Cal Poly Update - March 2010
University News
Orfalea College of Business Moves Up in Business Week's 'Top 100' Rankings
Cal Poly's Orfalea College of Business again made Business Week's "Best B-Schools" list, this year moving up to the No. 64 spot on the magazine's national list of undergraduate business programs. The college was ranked No. 70 in 2009. Cal Poly and UC Berkeley were the only two public universities in California to make the list. "The key to this recognition is our alumni's success in the business world,'' said Dave Christy, dean of Cal Poly's Orfalea College of Business. "It’s clear that Cal Poly's learn-by-doing tradition arms our graduates with the tools they need to become resourceful professionals and innovative leaders. Their success enables us to continue to attract excellent students who, in turn, inspire our talented and dedicated faculty.''
Read more in Business Week Online
Go to Business Week's 'Top B-Schools' Ranking Table
Cal Poly Fraternities Defer Rush for New Students
Leaders of Cal Poly’s Interfraternity Council have announced a new plan that will bar new students from joining fraternities during their first quarter of enrollment. The change, effective fall quarter 2010, applies to freshmen and transfer students. The aim, said Interfraternity Council President Andrew Farrell, is to give new students time to acclimate and establish themselves academically and socially before they think about the time-intensive process of joining a fraternity.
More on deferred rushing
University's 10-Year Accreditation Process Moves Ahead after Campus Visit
Cal Poly's 10-year accreditation review is moving forward after a series of campus visits from education leaders in mid-February. The team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) met with students, faculty, staff and administrators during its three-day tour of the university. Team leaders spoke about their initial findings at an open meeting on the last day of the visit. WASC review team member Sam Smith, Washington University president emeritus, said the team found that the university is achieving its objectives overall, but had room for improvement in several areas. He said the school needs to better define the “polytechnic identity” it holds, learn more from its students and look toward modern technology to support the “learn by doing” atmosphere. The visit was part of the second phase of the accrediting process with the association. The report from the visit will determine if the Cal Poly WASC steering committee needs to adjust its plans for the next phase of accreditation, according to Cal Poly WASC leader David Conn.
Read the story in the Mustang Daily | Visit Cal Poly's WASC accreditation web site
Come Home to Campus for Open House April 15-17
More than 7,000 prospective students, family and friends have been invited to campus for the university's annual Open House April 15-17. Events begin with Admitted Students Preview Day Friday, April 16. Students and their families will tour campus and meet with their departments. Open House will be held Saturday, April 17. Events include the Poly Royal Parade, the Roborodentia 'robot' competition put on by the College of Engineering, the annual Poly Royal Rodeo featuring collegiate teams from across the West, the Truck and Tractor Pull, the annual Open House Concert featuring Cal Poly's student musicians, performances by student ethnic and social dance clubs, food, events for children, entertainment and more.
Bookmark the Open House Web site at www.openhouse.calpoly.edu
College of Liberal Arts Bakari Project Making a Difference for At-Risk Teens
Cal Poly's Bakari Project was featured Feb. 22 in the San Luis Obispo Tribune. The Bakari Project is a 52-week intervention program at Cal Poly for juvenile criminal offenders. It which focuses on helping those at risk improve behavior, gain personal responsibility and steer clear of crime. The program, called the Bakari Project, is endorsed by the county’s Anti-Gang Coordinating Commission and overseen by Cal Poly psychology professor Roslyn Caldwell. Grants from local agencies pay for the program.
Details on the project, and SLO Tribune story
Cal Poly Honored for Student Volunteer Service Efforts
Cal Poly has received the highest federal honor that universities can receive for commitment to service learning and civic engagement. Cal Poly was among more than than 700 institutions of higher learning named this week to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to America’s communities from the Corporation for National and Community Service.
