Years
With classes in full swing and the campus once again bustling with students, Iʼm constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to serve this college as interim dean. The energy for learning that students bring every day and compassion and dedication from faculty and staff is unmatched.
A theme coursing through this issue of Cultivate is legacy. From the inspiring story of an alumnus winning his first medal in the Paris Paralympics, to students and faculty researching ways to ensure environmental sustainability, to the 10-year anniversary of the Cal Poly Strawberry Center, the work that is being done here at Cal Poly will have an impact for generations to come.
At the end of 2024 my appointment as interim dean will come to an end and I would be remiss not to take this opportunity to thank you all for your commitment to our college and student success. The contributions of our alumni, industry partners and campus community literally create a better world.
As the holiday season approaches, I am grateful for the friendships and partnerships built over my 30-year career at Cal Poly. The college community will forever be my home.
Wishing you all the best,
Bill Hendricks | Interim Dean
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CULTIVATE is published for alumni and friends by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES).
Deanʼs Office 805-756-2161
Communications Team
Haley Marconett hmarcone@calpoly.edu 805-756-2933
AnnMarie Cornejo ancornej@calpoly.edu 805-756-2427
Anya Rehon arehon@calpoly.edu 805-756-6235
Publication Designer
Julia Jackson-Clark (Graphic Communication, '19) juliajacksonclark.com
Printer
Lithographix Los Angeles, California
Contributors
Lauren McEwen Fourth-year agricultural communication major
Colette Smith (Agricultural Communication, '23; M.S., Agricultural Education, ʼ24), project coordinator, Cal Poly Strawberry Center
Diego Ortega Third-year environmental earth and soil sciences major
Staff Photographers
Morgan Elia Fourth-year agricultural communication major cafes.calpoly.edu Stay connected
BEAUTY IN EVERY BOUQUET
Cal Poly Floral Shop brings fresh floral designs to students on campus and in the community
BY LAUREN MCEWEN, fourth-year agricultural communication major
At the crest of the hill on Via Carta Drive at the northeastern tip of campus sits a small but bustling plant shop tucked away between greenhouses and worksheds. A quaint hand-painted sign outside hints at the beauty of the shopʼs interior.
Once inside the Cal Poly Floral Shop, a menagerie of colorful flowers and textured foliage line the countertops as student employees create designs for customers. Selling their bouquets on campus and at San Luis Obispoʼs Saturday farmers market, the students behind each design have seen a steady interest in fresh floral arrangements.
Melinda Lynch, a floral design lecturer of 28 years and Cal Poly alumna, oversees the shop. Lynch is always brainstorming alternative methods of selling studentsʼ bouquets to increase hands-on learning opportunities. One of the most recent endeavors is delivering student-made arrangements to on-campus housing, offering parents and supporters a chance to brighten their studentʼs day.
“I like changing things up,” she said, noting that new additions to the shopʼs menu tick up interest. “Cal Poly jam or tangerines with a Mason jar of flowers sell better than a box of chocolates,” she said with a smile. “Parents want to make their student feel loved.”
Claire Henderson, a plant sciences major, has worked as an employee in the flower shop for more than two years. “I love working with customers in the shop and at farmers markets,” she said. “Especially with our on-campus deliveries, flowers are a good way to uplift parents who miss their children.”
The Cal Poly Floral Shop has been in business for more than 50 years, Lynch said, thinking back to her own floral design professor leading the shopʼs marketing and sales during the ʻ70s. Lynch said that
sales at the Saturday farmers market skyrocketed tenfold once they began offering arrangements grown exclusively at Cal Poly and by creating unique designs each week. “We create excitement,” Lynch said. “People want to see what we do, especially in creating really great specialty items. No two arrangements are the same.”
Likewise, no two students are the same. “Iʼve had students from agricultural education to event planning, animal science and art, all from different backgrounds,” Lynch said. Plant sciences major Maria Cervantes, who worked for a wedding company prior to coming to Cal Poly, said that working in the floral shop allows her to continue her passion for bringing beauty into peopleʼs lives.
April Marshall (Art and Design, ʼ24) continues to work in the floral shop and aspires to open her own floral design business. “Coming from a background in art, the principles of design and color apply to floral design as well,” Marshall said. “Since working in the Plant Sciences Department, my knowledge of agriculture has expanded more than Iʼd ever known. It has opened my mind and I have developed respect for the industry.”
“It is such a personal experience selling flowers,” said fifth-year plant sciences major Audrey Arntz. “Getting phone calls from parents to thank us for our work is such a reward.”
