While some students spent spring break sleeping in, hanging out with old friends, or taking trips, Billy Wong was scrambling around on roofs, hooking up wiring and installing solar panels for needy families.

The men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament after winning the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship this past weekend.

The Broncos defeated San Francisco State, 60-54, in the semifinals of the CCAA tournament at Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario on Friday night, and then vanquished Chico State, 78-64, in the championship game on Saturday night. The team improved its record to 27-2 and is ranked fifth nationally.

As the memories of child beggars and care packages seep into Liam Corley’s poetry, the sounds of marching soldiers and a distant explosion echo across the page. Through his writing, Corley unpacks his military experience for himself, the American public and fellow veterans.

Mayra Lewis, coordinator of the Violence Prevention & Women’s Resource Center, has been honored with the 2011-12 CSU Violence Prevention Champion Award.

The award recognizes administrators, faculty and staff who advocate violence prevention initiatives on their campus. For the past two years, Lewis has brought education and outreach programs to Cal Poly Pomona, including the production of the Vagina Monologues and the annual Men’s Violence Prevention Conference. In her first year as coordinator, the number of students, staff and faculty receiving violence prevention training rose by 40 percent.

As the primary campus advocate for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and other crimes, Lewis says one of her favorite aspects of working at the resource center is her role in the university community. “I love having the opportunity to do something positive and make a difference in somebody’s life.”

Greg Young, professor in the finance, real estate and law department delivered two lectures in September, tapping into his extensive knowledge of international law. Young’s first lecture – “International Securities Regulation: the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s Global Influence” – was given to a group of investment officials and administrators from the Zhejiang Province in China. They visited Cal Poly Pomona through the College of Extended University. Then, Young spoke with students at University of San Diego’s School of Law. As a member of the International Law Association’s Committee on Bilateral Investment Treaties and Development, Young was asked to discuss international commercial arbitration.

Lianlian Lin, professor of the management and human resources department, gave more than 10 presentations and seminars to faculty, executives and entrepreneurs in China during the summer.

Lin gave a one-day seminar named “Global Perspective of Managers” at the opening of forum of a President’s Class in Business Management at the Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen. She presented on “Becoming a Creative Talent with Global Mindset” and “International Thinking” in the Renowned Scholars Lecture Series at Renmin University of China’s Forum of Innovation and Development in Public Management. Returning to her alma mater in Shanghai, Lin discussed the “U.S. and World Economic Trends and Strategic Responses” at the Open Economy and World Economy Lecture Series. She presented on “Global Mindset and Firm Competitiveness” at the Tsinghua Zijing Forum.

Lin was invited to serve on the advisory board of Shenzhen City Soft Science Research Institute after her talk on “Low Carbon Economy from a Global Perspective” at the Long Gang Forum. She also visited and exchanged ideas with colleagues from several universities.

As a live-in student manager at Cal Poly Pomona’s sheep unit, Taylor Zumstein has quickly learned to manage about 100 sheep.

“Eat, sleep, sheep. That’s pretty much it,” she says. “I’m pretty much my own sheep dog.”

Every day, she herds the animals out to pasture, feeds them grain and hay, refills water troughs and works on odd jobs around the farm. She also helps out during lambing season, shears sheep and gives medicine to sick animals.

Thanks to Upward Bound, local high school students have the opportunity to make their dreams of higher education become their reality.

As a federally funded project through the Department of Education, Upward Bound programs across the country guide high school students on their path to college.

“We begin with life and leadership skills, SAT and intense academic preparation, and end with the college admissions process, financial aid and selecting a college major,” says executive director Ricardo Quintero, who oversees Upward Bound at Cal Poly Pomona. He adds that most participants come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and are the first in their family to go to college.

One of Cal Poly Pomona’s most effective STEM student support programs has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) of nearly $600,000 over the next five years.

The funding allows the Science Educational Enhancement Services (SEES) to continue supporting academically successful, economically disadvantaged, junior/senior students in the College of Science. The grant also aims to increase graduation rates.

SEES provides traditionally underrepresented students with faculty advising, student-led academic excellence workshops, access to a study center and computer facilities, and links to professional development and research apprenticeships. The first grant of $584,000 from NSF was awarded in 2007.

Ron Simons’ love of the university began as a student during the Eisenhower Administration. More than five decades later, after receiving an honorary doctorate in June, the man affectionately known as Mr. Cal Poly Pomona headed out — but not before telling a few stories.

Anyone who knows Simons knows that it is nearly impossible to walk away from a conversation with him and not learn something about the university, which has been a part of his DNA since he first set foot on campus as a freshman in 1959.

Among the dozens of horses and foals that Jeanette Maner has cared for, a few faces stand out.

First, there was Oliver the colt, who orphaned when he was 12 hours old. Then, there’s Maximus, 5-month-old foal whose mare died this spring from pregnancy complications. Maner’s favorite charge, though, is Bruce, a small colt born 30 days premature in mid-April.

“Usually they don’t make it if they’re this young, but we worked really hard to make sure he lived,” says Maner, adding that Bruce might be the youngest surviving preemie at the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Center. “He’s fine now but he’s a little smaller than the rest of the horses.”

John Bennett loves getting his hands dirty, and his lifelong passion has earned him a prestigious opportunity to meet some of the finest minds in the field of plant science.

Bennett, an incoming fourth-year plant science student this fall, has been named a 2012 Golden Opportunities Scholar, one of just 20 students nationwide to receive the honor by leading plant science organizations.

As a Golden Opportunities scholar, he will travel to Cincinnati this fall for a weeklong meeting of plant science experts and pair up with a mentor. The scholarship and its experts come from prestigious groups including the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America.

Alex Small, associate professor of physics, has been published in the July 2012 issue of the journal Nature Methods. Part of the same publishing group as the journal Nature, this monthly journal is a prestigious publication that reviews new techniques in life science and chemistry.

Small's article reviews two other features published in a special issue on biomedical imaging. His article focuses on superresolution, a family of techniques that enables imaging of cells with molecular-scale resolution. Employing this method to construct images of nanometer-sized structures enables scientists to overcome previous limitations to the resolution of an optical microscope, which had been thought for 130 years to be unable to see anything smaller than the wavelength of light.

The SAE team has been awarded with the 2011 SAE Honeywell Outstanding Collegiate Branch Award. The award, which comes with a $600 prize, recognizes a college chapter for exemplary performance in technical meetings, networking opportunities, Collegiate Design Series competitions, promoting SAE membership and community service. In addition to excellent performances at SAE Baja and Formula competitions, Cal Poly Pomona's team of about 112 students give presentations at elementary schools and community events to promote math, science and engineering.

"These students are very self-motivated," says Cliff Stover, director of engineering and professor. "They talk to kids about engineering. Nobody's asking them to do it. They're seeking it out."

(Photo: The SAE Formula team competes in the international competition in Nebraska in June.)

Cliff Stover, director of engineering and professor, has received the SAE Faculty Advisor Award for 2011. The award honors Stover's dedication and contributions to the Formula and Baja SAE team as well as SAE International, an association for professionals in aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Stover received an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2012 World Congress & Exhibition in Detroit in April, where he was recognized at Faculty Advisor & CDS Team Advisors meeting. Stover previously received the advisor award in 2008 and has been the SAE advsior at Cal Poly Pomona for 17 years.

Tom Zasadzinski has won a bronze award for Photographer of the Year from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Zasadzinski’s portfolio of images competed against 30 other entries, and four medals were awarded. The international organization supports advancement professionals in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas. 

Zasadzinski has been the university photographer for 11 years.

The 2011-12 mock trial team has achieved its highest scores in Cal Poly Pomona history, winning a third-place tie out of 36 teams at the UCLAssic Tournament, hosted at UCLA in January.

Many team members achieved near-perfect scores as both attorneys and witnesses against prestigious schools such as Howard University, UC Davis, Stanford and USC. Most recently, the team tied for third place out of 24 schools and also won a Top-8 trophy at the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Regional Competition, hosted by Claremont McKenna College in February.

"Words honestly cannot express how proud I am of my teammates and the success we have had this year with the program," says Priya Patel, treasurer for mock trial and next year's president. "As for next year, I hope to continue all of the success we have had from this past year. We have a great momentum going right now and I want to see us get to that next level of success and take home a national trophy."

The eight-person team, which is sponsored by the political science department, began preparing for this season last August, when the AMTA released a new case to more than 630 teams across the United States. In this year's case, a young woman died on the night of her birthday in a car accident after she and two friends left a bar under the influence. The driver was facing multiple offenses, including murder.

To prepare for competition, students dedicated countless hours to studying legal documents, case theories and legal rules on top of regular practice hours. It is a must that each member is prepared for anything, as there are no scripts to refer to during the trial. Ultimately, whoever is the most knowledgeable of the facts and the most persuasive, wins.

Compared to other teams, Cal Poly Pomona's mock trial team has less funding, but has defeated some of the best teams in the entire country.

"That's because of the excellent coaching of local trial attorney Raul Sabado and recent graduate Keith Ruiz," says team captain Justin Page. "Professor Sabado brings in multiple LA County public defenders and prosecutors to give us feedback on our case and arguments. The learn-by-doing philosophy has clearly been successful.

"Our tenacity and talent has brought us unprecedented success," Page adds. "Schools are contacting us for scrimmages, tournament invitations, and the online mock trial community has recognized Cal Poly Pomona as a national contender."

For now, the mock trial team will be taking a break from a stressful eight-month season. Come Aug. 15, they'll get to do it all over again.

Patel hopes to expand the program further and give more students the chance to compete.

"Mock trial is really a unique program for students who are looking to pursue a career in law," she says. "Being a part of this program was one of the main things that gave me the courage and confidence to take the plunge and pursue a career in law. I hope we can do the same for others next year."

This year's members are: (Team A) President Charles Stec, Justin Page, Priya Patel, Anthony Juarez, Matthew Gomez, Gaby Fuentes, Jessika Velador and Jin Pae; and (Team B) Marilyn Machkovsky, Jessica Marquez, Jonathan Jung, Andy Kuo, Richard Telan, Monika Kozan, Sara Horn, Andrew Rodriguez and Armando Gastelum.

