Recent News
Cal Poly Fall 2018 Commencement Set for Dec. 15
Dec 7, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — More than 1,000 students are eligible to graduate in three ceremonies at Cal Poly’s 35th annual fall commencement Saturday, Dec. 15.
Ceremonies are set for 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Cal Poly Recreation Center Main Gym. The ceremonies will include a “proud pinning” ceremony, a celebratory surprise and a large LED screen for all guests to see.
Cal Poly Engineering Grads Are Key Figures in the U.S. Space Exploration Comeback
Dec 6, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — At mission control, what had been projected as “seven minutes of terror” was actually a bit of an understatement, a Cal Poly graduate said, after he and his fellow NASA team members nervously monitored a robotic lander’s nail-biting descent to Mars.
“That last hour leading up to the landing was nerve-wracking,” said Tim Weise, a deputy mission manager for the project. “Reviewing the data from the spacecraft, reviewing the procedure, making sure everything was just so, and knowing that there was no time to fix anything.”
National Science Foundation Grant Will Extend STEM Program for Underrepresented Students at Cal Poly
Dec 5, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — A program to increase the number of underrepresented students participating in technical fields at Cal Poly will continue thanks to a federal grant.
The National Science Foundation awarded a nearly $1.3 million grant to the California State University system to increase the number of students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, disciplines. The grant, spread over five years, supports the Louis Stokes STEM Pathways and Research Alliance at CSU’s 23 campuses across the state.
Cal Poly’s Mustang Media Group Wins 17 National College Media Awards
Nov 30, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Mustang Media Group, the Cal Poly Journalism Department’s student-run media organization, received national recognition last month from two of college media’s most distinguished organizations — Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and College Media Association (CMA).
“As we continue to integrate our media group, our team is honored receive these national awards,” said Austin Linthicum, business administration junior and editor-in-chief of Mustang Media Group.
Cal Poly Construction Management Students Sweep Invitational Competition
Nov 29, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly construction management students garnered four first-place trophies at the recent Associated Schools of Construction Region 3 Division Competition in Downers Grove, Illinois. This is the first year that Cal Poly’s teams have swept first place in all of the open national categories of Concrete, Electrical, Preconstruction, and Project Solutions.
“There was something special about all four of this year’s teams,” said Construction Management Professor Greg Starzyk, who has advised teams over the last six years in this competition’s open categories. “They worked so well together that they made the work appear effortless. You could feel the trust and support that they gave to each other.”
Cal Poly Annual Poinsettia Sale Starts Nov. 30
Nov 27, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly’s annual poinsettia sale, with 4,191 plants and dozens of varieties and colors, will kick off Friday, Nov. 30, and will run through mid-December at the Poly Plant Shop.
The flowering holiday plants are grown by students in the university’s Poinsettia Agriculture Enterprise Project, which begins every spring. Nine students, all majoring in agricultural and environmental plant sciences, are overseeing the enterprise project: Graeme Davis, Megan Taylor, Cameron Lilly, Daphne Rynders, Gary Gray, Kelsea Jones, Luis Munoz, Luke Peelen and Nicholas Tchan. Lecturer Susan Snyder and Unit Manager Wendy Robinson are advising the project.
Cal Poly ‘WITH US’ Research Center Launches Inaugural Upstander Week Campaign
Nov 26, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO –– WITH US—the National Network for Peer Accountability at Cal Poly today launched its inaugural Upstander Week campaign, a weeklong conversation with college communities to share knowledge and encourage action during dangerous, life-altering events.
The educational campaign aims to empower college students nationwide to become “upstanders,” or individuals with the knowledge and willingness to intervene in situations in which sexual assault, hazing, hate, bias, or alcohol and drug misuse threaten their safety and that of those around them. The campaign will conclude Sunday, Dec. 2, the 10-year anniversary of Cal Poly student Carson Starkey’s hazing death.
Cal Poly’s Latest CubeSat Reveals First High-Resolution Image of the Earth
Nov 20, 2018
DAVE, launched Sept. 15 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, takes photo of Norwegian archipelago using a cell phone camera from a polar orbit 450 km above the planet
SAN LUIS OBISPO — While Cal Poly’s ninth CubeSat tests a way to reduce vibrations aboard orbiting satellites, the softball-sized satellite also has been busy snapping photos of the Earth.
DAVE, or Damping and Vibrations Experiment, launched Sept. 15 from Vandenberg Air Force Base with three other small satellites, or CubeSats, as secondary payload on NASA’s ICESat-2 (Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2) mission.
Cal Poly Floral Design Team Continues Winning Tradition
Nov 19, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — All four members of the Cal Poly Floral Team placed in the Top 10 at a recent annual state design competition, with one student taking second place.
Agricultural science junior Amber Buzzard, from Orange, California, won second place overall and the People’s Choice category at the California State Floral Association’s (CSFA) annual event held Nov. 3-4 in Carlsbad, California.
Cal Poly Undergraduates Are Increasingly Studying Abroad to Enhance Their Educations
Nov 16, 2018
University is third in nation for total number of students and is the best U.S. master’s-level school among students who spend a full academic year studying abroad
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly students are increasingly opting to study abroad, according to an annual statistical survey of U.S. campuses announced this week.
“Cal Poly is ranked third in the nation — our best showing ever — for master’s institutions for the total number of students we sent abroad in 2016-17,” said Cari Vanderkar, senior international officer and director of the university’s International Center. “About one in four of our undergraduates participate in Study Abroad programs during their time at Cal Poly.”