Having taught for over two decades, Lynch says that some of the most powerful moments for her are seeing her former students and employees find success in the industry, noting that many have established their own floral businesses or teach high school floral design. “During a meeting with the agriculture teachers at the annual California Agricultural Teachersʼ Association conference, I looked around the room and there were 20 teachers who were in my classroom at Cal Poly,” Lynch said. “I just thought, oh my gosh, that is very exciting, and now here they are teaching floral design."
THE MAKING OF A MASCOT
In 2013, Cal Poly alumnus Robin Baggett (Business Administration, '73) and his wife, Michelle, donated a gelding named Moonstar to Cal Poly for the purpose of boosting school spirit on campus. The Mustang was renamed Chase, after Cal Polyʼs only female president, Margaret Chase — a reminder to the Cal Poly community to always pursue their dreams.
Faculty and students in Cal Poly's Animal Science program prepped Chase for his debut at the 2014 Mustang football home opener, where a decade later he still welcomes the crowd to each game. His majestic run across the field is a reminder that a Mustang can never be conquered.
Photo credit: Joe Johnston, senior university photographer
SURVEY
A postcard was recently sent to our Cultivate subscribers with a short survey to update preferred delivery options. If you havenʼt yet completed the survey, you can access it at bit.ly/cultivatemagsurvey or by scanning the QR Code.
BREAKAWAVE
Thousands of Cal Poly Rodeo program sponsors from near and far gathered for the fourth annual BreakaWave rodeo on the beach. Cal Poly student-athletes, alumni and sponsored invitees competed in breakaway roping and bronc riding along the Pismo Beach coastline. The event is a fundraiser for the program.
PROGRESS UNDERWAY
Construction of the Charles and Claire Jacobson Animal Health Center is underway. The state-of-the-art facility is scheduled for completion in spring 2026 and will provide students with interactive hands-on Learn by Doing opportunities in the centerʼs spacious and modern teaching laboratory and clinical veterinary area. The Animal Health Center will also facilitate additional student enterprise courses to ensure the next generation of leaders in veterinary medicine, animal healthcare and animal agriculture are prepared to be industry ready from Day One.
Opportunities for naming a space within the Animal Health Center are still available. Reach out to Abigail McCullough, director of development, at 805-858-0393 or ammccull@calpoly.edu, to learn more.
Progress on the first phase of the Plant Sciences Complex continues, with construction of the George Wurzel Plant Sciences Building. The building will serve as a teaching and research hub, bringing together multiple complementary disciplines under one roof to tackle the worldʼs most pressing challenges. Future plans at the complex include state-of-the-art research and production greenhouses, an ancillary produce packing and cooling facility and a farm store for food retail operations.
Opportunities to support the Plant Sciences Complex are still available. Reach out to Russ Kabaker, assistant dean of advancement and external relations, at 805-756-6601 or rkabaker@calpoly.edu.
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
JAN. 29
Alumni and Friends Reception at Unified Wine and Grape Symposium
FEB. 12
Alumni and Friends Reception at World Ag Expo
MARCH 21
Howard C. Brown Horticultural Greenhouse Complex Dedication
APRIL
Cal Poly Open House
Poly Royal Rodeo
STUDENT SUCCESS
Students participating in the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research 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 collegeʼs nine departments.
AAKASH AHAMED, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT: Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences
AREA OF SPECIALTY: Remote sensing and geospatial data science
EDUCATION: Doctorate in geophysics from Stanford University
HOMETOWN: Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
FUN FACT: I won a point off of John McEnroe in tennis.
SURAJ KAR, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT: Wine and Viticulture
AREA OF SPECIALTY: Viticulture, plant physiology
EDUCATION: Doctorate in biosphere science from Hokkaido University, Japan
HOMETOWN: Burdwan, India FUN FACT: I like building terrariums, hiking and reading.
STAMATINA KOTSAKOU, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT: Agribusiness
AREA OF SPECIALTY: Agricultural markets of specialty crops, demand analysis
EDUCATION: Doctorate in agricultural and resource economics from UC Davis
HOMETOWN: Athens, Greece FUN FACT: I love cooking and I am working (very slowly) on creating my own cookbook.
LAURA ROLON, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT: Food Science and Nutrition
AREA OF SPECIALTY: Food safety, food microbiomes, food microbiology, metagenomics, dairy processing
EDUCATION: Doctorate in food science and international agriculture and development from Penn State
HOMETOWN: Buenos Aires, Argentina
FUN FACT: This summer I fulfilled my lifelong travel dream of seeing Komodo Dragons in the wild. Already planning my next trip.
