Cal Poly Engineering

The lighting needs improvement, heating is inadequate and it’s not easily acces-

sible. At certain times, students must wait an hour or more to get in because the 50-person capacity is maxed out.

Despite its shortcomings, the Hangar holds a special spot in the hearts of genera-tions of engineering students. For many, in fact, the Hangar is where they became empowered as engineers through hands-on problem-solving. It’s where they learned to say, “We’re from Cal Poly and we know how to make stuff.”

Since 1953, the metal building on the rise above the north side of campus has been a hub of student activity and innova-tion. Located at one end of a 3,000-foot-long flight strip, the facility was initially used as an aircraft construction lab and hangar. The airstrip is long gone, and the facility morphed into a multidisciplinary project

shop in 1985.Since then, the Hangar has housed club

projects and student team projects. Indi-viduals also use the facility to design and build senior projects and class projects, or they come in just to learn how to use tools

from the well-trained cadre of student technicians. In fact, students from 31 majors across cam-pus use the Hangar, and students in four majors — aerospace engineering, materials engineering, biomedi-cal engineering and mechanical engineer-ing — are required to earn their Red Tag safety certification.

On their first visit to the shop, students are given a tour and a safety orientation. In order to use basic

fabrication tools at the Red Tag level, they must attend another hour-long tool safety tour and earn 90 percent or better on a safety test. After logging 10 hours in the shop, students can take a second Yellow Tag

ENGINEERING

Features College News Student News Faculty News Alumni NewsDepartment News

• The Hangar is Cal Poly’s most popular machine shop• Alumnus supports student innovation with 3D printer• Northrop Grumman supports pathway for future engineers

• Cal Poly team travels to Malta to help search for shipwrecks• Human Powered Vehicle team wins award for design• Cal Poly transportation engineers named top chapter

• Kristen Cardinal named Outstanding Faculty Advisor• New faculty expand curriculum in cybersecurity, databases• Fire Protection Engineering director receives award

• Donation of “rolling road” leads to wind tunnel renovation• Cal Poly sends large group to Grace Hopper Conference• New department chairs named

•CalPolyfinishesstrongthird at 2015 Solar Decathlon• College of Engineering No.1 among state-funded schools• Cal Poly, Munich University expand student exchange

• Kim Vorrath named CENG’s Honored Alumna for 2015-16• Karen Bartleson elected new President of the IEEE• NASA astronaut Victor Glover wows EPIC campers

C o l l e g e o f E n g i n e e r i n g • C a l P o l y S a n L u i s O b i s p o • F a l l 2 0 1 5Advantage

Please see THE HANGAR, Page 4

The ‘Hangar’ is Where Learn by Doing Takes Flight Since 1953, the metal building on the hill has been Cal Poly’s busiest shop

The Hangar on the hill is where engineering students like Mitchell O’Meara, grinding a part on Cal Poly’s Baja car at left, can turn concepts into reality.

ENGINEERINGAdvantage

Invest in the Best

n ISSUE Fall 2015 • Vol. 13, Issue 1

n FREQUENCY Published biannually

n PUBLISHER Cal Poly College of Engineering

n ADDRESS 1 Grand Avenue San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

n TELEPHONE 805-756-2131

n WEB ceng.calpoly.edu

n ALUMNI IN THE NEWS ceng.calpoly.edu/alumni/alumni-in-the-news

n CALENDAR OF EVENTS ceng.calpoly.edu/event-calendar

n GIVING TO THE COLLEGE ceng.calpoly.edu/giving

n FACEBOOK facebook.com/CalPolySLOEngineering

n TWITTER twitter.com/PolyEngineering

n INSTAGRAM @polyengineering

n FLICKR flickr.com/photos/125133101@N06/sets

n YOUTUBE youtube.com/user/polyengineering

The lights are on at the Innovation Sandbox in the Bonderson Projects Center, part of the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Phillips 66 Supports Cal Poly Engineering Students, Departments and Programs

Phillips 66 visited Cal Poly on Oct. 13 to meet with students and present

a $50,000 check to support College of Engineering departments, programs and student clubs. The company has served as a strong partner of the college for a decade, re-cruiting employees and student interns, and supporting engineering clubs, including the Society of Black Engineers & Scientists, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers and the Engineering Student Council.

Phillips 66 also funds an Earn by Do-ing student shop tech. Earn by Doing is a program that provides student em-ployment opportunities while boosting

the number of trained tech assistants who help ensure that the college shops operate safely, and who interact directly with students working on projects.

“Phillips 66 and Cal Poly share a common language regarding the hands-on application of engineering and safety, which is a core value of the company,” said Tom Carroll, superin-tendent of rotating equipment reliability in Rodeo, Calif. Carroll, a 1981 mechani-cal engineering alumnus, has served as the company’s lead Cal Poly recruiter for 12 years.

“One of the unique things about Cal Poly is the close touch between pro-fessors and students — that mentorship is evident in the high quality of students

and graduates,” noted Thad Satterfield, director of university relations and recruit-ing at Phillips 66. “We’re excited about

our ongoing partnership with Cal Poly; in fact, we’d like to work with as many Cal Poly interns as possible.”n

Included at the Phillips 66 check presentation were (front) David Galvez, Keele Peck, Matt Myers, Dejah Hilliard, Alex Sireci and Rachel Jakob; and (back) Jamie Forslin, Dean Debra Larson, Kristen Kopp (Phillips 66), Tom Carroll (Phil-lips 66), Berkeley Davis, Chris Boyer and Jaime Guer-rero.

Mark Jackson wants Cal Poly students to dream big — and he has provided mentoring, a 3D printer to

the campus Innovation Sandbox and support for the Cen-ter for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) to foster their creativity and entrepreneurial efforts.

“It’s incredibly important that we continue to innovate in the U.S. and bring new products into the marketplace,” said Jackson, a 1985 mechanical engineering alumnus. “When I was a student, there was very little talk about en-trepreneurship; but now, with CIE and other efforts, there’s

dynamic energy around innovation and business development.

“When I went to my first Tech Pitch a couple years ago, I was incredibly impressed. It got me hooked to re-engage with the university.” Tech Pitch is one of the programs sponsored by CIE to stimulate the entrepre-neurial spirit. Record numbers of students now engage in CIE

programs, including Tech Pitch, hackathons, startup career fairs and the Innovative Sandbox, a workspace in the Bonderson Projects Center where students play with ideas.

Jackson, owner of Blue Dolphin Design & Engineering in Madera, Calif., is a Founder’s Circle-level donor to CIE. He also plans for his company to occupy space at CIE’s HotHouse in downtown San Luis Obispo. The program supports more than 20 startups with seed money, hands-on mentorship and office space during the summer.

“I want Blue Dolphin to have a presence in this hotbed,” said Jackson, who has already mentored a HotHouse company, Mantis Composites, which is focused on de-veloping new directions in rapid prototyping. The Mantis Composites founders first met at the Innovation Sandbox.

On a visit to campus recently, Jackson surveyed the bustle in the Innovation Sandbox with pleasure. “It’s something else to see students discover that they can solve problems,” he said. One of the students at work in the Sandbox, Priya Sumeran, underscored that excite-ment with the comment, “I walked in here one day and

Invest in the Best

just never left.” For his part, Jackson believes that any engineering problem

can be solved. “I learned that lesson when I worked on the very first Human Powered Vehicle team at Cal Poly. I feel that what-ever help I can give to these students will benefit me and all our futures.”n

Modeling his supportof Cal Poly Engineering Northrop Grumman

Helps Create Pathway for Future Engineers

With a curriculum based on hands-on, interdisciplinary projects that

address real-world problems, the Da Vinci Schools already seem dialed in to Cal Poly. The charter schools located in Hawthorne, Calif. — Da Vinci Design, Da Vinci Science and Da Vinci Communica-tions — are also Cal Poly Partner Schools, which serve a low-income population and have low percentages of students advanc-ing to college.

With the establishment of a multi-faceted scholarship and support pro-gram this year, Northrop Grumman has boosted the connections between Da Vinci Schools and Cal Poly to create an integrated pathway for the development of future engineering leaders.

Components of the pathways program includes designation of Northrop Grum-man Scholars, the Northrop Grumman

Mechanical engineering alum Mark Jackson donated a new 3D printer for student use in the lab as part of his support of the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. At left: After a quick body scan, the printer produced a model of Jackson.

Six Da Vinci students celebrated their admission to Cal Poly at their high school graduation. They include (left to right) Jena Van Gerwen (Environmental Earth Science), Tia Troxel (Environmental Management and Protection), Brandon Perez (Construction Management), Samuel Caldwell (Biochemistry), Becky Lu (Mechanical En-gineering) and Johnnie Joseph (Aerospace Engineering).

Donation of 3D printer is part of ME alum’s support of innovation and entrepreneurship

3

“How does two-for-one sound?” asks Bob Wulf. The 1963 aerospace engineering (AERO) alum-

nus has offered to match any gift made to the Aero-space Engineering Lab Endowment up to $10,000.

The Bob Wulf Alumni Challenge builds on a lab endowment effort that Wulf and his classmates

started in 2013 at their 50th reunion. “Having the chance to reconnect was wonderful,”

said Wulf, “and in taking stock of our journeys, we realized that we have all been highly blessed and

Bob Wulf Makes a Generous Offer to Fellow AERO Alumni

Please see DA VINCI, Page 5

The pinnacle of Wulf’s career at Northrop Grumman was as chief engineer and vice president of engineering during the development and the flight testing of the B-2 Stealth Bomber. Here, he and his wife, Kathleen, pose with the aircraft.

Please see AERO, Page 5

tour and test to qualify to use mills, lathes and welders.

“This academic year alone, we’ve monitored almost 26,000 student shop hours!” said George Leone, shop supervisor for 15 years. “With so many students using the facility, we’ve become more structured to ensure safety. I’m incredibly proud of the fact that in all the years of operation as a shop, we’ve had no major injuries. That’s testament to our culture of safety.”

Back in the day, when aviation design pioneer Burt Rutan was here as a student in the mid-1960s, the shop environment may have been a bit more laissez-faire, the shop culture more traditionally male-oriented, but the lessons learned in the Hangar then are still true for the diverse legions of students using the facility today.

Rutan has said that his hands-on education in the shop taught him “the importance of a designer being capable of building the things he designs.”

Leone recounts a story that illustrates the tie that alumni have with their Hangar experience. “I was taking Burt Rutan through the Hangar a few years ago, and he went over to the Beverly Shear sheet metal shear, and said, ‘I built my first airplane with this tool.’ You could see the emotion,” said Leone.

Over the years, many Hangar-built student inno-vations stand out. Who can forget the prosthetic leg designed and built in 2005 by mechani-cal engineering student Rory Moore for his 70-pound Labrador, Cooter? Or the senior project in which a student designed a machine that rubbed pieces of wood together to heat and liquefy the resins and weld the wood, a project that itself melded together knowledge from mechanical, electronic and biological systems.

The Hangar has also incubated companies. Ann Livingston-Peters

(B.S./M.S., Materials Engineering, 2014), Gabriel Mountjoy (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2012) and Myles Bradwell (B.S., Industrial Technology, 2011) spent hours together in the Hangar as part of the Cal Poly Supermileage Vehicle Team. Their work sparked the idea that carbon fiber could be fashioned with a laser into a hinge. They tested their innovation on the Supermileage Vehicle and won the Technical Innovation Award at the 2013 Shell Eco-Marathon. Common Fibers company was born.