Students who are interested in Mock Trial must first take PLS 308 and 308A, which are offered in the fall quarter. Contact Professor Sabado at rcsabado@aol.com for more information.

Melissa Stevens has dreamed of being an equine veterinarian since she started riding horses at age 3. But her experiences at Cal Poly Pomona opened her eyes to countless options she might explore after she takes a year off to decompress and catch up on her sleep.

For the past four years, Stevens, who has been on her own since she was 17, juggled a full-time job as a graveyard-shift dispatcher trainer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and a full-time student workload. She participated in the Pre-Vet Club and the Meat Science Club, competed on the Cal Poly Pomona equestrian team, cared for pregnant mares on campus through the Foal Watch program and nursed sick foals off campus as part of the Chino Valley Equine Hospital Foal Team.

Samantha Doolittle finished her studies last winter, making her the first graduate of the master’s program in The Collins College of Hospitality Management. The Washington native found the path to Collins led her back home and jump-started her career.

By Samantha Doolittle

I am a firm believer in the philosophy that life is an adventure and a journey that should be enjoyed. One should not look at big changes with fear but rather embrace them as opportunities.

Industrial and manufacturing engineering Professor Phil Rosenkrantz has received the 2012 Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Engineering. Rosenkrantz has taught at Cal Poly Pomona for 30 years. Over the past two years, he has taught lower and upper-division IME courses, in addition to the courses ethical considerations in science & technology (EGR 402) and asset allocation in technical decision making (EGR 403). He also has led a variety of workshops and is a member of the faculty Development Advisory Committee.

Claudia Cervantes
Major: Master's in education (Graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2008 and teaching credential in 2009.)
From: Azusa

Why are you interested in working in education?
I came to the United States from Mexico when I was 17 and a senior in high school. My parents didn't even finish elementary school. My teachers were the ones who guided me and really believed in me. They showed that I have what it takes to succeed. I want to do that for other students who might have come to the country like me and had immigrant parents who didn't go to school.

Jonathan Stalvey
Major: Landscape Architecture
From: Moreno Valley

How did you choose your major?
I transferred to Cal Poly and got accepted for Mechanical Engineering. I decided to change majors. I no longer wanted to be an engineering student and I wanted to go to school for something I loved. I knew I loved architecture, and architecture was what got me into drafting. Drafting was what got me into engineering, and unfortunately I got stuck there for many years. I made a big decision after two or three years of night school at Riverside Community College, after applying here for engineering and after working in the engineering field for seven years. I decided to go back to my roots. The architecture program was impacted, so my counselor suggested landscape architecture instead.

Steve Tran
Major: Sociology
From: Garden Grove

Why did you choose to major in sociology?
Coming out of high school, I went to UC Riverside and first studied engineering. Later, I thought about nursing and took a sociology class for it. I realized that I had a passion for sociology. Once I came here, the sociology professors taught me what sociology really is.

Clint Hawkins
Major: Physics
From: Pinion Hills

How did you choose to major in physics?
I wasn't originally planning on going to college. Nobody else in my immediate family went to college, and I was just planning on getting a job upon high school graduation. My parents wanted me to go to college, and I went to community college and got my AA degree.

If I was going to continue in school, the only thing I would do is some sort of science. I've loved science my whole life. I grew up watching Bill Nye the Science Guy and all those science shows. Physics seemed to be at the heart of all the sciences. It explained everything that I couldn't explain.

Amber Miller
Major: Civil engineering
From: Grand Terrace
Post-Graduation Plans: Full-time field engineer for Turner Construction

How did you decide on civil engineering?
My grandfather is a civil engineer. My uncle is a civil engineer. So naturally I didn't want to be a civil engineer at all; I wanted to be a chemical engineer. I got an internship with AEI-CASC Consulting right before I came to college and I realized I really loved civil engineering. I decided to go into civil engineering after all.

President Michael Ortiz and Provost Marten denBoer honored this year's Outstanding Academic Advisors for their dedication to students at an awards reception May 17. Eight faculty members, two staff members and one advising program were recognized by students, faculty and staff.

The Outstanding Advisors are:

• Nancy Merlino, Food Marketing & Agribusiness Management, College of Agriculture
• Meihua Koo, Accounting, College of Business Administration
• Edward Merritt, Collins College of Hospitality Management
• Anita Jain, Ethnic & Women's Studies, College of Education & Integrative Studies
• Massoud Moussavi, Engineering Technology, College of Engineering
• Melissa Flicker, Art, College of Environmental Design
• Edward Rocklin, English & Foreign Languages, College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences
• Pamela Sperry, Biological Sciences, College of Science
• Sarah Turnbull, Student Services, College of Science
• Maria Rivera-Duncan, Graduate Prep. & Special Population, Student Support & Equity Programs
• Credential Services Office, College of Education & Integrative Studies

(Photo: Top row, from left: Massoud Moussavi, Edward Rocklin, Edward Merritt, Melissa Flicker, Nancy Merlino. Second row, from left: Sarah Turnbull, Pamela Sperry, Anita Jain, Renee Gomez.)

The life of an ROTC student can be a grueling one, with early morning physical workouts, a full load of classes, ROTC lab exercises on Fridays and weekend commitments.

No one ever said the Reserve Officers' Training Corps would be an easy journey. But when students graduate from college, they not only earn bachelor's degrees, they also can look forward to becoming commissioned officers in the military, positions that require effective leaders who can handle difficult situations and make tough decisions.

Cal Poly Pomona senior right-hander Geoff Broussard has been named the 2012 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Pitcher of the Year, conference officials announced Wednesday.

Joining Broussard as All-CCAA First Team selections were senior catcher Jenzen Torres and junior right-hander Erick Ruvalcaba. The Second Team roster included two Broncos: senior first baseman Chris Miller and junior outfielder Donald Walter.

Professors Ed Walton, Faye Wachs and Jill Adler-Moore are being recognized for their contributions to the university and academia with the second annual Provost's Awards for Excellence. The recipients have been bestowed with honors in the areas of teaching, service, and scholarly and creative activity, respectively.

"There is no doubt that these faculty members are among the finest at Cal Poly Pomona and in the CSU," says Provost Marten denBoer. "With their outstanding achievements in the classroom, in their profession, and in service to the campus and local community, they represent the very best of the university."

The Cal Poly Pomona chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) was ranked as the top 25th chapter in all of AMA International at the 34th International Collegiate Conference, held March 22 & 23 in New Orleans. The 19 students received rewards for outstanding fundraising, outstanding communication, and outstanding chapter planning. They were also awarded honorable mention in the Case Competition, given the ranking of top 20 in the nation and number one in California. The team competed against nearly 1,400 students from 142 universities. 

Christine Featherstone arrived at Cal Poly Pomona two years ago to complete a goal she had put off for more than 30 years. After high school, Featherstone enlisted in the Navy, moving from Orlando to San Diego and Guantanamo Bay to Hawaii. Then, with family, work and everyday life responsibilities, she again postponed her undergraduate education until her youngest child left the house.

Featherstone's story, while atypical, is not altogether unfamiliar. Cal Poly Pomona has nearly 300 veterans whose backgrounds and experiences vary widely. However, they do share two important ties: their military service and the university's commitment to serve them.

MediaVision, the on-campus video production team, debuts a new spotlight series on faculty, beginning with a profile on music Professor Nadia Shpachenko.

Shpachenko, who has studied in the Ukraine, at the Longy School in Boston and at USC, is classical pianist and a teacher. In the six-minute video, Shpachenko shares her approach to teaching and discusses the artistry of music. Interspersed throughout the interview with her, department chair Iris Levine and piano major Charles Parsons, Shpachenko performs excerpts from Robert Schumann's Kreisleriana Op. 16 and Story Time by Peter Yates.

Edward Bobich, associate professor of biological sciences, has received a $120,000 grant to study water availability for trees near Desert Center, Calif.

The study will look at multiple factors to determine the effects of the construction of a nearby well on desert trees, which depend on underground water tables for survival. The trees are an important part of a fragile desert ecosystem that supports endangered animals such as the desert tortoise.

The Associated Manufacturing Societies student club from the industrial and manufacturing engineering (IME) department won first prize in their division and the Leadership Award at the 26th Annual WESTEC Manufacturing Challenge on March 27. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers sponsored the bi-annual competition, which was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The 12-student team, led by captain Lance Ideker, built a 3-D printer. The final project was on display and judged by several industry professionals. Though Cal Poly Pomona has won several awards in the WESTEC and AeroDef competitions, the last time a student team won first place in their division was 2001.

IME Professor Dixon Davis helped prepare the team for the competition, providing valuable input. Davis has experience in the manufacturing engineering industry and judged the WESTEC competition prior to joining the faculty at Cal Poly Pomona. In addition to the final project, students gave a 10-minute demonstration and answered questions for 10 minutes.

The IME student team includes: Lance Ideker, Mat Staudinger, Stephen Casillas, Donato Corona, Diana Seanez, Brandin Watson, Benjamin Nguyen, Dika Handayani, Xavier Lopez, Trevor Law, Robby Leuer and Elias Tahhan.

Randall Swift, professor of mathematics and statistics, will receive the 2011-12 Ralph W. Ames Distinguished Research Award from the College of Science. The award honors Swift for his outstanding research in both pure and applied mathematics, and his contributions to the mathematics field as a speaker, journal editor and principal investigator on grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency and the California State Board of Education.

The chairs of each department in the College of Science nominate a faculty member for the annual award. The achievement will be formally presented at the college's commencement ceremony on June 10. In addition, Swift will present a seminar on his research to the university community in the fall.

Over the course of his 20-year career, Swift has authored more than 80 journal articles, three research monographs and three textbooks. His published works are in the areas of mathematical epidemiology, mathematical modeling of biological, natural and social phenomena, birth-death processes, probability theory, harmonizable processes and fields, nonstationary processes, functional analysis, differential equations, queueing theory, game theory, and biographical/historical mathematics.

The Model United Nations team, representing the Republic of Cyprus, has received the Distinguished Delegation award at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York. This marks the 15th consecutive year that the team has received recognition for its performance at the national conference. The NMUN is the largest student-administered conference in the United States, with about about 400 colleges and universities from the United States and about 60 from overseas. About 3,000 to 4,000 students participate.

