Cal Poly Magazine, Spring 2008

calpolyMAGAZINE H AT HOME ON THE RANGE PEGGY HERNANDEZ ENJOYS AN OPEN SEASON SPRING2008 CAL POLY MAGAZINE 1 CONtENts SPRING2008 calpolyM A G A Z I N E Cal Poly Magazine is published four times a year for alumni and friends of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, by the Public Affairs office. Comments may be sent to Cal Poly Magazine, Public Affairs, Heron Hall 205, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0009. PHONE: (805) 756-1511 FAX: (805) 756-6533 E-MAIL: [email protected] Please send Class Notes and In Memoriam information to the Alumni Relations office, Attention: Class Notes, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, or [email protected]. Mail address changes to Advancement Services, Heron Hall, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0448; e-mail to [email protected]; or call (805) 756-1511. Vice President for University Advancement: Sandra Ogren Editor: Leah Kolt, Cal Poly Public Affairs Director Senior Editor: Scott Roark DEPARTMENTS Contributors: Eric Burdick, Teresa Hendrix, Jo Ann Lloyd, Pat Ketchum, Stacia 13 BELLA MONTAÑA Momburg, and Terry J. San Filippo 04 UNIVERSITY NEWS Faculty and Staff have a place to call home Design: 28 ALUMNI NEWS 14 CHANGING STATIONS www.kraftwerkdesign.com Alums create designer diaper bags that even 30 HOT SHOTS – ROBERT TAPELLA celebrities love Art Director: Thomas Reiss 19 GOING GREEN Designer: Bryan Bremer COVER STORY Cal Poly considers renewable energy Photography: Chris Leschinsky and Cal Poly staff, faculty and/or students 16 STEWARD OF A SCORCHED EARTH 20 EYES ON THE FUTURE (unless otherwise noted) Peggy Hernandez changes with the seasons Other worlds await Leslie Livesay 23 THE LEGACY CONTINUES Printing: Pressworks & Quebecor FEATURES Endowments by the late Susan Currier For up-to-date news about Cal Poly, go to www.calpoly.edu. 08 NAN-TASTIC! 24 BROADENED HORIZONS Sign in to PolyLink and win a free iPod Cal Poly students go international Past editions of the Cal Poly Magazine, Honor Roll and Annual Report are available online at calpolynews.calpoly.edu/magazine/index.html. 10 ANCIENT ALE 26 THREE ATHLETIC STARS SHINE BRIGHT Raul Cano brings the good things back to life Chad Mendes, Sharon Day and Phillip Reid 2 SPRING 2008 Image courtesy of Jet Propulsion Laboratory CAL POLY MAGAZINE 3 ALUM SCHEDULED TO STUDENTS VOTE ONLINE CAMPUS ALERT SYSTEM RESIDE ON INTERNATIONAL FOR CAMPUS ISSUES IN PLACE SPACE STATION CAL POLY STUDENTS can now vote on ASI issues from home, IN THE WAKE OF LAST YEAR’S Virginia Tech tragedy, Cal the library, or anywhere else they can connect to the Internet. Poly officials immediately began researching new ways to com CAL POLY ALUM GREGORY CHAMITOFF (ee ’84) will The new voting procedure allows Cal Poly students to municate with the campus community during emergencies. In soon have quite a view out of the closest window. The electri conveniently vote from any location, on or off campus, by logging January 2008, Cal Poly adopted a new text message notification cal engineering graduate has been selected to work and live into the my.calpoly.edu portal. Students unable to vote on campus, system that enables the university to send urgent information to onboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer, such as those studying abroad, are now provided the opportunity students, faculty and staff. another remarkable step in what has proven to be an incred to vote using the new procedure. The system also minimizes the With the new system, powered by e2Campus, university of ible professional career. logistical demands on Information Technology Services (ITS), ficials can send instant alerts directly to registered subscribers’ RECORD TREE DISCOVERED Chamitoff will begin his journey in late April on Space Student Affairs and Facility Services staff. e-mail accounts and mobile phones via SMS text messages. Sub Shuttle mission STS-124. He will stay on the ISS until Septem IN POLY CANYON ASI President Brandon Souza is excited about the new system scribers can also receive alerts via RSS, wireless PDA, My Yahoo, ber, returning to Earth with Shuttle mission STS-126. and is hopeful that students will embrace this new method of My AOL, and personalized iGoogle home pages. BIOLOGY PROFESSOR MATT RITTER and three of his stu As an undergraduate student UNIVERSITY voting. “In a time when students are busier than ever, a new voting Current students, faculty and staff may sign up through the Cal dents recently discovered what is thought to be the tallest Karri at Cal Poly, Chamitoff taught system like this really helps,” said Souza. “Students can vote at Poly portal at http://my.calpoly.edu. Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus diversicolor) tree in North America. lab courses in circuit design and their convenience and not worry about making a run to the polls Ritter, a biology professor and head of the Cal Poly Plant worked summer internships NEWS between classes or extracurricular activities.” Conservatory, spotted the massive tree in Poly Canyon in at Atari Computers and IBM. On Jan. 16, ASI Student Government passed a resolution to 2005. But it wasn’t until late November 2007 that he and grad He fondly remembers Cal Poly support the use of electronic voting from any location with Internet uate students Jenn Yost and Chris Wassenberg, along with un Mathematics Professor James accessibility for all campus wide elections and referendums. dergraduate Justin Bence, were able to climb to the top of the Mueller, whom he contacted re ASI first tested electronic voting in the 2007 campus wide ASI giant tree to measure it. cently about his upcoming Space Presidential and Board of Directors election. Several laptop polling Using ropes and harnesses, the four researchers were able to Station trip. “My experience is locations were set up on campus, and students were able to vote NEWS get an accurate measurement of the tree’s height by dropping a proof that Cal Poly’s learn-by electronically via the my.calpoly.edu portal. line to the ground from the upper canopy. doing philosophy is one that re Students and ASI called the online voting method a success, They recorded the tree at a height of 154 feet, a diameter of ally works for just about anything UNIVERSITY and voter turnout was the highest it had ever been. The success of seven feet, and a 75-foot wide crown. one chooses to do,” said Chamitoff. “As much as I’ve learned the May 2007 elections affirmed the value for electronic voting for Ritter submitted the data to the California Registry of Big since, my foundation was built right there – just like every future elections and referendums. Trees, part of a national forestry database. The Poly Canyon other Cal Poly engineer.” Karri Eucalyptus has been accepted as the tallest tree of its From Cal Poly, Chamitoff went on to earn master’s degrees type on record – almost 100 feet taller than the previous North from the California Institute of Technology and University of American record holder, a San Clemente tree at 59 feet. Houston Clear Lake, and a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronau In his research on California eucalyptus ecology, Ritter has tics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While at looked for all the specimens of E. diversicolor and other spe MIT, Chamitoff worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, flight cies planted throughout the state, Arizona, Hawaii and Flori control upgrades for the Space Shuttle autopilot, and the alti da. This is by far the oldest and largest specimen, he said. tude control system for the Space Station. Like other types of eucalyptus trees, the Karri is native to Australia, where it is found only in the towering forests south of Perth, on the southwestern tip of the continent. It is rela tively uncommon in the United States, according to Ritter. The record tree, estimated to be between 80 and 100 years old, can be found in the bottom of Brizzolara Creek in Poly Canyon, the only Karri in a stand of Blue Gums. 4 SPRING 2008 HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL PASSINGS IRRIGATION CLASSES LIFE HAS NEW NAME, Dean and Professor Emeritus Carl Cummins OFFERED, THANKS NEW BUILDING Former industrial technology Professor Carl C. Cummins of TO $500,000 DONATION San Luis Obispo passed away Thursday, Jan. 3. Cummins came CAL POLY’S OFFICE of Housing and Residential Life has a to Cal Poly in 1958 to head up the newly formed Industrial CAL POLY WILL SOON OFFER students and profession new name – university Housing – and a new building. Technology Department. In 1961 he was appointed as dean of als across California and the West a chance to earn university The 8,300-square foot, two-story Housing Administration the College of Applied Arts and served for 25 years until his KERBO RECOGNIZED FOR credit for irrigation classes – without leaving their jobs or their Building replaces the old housing office and will accommo hometowns. retirement. He continued to teach part time in the College of INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION date the growing campus housing operations, soon to include Engineering until 1998. Cal Poly alumni Fred Hamisch (AE ’63) and his wife, Vir the approximately 2,700-bed Poly Canyon Village complex. SOCIAL SCIENCES PROFESSOR Harold R. Kerbo is the re ginia, jump-started the online irrigation classes with a donation cipient of the 2007 Cal Poly International Educator Award. Architects specifically designed the new building to encour Business Professor Emeritus Walter Rice of $500,000 in December to the BioResource and Agricultural The annual honor, sponsored by International Education age interaction between housing departments and the campus Longtime Cal Poly business Professor Walter Rice passed away Engineering Department (BRAE) in the College of Agriculture and Programs, recognizes a faculty member who has signifi community, blending programs, academics and administra Dec.

Load more