The lead role of Livingston-Peters says something else about the Hangar today: it’s a diverse, welcoming environ-ment where all students can discover their potential. Key to creating that envi-ronment is the corps of student techni-cians, who assist students working on projects, provide the tours and tool and safety training, and largely maintain and manage both the Hangar and the Mus-tang ’60 Project Shop in the Bonderson Projects Center. Of the 40 or so techni-

cians on staff, 12 are women.

“It’s a big honor to be a student tech, and the group functions like a huge, extended family,” noted Eric Pulse, manager of the Mustang ’60

Shop. Senior Corinne Warnock, who has worked her way through the shop tech ranks to become head of communica-tions for Mustang ’60, credits her shop experience with landing her an upcom-ing job at Sandia National Laboratories.

“At the Hangar, students are exposed to all the processes of manufacturing,” said Warnock. “Sandia liked that I have a practical knowledge of hands-on problem-solving, that I know just how long machining takes.”

That knowledge is Cal Poly. It’s what

distinguishes Cal Poly graduates, many of whom built their engineering founda-tion during all-day, pizza-fueled work at the Hangar.

The Future of the Hangar

Looking at its rust-splotched exterior, you have to wonder how many more years the Hangar has. The facility encapsulates Learn by Doing, but it’s clearly antiquat-ed. In its current Master Plan, meanwhile, the university has targeted the Hangar site for student housing.

The expected demise of the Hangar offers an opportunity for Cal Poly to recommit to Learn by Doing by building a new projects complex in the campus core that represents the profession today.

“We’re already working with ar-chitects to help us envision a model facility,” said Jim Gearhardt, mechanical engineering technician who serves on the College of Engineering committee charged with planning a new Engineer-ing Projects Workshop.

According to Gearhardt, plans underway outline a 35,000-square-foot building co-located with the Bonderson Center that includes a yard, and open reconfigurable spaces containing design and manufacturing workspace, research cells, and a club row for team projects.

“With the recent shifts in spending priorities by the State of California we must look to private funding to finance this vital facility that is core to our mis-

sion,” explained Dean Debra Larson. “What we hope to realize in the new Projects Workshop — with the help of alumni, friends and industry partners — is a Learn by Doing epicenter that fosters collaboration and innovation, a showcase environment for investigating, designing and fabricating products and systems.”

It sounds like the spirit of the Hangar — and a core value of Cal Poly — will live on.n

The Hangar From Page 1

4

Cover Story

“At the Hangar, students are exposed to all the processes

of manufacturing. Sandia liked that I have a practical knowledge of hands-on

problem-solving, that I know just how long machining takes.”

Corinne Warnock,Hangar shop tech on landing a job

at Sandia National Laboratories

Hanging OnBuilt in 1953, the Hangar is the busiest machine shop at Cal Poly. At left, student tech Toby Shirts (Mechanical Engineering), left, talks with Xander Luciano (Manufacturing Engineer-ing) and Megan Johnson (Business) as they prepare to take their required certification exams to use the Hangar shop. Below, mechanical engineering student Gus Holz welds on the Baja Car in the Hangar.

CAL POLY ENGINEERING

Da Vinci From Page 3

AERO From Page 3

5

Cal Poly has kept its streak alive for 23 years as best public-master’s

university in the West, according to the latest edition of the U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges guidebook.

U.S. News ranks colleges that grant doctoral degrees, such as those in the University of California system, in a separate category.

In the magazine’s ranking of the West’s best universities, Cal Poly was foremost among publicly funded schools, tied for 10th on a top-10 list otherwise dominated by private schools. The overall category included 116 public and private institutions in 15 states that provide “a full range of undergraduate and master’s level programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.”

For the fourth straight year, Cal Poly also boasts the nation’s best state-funded

undergraduate engineering program. The school’s civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering programs are also No. 1 among state-funded universities. In overall listings, Cal Poly Engineering placed seventh behind private institutions Harvey Mudd College, Rose-Hulman and Olin College and the federally funded U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Naval Academy.

“It’s an honor to be ranked so high, so consistently,” said Cal Poly Engineer-ing Dean Deb Larson. “It’s a reflection

of our outstanding students, a faculty that’s focused on their success inside and outside of the classroom, and the deep, enduring and expanding value of the Learn by Doing experience — espe-cially in a 21st century world.”

The university’s engineering pro-gram issues more than 1,000 bachelor’s degrees annually — about three times more than the three top military acad-emies combined, and about twice the number of the top three private schools if totaled together.

Cal Poly was also ranked 10th most veteran-friendly university in the West. In April, Cal Poly dedicated its Veterans Success Center — a one-stop shop for veterans and their dependents that helps make pursuing a college educa-tion more accessible.

The U.S. News rankings are available at www.usnews.com/colleges.n

Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programs No. 1 among

state-funded universities

College NewsBest in the West Cal Poly tops magazine’s list for 23rd consecutive year

Summer Institute Scholarship, and Northrop Grumman Multicultural En-gineering Program (MEP) Mentors.

Northrop Grumman Scholars re-ceive financial support and proactive advising to ensure that they remain on track to meet academic requirements. The first Northrop Grumman Scholars include Da Vinci engineering fresh-men Becky Lu (Mechanical Engineer-ing) and Johnnie Joseph (Aerospace Engineering), and sophomore Chan Le (Computer Science).

The Summer Institute introduces freshmen to Cal Poly and allows them to take several units of general education credit over a three-week period during summer. Lu and Joseph attended this year, thanks to their Northrop Grumman Summer Institute Scholarships.

MEP, which provides social net-working and academic advising to en-gineering students, now coordinates with the Da Vinci counseling office to offer campus visits and encourage Cal Poly attendance. Additionally, Northrop Grumman supports a peer mentoring program, the Northrop Grumman MEP Mentors, who serve the Northrop Grumman Scholars.

In addition to these efforts, Northrop Grumman supports a Cal Poly math professor to engage with Da Vinci teachers to help map a mathematics curriculum that prepares students for entry into a rigorous engineering degree program.

For more information on Da Vinci, see http://www.davincischools.org/. n

Cal Poly deserves much of the credit for our success.

“So, we’re motivated to give back — and we also understand that the AERO Department needs our help in maintaining and enhancing its labs. State funding to the university does not cover labs, plus it’s important to keep pace with new technology. We hope to grow the lab endowment to $100,000 or more, which will generate $4,000 annually for lab expenditures.”

For more information and to make a gift to the Aerospace Engineering Lab Endowment, see https://aero.calpoly.edu/alumni/. n


College News

6

Student leaders Lisa-Marie Mueller (Architecture) and Erik Pinuelas (Civil Engineering) oversaw construction of the INhouse, Cal Poly’s entrant into the 2015 Solar Decathlon.Designed to integrate into the landscape of Coastal California, the INhouse featured energy-efficient LED lighting inside and drought-tolerant landscaping outside.

Unique, two-sided solar panels cover the outdoor deck. At right, Solar Cal Poly team members Sandy Stannard (faculty advisor), Christina Paguin, Brian Murrillo, Lisa-Marie Mueller, Alyssa Parr, Christine Theodoropoulos (dean, College of Architecture and Environmental Design) and Erik Pinuelas hold the third-place trophy on the final day of competition at Orange County Great Park in Irvine. (Photos: Department of Energy)

Cal Poly Shines at 2015 Solar DecathlonBuilt by a multidisciplinary

team of Cal Poly students, the 1,000-square-foot INhouse finished third overall among 14 sun-powered homes at the U.S. Department of En-ergy Solar Decathlon 2015 at Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

Cal Poly’s INhouse, which featured a folding “window wall,” two-sided solar panels and cutting-edge LED lighting, finished behind first-place Stevens In-stitute of Technology at Hoboken, N.J., and runner-up, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

“It took months and months of work from a dedicated team to arrive in Irvine ready to go, and despite every hardship along the way we persisted, competed and accomplished,” said civil engineering student Erik Pinuelas, who completed his senior project with the Solar Cal Poly team. “The process of getting the project approved is what I view as its most defining feature because I learned how tenacity, com-munication, and intelligence can make anything happen.”

The international competition included 10 individual categories. The Cal Poly team tied for first in commut-ing, placed second in market appeal and home life, third in architecture and fourth in engineering.

Other Cal Poly Engineering par-ticipants included electrical engineer-ing majors Casey Smith and Jenna Denhaan, and electrical engineering faculty advisor Dale Dolan; computer science majors Dante Tim Ambrose and Andrew Elliott and computer sci-ence faculty advisor John Clements; and mechanical engineering faculty advisor Kim Shollenberger. n

For more on Solar Cal Poly, see http://calpolysolardecathlon.org/. For details on the Solar Decathlon, see http://www.solardecathlon.gov/.


Carl Bass, president and CEO of Au-todesk, maker of design, engineering

and entertainment software, was a keynote speaker at the national HTEC (Haas Techni-cal Educational Center) conference for CNC educators hosted by Cal Poly in July.

Bass said that one of the most transfor-mative trends reshaping manufacturing is cloud computing. The future of the industry — and hands-on engineering edu-cation — will be based on tools designed for collaboration and taking advantage of the “infinite power of the computer.”

Bass is passionate about helping engineers and other innovators “not only design something but make something.”

A prodigious do-it-yourselfer himself, Bass has introduced Autodesk’s tools for design, simulation and modeling to the Maker Movement, where do-it-yourself invention is combined with technology. In addition, the company now gives away much of its software to future engineers and designers. “It’s fun to be a CEO — turning a $100 mil-lion business to zero,’’ he said, referring to the decision last year to make the compa-ny’s products free to students and schools around the world. n

Related link: http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all.

College News

7

The College of Engineering, Cal Poly and the California State University

(CSU) system have undertaken initiatives and launched new efforts to increase student diversity. For the second year, Cal Poly has taken part in a CSU-wide program to build student success in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with a special focus on traditionally underrepresented students.

“Enhancing diversity and promoting inclusivity starts with attracting and re-cruiting a diverse student population, but it can’t stop there,” said Emily Liptow, community partner liaison for STEM initia-tives at Cal Poly.

A recent engineering graduate from Ohio State University, Liptow is one of 19 AmeriCorps Vista national service pro-gram volunteers currently serving in STEM departments, colleges and academic institutes throughout the CSU as part of the CSU STEM Vista Program.

On campus, Liptow is supporting the College of Engineering’s Program for En-gineering Excellence for Partner Schools (PEEPS), working with Kathy Chen, a ma-terials engineering professor and depart-ment chair who also serves as the PEEPS director, and Jackie Duerr, the Multicul-tural Engineering Program advisor.

“PEEPS is a unique program that pro-vides not only scholarships but an entire support system for a cohort of students who are first-generation partner school students — partners being schools that typically serve low-income students,” said Duerr.

Liptow is working with this year’s cohort of 13 engineering students, seven of them freshmen.

“All students need a sense of belong-ing,” said Liptow, “and one of the key parts of the PEEPS scholarship is that the students are enrolled in classes together. By taking courses together and sharing in social activities together, they are devel-oping a strong peer support network that will help them to be successful engineer-ing students at Cal Poly.”

A foundational building block for

The LiftGator, a removable, full-sized, hitch-mounted lift gate for pickup trucks won first place at the 12th annual Innovation Quest (iQ) competition. Here, LiftGator team members Justin Russo (Mechanical Engineering), Marty Affentranger (Mechanical Engineering), Matt Kloss (Business Administration) and Brent Taylor (BioResource and Agri-cultural Engineering) share a laugh standing on their invention. Fifty-five teams competed in the 2015 iQ competition.