NEW FACULTY
CAL POLY IN PARIS
Paralympian wins bronze
BY ANNMARIE CORNEJO
Paralympian athlete Mark Barr (Nutrition, ʼ09) has long embodied perseverance, from surviving an aggressive bone cancer as a teenager to winning his first medal in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France.
The years of hard work and dedication were evident in his smile as he stood at the podium at the Paris Paralympics, holding a bronze medal after competing for Team USA in the menʼs paratriathlon. It is his first medal after competing in swimming at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
swimming as a path forward. “I have been swimming since I was four years old and I am extremely lucky to have had a background in swimming prior to losing my leg to cancer because swimming is the one sport where you do not need a prosthesis and can just take your leg off and jump in,” Barr said. It quickly became an integral part of recovery, providing both physical and mental rehabilitation after the amputation of his leg.
I hope that my performance will inspire the next generation of amputees to get into the sport of triathlon and continue to raise the bar."
Barr, 38, a certified nurse anesthetist in Houston, Texas, was a member of the Cal Poly swimming team from 2004-08, an experience he holds close. “My college experience at Cal Poly as a student-athlete was incredible,” Barr said. “Iʼm extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to compete on a Division I menʼs swim team as a disabled athlete. That experience was very challenging, but even more rewarding.”
When Barr was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at the age of 14, his life quickly became a whirlwind of doctorʼs appointments, surgeries, chemotherapy treatments and recovery. “I relied on maintaining a positive attitude and strong family support to get through the cancer treatments,” Barr said. “It was a year of chemotherapy, amputation and lung surgery that was exhausting both mentally and physically not only for me, but also for my parents.”
Not long after, he returned to his love of
Barrʼs experience with cancer also set him on a path toward becoming a nurse — graduating from Cal Poly to pursue a bachelorʼs degree in nursing and later work as an ICU nurse for more than seven years. He recently earned a third degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to become a certified nurse anesthetist. “I thought for the longest time that I would never want to set foot in the hospital again. However, as time went on, I realized that it would be a very rewarding career to pursue the chance to give back to the profession from which I had benefited so much,” he said.
Barr said that while competing in the Paris Paralympics, a race he started training for in 2022, he focused on the sacrifices he made in training prior to the race as a motivation to keep pushing forward during the race. Bronze medal in hand, he plans to take a yearʼs break to spend time with his wife and 11-month-old son, Luke. “I hope that my performance will inspire the next generation of amputees to get into the sport of triathlon and continue to raise the bar,” he said.
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BY ANNMARIE CORNEJO
The Cal Poly Strawberry Center has grown to be a premier institute in the last decade — providing a vital link between academia and the burgeoning California strawberry industry. Growing from a vision with humble beginnings to a steadfast hub of research and resourcefulness, the center has garnered more than $7.7 million in funding for research and shepherded more than 150 students through its doors.
In 2013 the California Strawberry Commission partnered with the college with an initial $1 million contribution to support the centerʼs first three years of operation — a one-of-a-kind concept rooted in the hands-on learning model that defines Cal Poly. The mission was simple: to assure the sustainability of the California strawberry industry through research and education that is aligned with growersʼ needs.
And while the focus on applied research that incorporates both teaching and learning experiences for Cal Poly students, faculty and strawberry farmers remains the same today, the impact of that partnership 10 years later is now being realized in the industry. New advancements in pathology, entomology and automation are continually being made and the students who have worked and done research at the center are advancing in their careers.
“Our success is contingent on educating students and producing research that will benefit the industry,” said Strawberry Center Director Gerald Holmes, who was hired to launch the center in 2014. “It is also about the trust we have earned in the industry and the relationships we formed from the very beginning.”
Joseph Ramirez (Plant Sciences, ʼ23) is now in his second year of graduate studies working on two projects at the Strawberry Center related to plant resistance and soil-borne pathogens. The Watsonville native hopes to follow in the footsteps of both his grandparents and father who have worked in the
strawberry industry for many years.
“I work both in the lab and the field, it is a great blend of both worlds,” he said. “As an undergraduate, I developed a strong interest in plant pathology, and now, as a graduate student, Iʼm working on two projects that can benefit the industry. This experience has sharpened my research skills, given me hands-on field experience, reinforced my passion for supporting growers, and enhanced my overall knowledge of the industry. The Strawberry Center truly embodies Cal Polyʼs Learn by Doing model, giving students like myself the opportunity to apply what I've learned
JUNE 2014
in the classroom to real-world challenges in agriculture.”
