Faculty News – CAFES News

Open House Alumni Beer and Wine Garden

Registration for the Cal Poly Alumni Wine and Beer Garden during Open House weekend is LIVE!

All faculty and staff are invited to the Cal Poly Alumni Wine and Beer Garden, happening Saturday, April 12, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., is at the Engineering Plaza on campus. Your ticket includes tastings of wine, beer, and cider (for guests 21+) as well as non-alcoholic beverages. Plus, enjoy a delicious taco bar from Efrens with all the tasty fixings, Cal Poly Creamery ice cream and local favorite Cowboy Cookie. Limited tickets will be sold at the door starting at 2 p.m. This event sells out every year, secure your spot today!

Faculty and staff may purchase discounted tickets ($15) with the college’s access code. Enter CAFESfacstaff in the promo code box at checkout to reveal the discounted tickets.

Events

College Day at Cal Poly Baseball and Softball

Faculty and staff of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences are invited to college day on during this year’s baseball and softball season. At the April 18 baseball game, faculty and staff receive free general admission and discounted tickets to Krukow’s Klubhouse for $40. With Krukow’s Klubhouse tickets, attendees will enjoy in-game hospitality with all-you-can-eat snacks, hot dogs, beer and soda until the final out of the seventh inning of the game.

At the April 22 softball game, faculty and staff receive free general admission and discounted tickets to the Third Base Club for $60 for the double-header. With Third Base Club tickets, attendees will enjoy in-game hospitality with all-you-can-eat snacks, hot dogs, beer and soda until the end of the fifth inning of the game.

Use this link to purchase and access tickets for baseball and softball. Please also note that ticket sales for Krukow’s Klubhouse end two days before game day for baseball.

Faculty News

Annual CAFES Faculty and Staff Awards Nominations

We will once again recognize our colleagues in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences for their hard work and contributions to the college and our students with the annual CAFES Faculty & Staff Awards.

To nominate an individual for exceptional service, please complete the form found in your email, and submit to Haley Marconett in the Dean’s Office via email at hmarcone@calpoly.edu by end of day Friday, May 2, 2025.

We will celebrate awardees and a successful academic year at an event on June 10; more details to come.

Faculty News

Faculty and Staff Hike to Cerro Romauldo

Saturday, May 24 at 8:30 a.m., faculty and staff can partake in a scenic hike to the peak of Cerro Romauldo, on the site of Camp San Luis Obispo. There is a maximum of three guests per registrant, and an overall capacity of 50 hikers. Please complete the RSVP form by 5 p.m. Thursday, March 20.

Arrival & Security Procedures

Arrival Window: Plan to arrive between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. If you arrive at the Camp SLO main gate after 8:30 a.m., you will not be permitted entry. LTC Mark Swiney will be stationed at the gate but will depart promptly at 8:30 a.m.

Enhanced Security Measures: All drivers must present the following at the gate:

Driver’s license
Vehicle registration (current)
Proof of insurance (current)
Vehicle Registration: Ensure you arrive in a vehicle whose license plate matches the one provided on your RSVP form.

Trail Conditions & Considerations

The first 1.25 miles are moderate.
The next 0.75 miles become more challenging, with some steep areas.
The final 0.25 miles are difficult, requiring climbing over large rocks to reach the peak.
Those with mobility concerns or small children are cautioned to hike only the first 1.25 miles. But, enthusiastic children and dogs did hike the entire trail in 2024 without issue.

Faculty News

AG 452 Students Advocate for Agriculture in Sacramento

Students in AG 452 “Current Trends and Issues in California Agriculture” traveled to Sacramento, presenting comprehensive research on California agricultural issues including water, agricultural literacy, labor, policy, and climate change to industry leaders and government officials.

These presentations, backed by executive briefs and weeks of preparation, earned valuable feedback while creating networking opportunities with influential figures including California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross and Legislative Advocate Terry McHale. Students were introduced on both the Assembly Floor by Assembly Member Dawn Addis and the Senate Floor by Senator John Laird.