Initiatives Build Student Successand Diversity

Autodesk CEO Talks Cloud Computing at Haas Conference

Vista, PEEPS help support students in STEM courses

Please see INITIATIVES, Page 8Autodesk CEO Carl Bass holds up a 3D- printed car part during his talk at Cal Poly. CAL POLY ENGINEERING

A $1.14 million grant will allow Cal Poly and Munich University

of Applied Sciences to expand a student-faculty exchange program that has al-lowed scores of mechanical engineering students to study at the second-largest university of applied sciences in Germany.

The four-year grant, valued at one million euros, was awarded to Munich University from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), a publically funded independent organization of higher education institutions in Germany. It will allow Cal Poly and its counterpart to expand joint teaching, learning and research activities.

“The competitive DAAD grant rec-ognizes our 12-year history with Cal Poly, an institution with which we have much in common, including our applied, hands-

on approach to student learning,” said Michael Kortstock, president of Munich University.

“We look forward to optimizing our exchange program and to developing new collaborations that might include cross-faculty and interdisciplinary study, integration of industry and other external partners and curricula development.”

Over the years, Munich University students have benefited from exposure to one of the top engineering programs in the United States and improved their English language skills, a requirement of the global job market. n

Thousands of students converging on California campuses this fall are not only facing the academic

rigors that will prepare them for their future, they’re also braving a challenging transition from military service to civilian life — a change that can sometimes be over-whelming.

At Cal Poly, a new Veterans Success Center opened last spring that’s designed to jumpstart the college education and enhance the overall campus experience of approximately 300 student veterans and their depen-dents. The center is the hub of a growing array of campus-wide efforts that got Cal Poly ranked as 10th-best veteran-friendly university among western universities in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report guide to colleges.

“We’re providing a one-stop shop for our veterans and their dependents at Cal Poly, helping them to be successful students and move into their careers,” said Everette Brooks, the center’s coordinator. “We are the go-to place for veterans’ resources, activities and social circles, and home of the Student Veterans Organiza-tion.” The center connects its unique cohort of students

to a university-wide support network that includes specialized orientation programs, counseling, career ser-vices, financial aid and training programs for faculty and staff on the special challenges veterans face.

The College of Engineering attracts more than double the number of student veterans than at other colleges. “Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing motto is a huge draw to the kind of person who would both serve in the military and want to study engineering,” said Sean Tischler, a mechanical engineering student veteran.

But student veterans can feel disconnected from their college life, said Tischler, and it’s not only their military background that sets them apart.

“Many veterans who return to complete their degrees are older than other students on campus and many, like me, are married with families,” he said. “In

addition, they may have experienced mental or physical trauma, or may have physical limitations from combat injuries, which can limit their mobility and access to campus activities. I personally have received a lot of assistance and support from the Cal Poly Disability Resource Center, which works closely with the Vet-erans Success Center.”

Veterans often miss the camaraderie of military life, and the Veterans Center helps bridge that gap, said Tischler. “It offers a place to study and be around a more mature group of people who have shared similar experiences.”

Under the Post-9/11 Bill, veteran benefits include four academic years of tuition and fees, plus a stipend for books and further assistance with other living ex-penses, such as rent and utility bills. n

For more on the Cal Poly Veterans Success Center, see http://bit.ly/1hOrsNO.

From Boots to Books Veterans Success Center aims to enhance Cal Poly experience

College News

student success is the “En-gineering Student Success 101” class that Liptow co-teaches under the supervi-sion of Chen and Duerr.

‘’This course is especially designed for first-generation students — students who are the first in their family to attend col-lege — as well as any other engineering students wish-ing to develop a supportive community among peers and to gain the learning skills needed to be a successful engineering student,” said Liptow.

“Without Emily, there would be no PEEPS program,” said Duerr. “We need her help to build a supportive learn-ing community and assist us in scaling up our program within the college in terms of diversity, recruitment and retention.”

In addition to supporting PEEPS students, Liptow is helping build a sup-portive learning environment; assisting freshmen and transfer students; and developing and coordinating outreach

programs. Liptow also works with clubs, such as the Society of Women Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, to enhance their K-12 STEM outreach efforts.

“The ‘partner’ in Emily’s title re-flects the multiple responsibilities and relationships involved with her job,” said Chen. “She’s doing more than just PEEPS — she’s involved with many different efforts. Her role is to build our college’s capacity and implement sus-tainable solutions that will live beyond her year of service — and she’s doing just that.”n

Expanding PartnershipCal Poly, Munich University of Applied Sciences receive grant for exchange program

Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong (right) accepts a recording of the student choir at Munich University of Applied Sciences from President Michael Kortstock.

U.S. Navy veteran Sean Tischler, center, works with teammates Dan Schletewitz and Luke Holmes on the base of a solar reflecting cooker in the Bonderson Projects Center. All three are mechanical engineering students.

INITIATIVES From Page 7

Emily Liptow, on far right, with PEEPS (Program for Engineering Excellence for Partner Schools) scholarship students.

8 CAL POLY ENGINEERING

A research team from Cal Poly and Harvey Mudd College recently

traveled to Malta to deploy underwater robots to help map coastal shipwrecks and develop innovative technology for marine archaeology. The expedition was organized as a joint International Computer Engineering Experience (ICEX) program.

Throughout the week of Aug. 24, students from Cal Poly and Harvey Mudd collaborated with accompanying faculty, local experts and archeologists.

“Being located in the Mediterra-nean Sea between continental Europe and northern Africa, the island nation of Malta and its coastal waters are home to a large number of historical wrecks,” said Zoë Wood, a computer science professor at Cal Poly.

Historically, identifying shipwreck sites has been a slow, hazardous and labor-intensive archaeological endeavor — but that’s changing. “The project goals were to develop an autonomous underwater vehicle system for intel-ligent shipwreck search, mapping and visualization,” she said.

Using a diving team and autono-mous underwater vehicles at three sites, the Cal Poly and Harvey Mudd researchers gathered data in video format that will be processed into 3D

photogrammetric imagery, photogra-phy that will enable the researchers to map and measure distances between objects.

In addition to Wood, the team included Cal Poly computer science students Katie Davis and Ian Dunn, and Harvey Mudd engineering major Apoorva Sharma and engineering pro-fessor Chris Clark.

Clark co-founded ICEX about six years ago as an international learn-ing experience for computer science students at Cal Poly, where he was teaching at the time. When he joined the Harvey Mudd faculty in 2012, it created an opportunity for collabora-tion between the two institutions. This year marks the fourth time he and Wood have taken students from their respective schools to Malta to advance research in autonomous systems, including underwater robots and multi-robot systems.

The technology developed in Malta has applications not only to archaeol-ogy, but also to oceanography, biology, homeland security and defense. n

For more information, visit the Malta research blog and the website for Clark’s research lab, the LAIR, at http://www.hmc.edu/lair/.

Student News

In its highest finish ever, Cal Poly placed second overall at the Ameri-

can Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) National Student Steel Bridge Competi-tion in May at the Kansas City Conven-tion Center.

The University of Florida was first and the École de Technologie Supérieure of Montreal, Canada, finished third at the competition hosted by the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Sponsored by the ASCE since 1992, the competition allows col-legiate teams to design, build and test steel bridges. Forty-seven teams took part in the event, competing in six categories. Cal Poly earned second place overall by finishing second in Effi-ciency, third in Construction Speed, fourth in Stiffness, fifth in Lightness, seventh in Economy and 11th in Display.

Cal Poly qualified for the national championships by winning the ASCE Pacific Southwest Regional Conference at the University of Arizona-Tucson in early April.

“Although we have been in the Top 10 at nationals for the last five-plus years, we are very proud to have come home with the best finish Cal Poly has ever had,” said Shayla Allen, team captain. “This year the team focused on organization and perseverance. Despite many difficulties and problems that

arose, we came together and found so-lutions that would keep us on schedule to meet our goals.”

In addition to Allen, the Steel Bridge team members included senior cap-tains Eric Babin, Jeremy Gold, Demi Pacifuentes and Angel Trejo. Junior captains included Elizabeth Coffey, Drew Glover, Michael Clark, Jimmy-hee Quach and Tyler van Iderstein.

Allen credited early preparation

and Cal Poly’s tradition of cutting-edge design for the team’s strong showing.

“One challenge the steel bridge team faces is new design specifications each year,” she said. “We spent a good portion of time reviewing the rules this year before we arrived at a final design. Each year we build off the advice and experience from past teams. This allows us to learn and improve each and every year.” n

For complete results, go to http://www.nssbc.info/.

Searching for ShipwrecksCal Poly Steel Bridge Team Finishes Second at National Competition

The Engineering Student Council for 2015-16 includes, top row from left, Andre Arguelles (Biomedical Engineer-ing). Jaime Forslin (Mechanical Engineer-ing), Bo Oelkers (Soft-ware Engineering) and Ashwin Ramanathan (Industrial Engineer-ing); bottom row from left: Lindsey Kuster (Architectural Engi-neering), Rachel Jakob (Mechanical Engineer-ing) and Mairead Blaes (Electrical Engineering).

Cal Poly computer science student Katie Davis, left, and professor Zoë Wood helped a team deploy under-water robots to map the Mediterranean Sea near Malta in seach of lost ships.

Cal Poly Engineering team joins marine archaeologists employing underwater robots to map the coast of Malta

9CAL POLY ENGINEERING

Two students’ research on a safer, more natural alternative to sunscreen for sun protection won

first place at the CSU Research Competition in the category of health, nutrition and clinical sciences.

Presented in May by Kevin Campbell (M.S., Biomedical Engineering, 2015) and Kristina Bis-hard, now a graduate student specializing in stem cell research, the project focused on the use of a dairy protein to protect against UV-induced dam-age in human skin cells.

Bishard, involved with the project from her freshman year, had seen some progress but, due largely to student turnover each year, “there were

no real results — until Kevin’s research rather quickly yielded statistically significant data.”

Campbell arrived last year from UC Berkeley where a professor had inspired him to work with photonics. “When I came to Cal Poly I looked for professors involved in imaging and different kinds of microscope work — which is how I found Dr. Lily Laiho,” said Campbell. “She was working on this project in her biophotonics lab, and I’ve been involved with it the last two years.”

As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, Campbell conducted research on the effects of radiation on breast cancer cells and, after graduating, contin-ued to study techniques for looking at markers. “As a result — although the Cal Poly study in-volved different markers — I started seeing some really significant things really quickly.”

The two formed a team, with Bishard “the cell whisperer,” said Campbell. “She was very good with sterile procedures and everything necessary to grow out a layer of skins cells. My role was to stain and image them, which showed how our treatment was preventing DNA damage, which

would be indicative of preventing UV damage.”Bishard credits Laiho, who is also director of the

college’s interdisciplinary projects, for introducing her and Campbell to a uniquely interdisciplinary project. Dr. Rafael Jimenez-Flores, a dairy science professor, had approached Laiho with the concept — which may mark the first time that biomedical engineering partnered with agriculture.

Over the last two years, Campbell has im-mersed himself in Cal Poly’s hands-on labs. “UC Berkeley is big on the theoretical, of course, but when you get here it’s very much Learn by Doing — I got to combine the theoretical with the practi-

cal to a degree that simply isn’t possible elsewhere.”

Currently, Campbell is pursuing a doctorate in bioengineering at UC Davis. Bishard, who is “really interested in stem cells and all the potential they have” was one of 10 students selected for a special-ized graduate program in stem cell re-search funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Bishard and Campbell were among five Cal Poly students taking top honors at the CSU competition, including Shaker Von Price Funkhouser, a physics senior; Mikaela Vournas, an anthropology and geography graduate; and Mathew Thom-son, a graduate economics student.