Holmes chuckles as he recalls his first few days standing at a plot of land designated to grow strawberries, which had never been grown on campus before. “I asked a lot of questions and quickly realized that I needed to tap into the experts in the industry. We didnʼt even have the equipment on campus needed to till the field and prepare the soil for an industry-style strawberry bed,” Holmes said. Local strawberry growers were quick to respond and offer their expertise and labor, ultimately setting the center up for success. “They did an excellent job working within the limits of what we had and I gained much respect for them and what they do and how they do it,” he said. “I hope our success is a point of pride for them as well as they helped us to get this going. It has always been a team effort.”
CALIFORNIA IMPACT
Strawberries are Californiaʼs third highest grossing crop, bringing in $2.68 billion in 2022. There are more than 400 growers, shippers and processors that grow 90% of U.S.-grown strawberries, many on multi-generational family-owned farms. In all, with direct and indirect impacts,
strawberry farmers contribute $5.2 billion to the economy.
Just like other valuable commodities, the challenges are many. Pests and pathogens threaten to diminish the crops, while inefficiencies increase the cost of production. The work done at the Strawberry Center ensures that California strawberries remain sustainable and globally competitive. The program brings together farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, educators and students to focus on development and deployment of innovative automation and mechanization technologies related to planting, pruning, pest management, picking and processing in the strawberry industry.
“Cal Poly is unique in its Learn by Doing ethos and its location on the coast is ideal as it is right in the middle of the stateʼs main growing districts,” said Dan Legard, retired vice president of research and education at the California Strawberry Commission. “The strawberry industry, knowing the value of research, had invested in the commission to meet those needs and Cal Poly was eager to partner with us. It was an opportunity to both train students and give value back to the industry through students and research.”
SEPT. 2016
NOV. 2014
First crop of strawberries planted on campus in Field 25
FEB. 2015 First strawberry harvest at Cal Poly
JAN. 2013 Partnership formed with Cal Poly and California Strawberry Commission
MARCH 2016
JULY 2017 First field day (200 attendees)
JAN. 2018
SEPT. 2019
Gerald Holmes hired as director
This experience has sharpened my research skills, given me hands-on field experience, reinforced my passion for supporting growers, and enhanced my overall knowledge of the industry.
-Joseph Ramirez (Plant Sciences, ʼ23)
"We are fortunate that one of the largest agricultural schools in the United States is located on California's Central Coast — which is also the best place in the world to grow strawberries. Partnering to create the Cal Poly Strawberry Center was natural. The Strawberry Center brings living laboratories onto campus to create experiential learning, industry-relevant research, and ideation. Collectively this industry-academic partnership is an innovation center that advances strawberry farming and supports the Teacher-Scholar Model,” said Rick Tomlinson, California Strawberry Commission president.
Today, the impact is already being felt in the industry as Cal Poly graduates fill various roles. “The strawberry industry, like all areas of farming and agriculture production, is a vast, interconnected web,” Holmes said. “From the people who prepare the land, provide the fertilizers, run the labor crews, drive the trucks and forklifts to those that
sell the clamshells and market the fruit — our graduates are exposed to it all.”
Each year the Strawberry Center hosts a field day event for industry members to gather together and see the latest research underway. The event has grown steadily in the last eight years, with a record 620 attendees in 2024.
Legard, who worked closely with Holmes over the years, gives much credit of the centerʼs success to his leadership as the director. “His calm demeanor brought confidence in an industry that didnʼt always trust academia because they didnʼt know how the funding was allocated,” he said. “Today, nearly every company in the industry has been touched by the center in some way. Cal Poly not only produces critical research but graduates with expertise in industry and that is extremely valuable.”
INCREMENTAL SUCCESS
The Strawberry Centerʼs multidisciplinary approach has led
Kenneth Romero (Agricultural Science, ʼ16), a pest control adviser with TriCal Inc., began working with the Cal Poly Strawberry Center in its infancy, assisting researchers in organic and conventional fumigation trials. He worked closely with Strawberry Center Director Gerald Holmes and other center researchers to develop fungicides to control soil-borne pathogens. Romero also began working for TriCal Inc., which specializes in soil management and research, as a student intern, at the recommendation of Holmes.
Romero said working with the Strawberry Center was an invaluable experience because of the opportunity to “learn the industryʼs most challenging obstacles and try to come up with viable solutions.” As a pest control adviser, Romero writes pest management recommendations for growers across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, continuing the work he began as a student. “I do consider myself fortunate that my studies directly correlated to what I now do on a daily basis,” he said. “We still work with Cal Poly on various studies regarding soil-borne pathogens.”