More on national service honor
Orfalea Business Secures Grants to Offer 2010 Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic
Financial grants from Chevron Corporation and the federal government have facilitated the creation of the Cal Poly Low Income Taxpayer Clinic for residents of San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties. The clinic, which began operating in February, assists taxpayers involved in controversies with the IRS; and provides education and outreach services on the rights and responsibilities of U.S. taxpayers. The clinic will provide these services to low-income taxpayers at no charge in accordance with federal guidelines.
More on the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic | Video on Orfalea Business 2009 Low Income Taxypayer Clinic
Alumni News
PolyLink Photo of the Month: On the Ice Road in the Arctic
Mechanical Engineering alum Joel Vazquez ('99) is the March PolyLink Photo of the Month winner for this shot taken in the Alaskan Arctic. That's Vazquez at left. He works for Worley Parsons, an international energy company. "Most of my work has been at British Petroleum Alaska (BPXA) Prudhoe Bay Gathering Center 2. This photo was taken while on a visit to the Seawater Treatment Plant run by BP. The ice road actually leads to the BP North Star Island, an oil production facility in the Beaufort Sea." Vazquez is just one of the 14,500+ alumni in PolyLink, Cal Poly's free, private social network. You can see more of his arctic photos in his PolyLink Profile photo album -- but only if you log in to PolyLink. Everyone can see the alumni Photo of the Month winners anytime - no login needed.
Visit the PolyLink Alumni Photo of the Month Gallery (no login needed)
Alumni: Get your 1st time login code and get into PolyLink
Sign Up for Alumni Events: Modesto Wine, Swanton Train Rides, Engineering Reunion Breakfast
Join the Modesto Alumni Chapter for the third annual Fork N Bottle wine tasting March 25 at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The event features delicious wines, cheeses, appetizers and a silent auction. Proceeds from the event support chapter scholarships for Cal Poly students from Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties. On April 10, alumni and friends are invited to Cal Poly's Swanton Pacific Ranch just north of Santa Cruz for train rides and a barbecue at the annual Al Smith Day at the ranch. Only 500 tickets are available -- if you're interested get details and tickets early.
Engineering Alumni: If you're in town for Open House April 17, start the day with an Alumni Reunion Breakfast with Dean Noori, then join fellow alumni on tours of engineering labs, projects and club booths.
Details for Fork N Bottle, Al Smith Day and Open House Breakfast on the Alumni Events Calendar
Alumni in the News: March
California State Senator or Lt. Governor? Crop Science alum Abel Maldonado is at the center of an ongoing news story. One biology alumna is scrambling to keep her cheetahs, pythons, monkeys and foxes fed. One alum is enjoying his dream career: designing and testing roller coasters around the world. Cal Poly Alumni were getting promotions, honors, and headlines around the nation this month. Find out who they are -- and if you know them.
Read about Alumni in the News
Today's Students
Supermileage Team Fine Tuning the Black Widow for National Eco-Marathon in March
The Cal Poly Supermileage Team is fine tuning its famous 'Black Widow' supermileage racer for for the Shell Eco-Marathon March 26-28 in Houston, Texas. In 2008, with a whopping 2,752.3 miles per gallon, the "Black Widow" finished second place in the competition. In 2007, the "Black Widow" took first place with an impressive 1,902.7 mpg. Cal Poly's College of Engineering has fielded the ultra high-mileage, three-wheeled car in the Eco-Marathon's student competition since 2005. This year's team is looking for another first-place finish and also entering an 'Urban Concept' car.
More on the Black Widow and the competition
Society of Women Engineers Bringing Hands-On Engineering to Local Elementary Students
Cal Poly students from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) visited local fourth-grade classrooms in February, bringing hands-on engineering and science activities with them. Volunteers from visited schools in Atascadero, Morro Bay, Santa Maria, Grover Beach and Los Osos. The classroom outreach was part of the college's celebration of National Engineers Week in February. On campus, the Engineering Student Council put on activities, competitions and presentations. They included a "Ms. Engineer" competition, a forum on virtual reality and a boat-building competition.