Participants in the statewide competi-tion submitted a five-page research report and gave an oral presentation before a panel of judges. They were judged on clarity of purpose, appropri-ateness of methodology, interpretation of results, clear articulation of the research, and their ability to field questions from the jury and audience.

More than 245 students from 22 CSU campuses participated this year. Cal Poly’s 13 student-schol-ars presented their work on 10 different projects. Overall, Cal Poly tied for the most first-place awards and was second in most awards overall.

“It is a testament to the quality of research opportunities and mentorship available to our students that we compete so well in this competi-tion each year,” said Dean Wendt, Cal Poly dean of research. “Our faculty members impact student learning through their research programs, and it is a prime example of Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing ap-proach and our academic excellence.” n

For a complete list of winners, visit: http://grad-studies.csusb.edu/eventsCalendar/csuResearch-Competition.html.

Student News

Biomedical engineering students Kevin Campbell and Kristina Bishard won first place at the CSU Research Competition.

10

Natural sunblock project takes first place at CSU Research Competition

Cal Poly Engineers Win CSU Award

Cal Poly’s Concrete Canoe team won the Innovation Award and earned second place overall at the National

Concrete Canoe Competition at Clemson University in Clem-son, S.C., in June. This marks the 10th consecutive year that Cal Poly has placed in the top five at the event referred to as the “America’s Cup of Civil Engineering.”

The 28th annual competition, sponsored by the Ameri-can Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), drew 22 teams from some of the top engineering schools in the U.S. and Canada. Overall rankings were based on team scores in four catego-ries: design paper, oral presentation, final product and race performance. The University of Florida won best overall.

Performing strongly in both the academic and athletic arenas, Cal Poly placed second in overall race points, second for its design paper and third for its oral presen-tation.

Team members in-cluded project manag-er Jessica Leyva; mix design captains Joshua Core, Julie Hendrick and Brandon McCor-mick; and construction captains Brett Die-ner, Tim Forrest and Dayna Scott. Faculty advisors were Garrett Hall and Eric Kasper.

This was Cal Poly’s 16th trip to the national competition, includ-ing three back-to-back national titles in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The National Concrete Canoe Competition is designed as an opportunity for civil engineering students to gain hands-on, practical experience in project management and working with concrete mix designs. The event also builds public and industry awareness of the versatility and durability of con-crete as a construction material.

“It’s exciting to see the next generation of civil engineers demonstrate such impressive teamwork, leadership, creativ-ity and ingenuity as they embrace this challenge,” said Mark Woodson, president-elect of ASCE. n

Floating Ideas

Innovative Cal Poly Concrete Canoe Team places second at the ASCE Nationals

ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition Final Ranking1. University of Florida2. Cal Poly3. UC Berkeley4. École de technologie supérieure5. Clemson University


Three student leaders from Engineers Without Borders

- Cal Poly (EWB) worked with 500 delegates from around the world to advance global development at the 7th An-nual Millennium Campus Conference, an event spon-sored by the United Nation’s Millennium Campus Network (MCN). The conference was held Aug. 11-15 at U.N. head-quarters in New York.

The Cal Poly EWB repre-sentatives included environ-mental engineering senior and EWB past-president Chris Apple; Kimmy Pugel, vice president, an environmental engineering senior; and Dan Hornett, a civil engineering ju-nior and Thailand team project manager.

MCN challenges student leaders to rethink the paradigms that perpetuate inequality and promote a collaborative approach to global development based on community-led partnerships.

“We learned about global develop-

ment campaigns, and we connected with inspiring youth leaders from Brazil, Ghana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Kenya, Libe-ria, the United Kingdom and the U.S.,” said Apple. “Basically, we learned about the world from new perspectives. All of us were inspired to continue making a difference in the world.” n

Rock On

Cal Poly Students Honored at National Algae Summit

Student News

Three members of Engineers Without Borders - Cal Poly attended the U.N.’s Millennium Campus Conference in New York.

The Cal Poly Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja Race Team finished first in Maneuverability and fifth overall out of 104 teams participating in the SAE Baja Oregon Student Competition in May at the Washougal Motocross Course near Portland, Ore. In other competition categories, Cal Poly finished sixth in Acceleration, seventh in Design, ninth in Endurance and 22nd in the Hill Climb.For more on Cal Poly SAE, see www.calpolysae.org/.

11

Cal Poly’s SAE Baja Race Team finishes strong

Engineers Without Borders Leaders Join Forces with Global Partners

Cal Poly students

Kimberly Pugel (Environmental

Engineering), left, and

Lili Gevorkian (Biological

Science) earned Young

Researcher Awards at the

2015 Algae Biomass Summit.

Competing against young research-ers from around the world, two

Cal Poly students were honored at the 2015 Algae Biomass Summit in Wash-ington, D.C., in September. Sponsored by the Algae Biomass Organization, the summit unites professionals and students to discuss algae utilization industries, including biofuels, fertilizers, bioplastics, supplements and foods. Environmental engineering student Kimberly Pugel received a third-place Young Researcher Award for her poster, “Effects of Water and Nutrient Recy-cling and Coagulant Addition on the

Anaerobic Digestion of Algae Biomass.” Lili Gevorkian (Biological Science) received a second-place award for her poster, “Anaerobic Co-digestion of Hy-drothermal Liquefaction Process Water with Wastewater Solids.”

“This was a great chance to design and conduct my own research project,” Pugel said. “Having the opportunity to present my research at such a presti-gious conference was an experience in itself, so the fact that Lili and I won the awards makes me really proud of the all the work I am putting into this project.”

For more, see algaebiomass.org.n


12

Student News

For two decades, Cal Poly engineering students have been battling with autonomous robots in the RoboRodentia competition at Open House. Mirroring past competitions, RoboRodentia XX was full of innovative designs and intense competitors. Above, first-place winner Sonic was built by a team that included, from left, Justin Battle, Matt Fleck, alumnus Ryan De Haven (B.S., Computer Engineering, 2013; M.S., Computer Science, 2013) and Chris Kirby. At left: David Lennon (Computer Engineering) and Chandler Warne (Computer Science) work on “SWOLBOT,” the second-place finisher. At right, mechanical engineering student Ryan Takatsuka preps his robot while wearing the colors of Team America. n

Cal Poly’s Sweet Phoenix Human Powered Vehicle, a recumbent tricycle, features a rollover detection system with a series of LEDs that change color if the rider takes a curve too fast.

For the second consecutive year, Cal Poly ITE, a student chapter of the Institute of

Transportation Engineers, has been named the institute’s international chapter of the year.

The student group was honored at the ITE annual conference, held August 2-5 in Hollywood, Fla.

“I don’t know specifically what put us over the top again this year,” said Kevin Carstens, chapter president, “but my guess is that, in addition to our increase in membership and activities, it was our acquisition of the Transportation Engineer-ing Student Project Area. It’s a new space in Cal Poly’s Bonderson Projects Center, which is now dedicated to transportation engineering projects and research.”

In addition to Carstens, the 2014-15 Cal Poly ITE chapter officers included Krista Purser, vice president; Karl Schmidt, trea-surer; Alex Chambers, secretary; Kelsey Littell, events coordinator; Monica Fiedler-Ross, firm tours coordinator; Bobby Sidhu, marketing coordinator and Engineering Student Council representative; and Troy Kawahara, historian and webmaster.

The club also won the title and $2,000 in the ITE Collegiate Traffic Bowl Grand Championship, competing with teams from each district in Canada and the U.S. The University of Manitoba and Purdue University placed second and third, re-spectively.

“Winning the Traffic Bowl was the cher-ry on top of this year’s Student Chapter of the Year award,” said Anurag Pande, faculty advisor for the club.

“We may not play schools like Purdue on the gridiron, but this was almost as exciting — the three finalists turned it into a very close contest,” he said. “The Jeopardy-style event has a traffic and transportation engineering theme, and the winning question was ‘What is a sharrow?’” (Answer: A lane marking that tells drivers where to expect to share the lane with bicyclists).

Cal Poly contestants in the Traffic Bowl competition included chapter officers Carstens, Purser, Chambers and Sidhu. n

For more on the Cal Poly ITE Student Chapter, see http://www.calpolyite.com/.

Featuring a series of LEDs that change from green to yellow then

red if the rider is pushing the vehicle too hard or is close to rolling over, Cal Poly’s Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Sweet Phoenix won first place in Design at the 2015 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) HPV Challenge West in April.

“I’ve been around human-powered vehicle competitions since 1980, and in all the races, this was the most beautiful three-wheeled bike I’ve ever seen,” said George Leone, HPV team advisor. “This was top-notch aero-space quality.”

Designed and built by a team that included mechanical engineering stu-dents Trent Hellmann, Peter Auman, Matt Allen and Judy Lantaca, the recumbent tricycle finished seventh overall at the competition in San Jose, Calif. The Sweet Phoenix finished first in the Men’s Sprint, fourth in Innova-tion, fourth in the Women’s Sprint and

Going Places

RoboRodentia Turns XX

Cal Poly transportation engineers once again selected international student chapter of the year

Cal Poly HPV Wins Design Award

17th in Endurance.“There were well over 1,000 man-

hours put into designing, making, and testing of Sweet Phoenix,” said

Lantaca. “The Sweet Phoenix was designed more for utility than speed to keep up with ASME’s push for more utilitarian vehicles.”n


13

Department News

Cal Poly Makes Strong Showing at Grace Hopper Conference

GENE Split: General Engineering Program Breaks Away from Biomedical Engineering

Seventy-one freshmen enrolled in the General Engineering Program in the fall. The program is separating from Biomedical En-gineering, which has grown rapidly since its inception in 2007.

Eight years ago, the Biomedical Engineering Depart-ment was, in effect, a startup in need of a place

to grow — and the General Engineering Program was that place.

Now, with the Biomedical Engineering Department thriving and fully accredited as of this year, General Engineering is charting new ventures of its own. This fall the program welcomed the Class of 2019 — 71

freshmen — who represent the first four-year cohort of the revamped program.

“Flexibility, core competency and self-determina-tion remain the bywords for students of the General Engineering Program,” said Bob Crockett, who has been the program director for the past seven years.

“One of the most immediate changes I’m pleased to announce is the appointment of Jim Widmann as

interim program director while I take a year-long sab-batical,” said Crockett. “Jim is a mechanical engineer-ing professor with a highly multidisciplinary skillset and mindset, and a strong sense of what General Engineer-ing is about.”

“What will remain the same is a General Engineer-ing Program that’s uniquely interdisciplinary and

Please see GENERAL, Page 16

Please see COMPUTING, Page 15

Professors Yarrow Nelson, left, and David Marshall, center, are taking the reins as chairs for the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department and the Aerospace Engineering Department. Professor James Widmann, right, is the Interim Director of the General Engineering program. Nelson, a member of the department since 1999, is an expert in bioenvi-ronmental engineering, bioremediation and toxic metal pollutants. Marshall joined Cal Poly in 2004. His areas of research include aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics. Widmann, a member of the mechanical engineering faculty since 2004, is interested in design, stress analysis, hydraulic systems and advanced aerospace metal forming. n

At almost 100 strong, a contingent from Cal Poly’s Computer Science and Software Engineering Department had the

distinction of being the largest student delegation at the largest gathering of women in technology in the world. The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, held Oct. 14-16 in Houston, attracted more than 12,000 attendees.

This was the sixth consecutive year the department has sent students to the conference.

Allie Lustig, a fourth-year computer engineering major who

Many members of Cal Poly’s chapter of Women Involved in Software and Hardware (WISH) attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference held Oct. 14-16 in Houston. (Photo: Eva Chen)

Women in Computing Celebrated


The Cal Poly Low-Speed Wind Tunnel, which mea-sures the aerodynamic efficiency of vehicles and

airplanes, has been a hotbed of hands-on education for generations of aerospace engineering students.