FEB. 2022
Center wins California Department of Pesticide Regulation Integrated Pest Management Achievement Award
SEPT. 2021
Strawberry Academy launches
AUG. 2024
Eighth field day (618 attendees)
For Romero, seeing the growth of the Cal Poly Strawberry Center since its inception is inspiring. One of the events Romero contributed to as a student and continues to partake in is the annual field day. “The field day has grown exponentially and creates a place for the industry to collaborate and show all the hard work that the center has accomplished,” he said. “Iʼve gone almost every year, and it seems to have a larger crowd with more trials and cutting-edge technology. The integration of the collegeʼs engineering departments has also been fun to watch.”
BY LAUREN MCEWEN, fourth-year agricultural communication major
to great strides in pest and disease management. “We started with one acre of strawberries and now have three,” said Holmes. “But the biggest difference is that we now have as many as 30 research projects at a time, compared to just the one that got us started all those years ago.” Holmes estimates that the center has now studied more than 1,500 genotypes for resistance to the various diseases that threaten strawberries.
Each year the California Strawberry Commission publishes a request for proposals to gather a list of top research priorities. “We want to be sure we are working on their big problems, things like the Lygus bug, spider mites and diseases and soil-borne pathogens,” said Holmes. “Eradication of those challenges isnʼt realistic but there are definite improvements that can be made to ensure the industry remains sustainable.”
The center has also grown its focus on automation, securing additional funding
to invest in researching and developing tools that can be used by the industry to increase their success. In 2016, John Lin was hired to serve a joint appointment as both the California Strawberry Commissionʼs and the Cal Poly Strawberry Centerʼs director of automation engineering. Over the last five years, the Strawberry Center has successfully developed and commercialized several types of enhanced strawberry production equipment such as the Lygus bug vacuum, spray rig, strawberry decapper, plastic hole puncher and hoop house disassembler.
Increased focus on automation technologies will help improve strawberry production and lead to a higher-quality product, supplying a steady stream of healthy produce. The introduction of advanced technologies, including automation capabilities, are critical to the long-term competitiveness for domestic production of strawberries and other specialty crops within the international
Developing New Varieties of Strawberries
agricultural marketplace.
“The Cal Poly Strawberry Center is the new model of innovation in automation solutions in agriculture,” said Walt Duflock, vice president of innovation at Western Growers, an agricultural advocacy organization. “The partnership between the Strawberry Center and the California Strawberry Commission is resetting the standard for what we can do to bring innovative solutions to the industry. It remains one of the best private-public collaborations in U.S. specialty crops.”
Sarah White (Plant Sciences, ʼ20) works for Driscollʼs as a research associate in the Oxnard strawberry breeding program. White works in two breeding programs, one developing a summer plant and the other, a winter plant. “My team is working towards advancing selections with a priority focus on improved fruit quality, flavor, harvest efficient traits and optimal production curves,” she said. “This is crucial to the industry because it drives the development of new cultivars that are more resilient to diseases, pests and environmental stresses.”
Additionally, she manages ongoing host resistance trials for seven other breeding programs, screening for tolerance to powdery mildew and two-spotted spider mites, both of which are common challenges in the field. She also collects disease severity data, analyzes it, writes reports and presents the findings to colleagues, with opportunities for international travel to other Driscollʼs research plots.
As a student at Cal Poly, she became involved with the Strawberry Center her second year, working as a research assistant for Assistant Professor Shashika Hewavitharana and Kelly Ivors, then a plant pathologist in the center.
“During my time there, I gained a solid foundation in laboratory work, including making selective media, mastering aseptic techniques for isolating pathogens from plant tissue and understanding the importance of maintaining a clean and well-stocked lab,” White said. One of Whiteʼs most memorable contributions to the Strawberry Center was conducting hands-on tests to determine the resistance of various strawberry cultivars to the pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina.
Whiteʼs position at Driscollʼs is complementary to her Cal Poly education and work experience at the Strawberry Center. The Cal Poly Strawberry Center offered a robust introduction to the strawberry industryʼs needs and fueled her desire to continue in the research sector. Cal Polyʼs Learn by Doing ethos “equipped me with essential skills such as teamwork, accountability and real-world problem-solving, which have been invaluable in my current role,” White said. “The centerʼs work, especially in research and development, is instrumental in driving innovation and ensuring the industry's long-term sustainability.”
BY LAUREN MCEWEN, fourth-year agricultural communication major
WINEMAKER SHOWCASE
Wine and Viticulture Department Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Winemaker Showcase in April 2025
BY LAUREN MCEWEN, fourth-year agricultural communication major
Thirty years ago, Cal Poly students from the Vines to Wines Club, with the help of their advisor Keith Patterson, began planning a dinner fundraiser that would boost their clubʼs presence on campus. The clubʼs efforts would go on to inspire the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences to add a minor in wine and viticulture, then a major and eventually the Wine and Viticulture Department in 2013.
