A group of Cal Poly Pomona students has received an honorable mention from the Environmental Protection Agency for a concept they developed to control water pollution through landscaping.

As rainwater makes its way from the clouds to the ground, and then along streams and waterways on its way to the ocean, it picks up a variety of pollutants from sources such as agriculture and automobiles. The presence of paved surfaces makes the problem worse by allowing storm runoff to flow quickly toward the sea without soaking into the ground, a process that also depletes local aquifers.

The EPA’s Campus RainWorks Challenge asked university students to think about what could be done on their campuses to reduce polluted runoff. Landscape architecture graduate students Carlos Flores, Hieu Nguyen, and Elena Tucci, along with Professor Weimin Li, developed a concept that would place a series of ponds, wetlands and bioswales (artificial streams) across the campus. New pathways would guide pedestrians and bicyclists through the semi-natural area as they make their way onto campus.

The winners of the challenge were:

• University of Florida, Gainesville — first place, large institution
• Illinois Institute of Technology — first place, small institution
• Missouri University of Science and Technology — second place, large institution
• University of Arizona, Tucson — second place, small institution

Other campuses receiving honorable mentions are Kansas State University, Columbia University and University of Texas-Arlington.

Several Cal Poly Pomona students took home first and second place awards at the CSU Student Research Competition, held on campus earlier this month.

Two student groups won first place in two different categories. Students Jaime Adkins, Yuriy Bazlev, Henry Kwong and Jessica Lopez were awarded top honors for their research on the mechanical properties of spider silk in the undergraduate Engineering and Computer sciences category.

Students Elena Chavez-Juan, Suming Chiang, Joseph Henriquez and Nhu-y Nguyen won in the graduate Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences category for their research on mice reactions to a human vaccination.

For her presentation “But You Don’t Look Like a Lesbian: The Portrayal of Queer Life through a Feminine Experience,” student Anna Storti won in the undergraduate Humanities and Letters category. Storti and the two groups won $500 each.

Joseph Wagster IV, Matthew Rose and Hovig Yaralian were awarded $250 and second place for their presentation on programming quadrotors in the undergraduate Engineering and Computer Science category.

More than 200 students from 22 of the 23 CSU campuses participated in the competition held May 10 & 11.

(Photo: Joseph Wagster IV and Matthew Rose making their presentation.)

Cal Poly Pomona’s Baja SAE team has completed another impressive season, coming in 11th out of the 100 teams that showed up for the race at Tennessee Tech University, April 18-21.

The competition was part of the SAE International’s Baja SAE Series, in which engineering students design and build off-road racing vehicles powered by a 10-horsepower engine.

The vehicles are judged on qualities that include their design, maneuverability, ability to pull a weighted sled, and performance in an endurance challenge.

Bronco Racing placed ninth in the endurance race, and 11th overall, just behind the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and ahead of the University of Cincinnati. In recent years, Cal Poly Pomona has placed fourth and sixth in the competition.

Cal Poly Pomona also hosts a Formula SAE team, in which students build a car that competes on a paved race track. That competition will be held June 19-22 in Lincoln, Neb.

The University Housing professional staff brought home two first-place awards from a conference for housing staff professionals. The annual conference and exposition, hosted by the Western Association of College University Housing Officers, had more than 230 professionals in attendance from universities across the western United States.

Residence Life Coordinators Annalicia Hernandez and Tashiana Bryant competed against 18 teams in the new professionals case study competition. The case study involved responding to hypothetical scenarios ranging from a sexual assault to a student requiring a comfort animal. Their team also included Chris Young, a colleague from CSU Chico.

“This award shows that we have new professionals who can think, who are thinking at the director level,” Bryant says. “Which is great for the residence life staff.”

Residence Life Coordinators Chelsea Navarro and David Lutman won the John Yarborough “Best of the West” Award for an educational program. There were 38 competing programs on topics ranging from bullying to spirituality. Navarro and Lutman will present their program, titled “Re-invigorating Sustainability: Sharing New Ways to Go Green,” at the international conference later this year.

“Winning the Best of the West award means you’re doing something not a lot of campuses are doing, and you’re doing it well,” Bryant says. “We’re innovative. We consider new initiatives.”

This is the second year in a row that Cal Poly Pomona has won the top program. Jason Lu, area coordinator for Residence Life, won last year for his presentation, “Presentations 2.0.” This year, Lu was elected to the Executive Committee for WACUHO as Member-At-Large, South for 2013-2014.

The Bronco Bookstore was honored for the second consecutive year for its innovative and effective method of engaging students on Facebook.

The bookstore was named a 2013 Facebook All-Star by Connect2One, a marketing services company within the National Association of College Stores, a professional trade association representing the collegiate retailing industry.

Through the social media site, Bronco Bookstore’s official page (www.facebook.com/broncobookstore) connects with the campus community by posting pictures and videos to highlight sales, events and other news. The page currently has more than 8,000 followers, the most for a campus bookstore within the CSU system.

