Cal Poly Report — June 10, 2020 

Employees Invited to Complete the COVID-19 Virtual Transition Survey 

The university is conducting the Cal Poly COVID-19 Transition Survey to understand how employees have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the university’s transition to virtual instruction and telework. This survey is a collaboration between Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Human Resources that seeks to gather key insights, including how Cal Poly faculty and staff are responding to the crisis; provide the best resources available to support employee success; and gather employee perceptions on how the virtual transition has impacted course design, work productivity and more. All employees were invited to participate in the survey in an email from President Armstrong earlier this week. Check your inbox. The survey is anonymous, takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and will be open through June 23. For more information about the Cal Poly COVID-19 Transition Survey, visit https://coronavirus.calpoly.edu/transition-survey.
 

Gather in Solidarity at the Virtual Vigil for Black Lives on June 11

The campus community is invited to gather in solidarity at a virtual vigil for black lives on Thursday, June 11, from 10:10-11 a.m. All are welcome to attend. Space is limited to 300, so register in advance at http://tiny.cc/Vigil4BL.This vigil is also available via livestream on the Cal Poly VPSA Keith Humphrey Page at https://www.facebook.com/VPSAKeithHumphrey/. 
 

Cal Poly Recognizes Six Outstanding Graduates from the Class of 2020

This spring, 4,899 students are eligible to graduate from Cal Poly’s six colleges. The COVID-19 pandemic has marked an unprecedented end to many students’ time at the university in 2020. Ongoing concerns for public safety are delaying graduates’ chances to take the stage in a traditional commencement ceremony. But this year’s graduating seniors are nonetheless prepared to embrace the next phases of their lives and careers. “Graduation looks different this year, but the stellar quality of our graduates remains the same,” President Armstrong said. “We look forward to the opportunity to invite all of our spring 2020 graduates back to campus later this year or in 2021 to celebrate their achievements. In the meantime, we know that we are sending the best and the brightest on to begin their careers or continue their educations — to meet the problems of today’s world head-on and make a tangible, positive impact in their industries and their communities.” Click here to meet six of Cal Poly’s Great Grads for spring 2020.
 

Honor and Recognize the Class of 2020

Celebrate the Class of 2020 by downloading printable banners and lawn signs, Zoom backgrounds and social media images. Visit the new Spring Commencement 2020 celebration website to access commencement downloads, recognize graduates, and purchase gifts and other memorabilia. Save the date for a special prerecorded tribute to graduates featuring campus leaders and special guests. This virtual celebration will be emailed to graduates and supporters on Friday, June 12, and shared on the Spring Commencement 2020 website, Instagram account and Facebook page. Sign up to receive the tribute video email here. In addition, the university is mailing special Grad Packs gifts to graduates the week of finals. For more information, please contact the Commencement Office at commencement@calpoly.edu.
 

Campus COVID-19 Updates: University Housing Move Out Continues Through June 14

University Housing continues to ask faculty and staff to help move students out of campus residence halls and apartments. Currently active employees, including student assistants who are currently working on campus, can sign up for two-hour shifts from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through June 14. Volunteers are especially needed on June 12-14. Employees must get approval from their supervisor first. Click here to sign up for a shift. Helpers must wear face coverings and gloves; University Housing will provide these items if needed. Visit the University Housing website for more information; contact Zach Zimmerman at zzimme01@calpoly.edu with questions. For updates and information about the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, continue to visit coronavirus.calpoly.edu.
 

Dive into the Latest Issue of Cal Poly Magazine

Students, faculty, staff and alumni share how they continue to Learn by Doing in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in the latest issue of Cal Poly Magazine. Readers will tag along on virtual hikes, get to know remote research projects, and go behind the scenes of digital sales pitch competitions. They’ll also find stories about campus life and athletics from the days before COVID-19. Read articles and watch videos from this digital edition at https://magazine.calpoly.edu/.
 

Cal Poly Joins Network of Leading Universities to Help Ensure Technology Creates Public Benefit

Cal Poly has joined the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), a partnership that fosters collaboration between universities and colleges committed to building the nascent field of public interest technology and training a new generation of civic-minded technologists. As a part of this collaboration, Cal Poly has launched an internal competition for Public Interest Technology Grants, which provide up to $180,000 funded by PIT-UN to support research and training at the intersection of technology and public benefit. Proposals selected from Cal Poly will be submitted to the PIT-UN national competition. Faculty may apply through this link. The public interest technology field is dedicated to leveraging technology to support public interest organizations and the people they serve. At Cal Poly, research projects related to this field are being funded by the university’s Center for Expressive Technologies, including research into using image classification technology to formulate better public health messaging on social media. Another project works with a group of multidisciplinary undergraduate research assistants to develop virtual reality scenarios meant to increase bystander behavior to reduce sexual harassment among college students. Read more here.
 