Members of Cal Poly Pomona's 2012 team are: Steven H. Carr (head delegate), Rana Abuershaid, Daniela Dykes, Ali Elachkar, Kiana Farzad, Duy Nguyen, Jiro Oka, and Salvatore Palomino. Political science Assistant Professor James Kim is the advisor.

(Photo: First row, from left: Daniela Dykes, Kiana Farzad, Steven H Carr, Duy Nguyen and Jiro Oka. Second row: Rana Abuershaid, Ali Elachkar and Salvatore Palomino.)

Dewey W. Hall, English Professor, has been granted a Mayers Fellowship through the Huntington Library. Hall will conduct archival research during the summer on his study "Dramatic Echoes: Cowley's Albina and More's Fatal Falsehood (1779)." His research will also examine the papers of John Larpent, a collection of rare manuscripts at the Huntington Library.

At first, it was just another paper that Edna Cruz, a fourth-year student, did not want to write. Urban and regional planning Professor Richard Willson had asked her to write a research paper for a national conference. She knew it was a great opportunity to showcase her work in front of a national assembly of student and professional urban planners, but she also did not feel like working throughout summer vacation.

Before long, she had another email from Willson, saying that a second professor was recommending she submit the paper to the conference -- an honor, Cruz says, that she never expected.

Curtis Clark, professor in the biological sciences department, is one of the contributing authors of "The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition." The first edition was published in 1993.

"The plan was to create a comprehensive manual for the identification of California plants, and I was asked to contribute information on those plants that are my specialty (including the California poppy)," Clark says. "Work on the second edition began soon thereafter, with the twin aims of reflecting new knowledge about the plants of California and new knowledge about the evolutionary relationships of plants."

The book is currently being used for plant identification classes across California, including California flora (BOT 343) at Cal Poly Pomona.

The Cal Poly Pomona student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) placed second in the ITE Southern California Section Collegiate Traffic Bowl on Feb. 25 at UC Irvine. The team went up against five Southern California universities: USC, UCLA, UC Irvine, CSU Fullerton and CSU Long Beach. The traffic bowl is a jeopardy-style competition with transportation- and traffic-related topics. The team will move on to the district-level competition in Santa Barbara in June against universities from the western 13 states.

(Photo: Ruben A. Hovanesian, Matthew G. Feeley and Eric B. Catig placed second in the Traffic Bowl.)

Mahyar Amouzegar, dean of the College of Engineering, is one of three editors of "Intelligent Automation and Systems Engineering," which was published in 2011. The text provides a comprehensive reference on Intelligent Automation and Systems Engineering, covers fundamental issues, new technologies and applications, and describes methods for modeling, where the information available may be imprecise, uncertain, incomplete or of a linguistic nature.

Amouzegar has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering (UCLA, 1994), a D. Engineering in operations research (UCLA, 1991), a M.S.E.E. in operations research (UCLA, 1989), and a B.S. in applied mathematics (San Francisco State, 1987). Amouzegar serves on the executive board for the Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research, the advisory board for the Center for the Commercial Deployment of Transportation Technologies, and the Military Application Society Council. Mahyar is the immediate past president of the Western Decision Sciences Institute, a Fellow of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications, and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Professor Mohamed Rafiquzzaman, electrical and computer engineering, published the book, "Microcomputer Theory and Applications with the PIC18F" in 2011. The book is written for students who have a background in C language and digital logic-both combinational and sequential-design. It is written in a simplified manner to present the fundamental concepts of assembly and C language programming and interfacing techniques associated with typical microcontrollers. Practitioners of microcontroller-based applications will find more simplified explanations, together with examples and comparison considerations, than are found in manufacturers' manuals.

Rafiquzzaman obtained his doctoral degree in electrical engineering in Canada in 1974. He worked for Esso/Exxon and Bell Northern Research for approximately five years. Rafiquzzaman has also taught at USC and consulted for ARCO, Rockwell, Los Angeles County and Ralph M. Parsons Corporation.

Chemistry Professor Ed Walton opens a drawer, pulls out a small green book and modestly places it on his desk. On the first page is a photo of his father, Norman Walton, a history professor who taught at Alabama State University for 35 years. The book, Walton says, is dedicated to his father's memory.

The rest is filled with messages that former students have sent Walton -- messages that spell out the difference he has made in their lives.

The Renaissance Scholars program is celebrating 10 years of providing much-needed stability, support and services for former foster youth to help ensure their success in college and in life.

College can be a daunting experience for anyone, but for students who lack the emotional and financial support of a loving family, it can be overwhelming.

"It's very tough to make the transition to college when you don't have parents or family members who can be there when you want to share your successes or need help with challenges such as unforeseen medical expenses, summer housing or sometimes food," says Sara Gamez, coordinator of the Renaissance Scholars program.

The College of Engineering has dedicated one of its labs in honor of alumnus Martin Colombatto and his family, who provided new equipment through a $100,000 donation.

Colombatto, ¿82, engineering technology, said his gift was prompted by a visit to the college a couple of years ago. He was surprised that students were using the same instruments that he used during his undergraduate years.

¿Cal Poly Pomona has a world-class engineering program, and the students deserve to be working with state-of-the-art equipment. This was kind of a natural way, a good fit for us to give back to this institution that gave me so much,¿ Colombatto said at the Feb. 10 dedication ceremony, which he attended with his wife, Stefanie, and his parents.

For the second year in a row, Cal Poly Pomona is the only California school to receive recognition in an international business competition that tests students¿ ability to create a real-world marketing plan.

The 14-person team received an honorable mention and will be acknowledged in March at the American Marketing Association¿s 34th annual International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans.

The business majors, who are also members of the Cal Poly Pomona chapter of AMA, stunned marketing educators last year when they received an honorable mention in their first attempt at a business case competition. International business and marketing student Domingo Carvajal, who was on the 2011 team and served as co-leader of the 2012 team, was determined to prove that last year¿s performance was not a fluke.

¿I don¿t just go to school here, I love Cal Poly Pomona,¿ says Carvajal, AMA president. ¿I really wanted to get back-to-back recognition so everyone in National AMA knows Cal Poly Pomona is a force to be reckoned with.¿

In this year¿s competition, students created an extensive marketing plan to encourage college-bound students to enroll in Pearson online courses. Their plan included traditional marketing tactics such as visiting college fairs, trade shows and churches. The modest $500,000 budget forced the team to also adopt a strong social media push, and members created a social media website, an outline and renderings of a Facebook game, and mobile phone applications that would serve as a pull strategy to enroll students in Pearson courses.

Hebba Fares, co-leader and AMA vice president, says the competition was a great learn-by-doing experience because it required her to apply everything she has learned in her three years at Cal Poly Pomona, including primary research, creative thinking and leadership training.

¿Even though it was mentally exhausting, an experience like this is irreplaceable,¿ Fares says. ¿I can¿t imagine what my college career would be like without this.¿

The AMA team includes: Domingo Carvajal, Hebba Fares, John Doan, Derek Lim, Steven Saunders, Emmanuela Ebunilo, Brittani Jackson, Gabriel Perez, Alma Clark, Jeff Warren, Cesar Padilla, Vanessa Caldera, Christopher Berghauser and Daniel Liera, as well as faculty advisors Frank Bryant and Gregg Arrends.

(Photo: Members (not all pictured) of the 2012 Cal Poly Pomona chapter of the American Marketing Association. Photo courtesy of Ali Smith.)

Students in the College of Agriculture will have access to a leadership program that will prepare them for their future careers, thanks to a grant of nearly $290,000 from the Department of Agriculture's Hispanic-Serving Institution National Program.

The College of Agriculture is creating Focus on The Future, a program that will give its more than 500 Hispanic students the chance to enhance their leadership skills, as well as prepare them for career success. The program will teach students "soft" skills, such as leadership, communication and critical thinking, that are often not formally taught in the classroom.

Ron Simons, whose six-decade affiliation with the university as a student and administrator has rightfully earned him the nickname ¿Mr. Cal Poly,¿ will soon have a new title.

Dr. Ron Simons.

Cal Poly Pomona will award him an honorary degree at commencement this spring in recognition of his contributions to the university, which include invigorating the Rose Float program and establishing the alumni association.

Volunteering is a great way to give back, but the initial sign up and application process may be time-consuming or difficult. The Cal Poly Pomona Bronco Volunteer program makes finding volunteering opportunities easier.

The program, based in the Center for Community Service-Learning, has information about community organizations that need volunteers. Students then reach out to the organization and establish a connection.

Agriculture alumnus and former baseball student-athlete Danny Andrews has pledged a record-setting $400,000 to the baseball stadium project. It is the largest single gift to Bronco Athletics, topping the previous mark ¿ also delivered by Andrews ¿ of $105,000 in 2008. 

"Danny's dedicated service to the university and generous gift to launch the new baseball stadium project is truly inspirational," Director of Athletics Brian Swanson says. "His vision and desire to revitalize the baseball stadium will provide generations of Broncos an unprecedented student-athlete experience. Everyone at Cal Poly Pomona is greatly appreciative of this gift from Danny Andrews."

Carolyn Forrester, instructional support technician in the chemistry department, has won the Governor¿s Employee Safety Award for 2010 for creating safety-related handbooks and training materials in the laboratories.

¿This is a well-deserved honor. Ms. Forrester has been instrumental in improving the safety of the campus,¿ says Dave Patterson, director of Environmental Health & Safety.

Forrester has worked at Cal Poly Pomona for nearly 27 years, and she also received the award in 1999. Her contributions include documenting safety training for students, providing safety instruction and serving as the principal building marshal for buildings 3, 4 and 8.

The award was established in 1980 to highlight and encourage safety on the job. Awards are given to individuals or groups who have responded to hazardous or life threatening events, as well as to those who have developed safety programs. This award is the 23rd for Cal Poly Pomona.

QUEST, a college prep experience for engineers, immerses students in college life and academics the summer before their first year at Cal Poly Pomona. Participants learn about the campus and its resources, and they take math and physics courses that help build a foundation for the engineering curriculum.

