In Brief

Great news in the last year from our students, faculty, alumni and supporters.

Research Star Earns Prestigious Fellowship

Jenny Martinez ('20, mechanical engineering) received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. The oldest fellowship of its kind, only around 2,000 are awarded each year and nearly a third of its recipients go on to top-ranking research institutions. Her previous research accomplishments include a research fellowship in the Rutgers RISE program, Caltech’s WAVE program, and her work being published in the April 2019 edition of Nature. “My desire is to reach out to our community and be an example for future generations,” says Martinez.

Women in Engineering Advisory Board Established

The Cal Poly Pomona Women in Engineering (CPP WE) Program establishes its first advisory board. Consisting of alumnae and alumni and industry representatives, the advisory board acts as an advocate for the program and seeks mutually beneficial partnerships.

Established in 2012, the program has served over 10,000 students by providing opportunities to connect to alumnae and faculty, and volunteer in K-12 outreach events on- and off-campus. “We’re excited to build upon the strong CPP WE programs available to attract women into the field of engineering,” says board chair Lynne Lachenmyer (’80, chemical engineering). “The board aims to bring strategic direction and additional resources to further the outreach, mentoring and support programs necessary to attract, retain and support women in engineering.”

Photo: Teresa Rodriguez (’18, civil engineering), right, was an active student participant with the CPP WE program and joins the advisory board as its most recent graduate.

Building A Moonbase

An aerospace engineering student team won first place at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) 2019-20 Space Systems Design Competition. Challenged by NASA to propose a plan for a base on the Moon, their work was judged best among more than a dozen from around the world. “Students in the team dedicated many days and nights working tirelessly on their design and paid attention to the details,” says Dr. Navid Nakhjiri, aerospace engineering associate professor and advisor for the team.

A civil engineering student team placed first in seismic performance at the international Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Seismic Design Competition. The team built a balsa wood multi-story building that was tested for stability and structural integrity when subjected to simulated seismic loading on a shake table. Cal Poly Pomona was among 46 teams from eight countries and 17 U.S. states and territories. In 2018, the team’s student lead at the time said that “more work will need to be committed to the other categories in order to remain competitive.”

They made the commitment, and it paid off. “I am proud of all our teams, regardless of the outcome. But it is special when they are recognized at the international level,” says Dr. Felipe Perez, civil engineering professor and advisor for the team.

First in International Conference

A chemical and materials engineering student team won first place in the Biological Materials Science Best Poster Competition at the international TMS 2020 Annual Meeting. Attendees from over 70 nations attended the event, and chemical engineering student Thu Nguyen presented the winning poster titled “Electrochemical Evaluation of Ti-13Nb-13Zr-B Alloys for Knee Implants.”

The presentation was co-authored by chemical engineering student Jacob Giacomi and advised by Dr. Vilupanur Ravi, the chair of the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. “This win demonstrates the high quality and outstanding work of our students. Another positive outcome was that Thu Nguyen was offered a position in the research group of one of the judges,” says Ravi.

A Three-Peat in Sight? Back-to-Back Wins for this Design-Build Team

A civil engineering student team earned first place for the second year in a row in the ASC Design-Build competition, the largest construction student competition in the nation. The foundations of this success began four years ago when the Department of Civil Engineering started an initiative to bring design-build topics into civil engineering curriculum. “This achievement is truly amazing. Now let’s go for the legendary three-peat!” says Dr. Jinsung Cho, associate professor and faculty advisor for the student teams that won back to back.

The Only Student-Built Rose Float Glides into Pasadena

More than 700,000 spectators lined the streets of Pasadena to watch the 2020 Rose Parade and millions more watched from home. “Aquatic Aspirations” Rose Parade float, a joint effort by students at Cal Poly Pomona and San Luis Obispo, made its colorful entrance into the parade and earned the Director Trophy for most outstanding artistic design and use of floral and non-floral materials. The float was the 72nd consecutive entry for the Cal Poly universities, and the only student-built float in the Rose Parade.

To achieve the sense of a floating landscape, the construction team designed the animation mechanisms with the goal of subtle, languid movement, said mechanical engineering student Chris Maciosek, a construction chair for the Rose Float.

The Dean’s Leadership Board Expands

Seven new members joined the college’s Dean’s Leadership Board (DLB), an advisory board of high-level executives that bring their expertise and knowledge to secure resources for the college and to help define its strategies and goals. Six of the seven are college alumni and they join an advisory body of 25 members.

“It is an honor to serve as a member of the Dean’s Leadership Board. I look forward to giving back to the Cal Poly Pomona engineering community by sharing my expertise in advanced technologies in development and production in the aerospace and defense industry,” says Kent Miller (’81, engineering technology), one of the new DLB members.