What began as a dinner and auction with scarcely 100 attendees, is now known as the Winemaker Showcase, the departmentʼs premier event hosting more than 250 guests each year, including alumni, benefactors and wine industry professionals. Last year the student-led event raised $586,000 for the Wine and Viticulture Department. It is the largest fundraiser in the department and is planned, designed, managed and produced by students.
for the entire Cal Poly and winemaking community. “Iʼm really happy to see the department continue the dinner,” she said.
“It is such a special event, especially to hold on campus.” She has returned almost every year to show her support of the department and the event. “Watching the evolution of the Winemaker Showcase from the first dinner until now is inspiring. It has gained a lot of momentum and ultimately helped to establish the department and the new JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture,” Burkner said. “This event keeps Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture at the forefront of the industry.”
"Watching the evolution of the Winemaker Showcase from the first dinner until now is inspiring. It has gained a lot of momentum and ultimately helped to establish the department and the new JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture." -MONICA BURKNER
Students take the lead in every aspect of the event, from shaping its marketing strategy and fostering industry relationships to roles in technology, wine stewarding and even serving the food that evening. "Student involvement is absolutely vital to the event's success," said Amber Karson, lecturer and advisor to the student team organizing the Winemaker Showcase. "This is a prestigious event with countless touchpoints and elevated expectations." Many students who contribute to the Winemaker Showcase later return as alumni giving back to the next generation of wine and viticulture students.
The annual event brings wine industry leaders from around California and the U.S. to campus to hear from students, enjoy a four-course dinner, and sample wines featuring alumni winemakers.
The Wine and Viticulture Department is nearly doubling the size of the event planned for this April, encouraging a reunion-style affair to celebrate the longevity of the dinner and the community that has been cultivated over the past three decades.
Three decades ago, the Vines to Wines Club saw a need to fund-raise for field trips and hands-on experiences for its members. Monica Burkner, then a Cal Poly student, assisted in planning the first of several fundraisers. Burkner said that celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Winemaker Showcase is an event
“After volunteering at last year's event, I was inspired by the overwhelming support of winemakers, alumni and industry professionals,” said fourth-year wine and viticulture major Bobby Horst. “That experience motivated me to get involved in the planning of this yearʼs event.” As the planning team anticipates around 400 attendees at this yearʼs anniversary dinner, there are lots of unique aspects to consider. “Our team has been meeting multiple times a week to ensure every detail is thoughtfully prepared for what will be the biggest showcase yet,” said Horst. “It has been incredible to help create something that brings our community together in celebration of Cal Polyʼs Wine and Viticulture program,” Horst said.
To learn more or purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/wvitshowcase25.
Too Much of a Good Thing?
EXAMINING THE CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF FIRE RETARDANTS
Fourth-year plant sciences major Sawyer Claussen stands at the site at Cal Poly's Escuela Ranch where he is doing research on the impact of fire retardants on native grasses.
BY ANNMARIE CORNEJO
At Cal Polyʼs Escuela Ranch just north of the main campus on Highway 1, Cal Poly professors and students are engaged in a timely research project to determine the long-term environmental impacts of fire retardants commonly used to combat wildfires that are increasingly more frequent especially at the wildland-urban interface. Fire agencies have long used aerial retardants to slow the spread of wildfires near communities and other valuable resources. The thick, reddish hued substance dropped from airplanes is a combination of chemicals and water, most commonly Phos-Chek, which is a fertilizer-based mixture. The ammonium phosphate slows the spread of fires, and subsequently helps plants grow the following rainy season — but some researchers worry they are the wrong ones.
“In the last decade, California wildfires have become more and more common and of such high intensity that they are destroying communities and precious wildland areas,” said fourth-year plant sciences major Sawyer Claussen. “It is a difficult topic with economic, safety and environmental factors that must all be considered. What we are looking at is the lasting impacts of current practices on plant biodiversity and productivity. We could potentially be perpetuating the problem by making the landscape more susceptible to another fire.”
The research being done at Escuela Ranch is just one of many active projects for a team of Cal Poly faculty and students through a four-year, $572,959 grant awarded
from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, in addition to a $90,000 award from the California State University Agricultural Research Initiative, to assess the long-term implications of repeated applications of fire retardant to soil, groundwater and vegetation.
The multidisciplinary project, titled “Increasing Fire Resiliency at the Community Scale through Planning and Fire Ignition Prevention,” is being led by Assistant Professor Stewart Wilson in the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department, along with faculty and students from the Plant Sciences, BioResource and Agricultural Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Departments.