But the facility has much more than nostalgia to of-fer, said Graham Doig, an aerospace engineering pro-fessor who is overseeing transformation of the wind tunnel. ”We want the lab to reflect the advanced way industry does aerodynamic development, which is very different from when Cal Poly first built the facility.”

Doig said renovation goals include providing the instrumentation for integrated testing and simulation practices that new graduates will encounter in industry.

“Cal Poly’s wind tunnel has been a solid workhorse for almost 30 years, but hasn’t been able to keep up with the changes in industry, especially the growing importance of instrumentation and how air flows are now often measured with lasers and clever imaging rather than traditional probes,” Doig explained.

A donation of a rolling road and test section by All American Racers, known for its winning Le Mans and Indy race car designs, literally got things rolling. “It was quite fortuitous — with much credit due to John Fabijanica, a mechanical engineering professor who had worked for the company some years ago,” said Doig. That good fortune was further compounded by

a sizable gift from the Raintree Foundation, a family trust, to support the facility’s overall revitalization.

The donations became a catalyst for the depart-ment to rethink everything about the wind tunnel.

“The goal became, first, let’s get the lab into the 21st century, then look at what we want to be 20 years from now. What types of testing will we be doing? What capacity should we build in now to have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects in the future?” said Doig.

“The rolling road isn’t a glorified treadmill. It’s a serious piece of kit [slang, in Doig’s native Australia, for new technology] that enables us to get accurate airflow underneath vehicles and around the wheels — where noise and turbulence are a problem and where grip can be gained,” he said. “We’re not aware of any other university on the West Coast that has this rolling capability. It’s completely unique.”

And it’s particularly well suited for Cal Poly, where both student-led vehicle and aircraft projects abound.

“A lot of students enter our program because of their love for cars — and, in college, aerospace engi-neering is about as close as you can get to a racing car degree. If you want to learn aerodynamics and the

fiber composites that go into racing cars, this is the place,” he said. “With the lab as envisioned, Cal Poly will ultimately be able to show industry that it has an accurate, reliable modern facility that offers companies the same caliber of results they would get from private labs or facilities.”

Among some of the new curricular and extracur-ricular areas primed to benefit from a modernized wind tunnel: a two-quarter graduate-level course in aerodynamic research and development, which involves integrated simulation and wind tunnel test-ing, and a student-led Prototype Vehicles Laboratory (PROVE Lab) focused on the design and development of innovative alternative energy vehicles for breaking world records.

“Cal Poly’s revamped wind tunnel facility can be our calling card,” said Doig. “The lab has every poten-tial of becoming the go-to place for improving vehicle performance and fuel efficiency through innovative design.” n

For more information, including how you can help support Learn by Doing opportunities for students in the wind tunnel lab, visit aero.calpoly.edu/windtunnel.

The new rolling road section in the wind tunnel allows the Cal Poly Supermileage team to test for aerodynamics. Above, mechanical engineering students Dorian Capps and Andrew Furmidge load the vehicle into the wind tunnel. Furmidge is lead designer on the new wind tunnel.

The team building the new rolling road track section for the wind tunnel includes aerospace engineering students Daniel Stalters, Matthew Paul and David Alexander, and mechanical engineering student Andrew Furmidge, second from left.

14

There’s a New Wind Blowin’ at Cal PolyDonation of a “rolling road” test section fans renovation of 30-year-old wind tunnel

Department News


was attending the conference for the third time, said that each year sparks new ideas and interests to explore. “This year I was drawn to lots of talks on artificial intel-ligence and machine learning — I used those methods at Apple last summer.”

Now approaching graduation, she also sought out talks about how to be an effective leader, “particularly how to handle certain issues in the workplace that women in tech often face. Clara Shih, chief executive officer of Hearsay Social, was especially compelling.”

The Cal Poly attendees represented computer science, software engineering and computer engineering. Most of the Cal Poly delegation are members of the student club Women Involved in Software and Hardware (WISH). Their participation was sponsored through generous gifts by Apple, the department’s Industry Advi-sory Board and alumni.

“I’ve had the privilege to attend the event for three consecutive years,” said Esha Joshi, a senior software engineering student. “I’m always star struck to experi-ence, firsthand, the power and inspiration of being part of this large community of women in technology.”

Sara Bilich, a software engineering sophomore, agreed: “Getting to meet people working in such varied positions in the industry made me realize that there is a position in tech for everyone, including myself.”

Cal Poly’s strong presence at the conference reflects efforts undertaken by the department, led by Associate Profes-sor Zoë Wood, to increase the number of women in computing fields. In addition to providing Grace Hopper grants, the department also supports WISH. n

For more on the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference, see http://gracehopper.org.

COMPUTING From Page 13

The gift of a Puma AE (All Environ-ment) unmanned aircraft system

landed at Cal Poly in mid-August when officials from AeroVironment Inc. pre-sented the small plane to the College of Engineering. With a wingspan of 9.2 feet, the Puma can cruise at an operating alti-tude of 500 feet for more than three hours. Among the hand-launched UAS’ features is its capability to carry

multiple payloads and land on land or water.

Aerospace engineering Professor Aaron Drake said the Puma, which is designed to “provide persistent intel-ligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data,” will be an important part of Cal Poly’s Applications in Autonomous Flight (AAF) program.

“The Puma will provide a core resource platform for the program” said Drake. “It’s very flexible, easy to fly and can carry a wide variety of payloads. We can use it for all kinds of research into autonomous flight.”

The Puma joins the RMAX autonomous helicopter as a research vehicle in the Cal Poly AAF, which is expected to include as many as 20 students. The strategic goal of

the initiative, which got off the ground in 2013 with a $100,000 grant from the Raintree Foundation, is to participate in the rapid advancement of the un-manned aerial systems industry. n

For more on the Puma, see http://www.avinc.com/uas/small_uas/puma/.

Puma Touches Down at Cal Poly Engineering

Unmanned aircraft system will play a big role in Autonomous Flight Program

The Puma unmanned aircraft system is assembled by aerospace engineering students. Pictured, left to right: Andrew Mercier, Andrew Meyer, Eric Belfield and Nia Asmady.

AeroVironment Inc. presented the Puma AE unmanned aircraft system to Cal Poly Engineering. Pictured, left to right, Marshall Davidson, AeroVironment vice president and chief technology officer; aerospace engineering students Andrew Mercier, Eric Belfield, Andrew Meyer and Nia Asmady; and aerospace engineering Professor Aaron Drake. Above: Belfield demonstrates hand-launching the Puma.

15

“I’ve had the privilege to attend the event for three consecutive years. I’m always star struck to experience, firsthand, the power and inspiration of being part of this large community of women in technology.”

— Esha Joshi,software engineering

Department News


16

Department News

Known for his pioneering work on the Cal Poly Boundary Layer Data

System (BLDS) project, Russell Westphal was chosen by the Mechanical Engineer-ing Department (ME) faculty to serve as the Constant J. and Dorothy F. Chrones Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

The award recognizes creative schol-arly achievements and provides $25,000 for two years to fund research projects and associated laboratory development.

To date, Westphal has involved more than 48 undergraduate and graduate students in the development and ap-plication of the BLDS, a family of small, light-weight, autonomous instruments that provide near-surface flow measure-ments on aircraft. This instrumentation serves to inform performance improve-ment related to energy conservation;

energy production; electronics cooling; and efficient transportation, including low-drag aircraft.

The project has attracted in excess of $1.1 million in external funds from Northrop Grumman, the U.S. Air Force and NASA.

“My main goal with the Chrones award is to undertake tasks for which the results will then be non-proprietary and available for publication and use with any sponsor,” noted Westphal. “I already have two such projects underway, with encouraging results in hand from one of those, so I’m quite excited about my Chrones-funded work.” n

Chrones Professor of Mechanical Engineering Russ Westphal, right, is working with students Alex Powers and Jacob Phillips on the Cal Poly Boundary Layer Data System research project.

Mechanical Engineering’s Russ Westphal Named the Chrones Endowed Professor

California’s extended drought makes a research project undertaken by Cal Poly and the National Plasters Council increasingly im-portant. The study focuses on the effectiveness of pool covers in reducing evaporation. Misgana Muleta, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, is directing the project located at the National Pool Industry Research Center on campus. The data gathered will help determine whether currently available pool-cover technologies could result in significant water savings. Just a 30 percent reduction in evaporation from California pools would save more than 10,833 acre-feet of water per year — enough to supply a city of about 100,000 people. Results of the study will be released by the end of the year.

MonsterCreate, an educational app that promotes creativity in children by allowing them to design their own monsters, was a new product produced at the 2015 Global Game Jam.

Nobody in the

Pool

emphasizes the interconnected nature of engineering,” said Widmann.

What’s new is that the program has been restructured into two concentra-tions that better enable students to study specialized practices within a broad field.

“Ironically, the newest concentration in General Engineering is a general engi-neering curriculum that all students in the program are now required to take their first two years,” said Widmann.”

“The other area, Individualized Course Studies, is akin to what most previous students experienced,” said Crockett, “except that now you can’t take it until af-ter your second year. From that point on, any student, from any major, can apply.

“We want students to complete two years because individual tracks are especially rigorous,” explained Crockett. “It’s definitely not a ‘pick what classes you want’ program.”

On the contrary, the individualized course studies concentration requires highly motivated individuals “who know what they want to do — and that what they want to do doesn’t fit the school’s standard curriculum,” he said. “You can’t come into this concentration without a strong sense of who you are and what you want to accomplish.” n

GENERAL From Page 13


n Dean’s Office

Bill Britton, visiting director of the Cal Poly Cybersecurity Center, testified at “Cybersecurity in your Local Com-munity,” a hearing of the California State Assembly’s Select Committee on Cybersecurity held in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

n Multidisciplinary

Sam Blakeslee (IATPP, Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy), Alex Dekhtyar (Computer Sci-ence), Foaad Khosmood (Computer Engineering), Franz Kurfess (Computer Science), Toshihiro Kuboi (M.S., Com-puter Science, 2014), Hans Poschman (IATPP), Christine Robertson (IATPP) and computer science student Skylar Durst published “Digital Democracy: Making Government More Transpar-ent” for Digital Humanities 2015. Khos-mood and Kuboi presented the work at the conference in Sydney.

n n n

David Braun (Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering) and Scott Kelt-ing (Construction Management) pre-sented “A Process to Qualify Courses for a Sustainability Catalog” at the 2015 California Higher Education Sustainabil-ity Conference held at San Francisco State University. Norm Borin (Market-ing) also co-authored the paper.

n n n

Diane DeTurris (Aerospace Engineer-ing), Jane Lehr (Women’s & Gender Studies) and additional co-authors published “Learning from Senior-Level Engineering and Business Develop-ment Professionals to Create Globally Competent Engineers via On- and Off-Campus Activities” at the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference & Exposi-tion (Paper #13565) in Seattle.

n n n

Allan Fowler (Computer Science), David Gillette (English/Liberal Arts &

Engineering Studies) Michael Haungs (Computer Science/Liberal Arts & Engineering Studies) and Foaad Khos-mood (Computer Science/Computer Engineering) published “Escaping the Room: Creating Interactive Puzzles from Narrative Space” at the Digital Game Research Association of Australia conference held at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

n n n

Foaad Khosmood (Computer Science/Computer Engineering), Eric White (Physics) and Sandrine Fischer (Com-puter Science) presented “Generation

of Infotips from Interface Labels” at the International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction in Los Angeles.

n Aerospace Engineering

Graham Doig founded the Fluids Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Projects (FLIP), which partners with collabora-tors in industry and academia in the U.S., Australia and Europe. The group undertakes inventive, high-quality experimental and numerical work in ap-plied aerodynamics and hydrodynam-ics. Project descriptions and videos can

be found at www.thinkflip.net/projects.

n Civil & Environmental EngsineeringJim Hanson co-chaired the First Kazakhstan-USA Geotechnical Engi-neering Workshop held in Astana and Almaty, Kazakhstan. The theme of the workshop was transportation and energy geotechnics, inclusive of high-ways, railways, tunneling, bridges, wind energy, geosynthetics and geothermal energy systems.

n n n

Kristen Cardinal, associate professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department, received Cal Poly’s 2014-15

Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award. Cardinal earned a bachelor’s degree at Cal Poly in 2003 and her doctorate in biomedical engineering in 2007 from the University of Arizona. She joined the Biomedical Engi-neering Department at Cal Poly that same year.