The program schedules an hour of study time each day, but it¿s not enough to learn the material, finish homework and work on projects. The shortage of built-in study time is intentional, and it's a lesson that QUEST students need to discover on their own.

Cal Poly Pomona's biology and geology departments have been awarded a $1.4 million grant to improve pathways for Pasadena City College (PCC) students who are interested in continuing their environmental science studies at Cal Poly Pomona.

PCC natural sciences Dean David Douglass invited Cal Poly Pomona to share in its $5 million science, technology, engineering and mathematics grant from the U.S. Department of Education because of the connection between the biology and geology programs at both institutions.

Responding to the urgent need for affordable housing, architecture students have designed a low-cost, prefabricated model house for earthquake victims in Haiti.

The project started about a year ago when Pacific Green Innovations (PGI), an Oregon-based manufacturer of modular homes, reached out to architecture professors Juintow Lin and Michael Fox. The company needed building designs that could be manufactured on a large scale, conserve materials, be easily constructed, meet certain structural standards and fit residents¿ needs.

As two of the most dynamic playmakers in program history, Luis Gonzalez and Juan Mejia of the men's soccer team received NCAA Division II All-West Region honors for the 2011 season.

Both seniors, Gonzalez earned a spot on the All-West Region First Team while Mejia received selection to the Second Team in the vote of the region's Sports Information Directors sponsored by Daktronics. The pair led the Broncos to a strong 2011 campaign in which the team finished with marks of 9-7-2 overall and 8-6-2 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play.

In 2010, Gonzalez collected Daktronics All-West Region Second Team accolades en route to being named a NCAA D-II All-American. In a similar fashion to last season, Gonzalez is once again eligible for All-American selection for his 2011 campaign. The forward from Long Beach, Calif., was picked as the CCAA Most Valuable Offensive Player earlier this month after leading the league in points and goals through the regular season.

Mejia, a midfielder from Guanajuato, Mexico, consistently ranked on the assist leaderboard for the CCAA this year while exhibiting tremendous passing. He finished as one of seven Broncos to appear in all 18 matches this season. In the conference awards announcement at the start of November, Mejia joined Gonzalez as an All-CCAA First Team honoree.

(Top photo: Luis Gonzalez makes a move during the Broncos 2-0 scrimmage victory over Cal State San Marcos Aug. 23. Bottom photo: Juan Mejia plays against Cal State Los Angeles Sept. 30.)

History Professor Zuoyue Wang published a guest editorial in the November issue of the American Physical Society's newsletter, APS News. The newsletter is distributed to about 48,000 APS members worldwide. In the editorial, "China, Sputnik, and American Science," Wang argues that the challenges facing the United States due to the rise of China and India bear some resemblance to those arising from the Soviet launching of the Sputnik satellite in 1957. In the present situation, the United States has close ties to China in many areas, and there is a need for the two countries to work together on critical global problems. Wang also calls for moving beyond Cold War thinking and for strong scientific and technological collaboration.

While many boys grow up trading baseball cards or checking box scores, the three Nylund brothers grew up comparing merit badges.

All three attend Cal Poly Pomona, and all three recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

Part of the process for earning Scouting¿s highest rank involves completing an Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project, in which a Scout must demonstrate leadership skills in a way that benefits the community. The Nylunds got in touch with family friend Debbi McFall, the emergency service coordinator with the University Police Department, to plan service projects at Cal Poly Pomona.

The Cal Poly Pomona Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) won the Outreach Event Award at the 51st annual National Conference for Women Engineers. The award is given to a school whose outstanding event not only embodies SWE¿s mission but also inspires women to pursue engineering. For the second year in a row, Cal Poly Pomona placed first for its Second Annual Youth Engineering Success Day, also known as the Y.E.S program.

¿Our Cal Poly Pomona SWE section strongly believes that education and awareness about engineering must start at an early age. This belief inspired us to create the outreach program for middle school and high school girls,¿ explains Amanda Bustos, one of the Y.E.S. Program coordinators.

The Y.E.S. Program, a day-long event on campus, begins with an introduction to engineering and the various disciplines. Program leaders emphasize that gender should not be an issue when making a decision in choosing a field. Students tour labs and participate in a hands-on activity.

This year, 215 students from seven schools attended the event and they built a structure entirely out of newspaper and tape. The structure had to be big enough for one of the group members to fit. During lunch, students talked with a panel of engineering students and asked questions.

¿Our main goal was to change at least 15 students¿ future by considering engineering as their lifetime career, and we ended up reaching so many more. This was outstanding! Our outcome exceeded what we expected, therefore making our program very effective,¿ says Angelica Gomez, one of the Y.E.S. Program coordinators.

¿The Y.E.S. Program itself is already so rewarding because you are able to see the impact that you are making on these young women firsthand. But then to have nationals recognize our efforts with an award, it¿s like the icing on the cake,¿ says Danielle Noriega, SWE chapter president.

Cal Poly Pomona¿s SWE Chapter sent 24 members to the national conference in Chicago from Oct. 13 to 15. More than 5,000 women engineers attended the conference, which included a job fair with more than 200 companies, competitions and opportunities to share ideas for becoming a better engineer.

On Tuesday mornings, English Professor Melissa Aaron discusses the writings of Spencer and Milton in her English Renaissance class. In the evenings, she teaches a Shakespeare class. In between, she carries a wand and occasionally wears a wizard¿s robe to her Harry Potter literature class.

The class ¿ the first one to focus on J.K. Rowling¿s books at Cal Poly Pomona ¿ covers all things witchcraft and wizardry, as well as many Muggle, or non-magical, topics. One afternoon, students used the fifth book, ¿Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,¿ as a launching pad for discussion about racism, the media, World War II and the educational system.

Hispanic Business magazine, in its latest look at the state of diversity on college campuses, has ranked the College of Engineering eighth in the nation, and first among the CSUs, in attracting Hispanic postgraduate students and helping them succeed academically.

¿The faculty and staff in the College of Engineering work diligently to prepare a highly skilled and diverse workforce, and we are proud to consistently award more engineering degrees to Hispanics than any other college in California,¿ Dean Mahyar Amouzegar says. ¿The ranking by Hispanic Business Magazine affirms our efforts in our graduate programs to grow opportunities for student research and hands-on engineering experiences.¿

Mayra Mendoza exemplifies perseverance in everything she does.

The teaching credential student is the first member of her family to be born in the United States and graduate college. She has been an integral part of the education of her younger brother, Danny, 17, who has Down syndrome. He has inspired her to help others with special needs.

Mendoza is the recipient of the 2011 Hearst CSU Scholarship for Cal Poly Pomona because of her excellence in academics and determination to help others. The $3,000 scholarship is given to one student at each CSU campus.

A group of College of Business Administration accounting students bested collegiate teams from throughout the country in a competition that netted them a $1,000 cash prize.

The students competed in Deloitte¿s Best Practices Competition in August at the Beta Alpha Psi Annual Conference in Denver. They are all executive board members of the Cal Poly Pomona chapter of honorary society Beta Alpha Psi.

¿We went against some top schools,¿ says 2011-12 Beta Alpha Psi President and team member Nicolina Russo. ¿The judges commented on our creativity but I also think our edge was our public speaking. We practiced for a month and we didn¿t make any mistakes when we presented.¿

The team competed in the Financial Information Professions category. Throughout the 2010-11 school year, club members reached out to area high schools to teach them basic concepts of the financial market. By using candy as currency, students were given a bag of chocolate and asked to invest in one of four companies. For every good thing that happened to their company, their candy was upgraded to a king size candy bar. When something negatively affected their company, students were given small hard candy.

Entering business competitions is something new for the club, which caters to accounting, finance and computer information students who are pursuing careers in financial management and information.

The group's strength has always been its connection to industry. Its yearly Meet the Firms event allows national and international employers such as McGladrey & Pullen, Deloitte, and Vicenti, Lloyd & Stutzman to meet standout business students before the start of the recruiting season. Many Beta Alpha Psi seniors are able to secure a job before they finish fall quarter.

In the last few years, however, Beta Alpha Psi members have been driven to give the chapter more name recognition among other college chapters. They do it partly for school pride and partly to attract more recruiters to Meet the Firms.

¿We want to be more prestigious because once you achieve that status more people become interested in your club and more firms want to look at you and start recruiting,¿ Russo says.

Members of the winning team are: Matthew Peich, Catherine Choy, Ohan Stephan, Nicolina Russo (holding the plaque) and Shanel Uriarte.

Norman Gregory Young, professor in the finance, real estate & law department, discussed important issues in business law to a visiting delegation from China. Young offered insight on U.S. securities regulation and its impact on global financial markets, U.S. bankruptcy law, international law and dispute settlement. Young is widely considered an expert in U.S.-Chinese comparative law and has been asked to speak at many of China¿s top business and law schools. The group visited Cal Poly Pomona through the College of Extended University¿s International Education Program.

For many students, summer is a time to gain real-world experience, network with professionals, expand their skills and travel. PolyCentric asked a few Cal Poly Pomona students to share about their jobs and internships from the past few months.

Amberleigh Capp, biological sciences teaching credential
Summer Jobs: Marine mammal husbandry intern at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, education specialist at Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, teacher at School-Connection in Diamond Bar
What did you do? At the LA Zoo, I worked with families and children in the California Condor Rescue Zone, a great playspace to learn about our endangered California Condor. As an education specialist, I bridge the gap between the guests and the animals. I am there to answer questions and encourage curiosity. Also, I got to work some of our overnight campouts! Those were very fun. It is pretty neat to wake up in the night to elephants!
What was the most challenging part of the summer? The biggest challenge overall was time management. I had a 60-hour week: 20 hours of commuting, 40 hours of work. It was exhausting spending so much time in the car. I found ways to manage my time and found traffic solutions like carpooling buddies and stopping at Disneyland on the way home.
What else did you do this summer? I did take a few days off to be my sister¿s maid-of-honor. I also went to Disneyland after several of my aquarium shifts.

Becoming a college student doesn¿t happen overnight, nor does it happen in isolation. When freshmen come to Cal Poly Pomona for summer orientation, they may look like college students, but that doesn¿t mean they feel like one or act the part.

