder is just one of more than 14,300 alumni in PolyLink, the secure, private online community for Mustang alumni and current seniors. Inside there are groups for every major and an interactive Google map of alumni members. You'll also find more than 500 photo albums created by alumni like Yoder. You'll also find links to jobs posted by alumni looking for alumni and new grads. It's a site that blends the best of personal and professional networking in a safe environment. Browse the public sections at www.calpolylink.com, including the Alumni Photo of the Month gallery.
Alumni: not in PolyLink yet? Look for a separate e-mail today with directions and your first-time login code.
University News
University's Strategic Plan Ready for Comment
The final draft of the Cal Poly Strategic Plan has been completed after two years of research and input from students, faculty, alumni, industry partners and university staff. It’s ready for review and the university is looking for public feedback. The plan's vision statement calls for Cal Poly to be “the nation's premier comprehensive polytechnic university, a nationally recognized, innovative institution focused on helping California meet future challenges in a global context.''
More on the Strategic Plan
Now Playing on Cal Poly's YouTube Channel:
E-Week, The Video
What do you get when you have raw eggs hurling through the Engineering quad and students capsizing hand-built, cardboard boats in Poly Canyon Village pool? It’s eWeek, produced by the Engineering Student Council, and those were just a few of the competitions that were both fun and challenging. The week also featured educational seminars, social events and tons of fun. Watch this one-and-a-half minute video to see teamwork in action.
Watch the video | Requires Flash player - download Flash player free
Today's Students
Cal Poly Team Takes Top Award at National Dairy Challenge Competition
Cal Poly's team
took the First Place Platinum award in the ninth annual North American
Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge April 9‐10.
The event was co-hosted by Cal Poly in Visalia and attracted teams
from 30 universities throughout the United States and Canada. Cal Poly tied for the first place award with teams from Cornell University, The Ohio State University and University of Wisconsin‐Madison.Team members Anthony Martin, Brian Medeiros, Katherine Rector and Michael
Wesselink were coached by Dairy Science Professor Stan Henderson. The competition pairs students in small teams to evaluate a working dairy operation, then make a recommendations to the dairy owner and a panel of judges.
More on the Dairy Challenge Team Win
Mustang Daily Student Newspaper Wins Awards
The Mustang Daily was named the College Newspaper of the Year for the second consecutive year on March 27 at the College Newspapers Business and Advertising Managers (CNBAM) annual convention in Los Angeles. In addition, student Andrew Santos-Johnson, an Art and Design senior, was honored as the Advertising Designer of the Year at the convention, and Erika Powers, an Agriculture Business junior, was named the Advertising Sales Representative of the Year.
More on the Mustang Daily
Faculty & Staff
Professors' Research Powers Planning for Parks in California
Californians love the outdoors, want to get out, walk and bicycle more -- and they like campgrounds with restrooms. They think parks and recreation programs help the economy and keep children and teens out of trouble. And they think being in harmony with nature is important. Those are just some of the findings in a new report on park use in California that was powered by research from faculty in Cal Poly's Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Department. Professors Bill Hendricks, Jerusha Greenwood, Jeff Jacobs and Marni Goldenberg collaborated with other researchers to produce the report.
More on what Californians want in Parks
What is Nanotechnology? Professor's New Book Explains
Philosophy professor Patrick Lin co-authored the book “What is Nanotechnology and Why Does it Matter?: From Science to Ethics.” The book explains the basic science behind nanotechnology and inherent risks, and explores the social and ethical implications of application, particularly with regard to the environment, military, enhancement, privacy and medicine. The book is part of an ongoing effort from the Ethics + Emerging Science Group based at Cal Poly. Lin's co-authors are Fritz Allhoff, assistant philosophy professor at Western Michigan University and Daniel Moore, an IBM nanoscientist trained at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Read the press release about the book
Cal Poly Hosts International Physics Collaboration
The Cal Poly Physics Department hosted the international CUORE Collaboration on campus March 29. CUORE, which stands for "Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events," is part of a suite of experiments searching for an exotic nuclear process called "neutrinoless double beta decay." This research drives activities related to radiation detection, cryogenics and underground science, in turn contributing to a host of other technologies and projects. Attending were researchers from UC Berkeley, UCLA, Livermore Lab, Berkeley Lab, University of Wisconsin, University of South Carolina, University of Milan, University of Rome, University of Genoa, and more. Find details on the event at http://nuclear.calpoly.edu/~cuore.