In helping her students build “real-world” skills, Cardinal offers many opportunities for applied research and industri-al collaboration. Her advising philosophy includes involving students who have a range of backgrounds and experience levels, and recognizing students’ achievements and contri-butions.

Cardinal’s research focuses on tissue-engineered blood vessels and intravascular device evaluation, and her indus-trial collaborators have included several medical device companies, including Abbott Vascular, where she spent time in the Preclinical Research group.

Students report that Cardinal seems to know every stu-dent she has taught and is “extremely accessible, hosting ample office hours and responding promptly to each and every email.”

“I have seen her provide advising to multiple Cal Poly students with career planning and grad school advice,” said one student. “Most importantly, I know I wouldn’t be pursu-ing a graduate degree now without her advice.” n

Cardinal Receives Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award

Biomedical Engineering Professor Kristen Cardinal works in the lab with students Devon Patel, Luke Scheldon and Ryan Silva. Cardinal received Cal Poly’s 2014-15 Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.

FacultyNotes

17

Faculty News


Frederick W. Mowrer, director of the Fire Protection Engineer-

ing Programs (FPE) at Cal Poly, will be awarded the 2015 John L. Bryan Mentoring Award by the Society of Fire Protection Engineering (SFPE). This award is presented to an individual who exemplifies commitment and dedication to educating, training and advising fire protection engineers.

“I am very honored to receive the John L. Bryan Award because of what it represents,” said Mowrer, who worked with Bryan for seven years at the University of Maryland. “This award means more to me than all the other awards I have received during my career.”

In his acceptance, Mowrer thanked the SFPE as well as his past and pres-ent students for the recognition.

Mowrer played a key role in the development of Cal Poly’s FPE master’s degree program in 2009, and it has grown in size and stature under his guidance. Cal Poly offers a master’s degree in FPE as well as two graduate certificates: FPE Science and FPE Applications. The programs are of-fered both on-campus and online, serving stu-dents all over the world. The online master’s pro-gram was ranked among the top 50 online master’s in engineer-ing degree programs by U.S News and World Report in 2014.

Fire Protection Engineering profes-

sionals are currently in high demand, par-ticularly on the West Coast. The discipline utilizes science and technology to minimize the damage done by destructive fires.

The award was established in 2007 in honor of the late Dr. John L. Bryan, the founding chair of the Department of Fire Protection Engineer-ing at the University of Maryland, who was

known for his dedication to the success of his students.

For more on the Cal Poly FPE pro-grams, visit fpe.calpoly.edu.n

Cal Poly Fire Protection Engineering Director Receives National Award

Frederick W. MowrerFire Protection Engineering

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Faculty News

Engineering faculty members were recognized by a new award es-

tablished to acknowledge and inspire formal scholarship and research into Cal Poly’s signature pedagogy.

Steffen Peuker, the James L. Bartlett Jr. Professor in the Mechani-cal Engineering Department, received the Learn by Doing Scholar Award for a proposal highlighting pedagogical in-novations: team-based learning, service learning, and a challenge to students to design their process for becoming a “world-class engineering student.” The committee also acknowledged the collaboration of lecturer Jennifer Mott (Mechanical Engineering).

“I am truly honored to be chosen to-gether with my collaborator, Dr. Mott,” said Peuker. “Learn by Doing is more than a motto to me. In my opinion, it is the best approach for student learning and success.”

In addition to Peuker, J. Kevin Taylor, chair of the Kinesiology Depart-ment, was recognized for his article “Learning Design through the Lens of Service: A Qualitative Study” pub-lished in the spring 2014 edition of the International Journal for Service Learn-ing in Engineering. Taylor’s co-authors included Brian Self and James Wid-mann (Mechanical Engineering), Lynne Slivovsky (Electrical Engineering) and former kinesiology assistant professor David Hey.n

Jim Hanson, Nazli Yesiller, director of Cal Poly Global Waste Research Institute, and additional co-authors published the following: •“WasteHeatGeneration:ACom-prehensive Review,” Waste Manage-ment (Vol. 42, p. 166-179). •“BeneficialReuseofWasteInsulation Material in Drilling Applica-tions” and “Temperature Effects on Sand-Steel Interface Shear and Quan-tification of Post-Shear Surface Texture Characteristics of Steel,” Proceedings of the International Foundations Con-gress and Equipment Expo 2015 (pp. 2728-2737 and 1711-1720, respectively). The latter article was co-authored by Derek Manheim (B.S./M.S., Environ-mental Engineering, 2012) and gradu-ate student Andrew Flores. Hanson presented the paper at the Expo in San Antonio. •“TemperatureandMoistureEffects on GCL and Textured Geo-membrane Interface Shear Strength,” co-authored with Manheim and Taki Chrysovergis (B.S./M.S., Environmen-tal Engineering, 2012), Geosynthetics International (Vol. 22, No. 1, p. 110-124). •“Cross-DepartmentalTeamingExercise as a Teaching Tool for Efficient Student Learning and Advancement of Science and Engineering” and “Assess-ment of Communication Skills During an NSF REU Program Related to Sus-

tainable Management of Wastes and Byproducts,” Proceedings, 122nd ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, (pp. 1-11 and 1-17, respectively). The latter was co-authored by graduate student Kevin Kopp. •“InvestigationofPost-ShearSurface Texture Characteristics of Geo-membranes” (with Manheim), Proceed-ings Geosynthetics 2015, Industrial Fabrics Association International (pp. 1179-1189). Hanson presented the ar-ticle at the conference in Portland, Ore. •“AssessingApproachesforExtraction of Heat from MSW Landfills” (with Kopp and Columbia University student Emma Yee) and “Beneficial Reuse of Wastes for Thermal Insulation in Underground Construction Applica-tions” (with Kopp, graduate student Craig Cooledge and Yale student Samuel Kaufman-Martin), 15th Interna-tional Waste Management and Landfill Symposium. Kopp presented these papers at the conference in Sardinia, Italy.

n n n

Robb Moss was part of an NSF-funded reconnaissance team that investigated the geotechnical effects of the M7.8 and M7.3 Nepal earthquakes in April 2015. The team assessed the earthquake effects, collected perishable data and communicated the lessons learned to local stakeholders, the Nepali people,

and to the broader international earth-quake community. Moss presented some of his observations and experi-ences at the Kennedy Library. The reconnaissance team also published a report on their findings: “Geotechnical Field Reconnaissance: Gorkha (Nepal) Earthquake of April 25, 2015, and Related Shaking Sequence,” Geotechnical Extreme Event Reconnais-sance (GEER Association Report No. GEER-040, Version 1.1, August 7, 2015).

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Tracy Thatcher and co-author D.W. Layton received the Haagen-Smit Prize presented annually to two outstanding papers published in Atmospheric Envi-ronment. Their award-winning paper is “Deposition, Suspension and Penetra-tion of Particles within a Residence” (Vol. 42, pp. 1-42, 2008).

n Computer Engineering / Computer Science

Foaad Khosmood and instructor Allan Fowler co-organized the Workshop on Game Jams, Hackathons and Game Creation Events co-located with the Foundations of Digital Games 2015 in Monterey, Calif., where Khosmood presented “Trends in Organizing Philosophies of Game Jams and Game Hackathons.”

Engineering Faculty Honored with Learn by Doing Scholar Award

Steffen Peuker (Mechanical Engineering), left, receives the Learn by Doing Scholar Award from Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong.


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Faculty News

Khosmood, Matthew Parker (B.S., Computer Science, 2013) and student Grant Pickett co-authored “Game of Thrones for All: Model-based Genera-tion of Universe-appropriate Fictional Characters” presented by Khosmood at Digital Humanities 2015 in Sydney. Khosmood also co-authored “Element Detection in Japanese Comic Book Pan-els” with Toshihiro Kuboi (M.S., Com-puter Science, 2014) who presented the paper at Digital Humanities 2015.

n Computer Engineering & Electrical Engineering

Bridget Benson received the Exempla-ry Course award from the CSU’s Quality Online Learning and Teaching (QOLT) Awards and Recognition Program. Benson was commended for teaching

a hybrid course on digital design with real-life examples, timely and effective communication, and reflective learning activities in online modules.

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David Braun presented “A Paramedic Method Drill Master to Improve Students’ Writing” at the 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition in Seattle.

n Computer Science & Software Engineering

John Clements published “Generating 56-bit passwords using Markov Models (and Charles Dickens)” on ArXiv (http://arxiv.org/abs/1502.07786). The paper proposes a way to generate memorable passwords based on English texts such as “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles

Dickens. The Smithsonian Magazine and New Scientist followed up with ar-ticles on Clements’ idea. See http://bit.ly/1P4GNrW and http://bit.ly/1R2VQ2Y

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Michael Haungs published “Creative Greenfoot,” a book that grew out of course tutorials for Haungs’ freshman

game design course. The information is designed to build students’ game programming skills quickly. The book includes course material and top-ics on artificial intelligence, user interfaces, col-

lision detection, animation, and game-pad controller support.

n Electrical Engineering

Dennis Derickson, chair, and electrical engineering graduate student Chris-tian Martens presented “Frequency Sweep Jitter and Wander of a Vernier-Tuned Distributed Bragg Reflector (VT-DBR) Laser at 1550 nm in OCT Applica-tions” at the European Conference on Biomedical Optics in Munich. Derickson also presented a paper at the American Society for Engineer-ing Education (ASEE) Pacific South West Conference in San Diego on “In-corporation of Amateur Radio Element Into the Electrical Engineering Curricu-lum” co-authored with Marcel Steiber (B.S./M.S., Electrical Engineering, 2012), now a hardware engineer with Amazon Lab 126, and electrical engi-neering student Sean O’Brien, presi-

Electrical Engineering Faculty Members Receive Professorship Awards

Two Cal Poly professors who “light Learn by Doing on fire” have been named Richard and Julie Hood

Endowed Professors in Electrical Engineering. The annual award, presented in May to Wayne

Pilkington and Bridget Benson recognizes electrical engineering faculty who push boundaries to evolve stu-dent learning opportunities and support the objectives of the college and university. The professorships are funded by Richard Hood (B.S., Electronic Engineering, 1973) and his wife Julie.

Benson (B.S., Computer Engineering, 2005) began teaching at Cal Poly in 2011 as one of the school’s first Forbes Endowed Professors. Starting with “a bamboo tablet, pen, microphone and a large dose of energy” a faculty colleague recalls her quickly becoming a depart-ment leader in online education. She has also spurred the school’s international education efforts on a variety of fronts that include her involvement in setting up a faculty exchange program between the Electrical Engi-neering Departments at Cal Poly and Munich University of Applied Sciences, and helping develop a new inter-national student exchange program on innovation at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.

