
Fall Student Welcome
The CAFES Ambassadors helped greet more than 1,200 new students and welcome them to the college at the annual Fall Welcome event held Sept. 19 at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center.








The CAFES Ambassadors helped greet more than 1,200 new students and welcome them to the college at the annual Fall Welcome event held Sept. 19 at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center.
The Cal Poly Wildland-Urban Interface FIRE Institute is hosting a free screening of the award-winning documentary “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire,” at the Spanos Theatre on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. A Q&A panel, including executive producer of the film Ralph Bloemers and WUI Director Frank Frievalt, will be held after the screening. Reserve a spot today.
Film Synopsis: “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire” takes viewers on a journey with the top experts in the nation to better understand fire. The film follows the harrowing escape from Paradise as the town ignited from wind-driven embers and burned within a few hours of the fire’s start. Filmmakers also visit fire labs where researchers torch entire houses to learn why some homes burn and others survive, learn from Native Americans as they employ fire to benefit nature and increase community safety as they have for thousands of years and follow researchers who work to understand the effects of climate on forests and the crucial role that natural forests play in storing vast amounts of carbon. Along the way, people who have survived the deadliest fires to underscore the importance of the quest.
Join us on Oct. 26 as we celebrate the arrival of fall and unveil some of the latest improvements at Cal Poly’s Leaning Pine Arboretum. The free community event, organized by Wendy Robinson in the Plant Sciences Department, will honor emeritus professor and previous arboretum director Tom Eltzroth. Guests are invited to join a walking tour of the arboretum at 2 p.m., followed by a free barbecue dinner at 4 p.m. The event will culminate with live music from Jill Knight, accompanied by Jeri Jones, Pam Delgado and Rob Strum, and the Bogeys. Read more details about the event here and be sure to RSVP. Please contact Wendy Robinson at werobins@calpoly.edu with questions.
*Watercolor drawing by Michelle Haka, CAFES Director of Facilities.
All faculty and staff are welcome to attend the annual Coffee with the College event held during Mustang Family Weekend on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon in the courtyard outside of Building 11. Join parents, supporters and students and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences’ leadership team and academic advisors as we share more about our programs, student support services and opportunities to get involved. Coffee and treats will be provided. Be sure to check out the other exciting activities happening during Mustang Family Weekend.
The college will host the annual Fall Preview event for prospective students on Friday, Oct. 11, at the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture. The event is an opportunity for prospective students to learn more about the campus, our hands-on programs, and the career opportunities that the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences prepares them for.
Join us on Oct. 5 as Cal Poly Football hosts Agriculture Appreciation Night during Homecoming Weekend. Help us recognize the legacy of agriculture at Cal Poly and in the surrounding community by celebrating those that teach, learn, work in and support agriculture. Local 4H and FFA members will be invited onto the field during the game to be recognized as the next generation of agriculture leaders. Tickets are just $5 and can be purchased here: https://lnkd.in/gPAfrFwk.
Each year, the college sponsors a 10-week Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) to provide students the opportunity to experience undergraduate research projects on topics related to their programs or in which they have interest. Students work closely with faculty research leads and receive a stipend. The program is open to all students in the college.
Students participating in the 2024 program presented their research at a poster session Aug. 29 at the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture. More than 34 students participated in projects alongside faculty across multiple disciplines in the college’s nine departments.
The Cal Poly Strawberry Center, partnered with the California Strawberry Commission, is at the forefront of increasing the sustainability of the state’s strawberry industry through research and education.
On Aug. 8 the Strawberry Center held its eighth annual field day, with a record-breaking attendance of more than 600 strawberry growers, researchers and industry representatives. Attendees, including local elected officials, rotated through entomology, pathology and automation stops, with opportunities to network with fellow industry members and companies.
📷: California Strawberry Commission
Save the Date: Fall Conference will be held Monday, Sept. 16, in the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture’s Conference Hall (Bldg. 156) from 8 to 11:15 a.m. Parking is available in the adjacent H1 parking lot, which requires a faculty/staff parking permit or you can pay using the pay station. Check-in will begin at 7:30 a.m. A light breakfast will be provided.
A student photographer will be available to take headshots after the conference.
The CAFES Annual DEI Workshop will be held Tuesday, Sept. 17, from 8 to 11 a.m. in the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture’s Conference Hall (Bldg. 156).
The Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research held the second annual field day on Aug. 8. More than 100 organic growers, pest control advisors, certified crop advisors and industry representatives attended and rotated through presentations on organic soil fertility and pest management. The final event of the field tour was a demonstration of an Ecorobotix automated weeder. provided by Grimmway Farms/Cal Organic. More information on the field day including handouts can be found at www.organic.calpoly.edu.