More on National Engineers Week
More on fourth-grade engineering activities
SWE Engineers Honors Five Outstanding Members
The Cal Poly Society of Women Engineers (SWE), in cooperation with Lockheed Martin, announced the recipients of the 2010 Outstanding Women in Engineering and Technology Award at this year’s “Evening With Industry” held in January at the San Luis Obispo Embassy Suites. In addition, SWE named Lee McFarland from Mechanical Engineering as “Most Supportive Professor” and presented $30,000 in scholarships at the gala.
More on SWE
Cal Poly Chooses 10 Student Project Finalists
for CSU Research Competition
Cal Poly is sending 10 student projects on to the 2010 California State University Student Research Competition Aril 30 and May 1 at San Jose State University. The Cal Poly students' research topics range from branding lily ponds to finding associations between news articles and stock prices to the effects of using recycled water in vegetable irrigation to issues faced by females in computer gaming. A panel of Cal Poly faculty and administrators selected the 10 student finalists from among 23 presentations made on campus Saturday, Feb. 27.
More on 2010 student research finalists
Ag Communications Student Takes National Title for Discussion on Influencing Ag Policy
Cal Poly Student Olivia Gonzales took first place and a $2,500 scholarship in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2010 Collegiate Discussion Meet. Gonzales represented Cal Poly and competed against 37 other college students and recent graduates at the AFBF Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference in in February in Tulsa, Okla. Gonzales is studying ag communications in addition to running her family’s dry-farmed walnut business in Paso Robles. The Gonzales family also raises cattle and owns a wine-tasting room. In the final round of the national competition in Tulsa, Gonzales tackled this assigned topic: “How can we continue to bridge the gap between farmers/ranchers and lawmakers in order to have an influence in the changing political environment?”
More on Gonzales
Cal Poly Agriculture Students Put On
26th Western Bonanza Junior Livestock Show
Students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences put on the 26th Annual Western Bonanza Junior Livestock show in February.
There were 466 exhibitors who showed over 1,800 head of beef cattle , hogs, sheep and meat goats over the Presidents Day weekend. Overall payouts and prizes totaled over $80,000. Faculty in charge of the program are Wendy Hall from Animal Science and Jacky Eshelby from Ag Business. The program teaches students how to organize and host a junior livestock show similar to a county fair. Visit the Web site at www.westernbonanza.calpoly.edu.
See coverage of the event on KCOY TV -12 News
Cal Poly's Monster Tractor Pulls to Top at World Ag Expo
The Cal Poly-built super tractor pulled its way to the top of the competition recently at the World Ag Expo. The annual event in Tulare draws thousands of exhibitors and competitors from all facets of the agriculture industry. "Poly Thunder" is the name of the university's modified 13,000 horsepower tractor and the team of students who work on it and compete with it, pulling weighted loads down a 300-foot track. The Poly Thunder team is on a winning streak this year. See it in action at Open House April 17 on campus. The annual Tractor Pull will take place at 1 p.m. in the field across from the crops unit on Mt. Bishop Drive.
Read the full story in the Mustang Daily | Visit the Poly Thunder Web site
Architecture Student Honored for “Deployable Pod” Design
Cal Poly Architecture student Cody Williams was selected for the Special Mention: Deployable Pod category in the annual d3 Housing Tomorrow International Architectural Design Competition. According to d3, this year’s competition called for transformative solutions that advance sustainable thought, building performance, and social interaction through study of intrinsic environmental geometries, social behaviors, urban implications, and programmatic flows.
More on pod design
Architecture Student Receives National Recognition
Cal Poly architecture student John Vierra won first place in the 2009 Bohemian Flats Boathouse Student Design Competition. The competition was sponsored by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) in conjunction with The Vinyl Institute. This year’s competition focused on rewarding design excellence at a small-scale, highlighting the unique aspects of designing a boathouse and building knowledge about materials, products and assembly contributing to a sustainable and safe environment. The competition site was The Bohemian Flats, a historic parcel of land on the bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.
