Recent News
Cal Poly Awards Over $60,000 in Grants for Student Research Projects
Mar 9, 2023
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly has awarded more than $60,000 to support 17 student research projects through the university’s Baker/Koob endowments, which support hands-on, project-based learning opportunities for individual students and groups. Student projects are focused on issues including STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education, agricultural sciences, climate change and its effects on local environments.
Nikki Arm, a master’s student in mechanical engineering from Carlsbad, California, received funding from the endowments over the past two years to support her thesis project designing, building and testing a deep ocean vehicle lander. Arm began her work on the lander during a summer internship with Global Ocean Design. At the end of the internship, Arm was able to bring the lander to Cal Poly to continue her work on the project.
Cal Poly College of Science and Math Launches Astronomy Research Fellowship Through Donor Funding
Mar 6, 2023
Program Will Provide Faculty and Students with Dedicated Time and Resources for Learn by Doing Projects; First-year Research Will Concentrate on Identifying Ages of White Dwarf Stars
SAN LUIS OBISPO — A new Astronomy Faculty Research Fellowship in Cal Poly’s College of Science and Mathematics will expand opportunities for faculty and student collaborations on space science.
The program is supported by a generous donation from the Marrujo Foundation, established by Dan (Electrical Engineering, ’08) and Rosamaria Marrujo, who live in Roseville, Calif., near Sacramento.
Cal Poly Civil Engineering Professor to Hold March 8 Talk on Deadly Quakes in Turkey After Leading Research Expedition
Mar 3, 2023
Robb Moss Will Discuss His Observations and Implications for Turkey and the Broader Seismic Community
SAN LUIS OBISPO — A Cal Poly professor who has studied earthquakes for over 20 years knew he needed to get on the ground in Turkey to collect data — and find answers — in the aftermath of one of the deadliest quakes in a decade.
Robb Moss from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is on the steering committee for a volunteer organization of geotechnical researchers that deployed him days after the Feb. 6 earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude. The temblors flattened buildings and killed more than 47,000 people across southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Andrew Thulin, Dean of Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, To Retire After 25 Years of Service to University
Feb 28, 2023
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Andrew J. Thulin, dean of Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES), has announced his plans to retire from the university at the end of the 2023 calendar year.
Thulin, a Cal Poly alumnus, joined CAFES in 1998 as head of its Animal Science Department and has led the college for the last 10 years. Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, Cal Poly’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, shared the news of Thulin’s impending retirement with the campus community Tuesday.
“Dean Thulin’s legacy is built on his vision for the future and passion for collaboration with faculty, staff and students, as well as his strong connections to industry and government organizations,” said Jackson-Elmoore. “He has been instrumental in improving both the college’s programs and its facilities.
“He has worked to ensure the college is continuously poised to prepare future generations of students in sustainable agriculture practices that will build long-term food safety and security, environmental sustainability, and climate-smart agricultural systems.”
Jackson-Elmoore will work with Thulin to ensure a smooth transition of the many critical projects currently underway in the college. A national search for the next dean will be conducted in partnership with an external search firm.
Cal Poly Named a Top Producer of 2022-23 U.S. Fulbright Scholars
Feb 27, 2023
Faculty Awardees are Teaching and Researching in Poland and South Africa
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly has again been named a top producer of U.S. Fulbright scholars by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The distinction was in the Master’s Colleges and Universities category for the 2022-23 academic year.
Three Cal Poly faculty were awarded grants for the 2022-23 academic year: Greg Domber, lecturer in the History Department, and Mira Rosenthal, associate professor of English, are teaching and conducting research at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Nishanta ‘Nishi’ Rajakaruna, professor of biology, is teaching and conducting research at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Domber and Rosenthal are a married couple who met in Poland while pursuing Student Fulbright Scholarships as graduate students. Domber’s research focus is a digital history project to better understand the influences of American exchange programs on Poland’s negotiated transformation away from communism in 1989.
Two Cal Poly Choirs to Present Concert Titled ‘Contemporary’ on March 19
Feb 21, 2023
Featuring a Preview of Cantabile’s Lincoln Center Performance
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly’s Cantabile and University Singers will present a concert titled “Contemporary” at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 19, in the San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church.
The concert will be a preview of Cantabile’s March 25 performance in New York City’s Lincoln Center and will feature music of contemporary female composers, including two world premieres.
Cantabile will give the premiere performance of “While I Breathe, I Hope” by Jocelyn Hagen, which was commissioned by Cantabile. It has beautiful soaring melodies and strong block chords which generate an overwhelming feeling of optimism and hope for the future. The composer will be in attendance and will present a pre-concert Q&A.
Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble Concert to Feature Greek, Syrian and Egyptian Music on March 18
Feb 21, 2023
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble will feature Greek, Syrian and Egyptian music for its Winter Concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 18, in Spanos Theatre on campus.
Fathi Aljarrah, a critically acclaimed composer, singer and violinist who hails from Syria will be a guest artist; as well as Ishmael, an Assyrian American qanun (trapezoidal zither) virtuoso.
The program will feature several selections of classic Greek songs by composers including Markos Vamvakaris, Thanasis Papakonstantinou and Yiannis Stamoulis. Original compositions by Aljarrah and a famous instrumental piece by the iconic Egyptian composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab will also be on the program.
Cal Poly Symphony to Feature Student Soloists at March 17 Concert
Feb 21, 2023
Show to Include Music from Four Studio Ghibli Films
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Symphony’s Winter Concert will showcase the talents of student soloists, composers and conductors at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 17, in Miossi Hall in the Performing Arts Center’s Christopher Cohan Center.
In addition, the symphony will perform music by Joe Hisaishi from four Studio Ghibli films: “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Spirited Away,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “My Neighbor Totoro.”
Student winners of the symphony’s Solo Competition in November will be featured: three instrumentalists, one vocalist and one composer.
Cal Poly Earns Sixth 'Most Promising Place to Work in Student Affairs' Recognition
Feb 20, 2023
University is One of Just 27 Nationally and Three in California to Receive Honor
SAN LUIS OBISPO — ACPA-College Student Educators International and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education recently named Cal Poly one of the Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs for the sixth time.
The university is among 27 institutions of higher learning to receive the honor in 2023. Of those, Cal Poly is also one of three California universities recognized, alongside UC Riverside and California State University, Channel Islands.
This year’s honorees were recognized for their focus on workplace diversity, staffing practices and work environment, which includes key attributes like family friendliness, salary and benefits, and professional development opportunities.
Cal Poly Business Professor Says Employees Maintain Leverage at the Workplace Despite Recession Fears
Feb 20, 2023
NOTE: Allison Ellis is available for media interviews. Contact Pat Pemberton to schedule.
Hybrid Work Models are ‘Here to Stay,’ Adds Management Professor Allison Ellis
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — While fears of an economic downturn have prompted some workers to prioritize job security over quality-of-life preferences, a Cal Poly professor said employees will continue to have leverage gained during the pandemic — and hybrid work models are here to stay.
“I think that we still are in an employee market,” said Allison Ellis, an associate professor of management and human resources at Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business. “When you zoom out a little bit, there are long-term trends in the labor market that suggest more broadly that it’s still really difficult to find people with qualifications that companies need today.”
Ellis, who has researched workplace stress and well-being, said employers were seeking ways to improve worker well-being even before the COVID-19 outbreak. And with the pandemic, numerous workplace trends emerged that made employee well-being a central concern for companies and suggested workers had gained the upper hand.