This is the twenty-fourth class since the program’s founding in 2001 by George Soares, now having prepared over 500 students through this transformative professional experience.

Faculty News

Lucy McGowan Joins Prestigious Fellowship

Agribusiness Assistant Professor Lucy McGowan was invited to be a member of the Business Higher Education Forum Faculty Innovation Fellowship in February. The inaugural cohort of faculty from across the nation will join a prestigious new program representing 13 institutions across 10 states. Fellows represent a diverse array of disciplines including business and hospitality, nursing, and social sciences among others. In this role, McGowan will join a national network of colleagues dedicated to fostering student success through new innovative practices.

Faculty News

Faculty in the News

Ricky Volpe: Egg prices are likely to shoot up even more in 2025. Here’s what to know: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eggs-prices-shortages-bird-flu-2025/

Daniel Scheitrum: Concerns of price gouging after L.A. wildfires at Cal Poly: https://keyt.com/news/money-and-business/consumer/2025/01/22/concerns-of-price-gouging-after-l-a-wildfires-at-cal-poly/

Frank Frievalt: Domino Effects: Insurance after LA fires: Bloomberg (Wall Street Week) Interview:

Marc Horney and Frank Frievalt: Startups Race to Build Bigger, Better Drones to Fight Bigger, Hotter Wildfires: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/startups-race-build-bigger-better-drones-fight-bigger-hotter-wildfires-rcna187152

Frank Frievalt: On America’s Wildfire Nightmare: https://www.climateproof.news/p/frank-frievalt-on-america-s-wildfire-nightmare

Frank Frievalt: ‘It was a hellscape’: The challenge of evacuating Los Angeles during wildfires: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250109-why-los-angeles-was-so-hard-to-evacuate-during-the-wildfires

Faculty News

Interim Dean Named

Please welcome Dr. Jeremy James as the interim dean for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES). He will serve in this role through August 31, 2025, or until a permanent dean assumes the position, whichever occurs first. Jeremy replaces the CAFES interim dean, Bill Hendricks, who retired after serving Cal Poly for 30 years.

James joined Cal Poly in 2020 as department head for the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences (NRES) Department, which serves more than 850 students across three majors. In this role, he has emphasized shared governance, distributed leadership and applied student-centered research to enhance student success and advance the university’s polytechnic mission.

During his tenure, the NRES Department has experienced significant growth. Applications for the forest and fire sciences major have doubled, and enrollment capacity has increased by 60% to meet rising student demand. Jeremy also collaborated with faculty and Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch to secure a $4.2 million CAL FIRE grant to prepare students to address California’s mounting wildfire challenges.

Jeremy teaches a range of courses related to his scholarship and offers students hands-on opportunities supporting his ecosystem management research. For example, a recent student-led paper published in Environmental Research Letters evaluated how climatic variation impacts carbon capture across California’s diverse ecosystems.

Faculty News

Awarded Grants

Ricky Volpe, associate professor in the Agribusiness Department, was awarded a $649,932 grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for the project titled, “The Evolution of the Labor Force in the US Food Supply Chain.”

Stewart Wilson, assistant professor in the Natural Resources and Environmental Resources Department, was awarded a $749,975 grant from the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for the project titled, “Using Artificial Intelligence to Map Soil Burn Severity: Decision Support Tools for Postfire Assessment.”

Aydin Nazmi, professor in the Food Science and Nutrition Department, was awarded a $75,000 grant from the USDA’s CalFresh Healthy Living, to carry out outreach for the State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Program in conjunction with Chico State.

Faculty News

New Grants Analyst

Lauren Young joined the college as a grant analyst in November. Young is working fully remote. Research related questions, including queries about ARI and McIntire-Stennis grants, can be directed to her by email at lyoung23@calpoly.edu or by phone at 805-858-0807. Sue Tonik is assisting Young during the transition. You can reach Tonik at stonik@calpoly.edu.

Category: Faculty News