CLA Shoutouts - 2024

Caleb Nichols, third from left.
(Courtesy: Cal Poly English Department)

Congratulations to Caleb Nichols (English, '20) for being named SLO County’s Poet Laureate for 2025-2027. The SLO County Poet Laureate is regarded by the county as its most eminent or representative poet. Poets are selected by a committee of community leaders with significant expertise in education, poetry, civic and cultural leadership, and the literary arts. See a video from SLO County and more from the English Department.

 

 

 

 

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Students

Sociology student Alondra Cardoso and political science student Darius Rogness spoke at the SLO Chamber of Commerce's monthly breakfast program Good Morning SLO about their work on the Latino Voter Engagement Project (LVEP) on October 26.

The LVEP is a Summer Undergraduate Research Program-funded project that saw three Cal Poly students partner with the County-Clerk Recorder’s office to host six Latinx/e Empowerment workshops throughout the county. Watch the video to hear from the students about this impressive effort and the workshops’ results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Maya Hislop

Congratulations to English Assistant Professor Maya Hislop whose book, "Bodies in the Middle: Black Women, Sexual Violence, and Complex Imaginings of Justice," was published by the University of South Carolina Press in July 2024.

In "Bodies in the Middle: Black Women, Sexual Violence, and Complex Imaginings of Justice," Hislop examines the lack of place that Black women experience, specifically when they are victims of sexual violence. Hislop uses both historical and literary analyses to explore how women, in the face of indifference and often hostility, have sought to redefine justice for themselves within a framework she calls "Afro-pessimistic justice." Afro-pessimism begins from the belief that Black life in America, and in turn the American justice system, is constrained within a framework of anti-Blackness meant to enforce white supremacy. Inspired by the work of Black-studies luminaries such as Orlando Patterson, Sylvia Wynter and Fred Moten, Hislop asks what justice can look like in the absence of total victory and how Black women have attempted to define alternative paths to a just future.

See more.

 

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Julie Bettergarcia

Congratulations to CLA Associate Dean for Diversity and Curriculum Julie Bettergarcia who was selected as part of the second cohort of the Enlance Mid-Level Leadership Program, designed to increase the number, variety and quality of Latinx/e talent in leadership positions in higher education.

 

 

 

 

 

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Jennifer Jipson

Psychology Professor Jennifer Jipson has been selected by the Provost's Office as a faculty transfer fellow, collaborating with Allan Hancock College and focusing on the 2+2 Sociology program that began this fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Alumni

Greg Manifold.
(Photo: Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Greg Manifold (Journalism, '99) was recently promoted to Head of Visuals for The Washington Post. In this role, Manifold will coordinate visual production across all aspects of The Post to advance the excellence and innovation of The Post’s visual storytelling across their products. Learn more about Manifold's impressive promotion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Congratulations to lecturer Henry Danielson (Child Development, '01) whose book "Social Engineering and Digital Defense Survival Guide for the Everyday Person" was published last year. Danielson often donates the book at select local farmers markets to help others defend against social engineering attacks. Danielson has taught at Cal Poly for over 21 years. Read Danielson's book. Read Danielson's co-authored paper with researchers from the Ethics+Emerging Sciences Group.

 

 

 

 

 

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President Jeffrey D. Armstrong and Provost and Executive Vice President Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore announced the promotion of 45 faculty members and the award of tenure to 27 faculty members effective in the 2024-25 academic year. Congratulations to the 15 CLA faculty who were promoted or received tenure! See the full list of faculty tenure and promotion awards.

Promotion to Professor:

David Askay (Communication Studies)
Mira Rosenthal (English)
Jennifer Denbow (Political Science)
Taylor Smith (Psychology and Child Development)
Silvia Marijuan (World Languages and Cultures)

Promotion to Associate Professor:

Rachel Ma (Graphic Communication)
Thanayi Jackson (History)
Karin Hendricks (Theatre and Dance)
Martha Galvan Mandujano (World Languages and Cultures)

Tenure:

Anuraj Dhillon (Communication Studies)
Leslie Nelson (Communication Studies)
Rachel Ma (Graphic Communication)
Anya Foxen (Philosophy)
Nancy Arrington (Political Science)
G. Andrew Fricker (Social Sciences)
Martine Lappé (Social Sciences)
Karin Hendricks (Theatre and Dance)
Martha Galvan Mandujano (World Languages and Cultures)

 

 

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Students

Cal Poly’s Symphony and PolyPhonics choir
in France.