¿These students don¿t feel like Broncos yet because they still need to return their cufflinks from prom,¿ says Traci Lew, senior coordinator of orientation services. It¿s an image she often paints when training orientation leaders who will help new students begin the transition from high school to college.

The campus can appear almost deserted at times during the summer ¿ but looks are deceiving. Duck your head into one of the ubiquitous science or engineering labs, and you will most likely see students peering into microscopes, calibrating equipment, conducting experiments or analyzing their findings.

Summer is a boom time for scores of student researchers to focus on a project without having to dash off to class or study for tests.

Medical researchers have long known that diabetics who smoke are compounding their health risks and very possibly shortening their lives. What had remained a mystery was the specific culprit that lurked in a pack of cigarettes.

Two teacher-scholars at Cal Poly Pomona appear to have found the answer: nicotine. The addictive chemical is widely considered the leading suspect, but scientific progress rests on research, the kind that Sean Liu and John Chan meticulously perform in the lab they share on campus. Though they caution that their results are preliminary, it appears they have opened a new window to the way doctors and patients assess diabetes risks among smokers.

Vilupanur Ravi, professor and chair of the chemical & materials engineering department, co-authored an article along with several Cal Poly Pomona undergraduate students and others in JOM, a technical journal published by the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS). The article, ¿The Environmental Stability of Boron-containing Titanium Alloys for Biomedical Applications,¿ was published in the June issue.

¿Medical and dental implants and their interactions with the human body are important areas of study,¿ Ravi says. ¿Aging populations and drastically escalating health care costs add to the urgency in making advances in this field. In this study, we discuss a new class of titanium alloys that are promising candidates for implant applications.¿

In addition, Ravi served as the advisor to the June issue of JOM, representing the Corrosion and Environmental Effects Committee of the Structural Materials Division of TMS. He provided advising for the topic ¿Biomaterials II: Corrosion Issues in Biological Environments.¿

Ravi also wrote a commentary, ¿Biomaterials II: Corrosion Issues in Biological Environments,¿ published in the same issue. He discusses the importance of electrochemical techniques in determining the stability of candidate metallic alloys. The commentary also provides a brief discussion and summary of four related articles covering various aspects of the topic.

The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for 2011 has been earned by Cal Poly Pomona¿s Department of Procurement & Support Services. The award is given by the National Purchasing Institute and recognizes the innovation, professionalism, productivity and leadership components of procurement. 

This is the fifth year that the university has received the award.

¿Being nationally recognized for excellence in procurement is an enormously rewarding experience and receiving the award motivates our team and keeps us focused on the need to be outstanding in our field,¿ says Kathleen Prunty, the department¿s director.

Cal Poly Pomona is one of only 20 higher education agencies in the United States to receive the award.

Peggy Kelly sees the differences whenever she steps into the Quad. Jack Fong does as well from his classroom. And Ray Wang has perhaps the best vantage point of all ¿ the second floor of the library. What they are witnessing is one of the most significant changes at Cal Poly Pomona in its 73 years. It isn¿t the new buildings, the environmental initiatives or even the hiring of some of the best minds in academia.

It¿s the students.

Cal Poly Pomona¿s student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) attended the ITE Western District Annual Meeting July 10-13. Students received first place in the James H. Kell Student Competition the Student Chapter Web Site Award for 2010-11. The Cal Poly Pomona chapter also received an honorable mention in the Student Chapter Award for 2010-11.

Similar to how an archaeologist feels after discovering new artifacts, Katherine Staab is excitedly searching and sorting through the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Collection.

¿The sensory experience is thrilling,¿ says Staab, the newly hired Arabian horse subject specialist. ¿The smell of the leather and old paper, as well as the feel of the pages and bindings, provides a real sense of history and romance that makes me feel a bit like Indiana Jones.¿

Devon Graves entered the Summer Bridge program with a fear of college common among incoming freshmen.

¿People say you¿ll get lost, that you¿re one of 20,000,¿ Graves said. ¿Now I¿m one of only 96.¿

Graves described his growth and new confidence as a participant in the Summer Bridge program, which gives incoming freshmen from historically underrepresented groups a chance to familiarize themselves with college life and bond with other newcomers. An emotional closing ceremony on July 7 capped off the three-week high school-to-college transition experience for the students, who are among the first in their families to attend college.

Nearly 25 percent of the Cal Poly Pomona student-athlete population earned California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Academic honors for 2010-11.

To earn All-Academic status, student-athletes must maintain a grade point average of 3.40 or higher over a course load of at least 36 quarter units. They also must be a letter winner on one of the 10 intercollegiate athletic teams.

The women's track and field squad featured 10 recipients: Cynthia Acedo, Tiffany Dinh, Sarah Gulli, Johanna Murray, Lauren Parr, Diana Zapata, Anne Eagleton, Denise Salceda, Elizabeth Soria and Nicolle Spann.

Riding a bike can be a great source of exercise, an outlet for competition or a way to connect with friends. The Cal Poly Pomona Cycling Club is open to anyone on campus interested in road biking, mountain biking or recreational cycling.

The club offers free minor bicycle repairs once a month during U-hour to students, faculty and staff. At a bicycle shop, these repairs normally cost around $20.

¿We ask ASI for money for repairs and we go buy tools and parts to work on students¿ bicycles, so we¿re essentially giving back a free service for them,¿ says the club advisor, David Flores.

Civil engineering senior Chris Aguilar walks through the geotechnical lab in Building 17 with the fondness of a long-time pal and the pride of a satisfied customer. Each piece of equipment is part of his college success story that helped him earn his first job.

"Look at this lab," says Aguilar, pointing to the shear machine. "Other schools don't have this equipment."

After Aguilar walked across the commencement stage in June, he  immediately started working full time as a staff engineer in the Burbank office of Geocon West, a civil engineering consulting firm. Aguilar says his training in the College of Engineering's geotechnical lab directly led to an internship last summer with the San Diego-based company, a part-time job this past year, and a permanent position upon graduation.

Cal Poly Pomona's Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Formula Racing team came in 12th place overall in an international SAE competition held in Fontana June 16-18. The race drew 80 teams from around the world, including Japan, Venezuela and Sweden.

The cars are judged based on seven main categories: sales, cost, design, skid-pad, acceleration, autocross and endurance. Cal Poly Pomona performed best in the acceleration category, coming in fourth.

The Cal Poly Pomona American Society of Civil Engineers chapter paddled its way to a fourth-place finish at the 24th annual National Concrete Canoe Competition. Led by team captain and civil engineering major Bladmir Payan, the team competed with 23 of the top teams in the country at the University of Evansville in Indiana in mid-June.

"I'm fiercely proud of our students. Our best previous finish at nationals was eighth," says William Kitch, a civil engineering professor and the team's advisor. "To reach the top four in the nation is a huge accomplishment and speaks to the technical prowess, leadership and tenacity of our team."

David Still, plant science professor, has received a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Science fellowship.

The E. Kika De La Garza fellowship program gives faculty from Hispanic-Serving Institutions the opportunity to learn about federal agencies that support research and education in agriculture and life sciences. Science fellows spend a week in Washington, D.C., and two to four additional weeks at a selected research location.

Still, the campus' Agricultural Research Institute coordinator, will travel to Salinas to collaborate with geneticists and plant breeders from the USDA Agriculture Research Services. He hopes the fellowship will help establish collaborative research projects between his lab and the USDA labs.

"Science research is a great example of a learn-by-doing activity, but research opportunities are not abundant on this campus," Still says. "Any opportunity to increase research on our campus is a good thing for the students, faculty and university."

Benjamin Tran, an industrial engineering student, took home first place in the National Undergraduate Student Technical Paper Competition hosted by the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE). The competition encourages students to write and present technical papers in a professional journal format. Tran was selected as a finalist after placing first at the IIE Western Regional Conference in San Diego. His advisor for the competition was industrial & manufacturing engineering Professor Kamran Abedini.

Tran says he entered the competition for his professional growth and also to show off all that the industrial & manufacturing engineering department has to offer.

"The department is known for producing quality industrial and manufacturing engineers in the entire nation, so I wanted to pay tribute to my department for being so accommodating as well as enriching to its students," Tran says.

The competition drew students from Rutgers State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"For me to come ahead of these schools definitely shows that Cal Poly Pomona has a strong engineering curriculum, not only for industrial & manufacturing engineering but also for other engineering disciplines as well," Tran says.

The commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2011 set a record for the highest number of graduates -- just over 4,000 -- to walk across the commencement stage. The eight college ceremonies also drew record crowds over the three days, June 10-12.

University photographer Tom Zasadzinski has created a 3 1/2-minute slideshow of the graduation festivities. Photos from each college ceremony may also be viewed on the university's Facebook page.

On-demand video of each ceremony is available in standard and high definition.

It's not every day that a student's senior project surprises his professor. Then again, not all students are like Stephen Crane.

Crane, a 2011 graduate in computer science, built a basic, working model of a ground-breaking encryption system, known as "homomorphic encryption." Although he did not discover or prove the encryption code, programming a working model is a great feat in itself.

"I was amazed," says Craig Rich, computer science professor and department chair. "I'm not going to say that he broke new ground, but what he did was pretty fantastic."

Ask any master's student about school, and they'll tell you it is highly demanding. Classes advance in difficulty and narrow in focus. Professors' expectations intensify. And the amount of time required for studying, research and writing papers increases exponentially.

"The graduate program is very intense, more than I thought. The first year, we all put in an average of 60 hours a week and that went up during finals," says Nate Brown, a master's student in landscape architecture. "At the end of the day I am glad that we are pushed so hard because it only better prepares us for the job market."

From caring for Bengal tigers to excavating a 17th century settlement in Poland to working at a body farm in Tennessee, Katie Murtough's five years at Cal Poly Pomona have been packed with action and education. When the animal science and anthropology double major walks across the stage at commencement this weekend, it will surely be the start of a new adventure.

Soon after graduation, Murtough flies to Rwanda and will spend seven weeks exhuming, cataloging and studying gorilla skeletons. The research trip immediately immerses her into the doctoral program in hominid paleobiology -- the study of early human ancestors and our development as a species -- at George Washington University in the nation's capital. Murtough has not only been accepted into the highly competitive program -- only three or four students are admitted annually -- she has also earned a fellowship covering tuition and living expenses.