In addition, she has expanded the college’s in-terdisciplinary studies by introducing a new general education class called “Ocean Discovery through Technology” and served on the Marine Science Steer-ing Committee to create a new interdisciplinary marine science major.

Pilkington, known as an “energetic and passionate” teacher, has made similarly positive contributions to the department through wide-ranging committee involve-ment and leadership that has enhanced and expanded curricular and administrative initiatives. Most recently,

he worked with Associate Dean Fred DePiero and Department Chair Dennis Derickson to guide the de-partment through its successful ABET accredita-tion visit and recertification of the department’s bachelor’s degree program. He has also served as associate de-partment chair, graduate coordi-nator, scheduling committee chair, student awards committee chair and systems technical area committee chair.

Pilkington has a strong interest in developing stu-dent project opportunities and is “most hoping to use the support of this endowment to provide meaningful, technically challenging new master’s thesis and senior project opportunities for our students.”

The endowment was created in 2005 by Richard and Julie Hood to support faculty in Cal Poly’s electrical engineering program, from which not only Richard but also their son Brian (B.S., Electrical Engineering, 2000) graduated. The couple established a similar endow-

ment for the Orfalea College of Business, from which their daughter Becky graduated with a degree in marketing. The award’s endowment provides resources that wouldn’t otherwise be available to further the faculty’s personal and professional develop-ment.

The college currently has nine endowed pro-fessors:

•Steffen Peuker (Mechanical Engineer-ing), James L. Bartlett Jr. Endowed Professor

•Andrew Kean, Stephen Klisch, Tom Mackin and Russ Westphal (all Me-

chanical Engineering), Bently Endowed Professors •Russ Westphal (Mechanical Engineering), Chrones

Endowed Professor •Bridget Benson (Computer Engineering/Electrical

Engineering) and Foaad Khosmood (Computer Engineering/Computer Science), Forbes Endowed Professors

•Bridget Benson and Wayne Pilkington, Hood Endowed Professors in Electrical Engineering

•Dale Dolan (Electrical Engineering), Lockheed Martin Endowed Professor n

Wayne Pilkington and Bridget Benson were named the Richard and Julie Hood Endowed Professors in the Electrial Engineering Department.


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Faculty News

dent of Cal Poly’s Amateur Radio Club. The paper outlines how amateur radio testing and project activity has been incorporated into labs and coursework in the Electrical Engineering Department.

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Dale Dolan, Vladmir Prodanov and Taufik co-authored “Energy and Eco-nomic Losses due to Soiling on Utility Scale PV Systems to Guide Timing of Cost Effective Cleaning” presented at the 42nd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference in New Orleans.

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Dale Dolan and Taufik co-authored Work-In-Progress: Enhancing Students’ Learning in Advanced Power Electronic Course Using a USB Solar Charger Proj-ect” presented at the ASEE Pacific South-west Conference in San Diego.

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Taufik co-authored and presented the following papers: •“DC/DCBoostConverterwithPIController using Real-Time Interface” (A. A. Bakar, W. M. Utomo, Taufik, S. A. Zulkifli, Jumadril Jn), The International Conference on Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Malaysia. •“CalculatingFrequencyandMaxDuty Cycle for the TI UCC38C4X Family PWM Controllers” (S. Westdal, K. Men-doza, Taufik, A. Parastiwi), and “Calculat-ing Frequency and Max Duty Cycle for the TI UCC38C4X Family PWM Control-lers” (S. Westdal, K. Mendoza, Taufik, A. Parastiwi) 2015 National Seminar on Information Technology and Its Applica-tions, Indonesia. •“DesignStudyofZeroVoltageSwitching for DC/DC Boost Converter” (A. Bakar, M. Wahyu, Taufik, S. Aizam, Jumadrill), Ninth International Power En-gineering and Optimization Conference, Malaysia. Taufik published the following journal papers: •“DesignStudyofZeroVoltageSwitching for DC/DC Boost Converter” (A. B. Afarulrazi, M.U. Wahyu, T. Taufik, S. Aizam, Jumadril), Applied Mechanics and Materials (Vol. 785, pp. 136-140, April 2015). •“StudyoftheEffectofAir-Gapto Array Microstrip Antenna for Mobile Satellite Communications” (M. F. E. Purnomo, Taufik), Asian Research Publi-

New Faculty Expand Curriculum and Research in Cybersecurity, Databases

This fall, Cal Poly Computer Science welcomed new faculty members Lubomir Stanchev and Bruce DeBruhl who

bring expertise in the critical areas of databases and cyber-security.

Stanchev, an expert in databases and data mining, earned his doctorate at the University of Waterloo, Canada. He is particularly interested in semantic computing, which enables document retrieval based on meaning. He will teach and help develop undergraduate curriculum in the areas of data science/Big Data, distributed databases, knowledge representation and the semantic web. Stanchev earned his

bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Sofia, Bulgaria.DeBrahl’s experience and research in cyber-physical secu-

rity, wireless security and software-defined communications adds depth to Cal Poly’s cybersecurity program. He has a joint appointment in the Computer Engineering Program.

DeBrahl hopes to develop new courses and projects that address the issue of security in a cyber-physical world, which was the focus for his doctorate degree research at Carnegie Mellon University. He intends to continue this work at Cal Poly in collaboration with students, faculty and industry partners. n

cation Network Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 2015. •“EffectofResonantCapacitanceand Inductance on Peak Capacitor Volt-age and Inductor Current in SLR Con-verter” (M. Taufik, Taufik, J. Brinsfield, G. Bergdoll), International Review on Modeling and Simulations, 2015. In addition to his published work, Taufik was invited to 20 universities in Indonesia and one in the Philippines to give technical presentations, short lectures and workshops, and he appeared on Voice of America-Indo-nesia, Indonesian National TV and on the local television station in East Java, Indonesia. Taufik received a total of $32,500 from Power Integrations, Inc. (San Jose) and Enerpro, Inc. (Goleta) for a stu-dent project to develop a high-density

single-phase inverter.

n Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering

Kurt Colvin, David Janzen (Computer Science) and Dan Waldorf directed the first cohort of students through Cal Poly’s new Systems Integration Engineering Program (SIE). Delivered online, SIE offers a professional certifi-cate and prepares working engineers for additional responsibility and lead-ership positions. The SIE curriculum exposes students to broad knowledge in technical disciplines that allows them to integrate system elements into solutions to meet customer needs within budget and schedule con-straints. For more information see www.sie.calpoly.edu.

n Materials Engineering

Kathy Chen, chair, co-authored “Life-long Learner Growth: In what ways does College Instruction Help and Hinder?” presented at the International Confer-ence on Education and New Develop-ments 2015 in Portugal, and “Moving from Quantitative to Qualitative Analysis to Capture the Development of Self-Directed Learning for a Cohort of Engineering Students” presented at the ASEE Annual Conference in Seattle. Chen co-lead the MOST (Mentors in Out of School Time) course in which pre-service teachers facilitated sci-ence and engineering activities at the Bright Futures after-school program at Oceano Elementary school. She also led a hands-on activity for math teachers in Santa Maria. n

Lubomir Stanchev, left, and Bruce DeBruhl have joined the faculty of the Cal Poly Computer Science Department. They are experts in databases, Big Data and cybersecurity.


Kim Vorrath (B.S., Computer Science, 1988) may be one

of the most important women in technology today. She leads the charge in releasing some of Apple’s most-anticipated technological innovations into the world. Quite literally.

One of the highest-ranked female employees at Apple, Vorrath oversees the multiplic-ity of deadlines, teams and logistics it takes to launch a new release of iOS (Apple’s mobile operating system) into the marketplace.

“Kim leads the amazing teams responsible for program management, power, perfor-mance and quality assurance for each and every iOS,” said Ignatios Vakalis, chair of the Computer Science Department (CSC). As one of the first mem-bers on the iPhone team, Vorrath also worked closely with Steve Jobs.

The iOS, the operating system that runs the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, is to the iPhone what Windows is to PCs.

Vorrath’s career began in 1987 with a college internship at Apple as a technical support engineer, which led to her being hired full time upon graduation — followed by subsequent moves up the company ranks to her current position as vice president of OS Programs.

Throughout her career, Vorrath has retained close ties with Cal Poly, help-ing connect, inspire and guide new generations of young women studying computer engineering, software engi-

neering, computer science and related fields. She’s been a particularly enthu-siastic advocate for Cal Poly’s Women Involved in Software and Hardware (WISH) club, and has facilitated Apple’s sponsorship of the WISH-led delega-tion of female engineering students who attend the annual Grace Hopper Conference, the world’s largest gather-ing of women in technology.

“Kim has an unquenchable pas-sion for women in computing. She has touched many lives and truly inspired so many young women being a men-tor, a computer scientist and a friend,” said Vakalis.

Vorrath has actively nurtured the growing relationship between Apple

and Cal Poly. The company donated funding for the Apple Lab in 2011 and provided a significant upgrade in 2013. The connection between Apple and the tech sector has been further strengthened by Vorrath’s serving on the CSC Industry Advisory Board for the past three years. As the current executive focal for Cal Poly at Apple, Vorrath leads the company’s efforts to recruit Cal Poly’s top talent — the Kim Vorraths of the future.

In recognition of her distinguished career, her generous support of Cal Poly and her passionate dedication to women in technology, the College of Engineering named Vorrath its 2015 Honored Alumna.n

2000s Ben Schiltgen(B.S./M.S., Engineering, 2008)

Trevor Foster (B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2004)

Andrew Gibson(B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2004)

Garage Startup Ready to Build NASA’s First Manned X-plane in DecadesEmpirical Systems Aerospace, known as ESAero, was recently awarded an $8 million contract to build NASA’s first manned experimental aircraft in 30 years. Called SCEPTOR, it will be used to demonstrate new electric propulsion technology and aerodynamic concepts. The company, started in a garage more than 10 years ago by Andrew Gibson, Trevor Foster, and Ben Schiltgen — now president, vice president of technology and vice president of finance, respec-tively — got its first break in 2006 build-ing display models for NASA. As prime contractor on the project, ESAero now sees itself as “paving the way for a new era in demonstrators.” The company is based at Oceano Airport in San Luis Obispo County. http://bit.ly/1hbMUfn

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Coady H. Pruett (B.S., Civil Engineering, 2002)

2002 Graduate Goes From Civil Engineering to Civil LawCoady H. Pruett, an account executive at INSPRO in Lincoln, Neb., was most recently an attorney at Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather where he had a civil trial practice with an empha-sis in commercial litigation, construction law, professional liability claims and in-

Alumni i n t h e n e w s

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Faculty NewsAlumni News

surance litigation. The Cal Poly Engineer-ing alumnus practiced civil engineering for more than four years with an empha-sis in land development and transporta-tion engineering and still holds a Cali-fornia Professional Engineer license. He went on to graduate with high distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law where he served as editor-in-chief of the Nebraska Law Review. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two daughters. http://bit.ly/1OfrGvz

1990sPeter Kardel (B.S., Computer Science, 1997)

Doing Good and Doing Well are Birds of a Feather at Clever Ducks“We’ve done very well by doing good,” said Peter Kardel in a recent business

profile of him and his wife, Amy, co-owners of Clever Ducks, an IT service company in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Kardels set out to build a strong company by helping other businesses succeed and believe they have more than achieved their goal. The Kardels launched the IT business together while Peter was studying computer science at Cal Poly. http://bit.ly/1RbfjOW

Vorrath Keeps Apple Operating at a High LevelCENG’s Honored Alumna

Surrounded by smiling members of Women Involved in Software and Hardware, College of Engineering Honored Alumna Kim Vorrath, center, visited the Apple Lab in the Cal Poly Computer Science Department.


capacities, such as a plant manager in the largest steel foundry on the West Coast and as president of Mack Trucks’ only wholly-owned subsidiary involved in the production and sales of concrete trucks. Her oldest son is a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at Cal Poly.http://bit.ly/1W3CKxb

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William Swanson (B.S., Industrial Engineering, 1973)

Retired Raytheon Chairman and CEO Joins Resilient Systems Board of Directors Resilient Systems recently announced that Bill Swanson, retired chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company, has joined the company’s board of directors.