In June 2024, Cal Poly’s Symphony and PolyPhonics choir went on a tour of France which included performances at the American Cemetery in Normandy, in the Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Paris and other locations throughout the country. The performances were enthusiastically received, and the Normandy performance — which was close to the 80th anniversary of D-Day — moved audience members and performers to tears. Read more from the Music Department.

 

 

Leslie Nelson

Congratulations to communication studies Associate Professor Leslie Nelson who won the 2023-24 Outstanding Faculty Advisor of the Year Award. Nelson will be recognized for her accomplishment at Fall Conference and the President's Convocation. Read more about Nelson and her commitment to student growth.

 

 

 

 

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Communication studies lecturer Martin Mehl recently facilitated a discussion with Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong as part of the  Leadership Unplugged speaker series, conceptualized and sponsored by Supporting Orcutt Academy's Academic Resources (SOAAR). Read more from Mehl on LinkedIn. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Congratulations to the CLA faculty who received Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities (RSCA) grants for the 2024-25 cycle. Read the proposal abstracts and see the CLA awardees below:

• “Building a Learn by Doing User Experience Partnership between Academic Libraries and Technical and Professional Communication at Cal Poly”; Heather Cribbs, (Robert E. Kennedy Library), Krista Sarraf (CLA-English), Danielle Daugherty (Robert E. Kennedy Library) and Morgan White (CLA-English). 
• “Challenges in Local Climate Adaptation: Exploring the Impact of Shrimp Aquaculture in Bangladesh”; Nikhil Deb (CLA- Social Sciences). 
• “Women in Construction Research Seminar”; Stacy Kolegraff, (CAED- Construction Management) and Kylie Parrotta (CLA-Social Sciences).
• “Student Parent Perspectives on Early Life Adversity Science, Lived-Experience, and Children’s Health”; Martine Lappe (CLA- Social Sciences). 
• “Belonging Beyond Boundaries: A Multi-Modal Machine Learning Inquiry into Student Well-Being, Professor Mindsets, and Bias in Computing and STEM Education”; Sumona Mukhopadhyay, (CENG- Computer Science and Software Engineering), Dr. Julie Bettergarcia (CLA-Psychology & Child Development) and Dr. Zoe Wood (CENG- Computer Science & Software Engineering). 
• “Expectations for Good Engineers: Impacts of Structural Engineering Culture on Diversity”; Lara K. Schubert (CLA-Women's, Gender and Queer Studies). 

 

 

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Alumni

Livy Lee and Erika Foreman

At the first ever Cal Poly Night with the San Francisco Giants, fans watched Cal Poly Women's Beach Volleyball alumni Erika Foreman (Music, '23; MBA Business Administration, '24) and Livy Lee (Business Administration, '21) sing the national anthem before Cal Poly Baseball alumnus Brooks Lee (Sociology, '22) took the field as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Over 1,500 alumni filled Oracle Park for the event on Friday, July 12. Read more: bit.ly/3WW3RC7

 

Brooks Lee

Photos: Courtesy of Owen Main

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzuki, second from right, and the CAPED team
at the 2024 Ride Engineering Competition.

Last quarter, English student Tyler Suzuki was the project lead for the Cal Poly Amusement Park Engineers and Designers (CAPED) team in the 2024 Ride Engineering Competition. Over 30 students from across the university attempted to design and manufacture a scale roller coaster that adheres to industry safety and reliability standards. In April, the team won fourth place at the competition for their technical writing, theming and mechanical ride. Suzuki says the interdisciplinary team offers “incredible hands-on opportunities for CLA students to hone in on creative and technical skills.” Learn more about the club.

 

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Child development student Cristian Reyes recently represented Cal Poly as a student panelist in the webinar titled, "Separate is Not Equal: Reflecting on the 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, 1954 and DEI in California," co-sponsored by the California State University Office of the Chancellor the CSU Student Success Network.

The webinar highlights the monumental role of the Brown decision in setting the course toward equity and encourages system employees to take note of ongoing challenges to the principles upheld by the Brown decision, especially in the face of significant legal challenges that have begun to dismantle its legacy in some states.

Reyes also recently won the student LEAD award for engagement and is in the finalist round to be one of the CSU student trustees.

Watch the webinar.