Army veteran and Cal Poly Pomona senior Jeffrey Tu says he had a difficult time re-adjusting to civilian life after spending a year in Iraq. Frustrated and bitter, he couldn't relate to other people and they didn't understand him. He even considered re-enlisting for another tour of duty.

However, Tu held on to a promise he made to himself during his deployment and was determined to complete his education. "If I ever make it out alive, I'll try my best to never take anything for granted," he says. "If Iraq couldn't kill me, these books aren't going to kill me either."

School wasn't Tu's strongest suit during high school in Rowland Heights. He hung with the wrong crowd, joined a gang and had little direction in life. He spent two semesters at Cal State Fullerton, got on probation and eventually dropped out.

The 9/11 attacks motivated him to sign up for the military, and he hoped to make a difference in the world and a change in his own life. After Tu finished boot camp, he enrolled at Mt. SAC and tried for a fresh start.

Cal Poly Pomona's Baja team won the prestigious four-hour endurance race to finish fourth overall at the SAE international event in Pittsburg, Kan.

"We generally do very well because we have good hands-on engineering students," says Clifford Stover, the mechanical engineering professor who oversees the program. "You can throw as much money as you want at a project, but if you don't have good engineers you're not going to come up with something that's competitive."

Lance Walkington of the men's track & field team placed fourth in the javelin Saturday to earn All-American status, as he competed on the final day of the NCAA Division II National Championships.

In his first three attempts, Walkington's top throw of 61.60 meters allowed him to advance into the final. There, his second attempt flew 63.26 meters, or 207 feet and six inches. That ended as the fourth-best mark nationally on the afternoon.

"Coming to Cal Poly Pomona has been a great experience," Walkington said. "Working with Coach [Troy] Johnson and Coach [Lauren] Reimer has been tremendous and they've helped me get to where I am today."

UC San Diego's Nick Howe captured his second-straight national title in the event, with his first throw of the day - 70.49 meters - standing as the top mark for the field. Walkington placed one spot ahead of Pittsburg State's Tyler Drake, who entered the event as the No. 1-ranked javelin competitor.

"Lance ended as one of only three competitors to improve from the first round of throws to the second round," Reimer said. "He put himself in the top class of the nation and I'm proud of him."

A senior from Stockton, Walkington's All-American accolade marks the 106th time that a CPP male track and field athlete has achieved the honor. Earlier this season, on March 26 at the Cal-Nevada Invitational, he set a new program record for the javelin with a throw of 222 feet.

Jacob Deavers of the men's track & field team battled cold and rainy conditions Saturday night, finishing seventh in the 400-meter hurdles final at the NCAA Division II National Championships to receive All-American recognition.

The junior from Lake Elsinore posted a mark of 54.81. The winner of the race, Lincoln's Steve Banton, crossed the line in 51.96.

"It's been a long and successful year for our program," Broncos' head coach Troy Johnson said. "Jacob has some big upside for next year. He knows how to race and I know he'll be motivated to return and top his performance here at nationals."

As one of the top homerun hitters in the history of Cal Poly Pomona baseball, Travis Taijeron earned NCAA Division II All-American honors Friday in the Daktronics announcement.

A senior centerfielder from San Diego, Taijeron helped the Broncos reached the NCAA D-II West Region title game on May 22. Earlier in the month, he received California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and swept the West Region Player of the Year honors.

This marks the 26th time in program history that a CPP baseball student-athlete has received All-American mention.

"His performance at the plate and in the field was obviously a huge part of our success this season," Broncos' head coach Randy Betten said. "This All-American honor is definitely well deserved and we're extremely proud of what he's accomplished."

In 2011, Taijeron matched the program single-season records for homeruns with 16 and walks with 50. Through his two years at CPP, he ranks second all-time among Bronco hitters with 32 career homeruns.

Among the CCAA statistical leaders, Taijeron ranks first in almost every key category - batting average (.392), slugging percentage (.744), on-base percentage (.534), runs scored (59), homeruns (16), total bases (148), walks (50) and fielding percentage (1.000).

Members of the NCAA D-II College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selected the All-America teams. The award announcement is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc.

In the top honors, Cameron's Chase Larsson was selected as the Ron Lenz Player of the Year and Carter Capps earned Ron Lenz Pitcher of the Year honors.

The Fourth Annual Chevy Goldstein Distinguished Lecture and Student Research Awards Symposium awarded four chemistry students for their outstanding research.

Ivonne P. de la Torre, a master's student in chemistry, received first prize of $1,500 for her work on Supercontinuum Rapid Excitation Emission Matrix (SCREEM) detection. Nancy Kedzierski, Alyssa Martinez-Finkle and Anna (Anush) Mkrtchyan each received $500 for their work on DNA-based nanosystems, liquid crystals, and fluorescence spectroscopy, respectively.

The May 13 symposium featured a distinguished lecture by Professor Douglas Rees from CalTech. Rees spoke on "The Structural Basis of Biological Nitrogen Fixation."

The student research awards were created to carry on the legacy of Professor Elisheva "Chevy" Goldstein. Goldstein was a chemistry professor at Cal Poly Pomona until her untimely death in 2007. She was internationally recognized for her research in computational-physical chemistry.

"Chevy Goldstein was an active teacher-scholar -- she integrated research and teaching by working with undergraduate and master's student researchers to push the boundaries of chemical understanding," says Phillip Lukeman, organic chemistry professor. "These student finalists, with different mentors, continue that proud tradition."

Juanita Kurisaki is like many Cal Poly Pomona seniors: she stays up until the early morning hours finishing homework, stresses over her senior project and is counting the days until graduation.

Unlike many of the other students on campus, Kurisaki is 77 years old.

After years of putting the priorities of her family first, the great-great-grandmother will walk across the stage on June 11 at the College of Business Administration commencement ceremony to receive her degree.

"It's been a hard journey but if I had to do it again I'd do it again," Kurisaki says. "This will be one of my greatest accomplishments."

Look out Turlock. Heather Corder, Jacob Deavers, Tramieka Thomas and Lance Walkington are coming to your town to set some high marks at the NCAA Division II Championships held later this month.

The four members of the Cal Poly Pomona men's and women's track and field teams earned a spot at the national event for the first time in their Bronco careers. The championships take place on the campus of Cal State Stanislaus beginning May 25.

"These four have a great opportunity to become All-Americans," Broncos' head coach Troy Johnson said. "They're at the top of their game right now and it's the perfect time. Nationals can intimidate a lot of athletes but I think that the recent championship-type meets have prepared these four to handle it all."

Provost Marten denBoer honored this year's Outstanding Academic Advisors for their dedication to students with an awards reception May 19. Eight faculty members, two staff members and one advising program were recognized by students, faculty and staff.

Algebra is considered a gateway course - one that students must conquer in order to enter college. Cesar Larriva, an associate professor in the College of Education & Integrative Studies, is helping to ensure that the gateway swings open for students in Pomona and Walnut.

Larriva oversees a program that teaches teachers how to make math not only accessible, but captivating, which helps ensure that the fourth- through sixth-grade students at Montvue, Pueblo and Collegewood elementary schools grasp the concepts that will enable them to master algebra.

The key to the process is a robot that brings math to life. Students learn how to build and program their Lego Mindstorm kits, employing math principals they might not even realize they're employing.

Performing original songs can be stressing, therapeutic or just plain fun. The music department's annual "Songwriter Showcase" gives students just that experience to write original music and perform it for an audience.

Music major Kyle Neal says his song "Ghosts of Jesus" was inspired by the experience of a close family friend who was coping with a terminal illness.

"Naturally, my thoughts revolved around the idea of death, what it was and what it meant," Neal says. "I became obsessed. This placed within the context of spending my early life very involved in the church gave birth to 'Ghosts of Jesus.'"

The 8th Songwriter Showcase on May 19 & 20 will feature Neal and several other students who will perform their original pieces.

The 17-year wait is over. The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team is moving on to the NCAA Division II postseason.

On Sunday night during the NCAA Tournament selection show, the CPP fans, coaches and student-athletes learned that the 48-team field features the Broncos as the West Region's No. 3 seed. The regional tournament hosted by UC San Diego will start with CPP challenging second-seeded Western Oregon on Thursday at 1 p.m.

For three weeks, a select group of students have been applying their business skills in ways they never imagined. They are solving real business problems and interacting with executives and corporate recruiters all while being taped by an aspiring director doing her first Web reality show.

Now, it is just a matter of days before the 10 students participating in the inaugural season of "The Intern" will find out who will win and receive a paid internship from Louis and Company.

Ismael Souley, a third-year civil engineering student and current ASI president, writes about his experience at Cal Poly Pomona.

My journey to the U.S. and Cal Poly Pomona can best be described as a roller coaster ride -- yet one that's been extremely rewarding and life-changing.

I landed at LAX on Dec. 29, 2004, after a 21-hour flight from my home country, Burkina Faso (located in West Africa). I was 18 years old, knew very little English, and spoke only French.

One thing I did know, however, was that getting a quality education would prepare me for a good career. Back home, students don't have access to many universities, so those seeking a higher education must study abroad. As one of those students, I decided that America was the best choice.

Cal Poly Pomona has honored nine outstanding graduates with the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor given by the Alumni Association. The awards program recognizes alumni who demonstrate extraordinary professional achievement, community involvement and service to the university.

Representing each college in the university and athletics, the 2011 recipients were celebrated at the Distinguished Alumni Awards banquet on April 15.

The Center for Community Service-Learning honored three individuals, two organizations and one faculty-community organization partnership that have made significant achievements in service-learning and community service. The awards were given at the sixth annual Civic Engagement Awards Ceremony on April 21.

"These awards recognize those on our campus and in our community who are committed to serving others and making a substantial impact on our communities," Christina Gonzalez-Salgado, civic engagement coordinator.

A College of Business Administration marketing club won awards during spring break for outstanding achievement in fundraising and communications at the 33rd International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans.