Plant Sciences Department Head Scott Steinmaus is working with students such as Claussen to investigate the impact of fire retardants on plant biodiversity. Ultimately, the fertilizer used in retardants exacerbates the growth of non-native species of grasses. Those grasses, like ryegrass, wild barley and oats, tend to grow fast and tall, produce seed that is dropped to the ground quickly, and die off earlier than native species — potentially making those areas more prone to additional fire risks. “The iconic golden hills of California that we are so familiar with, those are all non-native, invasive grasses that have become commonplace here,” Steinmaus said. “These invasive grasses end vegetative growth and die in late March or early April, becoming flammable from April to November until it rains again. California native perennial grasses such as purple needlegrass would normally still be partially green and less likely to burn even through the summer.”
“In the last decade, California wildfires have become more and more common and of such high intensity that they are destroying communities and precious wildland areas. It is a difficult topic with economic, safety and environmental factors that must all be considered. What we are looking at is the lasting impacts of current practices on plant biodiversity and productivity. We could potentially be perpetuating the problem by making the landscape more susceptible to another fire.”
-Sawyer Claussen, fourth-year plant sciences major
Steinmausʼs team of students are testing a possible alternative at their field site at Escuela Ranch: a fire retardant that is salt-based using magnesium chloride, eliminating the fertilizing component and potentially allowing native grasses to once again flourish. Both retardants are being compared side by side by being applied in late summer with professional fire retardant application crews and equipment, simulating a commercial application.
“We have many assessment metrics that we are using to measure the retardantsʼ impacts, but photosynthetic performance is one of our main ones,” said Claussen, who spent the summer participating in the collegeʼs Summer Undergraduate Research Program, looking specifically at the impact of the different fire retardants on the germination, growth and physiological performance of two grass species.
“Once the fire is put out and the retardants intensify the growing patterns afterwards, we are looking to understand what level it is hindering or helping biodiversity of native and non-native plants and potentially affecting later fire cycles.”
The students tend to the more than 50 test plots at Escuela Ranch where both native and non-native grasses grow, collecting data at the site and samples to further analyze in the laboratory. The trial is in the second of a four-year plan. Additional research for this project is also being done across the college and university on the impacts to soil, water and ember testing.
“This experience definitely ties into my overall goal of working in agriculture and the natural resource industry to implement more environmentally sound practices to preserve our wildlands and climate,” Claussen said. “Knowing how these retardants, which are our main tools for fighting wildfires, affect landscapes post application is very important to having informed management practices and stewarding our wildland ecosystems the best we can.”
Listen to a podcast hosted by Experience Industry Management
Professor Brian Greenwood as he talks to Colleen about her experiences in the industry.
Colleen bousman
Colleen Bousman (Recreation Administration, ʼ95), owner and event producer at See & Be Productions and Wildflower Experience, has been a race director for more than 25 years, building on a legacy started by her father when she was just a young girl. It remains a family affair today, with her husband and children pitching in. After a six-year hiatus, Bousman is bringing the Wildflower Experience, a triathlon steeped in years of memories, back to San Luis Obispo County.
What is the Wildflower Experience and how did it come to be?
It started as a bluegrass festival in 1983 with this new thing called triathlon that someone told my dad about. The first year he had two finishers in opposite directions due to rain washing away the course markings, but somehow my dad was able to keep his job and grow the triathlon into something sustainable and profitable. We celebrated our 35th anniversary in 2018 and it was such a blast to look back at the years and see the evolution, growth, and crazy stories we held from all those years.
How is the Wildflower Experience different from other triathlons?
Wildflower is a full weekend experience. I say itʼs a three-day endurance festival that equates to one epic weekend. Itʼs one of the hardest long courses and Olympic-distance triathlons out there and on the bucket list of many. When you spend a weekend together around campfires and eating meals while experiencing new adventures you naturally grow close to others. Itʼs as much about the festival as it is about the race and that is unique in our sport.
How did Cal Poly prepare you to be a leader in the event industry?
Cal Poly is where I grew as a person to love the outdoors and to collaborate with others. I made some of my best lifelong friends there, and most importantly, I realized I was capable of a lot more than I imagined. I learned that leadership is a role of respect that is earned not just given and that true leaders would never ask of anyone what they are not willing to do themselves. The creatively, ingenuity, sharp-wit, and unity of working together can outdo any difference that separates us. Together we can accomplish greater things than alone, so why not have fun doing it with a massive goal in front of us.
The Wildflower Experience is coming back after a six-year hiatus. What changes can people expect? What will be the same?