Cal Poly Partnership with Air Force Research Laboratory Will Direct $2.5 Million to Aerospace Engineering Department

Cal Poly’s partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory will direct roughly $2.5 million to enhance the university’s Aerospace Engineering Department and boost its mini-satellite program, which was the catalyst for a substantial expansion of space research two decades ago. The Education Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the Air Force provides a total of $5 million to be split evenly between Cal Poly and California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. Funding for the partnership was secured by three U.S. representatives from California — Salud Carbajal, Norma J. Torres and Grace Napolitano — through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 (H.R. 1158). The EPA’s agreements between a defense laboratory and an educational institution allow the labs to provide laboratory equipment and personnel to the schools, plus career and academic advice to students while involving faculty and students in research. (Pictured is aerospace engineering student Brigitte Petersen, the project manager for two Cal Poly CubeSat missions that will test drag sails as a means to safely deorbit miniature satellites. A partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory will help Cal Poly explore propulsion techniques for CubeSats.) Read more here.
 

Engineering Students and Faculty Recreate Campus on Minecraft for Virtual Graduation Ceremony

Students and faculty are recreating the university’s campus on Minecraft so the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department can hold a virtual graduation ceremony at Spanos Stadium this month. “Because we can’t have an in-person graduation ceremony right now, we thought this could be a nice alternative,” said Kyle Vu, a CSSE senior who has worked on the project in his free time. This year’s on-campus graduation ceremonies have been postponed due to the COVID-19 virus, leading some departments to hold virtual ceremonies. Taking cues from other schools, including UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley, the CSSE Department launched a Cal Poly server on Minecraft and began creating a version of campus during spring break. To help create an accurate Minecraft Cal Poly, the students and faculty have used Google Earth (with measuring tools), Cal Poly building floor plans, images of campus and “fond memories and imaginations,” said Professor Zoë Wood. On June 13, close to 100 graduating CSSE students and faculty will join the server at 1 p.m. and gather at the recreated Spanos Stadium. Families of students will be able to view the event via live streaming. Simultaneously using Zoom, Department Chair Chris Lupo will present a brief welcome speech before faculty member John Clements reads the names of each graduate as they walk their avatars across the virtual stage. When all the students have “walked,” their avatars will fly around campus. Read more on Cal Poly News.
 

Cal Poly Students Participate in CFA Investment Research Challenge

The team of finance students that took first place at the CFA Institute's Investment Research Challenge in San Francisco advanced to the America's competition in New York City in April, where they competed against over 50 universities from the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Unfortunately, the America's competition was conducted virtually due to the pandemic and the team was unable to travel to NYC. Finance and economics students (from left to right in photo) Jackson Yates, Elena Perry, Alex Lustig, Michael Lefkowitz, and Yousef Eissa represented Cal Poly at the semifinal round of the competition. They are seniors graduating this spring. The team was charged with analyzing and making buy/sell/hold recommendations for the Electronic Arts (Stock Symbol EA). The students were advised by finance Professor Cyrus Ramezani and finance alumnus Scott B. Kirk (CFA, 2005).
 

Students Present Research at CSU Competition

Twelve students participated virtually in the 34th Annual CSU Student Research Competition on April 24, joining approximately 230 students presenting the results of their research and creative efforts. The Cal Poly students were selected in a campuswide competition to represent the university, and they all did so with distinction, managing the shift to a virtual competition with a Learn by Doing ethos. Six projects received awards: Cami Christopher (undergraduate kinesiology major), first place in the Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences category; Kelly Condron (M.S. Nutrition, '19; B.S., in Kinesiology, '13), first place in the Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences category; Fionna Fahey (undergraduate interdisciplinary studies major), first place in the Humanities and Letters category; Kat Ivey (M.S., Biological Sciences, '20; B.S., Animal Science, '16), first place in the Biological and Agricultural Sciences category; Nicole Zeltser (Animal Sciences, '20), first place in the Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences category; Ryan Kohls (graduate student completing master's degree in engineering management) and Joshua Grassel (industrial engineering student), second place in the Engineering and Computer Science category. Visit Office of Student Research to read more about the participants and view their presentations. The accomplishments of these students attest to the excellence of our undergraduate and graduate programs and the commitment and quality of our faculty.
 

Need New Lab or Teaching Equipment? Mechanical Engineering Students May Be Able to Help

For their senior project, mechanical engineering students work in small teams to design, build and test a mechanical system to meet a sponsor’s needs. Project results include a final report and tested prototype. The department waives the course fee for on-campus sponsors, so the only expense is the cost to build/test the final prototype. Projects starting in the fall will finish in June 2021. Learn more at https://me.calpoly.edu/senior-project/sponsor. This fall, the department is looking for over 40 new design challenges for its teams. Anyone with an idea that they'd like to discuss can contact Peter Schuster at pschuste@calpoly.edu.
 

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