To qualify for the awards, college chapters from the American Marketing Association (AMA) presented a 10-page report at the beginning of the school year mapping out their goals and strategies. In February, they submitted a 20-page report showing how well they executed their plans. Justin Rezvani, AMA president and marketing student, says judges noticed how successful members were in applying for and receiving on-campus grants. Executive board members also were adept in providing frequent, well-planned communications using many electronic platforms such as social media.

Cal Poly Pomona AMA members knew going into the competition they would be honored. They received notice in February that they received an honorable mention in the Nintendo Case Competition, the event's premier contest.

A multidisciplinary team of students placed 12th out of 60 schools in the national PLANET Student Career Days competition.

Alex Casillas took second in 3D landscape design, Isaac Rosales and Kirk Weatherton placed second in irrigation construction, and Sonia Rios received third in the leadership category. Casillas was the second-highest scoring student overall and received a $1,000 prize.

Cal Poly Pomona's 11-person team included six students from the College of Agriculture, four from landscape architecture and one biological sciences student. They were advised by plant sciences Professor Fred Roth.

About 800 students competed in various turf and landscape events March 18-20 at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Ill. Events included tree climbing, wood construction, irrigation assembly, skid steer operation and plant identification. In its 35th year, the competition is organized by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), a lawn and landscape association.

Cal Poly Pomona athletes have a tradition of success, winning more national team titles than any other current Division II campus in California. While the students' athletic abilities put them in the spotlight, they often excel in the classroom as well.

Last summer, 40 student-athletes earned California Collegiate Athletic Association All-Academic Awards. Among other requirements, those recognized maintained a minimum 3.4 grade-point average -- no easy feat for students who balance coursework with training, intense competition and travel.

A College of Business Administration team won a human resources competition in March that featured some of the best collegiate teams in the Western United States.

This is the first time that a Cal Poly Pomona team has placed first in competition, which is sponsored by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), the leading organization for HR professionals. Business majors competed against students from the University of Washington and University of Nevada, Reno as well as an MBA team from Oregon's Willamette University.

"The students worked hard preparing for the competition," says Associate Dean Cheryl Wyrick, who served as team advisor. "They wanted to do well and represent Cal Poly Pomona the very best they could. I'm very proud of their achievement."

SHRM previously hosted an annual quiz bowl but changed the format this year to better reflect the role of HR specialists in the workplace. The change was good news to Cal Poly Pomona team leader Jennifer Gibson, who says a polytechnic education offers the best preparation for a case competition.

"This is what Cal Poly Pomona does best," says Gibson, adding that the new format rewards students who excel in team-building, communication and analysis.

Gibson was tasked with creating the Cal Poly Pomona team and recruited stand-out students from the campus' Professionals in Human Resources Association. The team members are: Abraham Awad, Edward Batoon, Carolina Bunyea and Kisha Smith.

In the competition, teams were presented with a real-life scenario: After an employee was fired for using a company vehicle without seeking permission, the individual filed a wrongful termination lawsuit. Student teams were tasked with reporting to company executives and legal counsel whether the employee had a legitimate case. Teams had four hours to prepare their findings in a two-page report and a slideshow presentation to a panel of judges. The Cal Poly Pomona team researched federal and state labor and privacy laws, as well as past judicial cases.

Awad, who will graduate in June with a concentration in human resources, believes participating in the competition has given him an edge in the workplace.

"Using everything I learned in the classroom at Cal Poly Pomona and in the case competition, has set me up for success," Awad says. "I feel that opportunities for advancement are limitless."

(Photo: Team members are Kisha Smith, Jennifer Gibson, Abraham Awad, Carolina Bunyea, Ed Batoon.)

The College of Agriculture's food marketing team won first place at the Western Collegiate Food Marketing Competition held at CSU Fresno.

The five-person team, advised by Rick Mathias, presented its community supported agriculture project that explored the possibility of an untapped opportunity to sell Cal Poly Pomona-grown produce. Preliminary research found that about 85 percent of students, faculty and staff would buy a weekly produce basket, whose ingredients would vary week to week depending on the season and availability of produce.

This is the fifth year that Cal Poly Pomona has participated in competition, which was held on March 11. Students each contributed about 100 hours on the PowerPoint presentation, product development, posters and handouts, advertising fundamentals and practice.

Team members are: Sarah Maso, Tatianna Assemian, Samantha Pearson and Brenda Trujillo.

Cal Poly Pomona's American Society of Civil Engineers chapter placed second overall at the Pacific South West Conference (PSWC) and second in concrete canoe, qualifying for the national competition. The conference was held March 23-26 at Cal State Los Angeles.

Engineering students competed in 21 events, including concrete canoe (second place), flag design (first place), triathlon (first place) and geotechnical engineering (third place). The National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC) will be held in June at the University of Evansville in Indiana.

Cal Poly Pomona has proved for the third consecutive year that its students are the best in the Western United States in cyber security.

On the last day of spring break, the students won the Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition held on campus. Now, team members will test their skills against some of the best students in the country April 8-10 in San Antonio.

"We practice hard and we're glad it paid off," says Cal Poly Pomona team captain Sean Richardson. "I feel really great about moving on to the nationals."

An effort to promote financial careers to high school students has earned a College of Business Administration team a spot in a national competition.

The students beat business schools in California, Hawaii and Nevada in a regional competition in March in order to qualify for the national round. They are all members of the Cal Poly Pomona chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an honorary society for financial management and information students.

A team of construction engineering technology students placed second at the 24th annual Associated Schools of Construction Student Competition. The students placed in the 2011 Preconstruction Services Division, which is open to schools across the country.

The student teams were assigned a problem with a set of plans from an industry sponsor that built the project. Teams are required to submit a construction plan with thorough estimates of materials, labor, and costs. Students were also required to present and defend the details of their plan.

Cal Poly Pomona's team includes: team leader Ivan Galaviz, Patrick Nabavi, Michelle Iskandar, Gilbert Rios, Dang Le, Emmanuel Bageris and Professor Julie Wei.

More than 50 students and seven teams were involved from the engineering technology department. A total of 43 schools and 1,200 students participated in the competition.

Martin Sancho-Madriz, chair of the human nutrition & food science department, will participate in Class VII of LEAD21, a higher education leadership academy sponsored by USDA and the Fanning Institute of the University of Georgia. Sancho-Madriz has received a sponsored scholarship of $7,000 to attend the academy from the Fanning Institute and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the USDA. He is also being supported by the Division of Academic Affairs with an award of $3,400. His three-week intensive leadership training program begins in June. LEAD21 is designed as a leadership program opportunity for senior faculty members who aspire to become academic college deans, institutional directors or vice presidents.

Women's basketball player Reyana Colson earned a spot on the Capital One NCAA Division II Academic All-America Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The senior guard holds the third-best scoring average in the nation at the Division II level with 21.6 points per game. A star in the classroom, Colson has compiled a 3.68 GPA as an accounting major.

Currently on the CPP all-time leaderboards, she ranks fifth in points with 1,768. Colson has also racked up 20 double-double performances in her four years wearing the Bronco uniform. On Feb. 19 against Cal State Stanislaus, Colson set a new career high for points in a single game with 35.

The Office of Public Affairs has won four awards for its print and online publications from the CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) District VII Award of Excellence competition.

The department will receive two silver awards for news articles published in PolyCentric. The redesign of Panorama Magazine, a bi-annual print publication for alumni and friends of the university, also garnered a silver award. The staff will receive a bronze award for its creative use of technology and new media, specifically the university's Facebook page.

The Public Affairs team includes Esther Chou, Ron Fremont, Michelle Magcalas, Tim Lynch, Uyen Mai, Ani Markarian, Tambra Williams and Tom Zasadzinski

In addition, public affairs and I&IT's eLearning MediaVision unit together netted a silver award in the "Video Fundraising Features" category for the "This is Cal Poly Pomona" campaign video.

The CASE District VII annually recognizes excellence and best practices in alumni relations, fundraising, public/government relations, advancement services, special events and outstanding communications. District VII includes Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

The public affairs staff will be recognized at the Award of Excellence luncheon on March 5 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Stephanie Zajac, a physics student, presented at the semi-annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Jan. 9-13 in Seattle. Zajac was selected as one of the winners of the Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award competition. The award, which recognizes presenting students with excellent research, consists of a Chambliss medal and certificate.

Zajac's poster, "Near-IR Spectral Variability of Young Stars," showcased the preliminary results of studying 50 young stars. The California-Arizona Minority Program for Astronomy Research and Education (CAMPARE) internship program funded her project.

"It's an exciting community to be a part of, and it's dazzling and inspiring to realize the magnitude of not only our universe, but also the projects that are helping us advance our understanding of it," Zajac says.

For its winter quarter community service project, Cal Poly Pomona's Greek Council gave back to the Pomona community by collecting more than 2,000 items for the homeless in Pomona. Items included: blankets, bags, toiletries, canned foods, pet food and clothing. The donations were distributed to people on Jan. 30 in the parking lot of Pomona Four Square Gospel Church.

Jenni Adams, coordinator of Greek Life, says the students recognize the importance of philanthropic service to the neighborhood around them.

"It's important for students to realize that outside of Cal Poly Pomona campus, outside of exams and reports, there are real problems that need our leaders and our help," Adams says.

Kevin Menner of the men's basketball team received California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Week honors for the week of Jan. 31 to Feb. 6.

Menner, a senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., played a pivotal role in helping the Broncos to a home sweep of Cal State L.A. and No. 8 Cal State Dominguez Hills. He averaged 22.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 assists, while shooting 68.2 percent (15-for-22) from the field and converting all of his 15 free throw attempts.

In Friday's 68-48 win over CSULA, Menner led all scorers with 25 points, collected three rebounds, three steals and two assists. He finished the contest 8-for-11 from the field and 9-for-9 from the foul line.

Menner followed that effort with a game-high 20 points and three rebounds in 23 minutes of action to spark the Broncos to a 49-43 comeback victory. He made 7-of-11 field goals and 6-of-6 foul shots.

Menner, who is averaging 12.1 points a game on the season, scored 16 points after intermission as CPP overcame a 20-point second-half deficit. The Broncos, who trailed 33-19 at halftime, outscored CCSUDH 30-10 in the second half.