“We are very happy that the Bronco Bookstore Facebook page has been honored for the second consecutive year,” says Edwin Santiago, the University Foundation marketing director. “We work very hard to keep our social media sites current and engaging for the Cal Poly Pomona campus community, and we hope to continue our success.”

Connect2One awarded the bookstore a trophy at a late February luncheon in Kansas City.

The bookstore is operated by the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization.

Cal Poly Pomona’s Model United Nations team excelled during a recent national competition in New York.

The 11-member team represented the Republic of Panama during the National Model United National Conference. Eight members were competing for the first time.

Team members took home the following honors:

• Distinguished Delegation
• Outstanding Position Paper on two of the six that the team submitted
• Outstanding Delegate for team leader Kiana Farzad.

The College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences is holding the 2nd Annual National Model United Nations Reunion and Fundraising Dinner, Friday, May 3, at The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch.

The event will begin with a cocktail hour at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $100 each and proceeds will go to benefit the Model United Nations program. For more information, contact Cathy Lopez at (909) 869-4299 or cclopez3@csupomona.edu.

Professor Jerry Pubantz will deliver a lecture immediately preceding the fundraising event. Pubantz is the dean of the Lloyd International Honors College at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and he has served as president of the National Collegiate Conference Association, the board that administers the National Model United Nations conference. The lecture will be held from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. at the Collins College of Hospitality Management, Building 79A-1263.

(Photo: Cal Poly Pomona Model UN Team)

Sue Johnson, chair of Partners in Education (PIE) and a Cal Poly Pomona alumna, has been named Orange County Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Superintendent of the Year.

As superintendent of the Savanna School District in Anaheim, Johnson has infused her Cal Poly Pomona experience into her education career. “Cal Poly Pomona’s learn by doing approach could have no better application than it does in the classroom,” she says. “As a teacher, I found that hands-on learning was the best way to allow students to achieve their potential.”

Johnson (’79, liberal studies) has been actively involved in the university community. PIE awards scholarships to credential students, providing financial support while they complete their student-teaching requirements. Johnson was also instrumental in creating the Savanna S.T.A.R.S. summer intervention program, which gives Cal Poly Pomona education students the opportunity to work with students in the classroom.

“I firmly believe that we have an obligation to give back to the community which has given so much to enrich our lives,” she says. “I feel that it’s inherent upon each of us in leadership roles to serve as examples.”

The ACSA is the largest umbrella organization for school leaders in the nation, serving more than 16,000 school leaders throughout California.

The Cal Poly Pomona chapter of the American Marketing Association captured several awards at the AMA 35th Annual International Collegiate Conference, becoming one of the most successful chapters in the country for the 2012-13 school year.

Out of 300 AMA clubs, Cal Poly Pomona was named a Top 25 chapter during the March conference in New Orleans. The student club also received the honor last school year.

The club also received awards for its fundraising, professional development and community service efforts.

AMA members continued to find success at the conference’s various on-site competitions.

Corey Armend placed fourth in the most-viewed video category for the AMA Saves Lives campaign. The video, featuring College of Business Administration staff member Lisa Martinez discussing her decision to donate a kidney, received more than 1,000 hits on YouTube.

Kassandra Cordero, Lauren Eller, Justin Flores, Matthew Fonseca, Alexandra Ramirez and Widad Shalabi earned fifth place in the SABRE Business Simulation, a competition in which students learn how decision-making and market trends affects a company’s profitability.

Mary Kay Switzer, associate professor of communication, has been recognized for her contributions to the Inland Empire at the 2013 International Women’s Festival.

The festival, hosted in Santa Barbara on Feb. 8, is a celebration of women in leadership positions. Switzer is the founding director of “A Repertory Theatre,” a theater group based in Banning that performs productions for charitable fundraisers.

Switzer’s latest musical, “Wyatt Earp: The Great Stagecoach Robbery”, will was performed in April to raise money for Banning’s centennial fund.

The Pony Express at the College of Business Administration complex earned an honorable mention in a national competition for its innovative design.

The National Association of College & University Food Services and PepsiCo Foodservice selected the Pony Express for the honor in their 2013 C-Store “Best in the Business Awards.” The contest honors campus convenience or retail stores for leadership in product mix, marketing, layout, design and new ideas.

Pony Express was the only honorable mention winner in the New Store Design Innovation category. The University of Washington’s District Market earned top honors in the category. Both schools will receive their awards at a July 9 luncheon in Minneapolis.

Dining Services and Pony Express employees joined Cal Poly Pomona Foundation staff in submitting the application to the competition.

The Pony Express is part of the new College of Business Administration complex that opened last fall. It is one of the first universities in the country to have a self-checkout register on campus. In addition, it features specially marked healthy food selections.