More on Vierra's design
Construction Management Students Excel in National Competition
Cal Poly Construction Management students continue to build on their reputation for excellence. Construction Management students from Cal Poly recently placed sixth out of 39 four-year level teams at the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) Residential Construction Management Competition in Las Vegas.
More on Construction Competition
Faculty & Staff
Music Professor Russell is the Recipient of the Edna Kimbro Award
Professor Craig Russell of the Music Department received the Edna Kimbro Award from the California Mission Studies Association in February. The award is granted annually to a distinguished scholar who has made the most substantial contribution in the study of California and its culture during the mission era. He received the award primarily for his most recent publication, "From Serra to Sancho: Music and Pageantry in the California Missions" (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). The award was officially announced at the opening ceremony of the 27th Annual Conference of the CMSA at Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside. Organization president Dan Krieger (a Cal Poly History Professor) introduced Professor Russell at the convention. In addition to accepting the award, Russell gave the plenary lecture “From Chant to
Classicism: Exploring the Musical Styles of the California Missions.”
Visit Professor Russell's Web site
Coming Up
Cal Poly Wine Festival Set for April - Tickets On Sale Now
The Cal Poly Vines to Wines Club is selling tickets for its eighth annual Cal Poly Wine Festival Weekend. The weekend kicks off Friday, April 23 at the Cal Poly Arboretum with a barbecue and live auction for Cal Poly alumni and winemakers of attending wineries. Tickets are $50, and space is limited to 200. The Wine Festival takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 24 at Santa Margarita Ranch in Santa Margarita, Calif., about 12 miles north of Cal Poly on Highway 101. The student-run event will showcase wineries from all over California, as well as local restaurants and caterers. Event proceeds support Cal Poly’s Wine and Viticulture Program.
Read more about the Wine Festival
Cal Poly Wind Bands in Concert March 13
The
Cal Poly Wind Bands' Winter Concert, “Blue Shades and Wild Nights - The Extraordinary Music of Frank Ticheli” is set for Saturday, March 13 in the Performing Arts Center. Showtime is 8 p.m. Ticheli is a superstar among living band composers. Meet him and hear some of his most spectacular works, watch him conduct and witness the future of the wind band.
More on the Wind Band & Ensemble Concert
Feel the Blues March 13 in Spanos Theatre
Cal Poly Arts presents James "Superharp" Cotton and The James Cotton Blues Band March 13 in Spanos Theatre. Inducted into the Smithsonian Institute in 1991, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2006, and winner of countless W.C. Handy Blues Awards, Grammy Award-winner James “Superharp” Cotton is one of the most sought-after, hard-driving blues musicians touring today. A true blues living legend.
More on the James Cotton Blues Band
Ricky Skaggs Brings Kentucky Thunder Bluegrass March 14
Cal Poly Arts presents Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder in concert March 14. With shelves full of Grammy Awards and legions of bluegrass fans across the nation, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder are bringing a toe-tappin’, foot-stompin’ hoe-down performance guaranteed to be the feel-good show of the season.
More on Kentucky Thunder
'Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged' Plays March 17
Cal Poly Arts presents the Reduced Shakespeare Company and its "Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged," March 17 in the Spanos Theatre. This madcap condensation of the Bard’s prolific portfolio features non-stop laughs. The company performs at a delightfully zany, whirlwind pace (all of the “Histories” in 10 minutes.) With pure wit and masterful commitment, the troupe has won over even the most die-hard Shakespearean scholar.
More on Abridged Shakespeare
Hawaii's 'First Couple' of Cultural Arts Performs March 19
Cal Poly Arts presents a performance by Keola and Moana Beamer March 19 in Spanos Theatre. Known as Hawaii’s “First Couple,” the duo are touring the world with their unique vision of Hawaii’s cultural arts. Keola is the revered King of Hawaiian slack key guitar and Moana is the Queen of luscious, authentic hula dancing. With special guest, Raiatea Helm.