The Toros were held scoreless for the final 10 minutes as the Broncos scored the game's final 20 points.

CPP, in a tie for fourth place in the CCAA, returns to action on Friday when it hosts first-place Humboldt State.

Portraying mountain climbers stranded on top of K2, theatre majors Robert Shields and William Dinwiddie must put on the show of their college careers at a competition this week.

They'll have a small set, wear heavy winter coats and even carry an authentic ice ax. But with only three minutes to perform and stiff competition for the $5,000 scholarship, it'll be a tough climb to the top.

Incredible speed and pressure, then weightlessness.

Again, incredible speed and pressure, then weightlessness.

Over and over, about 40 times in two hours, they flew up and down like a rollercoaster over the Gulf of Mexico near Houston. For the nine aerospace engineers, freefalling on a special NASA Boeing 727 airplane for a NASA-sponsored experiment was the time of their lives.

NASA's Johnson Space Center hosted 16 research teams from around the country to test their respective technologies in a near zero-gravity environment in late September and early October through its Facilitated Access to the Space Environment for Technology (FAST) program. The Cal Poly Pomona group, composed of eight students and Professor Don Edberg, was the only undergraduate team among the groups of university researchers, private businesses and NASA scientists.

Reyana Colson of the women's basketball team received California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Week honors for the week of Jan. 17 to Jan. 23. It marks the third time this season that she has earned the accolade.

Colson poured in 22 points and added seven assists during the Jan. 18 win over Cal State San Bernardino. Eight minutes into the game, the senior guard tallied career point No. 1,500 with a successful three-pointer.

The Compton, Calif., native is averaging 20.9 points a game to lead the CCAA and ranks among the conference's top 10 in assists (4th - 3.9) and steals (3rd - 2.8).

History Professor Elise Wirtschafter has been invited to participate in a collaboratory, "Fighting for Living," on military history, hosted by the International Institute of Social History. She will discuss the Russian army in the 18th and 19th centuries during a two-day workshop series in March, held in Amsterdam. She is one of several international scholars who are developing case studies of military recruitment and service in Europe, the Middle East and Asia during 1500-2000, with the goal of producing a collection of essays for publication.

When biological sciences Professor Sepehr Eskandari talks about his success, the conversation isn't about the nearly 40 published journal articles and book chapters, the dozens of academic presentations or his $2.9 million in research grants. He talks about his former students -- which graduate programs they attended, their careers and their achievements.

"I'm really proud of what my students have accomplished," Eskandari says. "It's really satisfying to see students who were in this lab at one point and learned a lot, who then moved on to graduate or professional programs, and now have a lot of success in what they do. It gives me pleasure to think that I played a small part in their professional development."

Vilupanur Ravi, professor in the chemical & materials engineering department, will serve on the Board of Trustees for ASM International, The Materials Information Society, through 2013. The society is the main authority for the process of material growth. It focuses on lifelong learning and volunteering, and its 36,000 members present information about materials from their structure to the smallest scale possible.

Physics Professor Alexander Rudolph was recently chosen as a columnist for "Spark," the newsletter for the American Astronomical Society. His first column for the January edition will be "Creating Diversity: Current & Former Undergraduates Share Their Experiences with Programs Promoting Change," Two Cal Poly Pomona students will also be featured in the magazine: Ashley Curry, a biology major, and Stephanie Zajacs, a physics major. The newsletter is published twice a year.

Psychology Professor Jeffrey Mio was named president of the Western Psychological Association. Mio took over after Stanley Sue, who is the most cited researcher in Asian American psychology. A previous president is "Mr. Psychology," Phil Zimbardo. The Western Psychological Association is the largest regional psychology association, both in geographic area and number of members. Mio will be hosting the annual convention with the theme of "Innovations in Research, Teaching, and Mentoring." He will also give the first-ever Presidential Award for Mentoring to those who have inspired others to continue with their education.

There are two common ways to manage wetlands vegetation - burn the brush or manually cut it back. One method releases pollutants and the other is expensive and labor intensive. Both are unsustainable.

Water buffalo might be a practical, low-cost and eco-friendly solution to wetlands management, according to regenerative studies master's student Andrew Kanzler. But to bring the animals to campus and test his theory, the basis of his master's thesis, Kanzler's persistence and flexibility were put to the test.

Stem cells may provide a glimpse into the reasons certain pharmaceutical drugs cause weight gain as a side effect. Professor Ansel Zhao, biological sciences, has received a $422,640 grant to use stem cells and their derivatives to study the molecular mechanisms behind fat development.

Zhao and her research assistants will test 14 drugs with the known side effect of weight gain. They will observe the formation of fat on human adult stem cells and will use mature human fat cells to better understand the effect of the drugs on lipolysis, or how fat breaks down. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences funds the research project for four years.

Cal Poly Pomona engineers are finding a way to combine what they say will be the best of both worlds: merging a soft metal with a hard ceramic coating that is wear-resistant.

Developing a hard and strong coating on a relatively softer and ductile metal base opens up a range of engineering possibilities, according to Professor Vilupanur Ravi. "Superhard" surfaces offer better resistance to wear and erosion for applications such as drill bits, grinders or abrasives.

Fifteen management and staff members were honored with the emeritus title, and four staff members received the Amelia Hammond/Staff Council Scholarship at a ceremony on Monday, Nov. 8.

The emeritus honor, established in 1981, is given to retiring staff employees who have worked at Cal Poly Pomona for at least 10 years and have demonstrated outstanding job performance, support of university programs and involvement in campus activities.

Cal Poly Pomona offers one of the best business programs in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report's widely-read "Best Colleges" edition.

In the magazine's 2011 edition, the "Best Business Programs" section ranked the College of Business Administration 184 out of 1,400 institutions under consideration. The magazine based its list on survey results of deans and senior faculty at schools accredited by AACSB International - the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB is the premier accrediting body for business schools of which CBA has been a member since 1995.

Cal Poly Pomona's graduate business programs have once again been recognized as one of the nation's best by the Princeton Review.

Using results from student surveys, Princeton Review editors noted in its 2011 edition of the "Best 300 Business Schools" that the university's polytechnic approach to learning makes for a unique, more interactive, MBA experience. Students refer to it as a "hands on MBA" program where professors engage students with class discussions and group presentations. Through the course of the program, students receive solid preparation in general management and teamwork as well as communication, presentation and computer skills, the Princeton Review editors noted.

When challenged to create a sausage that represents Cal Poly Pomona, students knew it had burst with flavors and shine with green and gold. However, finding a way for the school colors to stand out in a cooked sausage was its own challenge.

They tested ingredients such as oregano, sage and cheddar cheese, but either the colors or the taste didn't work. Eventually, parsley and the yellow seeds of crushed red peppers did the trick, providing flavor and the right colors even after the sausage was cooked.

Patricia do Carmo, an English graduate student at Cal Poly Pomona, has been awarded a Hearst/CSU Trustee scholarship in recognition of her outstanding academic performance and her perseverance in overcoming personal hardships.

Despite being a single mother and sole income earner, do Carmo has been able to maintain a 3.95 GPA. She is also a member of the Golden Key Honor Society and has participated in numerous volunteer projects and conferences.

Do Carmo says the $3,000 scholarship comes at the perfect time for her.

Jeff Brown, associate professor in The Collins College, remembers the first time he stepped into a professional kitchen in a restaurant. Barely a teenager, Brown bused tables and washed dishes at the neighborhood cafe.

"It was magical," he says of walking into Embers restaurant in Arcadia. "There was stainless steel everywhere and men in toques."

Forty-seven years later, Brown feels the same energy and exhilaration at the start of a new academic year. Brown, who teaches cooking and restaurant management courses, lives for the excitement of helping students overcome a challenge and watching lightbulbs turn on.

"It's exciting. I get the same charge when the kids get it," he says. "It's fun to see the ones who had no self-confidence, no self-esteem absolutely sparkle and beam when you tell them, 'Good job.'"

Gary W. Kinsey, associate dean of the College of Education & Integrative Studies, was elected to his second year as co-chair of the Committee on Accreditation (COA). The committee oversees the educator preparation accreditation system, which ensures that credential programs are effectively training teachers. The 12-member committee includes distinguished educators who embody expertise, experiences and commitment to California public education. Kinsey's fellow co-chair is Carol Leighty, recently retired superintendent of Temecula Valley Unified School District.

Shelton Murinda, associate professor of animal & veterinary sciences, has been appointed to the reestablished National Advisory Committee for Meat & Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) for 2010-12 by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Established in 1971, NACMPI meets on food safety concerns and advises the secretary of agriculture on matters affecting federal and state inspection program activities. It also contributes to USDA's regulatory policy development. Recommendations are sent to USDA's Under Secretary for Food Safety for consideration and review by the Secretary of Agriculture.

"The diverse perspectives that NACMPI members bring to FSIS is invaluable to our mission and success in ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of the foods we eat," Vilsack said. "I am firmly committed to aggressively decreasing the incidence of foodborne illnesses and with the support of these individuals, I am confident that we will be able to protect the American people's food supply."

The members of the committee are: Patricia K. Buck, Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention; Dr. Fur-Chi Chen, Tennessee State University; Brian R. Covington, Keystone Foods LLC; Dr. Catherine N. Cutter, Pennsylvania State University; Nancy J. Donley, Safe Tables Our Priority; Veneranda Gapud, private individual; Dr. Craig Henry, Deloitte & Touche LLP; Dr. Cheryl D. Jones, Morehouse School of Medicine; Dr. Heidi Kassenborg, Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Sarah A. Klein, Center for Science in the Public Interest; Dr. Shelton E. Murinda, California State Polytechnic University; Dr. Edna Negr??n, University of Puerto Rico; Robert G. Reinhard, Sara Lee Corporation; Dr. Craig E. Shultz, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; Dr. Stanley A. Stromberg, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry; Dr. John D. Tilden, Michigan Department of Agriculture; Carol L. Tucker-Foreman, Consumer Federation of America; Steve E. Warshawer, Mesa Top Farm; Dr. J. Byron Williams, Mississippi State University; and Leonard W. Winchester, Public Health - Seattle & King County.

For more information, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/NACMPI.