Coming Up
See Cal Poly Ballet Folklorico Troupe
'Imagen y Espiritu' Perform April 17
From the elegant and intricate dance style of Veracruz, to the fast-paced styles of Sinaloa, and many more. " Imagen y Espiritu" invites you to a night filled with cultural dance from various regions of Mexico. Performance is 7 p.m. in the Spanos Theatre.
Ticket Details on Imagen y Espiritu
Student Musicians Featured at
Cal Poly Open House Concert April 17
After an exciting day at Cal Poly’s Open House, come and enjoy an evening of live entertainment by three of the Music Department’s finest instrumental ensembles. This year's Open House concert theme is “Shades of Blue.” The blues is one of America’s greatest musical treasures and is the foundation of virtually every major American music form born in the 20th century including jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll.
More on the Open House concert
All-State Music Festival Concert is April 18
Hear the All-State Music Festival Concert performance starting at 2:30 p.m. in the Cohan Center April 18. Some 150 of the state’s finest high school musicians participate in this spectacular Open House event. Festival Symphony Orchestra Conductor is Julien Benichou, Music Director of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony and Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra in Maryland. Festival Jazz Band Soloist and Director is Dr. Charles Wood, professor emeritus of music from Santa Barbara City College, where he served as the director of bands and jazz studies for 15 years. Festival Wind Orchestra Conductor is J. Eric Schmidt, one of the busiest freelance composers in Los Angeles.
More on the All-State concert
Wine Festival Sold Out - Tickets Still Available for Winemaker Barbecue April 23
The 2010 Cal Poly Wine Festival is sold out, but tickets are still available for the festival's April 23 Winemaker Barbecue. Both events a benefits for Cal Poly's Wine & Viticulture program. The barbecue is set for Friday, April 23 at the Cal Poly Arboretum and includes a live auction for winemakers and Cal Poly alumni. The student-run weekend is organized by the Cal Poly Vines to Wines club and will showcase wineries from all over California, as well as local restaurants and caterers.
Details and Winemaker Barbecue Tickets
Trio of Professors Hits the Strings April 23
On Friday, April 23, a trio of Cal Poly Professors present "Strings, Cords and Keys." The recital features Brynn Albanese, violin; Katherine Arthur, voice; and Susan Azaret Davies, piano. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. in Spanos Theatre.
More on the faculty trio April 23 recital
Dance, Song Showcased in Pilipino Cultural Night April 24, 25
Cal Poly's Pilipino Cultural Exchange presents their 21st annual production. Inspired by Filipino folklore and mythology featuring cultural dancing and singing. Showtime is 6:30 p.m. in the Spanos Theatre.
More on Pilipino Cultural Night
Ballet Theatre of San Luis Obispo Presents 'Copelia' April 24, 25
Ballet Theatre of San Luis Obispo stages ballet’s most endearing 3-act romantic comedy April 24 at 7 p.m. in the Cohan Center. A 19th century Bavarian village watches the antics of betrothed Franz and Swanilda after eccentric toymaker Dr. Copellius’ creates a beautiful doll named Copellia. Leo Delibes’ gorgeous score, period costumes, fabulous sets and unforgettable dancing complete this family favorite.
More on Copelia
Martha Graham Dance Company
Leaps into the PAC Apr. 27
Cal Poly Arts presents the Martha Graham Dance Company in performance April 27.
Choosing from over 180 works in Martha Graham’s eclectic repertoire, the famed choreographer’s career highlights are featured in a stellar showcase, performed
by one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary dance ensembles.
More on Graham Dance Co. performance
Hear Business Experts on Risky Business April 28
So just how risky is risk-taking? Talk with Orfalea College of Business Economics Professor Eduardo Zambrano and find out. His take: The economic problems of recent years came about, in part, because we didn’t understand the risks we, as a society, were collectively taking. Zambrano's presentation and discussion will explore what it means to take individual and societal risks, how to measure those risks, and how economics, engineering and psychology envision risk differently.
Details on Zambrano's Science Cafe talk
Mark Your Calendar: Homecoming 2010 Set For Oct. 29-30
Cal Poly's Homecoming 2010 has been set for October 29-30. The Honored Alumni Awards program will be held on Friday, October 29. On Saturday, October 30 the Cal Poly Mustangs will face the Saint Francis Red Flash in Spanos Stadium. Mark your calendars and come to campus for the annual Tailgate Barbecue and Cal Poly Alumni Association Wine Tasting before kickoff Oct. 30.