Resilient Systems, based in Cambridge, Mass., is a leading incident response platform provider. “There’s clearly a growing need for incident response in today’s critical security environment,” said Swanson. “I am excited to join the board of a company that pioneered the incident response market.” The announcement cited Swanson’s reputation as a business leader and champion of corporate responsibility, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, and armed services support. Swanson is also active in education, including serving as chair-man of the California Polytechnic State University Foundation board of direc-tors and as a member of the Cal Poly President’s Cabinet. http://bit.ly/1MZe0ou n

NASA astronaut and Cal Poly engineering alumnus Victor Glover visited campus in July to address mem-

bers of campus, the community, and teens participating in the Engineering Possibilities in College (EPIC) summer camp. Glover discussed the benefits of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and inspired his audience by talking about his own path to be-coming a NASA astronaut.

A member of NASA’s 21st astronaut class, Glover (B.S., General Engineering, 1999) was selected from the second-larg-est number of astronaut applications NASA had ever received — more than 6,100. His class received a wide array of technical training at space centers around the globe in preparation for missions to low-Earth orbit, an asteroid and Mars.

Glover is the fourth Cal Poly alumnus to serve as an astronaut. The others include Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson (captain, USN, retired) (B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 1969), a four-time commander on the space shuttle and an inductee in the National Aviation Hall of Fame; Gregory Chamitoff (B.S., Electrical Engineering, 1984), and Frederick “Rick” Sturckow (colonel, USMC, retired) (B.S., Mechanical Engi-neering, 1984).

Glover is an F/A-18 pilot and graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He also holds degrees from Air University and Naval Postgraduate School. He earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in 2001 and served a two-year deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, flying 24 combat missions. n

Alumni News

1970sSusan Johnson (B.S., Industrial Engineering, 1977)

Johnson named to Utah’s Economic Development BoardUtah Business magazine reports that Su-san Johnson has been appointed to the board of directors of the Governor’s Of-fice of Economic Development (GOED) in Utah. The board assists the GOED with programs and initiatives that promote a sustainable economic foundation and bolster economic diversity in the state. Johnson is currently the President of Fu-tura Industries in Clearfield, Utah. Since graduating from Cal Poly, she has worked continuously in manufacturing in various

22

Greg Stahler (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1996)

Taking a Revolutionary Approach to MedicineAn article in the spring 2015 issue of Engineering Advantage (Page 7) on Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci Xi Surgical System prompted Greg Stahler’s father to provide information on his son’s contributions to the robot that allows doctors to perform minimally invasive surgery. In his first job out of Cal Poly, Stahler helped develop the mechan-ics of the robotic arms. He is listed on the original patent for the device. He is currently a mechanical engineer with Circuit Therapeutics in Menlo Park, Calif., which develops revolutionary approaches to medicine using optoge-netics.

1980sRay Morgan (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1987)

Nanotechnology WebsiteInterviews Startup StarAZoNano recently interviewed Ray Morgan, director of outreach, SEMI Americas. Morgan spoke about start-ups, venture capitalists and the upcom-ing Silicon Innovation Forum at SEMI-CON West 2015.http://bit.ly/1HqKmB2

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Mark Robinson (B.S., Civil Engineering, 1982)

On the Frontlines of Transportation

Mark Robinson recently retired from Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), whose bus, light rail and paratransit operations serve Silicon Valley, San Jose and surrounding areas. During his 32-year career, Robinson was project manager on the Vasona light rail project; group manager on the BART project to San Jose, responsible for the station, tunnel and maintenance yard; and chief engineering and con-struction officer for VTA.

On Track to Engineering Victor Glover encouraged EPIC campers to pursue higher education and STEM fields. This year, 480 middle and high school students converged on campus to build and launch rockets, design and race solar cars, program robots, delve into cybersecurity, and more. A goal of EPIC is to foster increased diversity in engineering — 38 percent of the program enrollment was female, and 31 percent were from underrepresent-ed populations, including Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino.

EPIC Campers Star Struck by Cal Poly’s Current Astronaut


Karen Bartleson (B.S., Engineering Science, 1980), senior director of

corporate programs and initiatives at Synopsys, is the 2016 Institute of Electri-cal and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) president-elect.

“I joined the IEEE as a Cal Poly stu-dent member in 1978, and have been a strong advocate ever since,” said Bartle-son, whose goals include increasing the organization’s visibility.

The organization’s influence is ubiquitous, she said — from highly cited publications to shaping global public policy to developing standards that have made technology available to everyone.

Bartleson’s leadership roles in the IEEE include serving as 2013-14 presi-dent of the Standards Association; chair-ing the Internet Initiative, whose charter is to raise IEEE’s influence in Internet governance, cybersecurity and cyber-privacy policy; and, as a member of the Strategy Committee, overseeing IEEE’s

role in global public policy. She received the 2003 Marie R. Pistilli Women in Elec-tronic Design Automation Achievement Award and authored “The Ten Com-mandments for Effective Standards: Practical Insights for Creating Technical Standards.”

Bartleson’s responsibilities at Syn-opsis, an electronic design automation company, include technical standards development, software tool interoper-ability, relationships with universities and research institutions worldwide, and customer engagement through social media. n

A string of company firsts in aircraft systems testing and a passion

for promoting women in engineering won Kate Van Dellen (B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2008) the Distinguished New Engineer Award at the National Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Conference, held Oct. 22-24 in Nash-ville, Tenn.

The award honors women engi-neers who have been actively engaged in engineering in the first 10 years of their careers.

“An early love of aviation inspired by my father, a private pilot, has informed my career and life — and, as an engineer, has given me an innate ability to communicate with pilots in critical situations,” said Van Dellen, who has worked as an urgent field sup-port engineer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.

At General Atomics, Van Dellen ex-celled as a systems test engineer, be-coming the first systems test engineer approved to be a test conductor for one of the U.S. Army programs. Within

four years, she was the only systems test engineer approved to test on all three U.S. Army platforms, and she be-came the company’s only systems test engineer to be a test conduc-tor instructor. She estab-lished the company’s first affinity group for women engineers. The company selected her as one of 10 emerging leaders in 2014 for her out-standing professional performance.

“At a young age, Kate has already made exemplary contributions to the aerospace industry, all the while giving back to her community and promoting women in engineering,” said Helene Finger, director of the Women’s Engi-neering Program at Cal Poly. n

Alumni News

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SWE Honoree Alumna named organization’s Distinguished New Engineer

IEEE President-Elect

When Coach Tim Walsh refers to “applied silver” in the context

of uniforms, he doesn’t mean that Cal Poly’s football team is sequin-studded.

Applied Silver Inc. is a Cal Poly- originated startup that developed SilvaClean, an Environmental Protec-tion Administration (EPA)-registered antimicrobial and odor textile treatment technology that employs water-based ionic silver. The com-pany has partnered with Cal Poly’s athletic program to provide Silva- Clean so that Mustang athletes can take advantage of this cutting-edge environmental cleanliness technology.

“We’re a Cal Poly-grown com-pany,” noted CEO Sean Morham (B.S., Materials Engineering, 2011).

“We started researching the pro-cess as undergrads. Now, six of our 12 employees are Cal Poly alumni. From the beginning we received guidance from Chairman Russ Bik (B.S., Industrial Technology, 1970), a member of the President’s Cabinet at Cal Poly, who supports entrepre-neurial efforts at the university.

“Initially, we worked out of a coffee shop in San Luis Obispo. In 2012, we were successful in raising venture capital and filed the product with the EPA — it took three years to receive approval.”

User surveys from the Cal Poly Football Team will help inform Ap-plied Silver about its product, and Walsh is supportive. “Anything we can do to make athletics a safer environment is a big bonus, and an

infection-free use is foremost,” he said. “Applied Silver is a step ahead of all the competitors — we are fortunate to have

had the opportunity to increase the pro-tection of our student athletes through the use of SilvaClean.”n

Smart Gridders SLO startup SilvaClean keeps Cal Poly’s football team cleaner with cutting-edge antimicrobial technology

Cal Poly football players Stephen Sippel (Mechanical Engineering), an offensive lineman, and Zachary Powell (Civil Engineering), a long-snapper, keep their uniforms clean and smelling fresh with the help of the SilvaClean antimicrobial textile treatment machine.

Karen Bartleson(B.S., Engineering Science, 1980)

Kate Van Dellan(B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2008)

Alumna to lead prestigious electrical engineering group


On Tuesday, Dec. 1, nonprofits, families, businesses and students will come together to celebrate generosity and to give. #GivingTuesday is a special call to action on a national day of giving.

Cal Poly College of Engineering partners with #GivingTuesday to conduct a 24-hour giving campaign to support the Learn by Doing promise. Your gift will contribute to the essential elements of a Cal Poly Engineering education: projects, labs and clubs. Without your support, the Cal Poly Engineering experience would not be what it is today. #GivingTuesday is your day to give back and support the Learn by Doing promise.

Learn more at ceng.calpoly.edu/giving • Follow us on:

California Polytechnic State University College of Engineering

1 Grand Ave.San Luis Obispo, CA

93407-0350

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Parents please note: If your son or daughter is no longer at this address, please share

his or her current address with the College of Engineering

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING ceng.calpoly.eduDean’s Office (805) 756-2131Debra Larson, Dean [email protected] Fred DePiero, Associate Dean [email protected] Goel, Associate Dean [email protected] AdvancementRichard LeRoy, Asst. Dean (805) 756-7108 [email protected] Oeser, Dir. of Development (805) 756-5711 [email protected] Erb, Corporate Partners Associate [email protected] Marketing & Communications (805) 756-6402Amy Hewes, Director [email protected] Clark, Web Administrator (805) 756-6582 [email protected] Ricard, Writer (805) 756-6623 [email protected] Steers, Photography & Design (805) 756-7167 [email protected] Student Affairs (805) 756-1461Kim Marsalek, Director [email protected] Engineering Program (805) 756-1433Maria Manzano, Coordinator [email protected] in Engineering Program (805) 756-2417Helene Finger, Director [email protected] Engineering (805) 756-2562David Marshall, Chair [email protected] Engineering (805) 756-6400Richard Savage, Chair [email protected]/Environmental Engineering (805) 756-2947Yarrow Nelson, Chair [email protected] Engineering (805) 756-1229John Oliver, Director [email protected] Science/Software Engineering (805) 756-2824Ignatios Vakalis, Chair [email protected] Engineering (805) 756-2781Dennis Derickson, Chair [email protected] Engineering (805) 756-6424Jim Widmann, Interim Director [email protected] & Manufacturing Engineering (805) 756-2341Jose Macedo, Chair [email protected] Engineering (805) 756-2568Kathy Chen, Chair [email protected] Engineering (805) 756-1334James Meagher, Chair [email protected] Protection Engineering (805) 756-7834Fred Mowrer, Director [email protected]

Engineering Advantage is a biannual publication of the College of Engineering, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

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Save the DateDECEMBER 1, 2015

#CENGGIVINGDAY

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