Recent News

Mars-Bound CubeSat with Cal Poly Connection Snaps Historic Photo of Red Planet

Oct 24, 2018

Cal Poly engineers and engineering students helped conduct testing and preparation of the dual satellites on campus earlier this year


SAN LUIS OBISPO — A snapshot from a cosmic road trip has made history. Wall-E, one of two identical briefcase-size satellites that underwent testing and preparation at Cal Poly earlier in the year for an historic mission to Mars, took a photo of the Red Planet — nearly 250 million miles from Earth.
 
The two satellites are officially called MarCO-A and MarCO-B (MarCO stands for Mars Cube One) — but their engineering teams nicknamed them “EVE” and “Wall-E” respectively. Wall-E’s wide-angle camera captured the image of Mars on Oct. 3 as a test of exposure settings — the first image of the Red Planet ever produced by this class of tiny, low-cost spacecraft. 

Cal Poly Architecture Students to Exhibit Furniture Designs in 15th Annual Show Nov. 2 and 3

Oct 24, 2018

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly’s Architecture Department is co-hosting the 15th annual Vellum Furniture Design Exhibition with Vellum Design Build, a San Luis Obispo design-and-build firm, on Nov. 2 and 3. The juried competition asks students to conceive and construct projects that range from tables and chairs to light fixtures, toys and other furniture design solutions that will be on display in downtown San Luis Obispo at 1185 Monterey St., between Santa Rosa and Toro streets.

Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Host Elevator Pitch Competition Forum on Nov. 7 at the Performing Arts Center

Oct 23, 2018

SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will host the ninth annual Elevator Pitch Competition Forum, a fast-paced contest for Cal Poly and Cuesta College entrepreneurs, Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the Performing Arts Center on the Cal Poly campus.
 
The forum — free, open to the public — will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Students will have 90 seconds each to pitch their cutting-edge innovations and business ideas. Judges will select two winners; one from Cal Poly and another from Cuesta. Each winner will receive $1,000. The audience will pick an overall “audience choice” winner that will receive $500.

Cal Poly to Host Oct. 23 Tree Planting to Honor Arbor Day and Celebrate Campus Urban Forest

Oct 23, 2018

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly will host a tree planting Wednesday, Oct. 24, to honor the university’s commitment to its trees in what is the nation’s most-diverse urban campus forest.
 
The event will take place at 11 a.m. at the northwestern side of the Fisher Science Hall (No. 33) near North Perimeter Road near the heart of campus.
The university has been recognized since 2014 as an Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus USA. It hosts its annual Arbor Day celebration each autumn because it is the ideal time of year to plant trees on the Central Coast.

Cal Poly Cybersecurity Expert Becomes a Fellow at Influential D.C. Think Tank

Oct 23, 2018

Associate Professor Zachary Peterson uses games to recruit and retain cybersecurity students

SAN LUIS OBISPO — A Cal Poly engineering educator was selected as one of 17 new cybersecurity fellows by an influential Washington, D.C.,-based think tank because of his use of fun and engaging games to draw students to the increasingly important cybersecurity field.
 
As a fellow with New America Foundation, Zachary Peterson, an associate professor in the computer science and software engineering department, will support the organization’s positions with research and personal input.

From Eelgrass to Mudflat: New Cal Poly Research Dives into Morro Bay Mystery

Oct 23, 2018

Morro Bay’s eelgrass beds nearly disappeared from 2007 to 2017; new study helps explain why levels remain low

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Water-quality conditions in some parts of Morro Bay estuary may be the key factor preventing eelgrass recovery after a recent decline, according to a new Cal Poly study and published in the journal Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science.
 
“The study shows that in many parts of the bay, environmental conditions likely limit eelgrass growth,” said ecologist Jennifer O’Leary, who started investigating the eelgrass collapse as a California Sea Grant extension specialist based at Cal Poly. (O’Leary is now Africa Oceans strategy director with The Nature Conservancy).

Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department to Present ‘Trust Fall’ Nov. 1-3, 8-10

Oct 18, 2018

SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department’s fall production, “Trust Fall,” is an original play written by Cal Poly Professor Al Schnupp. Performances, held in Spanos Theatre on campus, are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 1-3 and 8-10.
 
Schnupp’s “Trust Fall” is the classic story of Daedalus and Icarus, retold in a bold, twisted, contemporary style with a cast of eccentric characters. Daedalus is a gifted sculptor and celebrated inventor who designed the labyrinth. The real source of Daedalus’ inspiration, however, is his saucy and clever model, Lydia. His son, Icarus, is a sweet and insightful simpleton who loves chickens. His prickly agent, Takus, is a slick but ineffective capitalist. His most loyal customer, the kinky King Minos, plagues him with unusual demands. An arrogant artist and lovesick princess round out the cast.

Cal Poly Experience Industry Management Department Named Third Best in Nation

Oct 18, 2018

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly’s Experience Industry Management Department has been named the third best department in the nation for the study of parks, recreation and leisure, according to a new report by higher education research firm College Factual. 
 
Cal Poly’s Experience Industry Management Department is the first of its kind in California, encompassing a program that mirrors a national shift that blends sports, tourism, travel, lifestyle, conventions, meetings, events, experiential marketing, adventure, outdoor experiences, destination marketing, hospitality, community recreation and related industries.

Cal Poly Announces New Endowment to Support Education in Graphic Communication

Oct 16, 2018

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly has established an endowment in honor of the late Eric Steinbach, former president of publishing solutions for Quad/Graphics Inc. and a member of the university’s Graphic Communication Department advisory board for 24 years. Steinbach passed away unexpectedly in February 2018.

The Quad/Graphics Eric Steinbach Memorial Graphic Communication Endowment supports education in the Graphic Communication Department. Funds from the endowment will be used to provide annual scholarships for students studying graphic communication management and/or technology and to provide resources for program development related to curriculum, laboratories, and faculty and staff. 

Cal Poly Low Income Taxpayer Clinic to Attend Session of U.S. Tax Court

Oct 16, 2018

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Representatives from the Cal Poly Low Income Taxpayer Clinic will attend the Trial Calendar Call for the U.S. Tax Court at the federal courthouse in Fresno on Monday, Oct. 22.

Cal Poly accounting students, under the direct supervision of attorney and LITC Executive Director Lisa Sperow, will assist unrepresented tax court petitioners with their pending cases. The Cal Poly LITC is unique as the only LITC within a business college in the nation permitted to participate in the U.S. Tax Court’s Calendar Call Program.