More on the Hawaiian concert
Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Coming to Cohan Center March 21
Cal Poly Arts presents the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra in concert at the Cohan Center March 21. The Moscow orchestra is one of the most revered Russian ensembles. With guest conductor Robert Cole, pianist Alexander Sinchuk, and cellist Julian Schwarz, the program includes glorious masterworks by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Rimsky-Korsakov.
More on Moscow Symphony
See 'Ballroom with a Twist'
and Barbara Eden March 30
Cal Poly Arts presents "Ballroom with a Twist" in the Cohan Center March 30. Choreographed by "Dancing With the Stars" Louis van Amstel and starring television’s own Barbara Eden as guest host, this brilliant extravaganza is filled with stunning costumes, magnificent music, and breathtaking performances. It pushes the boundaries of ballroom dance, infusing it with the energy and intensity of the latest hip hop styles.
More on Ballroom with a Twist
Los Lobos & Leo Kottke
in Acoustic Concert April 1 at the PAC
Cal Poly Arts presents Los Lobos an guitarist Leo Kottke teaming up for an acoustic concert April 1 at the Cohan Center. For more than 35 years, East L.A.’s Los Lobos has redefined what a rock band should be and how rock music can sound by delivering thought provoking lyrics and songs driven by blues, rockabilly, jazz, and Latin rhythms. Sharing the concert is multi-Grammy Award winner Leo Kottke. Kottke is famous for
his innovative finger-picking style and unconventional tunings on his signature
6 and 12 string guitars and a sound that is steeped in blues, jazz, and folk.
More on Kottke & Los Lobos
U Jazz Band Swing Dance Concert
is April 3 in Chumash
Bring your dance shoes and hear the University Jazz Band play a swing dance concert starting at 8 p.m. in Chumash Auditorium . The public is invited to this dance concert featuring original swing-era tunes played by University Jazz Band No. 1. The dance will be from 8 to 10:30 p.m. in Chumash Auditorium at Cal Poly. Free swing dance lessons will be given at 7 p.m.
More on the U Jazz Band Swing Dance Concert
TV Comedy
Crew Comes to Cohan Center April 3
Stand up is fun, but improv can be funnier and everyone who has seen the television show knows these guys are the world’s best. This evening features star alumni from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
including the irrepressible Ryan Stiles. Bring your suggestions and you might just end up on stage in one of their hilarious improvised skits.
More on "Whose Line" at the PAC
See Opera Classic 'La Boheme' April 9 & 10
One of the most popular and romantic operas ever composed. "La Boheme" is Puccini's passionate, soulful story of two poor, young Bohemians who find a love so intense that it's unbearable to be apart, yet impossible to stay together. Fully staged with youth and adult choruses and full orchestra, this timeless classic was the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical "Rent." Showtime is 7:30 p.m. both evenings at the Christopher Cohan Center.
Details on La Boheme
Faculty Music Recital Set for April 10
Hear Cal Poly faculty in recital at 8 p.m., Davidson Music Center, Room 218. A faculty recital featuring a Duetto for Double Bass and Cello -Rossini Suite for Viola and Double Bass -Glière Works of Schubert, Rabbath and others.
More on the faculty recital
Elvis Costello In Concert at Cal Poly April 12
Cal Poly Arts presents rock icon Elvis Costello in solo concert at Cal Poly Monday, April 12. Curtain time is 8 p.m. in the Christopher Cohan Center on campus. Known for his seminal work with The Attractions and The Imposters, Costello's special solo tour will feature the multi-talented performer, his guitars, songs, and stories in an incredible night of entertainment with music from the present, past, and future. A true "must-see" for every Costello fan.
More on the Costello concert