The key point is that we are the same Wildflower Experience we have always been, but we have also evolved over the years. We have expanded the festival to bring in top entertainment, yoga classes, fitness and nutrition presentations, professional Q&A sessions, a full three-day expo, Thursday shake out rides, stand up paddleboard rentals and so much more so the entire family
can come and enjoy the weekend. My youngest racer is 8 years old and oldest is over 90 years old, so it really is a race for everyone.
What roles do Cal Poly students play in the event?
The students are really the heartbeat behind the energy at the race. They bring 650-plus volunteers that cheer, chant, encourage, each and every athlete. I have had as many as 80 students on my organizing committee, representing 14 majors, collaborating on key areas of the event like start/finish, aid stations, course, festival, packet pick up and so much more.
How do you keep a reoccurring event relevant in changing times?
With events like this you must evolve. Even after 35 years we found ways to continue to improve the event experience. I also take lessons from several industries — from live concerts, football, marathon, golf, dance, hockey, televised events and so much more.
You mentioned that at the root of the event is the community it serves. Is this an important component of experiential event management? Community is at the heart of our event. Once you race our events, we consider you family. We encourage people to train together, race together and celebrate together. Itʼs fun to watch the family grow. Community is about sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals and when you focus on that everything else seems to come together.
What keeps you inspired?
I always look at the start line and see thousands of people knowing that each one of them has a story in their life about what gave them the courage to race. I know training for an endurance event like this takes grit. I see finishers come across and know at that moment many lives will be changed and I get to be part of that. I see the tears at the finish line and am confident that someone nearby will be there to comfort and bring joy back to this moment. Life is too short to do things that donʼt matter and I get inspired every time I hear a story, every time I am able to connect people and when I see all the amazing friends I have made along the way.
How to get involved: For more information on the event and volunteer opportunities visit: www.wildflowerexperience.com
Stumped
Cal Polyʼs Oldest Avocado Orchard Provides New Educational Opportunities
BY LAUREN MCEWEN, fourth-year agricultural communication major
The terraced avocado orchard lining Radio Tower Hill along Highway 1 is a familiar Cal Poly agricultural landmark. But things are looking a little different now, as nearly 100 stumped trees, painted white, slowly begin to regrow.
The avocado trees on Radio Tower Hill are some of the oldest and tallest such trees on Cal Polyʼs campus. This summer, the orchardʼs scaffold branches were removed and the stumps were painted over, preparing the several acres of trees for a multi-year journey of regrowth. “Stumping helps bring down height and increases the productivity of the tree,” said Plant Sciences Professor Lauren Garner. “There will be more fruit and of higher quality. It also increases efficiency of harvest,” she said. Stumping can also extend the life of mature trees and serve as a valuable learning opportunity about alternative production methods for students.
The shade of the massive canopy of the overgrown avocado trees resulted in limited blooms, and prevented fruit from growing well. Stumping the trees allows for the trees to
regrow, said Garner. After Johnny Rosecrans, manager of Cal Poly's Bartleson Ranch and Conservatory, worked with a professional crew to remove the branches and mulch the woody remnants of the avocado trees, a crew of students painted over the stumps to ensure that the trees would be protected from sunburn. “Diluted white latex paint prevents damage to the bark and allows for gas exchange,” explained Garner, making the paint a perfect choice for protecting the trees while they grow.
“For the students, it is a really good example of how avocados develop,” she said. Garner looks forward to bringing students enrolled in the Citrus and Avocado Fruit Production course in the spring quarter to the orchard to see how the trees have developed. Garner also said that soil science and plant pathology students could benefit from the project by looking at plant health and the efficacy of the mulch spread throughout the orchard.
Create Your Cal Poly Legacy
“Cal Poly prepared me for my advanced degrees and a successful career with the U.S. Navy for which I am forever grateful. Giving back through an endowment and a gift in my living trust was an opportunity to honor my parents and ensure that future generations have the same opportunities at Cal Poly that I did.”
- DR. ROBERT S. THOMPSON (Animal Husbandry, ʼ64)
The first step in creating a legacy gift at Cal Poly is to contact our team of professionals who can work with you to include Cal Poly in your long-term giving plans. By including Cal Poly in his living trust, Robert Thompson (Animal Husbandry, ʼ64) honored his parents by naming an embryology lab in Animal Sciences in their memory.
If you would like to learn how to support Cal Poly as he did, we are here to help you with a personalized plan that creates the future impact you desire. Please reach out today to start planning your Cal Poly legacy.
Contact:
ANIE DE LA ROSA CLARK
Director of
Gift
Planning
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 805-305-7314
aclark88@calpoly.edu
plannedgiving.calpoly.edu
California Polytechnic State University
1 Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0250
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