A
B
C
D
A — Computer science student Gabriel Medina-Kim explains his SURP networking project to College of Engineering Dean Amy S. Fleischer. B — SURP students competed in a poster contest during the SURP Symposium. Posing with program director Bob Crockett, right, are third-place winner Alec Williams, left, and May Kyaw, who won first place with team members Arielle Sampson and Runjia Chen for her Applications of Unmanned Vehicles poster. C — Biomedical engineering student Maddie Jackson employed a drill as part of her SURP project on microscopy of vascular networks. D — Mechanical engineering student Abigail Jones worked with Professor Jacques Belanger on a project that aims to make the Cal Poly Gold Tree Solar Farm more efficient.
For 2019, the college had to limit the number of students in the program to 73, yet there were 350 students who wanted the opportunity, Crockett said. With the pandemic impacting internships and service jobs, the number of applicants for SURP 2020 increased to around 500 for 70 positions. “So sponsorships let us offer the same experience to a wider range of students.” Each project costs $10,000 for two students and one faculty member. While the main goal is to give students experience with research, many of the projects have potential impact beyond. Abigail Jones, a mechanical engineering student, worked on a project that would make Cal Poly’s solar farm more efficient.
“It’s really important for me to be involved in a project that makes a difference for Cal Poly and California and to show that we, as a university, need to think about these things for our future,” she said. Roger Benham, the alumnus who sponsored the artificial reef project, knows how difficult it can be for undergraduates to get relevant summer work. “I know it’s a good program, and I hope Cal Poly can put more resources toward it,” said Benham, who owns LCS Inc., a corrosion control company in San Diego. “I remember being a student and not being able to get internships and working at a bike shop or a plating shop or construction jobs over the summer.”n
CENG.CALPOLY.EDU SUMMER 2020 23