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Congratulations to music student Trinity Patterson who recently won the Billy Watson Rotary Club Scholarship from the San Luis Obispo Rotary Club. Patterson performed Bach's Sonata for violin at the rotary club meeting on May 20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Alumni

Hector Reyes (Psychology, '23), an eligible recent Cal Poly alumnus who is working toward earning a master’s degree at San Diego State University, alongside Xavier Aguilar and Chanel de Smet, took first in the Education category designated for undergraduates at the 2024 CSU Research Competition. Their study, “Nuestra Ciencia: Empowering bilingual students as scientists,” involved teaching microbiology in Spanish to local bilingual elementary school students. 

 

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Faculty

WPA President Lori Barker of Cal
Poly Pomona and Laura Freberg.

Congratulations to psychology Professor Laura Freberg who was recently presented with the Western Psychological Association (WPA) Lifetime Achievement award. The WPA was founded in 1921 for the purpose of stimulating the exchange of scientific and professional ideas and, in so doing to enhance interest in the processes of research and scholarship in the behavioral sciences. Learn more about the WPA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Music Department Professor Alyson McLamore is delighted to announce the launch of "The Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts," a series of eighteenth-century symphonies that she has co-edited with British colleague Barnaby Priest. This music was originally published between 1763 and 1783, when the London printer Robert Bremner issued music for small orchestras in a “symphony-of-the-month” format — the first enterprise of this type in England. Bremner’s prints consisted of parts only — without scores — since ensembles of the time did not employ conductors.

To make this music accessible and affordable for orchestras today, McLamore and Priest have created scores, parts and commentaries for all 61 of the symphonies issued by Bremner and his successor, Preston and Son. These modern editions of the "Periodical Overtures" are being issued on a monthly basis over the next five years by the Munich-based publishing house Musikproduktion Höflich and three of the symphonies are now in print: "Periodical Overture No. 1" by Johann Christian Bach, "No. 2" by Francesco Pasquale Ricci, and "No. 3" by Johann Stamitz. 

McLamore was also the author of the music curriculum for the 2023-24 U.S. Academic Decathlon competition. The theme for the competition was “Technology and Humanity," so the music curriculum focused on the film scores of science-fiction movies including "2001: A Space Odyssey," "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," "Star Wars" among other films. 

 

 

 

 

Oceano (for seven generations)

Art and design Associate Professor Lana Z Caplan published a monograph of photography with award-winning German art publisher Kehrer Verlag in December 2023. Caplan spent seven-years researching and collaborating with the community of Oceano, California and yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribal leadership, to produce a conceptual collection of histories from the Oceano Dunes. These are the dunes of Weston’s modernist photographs; of Cecil B. DeMille’s recently excavated and restored sphinxes from his 1923 Ten Commandments movie set, buried in the sand after filming; of the nearly lost Northern Chumash tribe; and of the — the artists, poets, nudists and mystics squatting in dune shacks in the 1920s-40s — who hosted Weston during his shooting trips; and of the 1.5 million ATV riders who visit each year.

The resulting book, Oceano (for seven generations), offers both an interrogation of photographic conventions regarding landscape and representation, a feminist response to the standard masculine landscape and confronts historic approaches to portraiture by enlisting the past and present inhabitants in performative and co-constructed moments. Oceano questions legacies of colonization, photographic history, utopian ideology and the future for the politically charged and environmentally threatened Oceano Dunes.

Learn more about Oceano (for seven generations).

 

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Interdisciplinary Studies in the Liberal Arts Department Chair David Kirby's new book, "Demons of the Mind: Psychiatry and Cinema in the Long 1960s" was recently published by the Edinburgh University Press. "Demons of the Mind" examines the mental health interventions that changed 1960s British and American cinema. Learn more.

 

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Geography Associate Professor Andrew Fricker and some of his geographic information system (GIS) undergraduate students and colleagues have been hand-digitizing geographic boundaries of oil palm and cacao plantations in Ucayali, Peru and Para, Brazil in support of SERVIR Amazonia goals. These data sets, supported by training documentation describing methodologies, have been published in the Harvard Dataverse, in ways that make them available to local land managers, farmers and scientists to create a more transparent supply chain, preserve biodiversity and reduce additional deforestation.

 

 

 

Mustang Media Group members at the Associated
College Press (ACP) awards.

Congratulations to Mustang Media Group (MMG) for winning the Pacemaker Award for Best Student Media Business at the Associated College Press (ACP) awards last month! The Pacemaker is the ACP's preeminent award and considered one of the highest honors in college media.

The Pacemaker is the ACP's preeminent award and considered one of the highest honors in college media.

Additional highlights from the awards include:

• Business student Yuka Shindo, a member of the MMG advertising team, won best advertising representative.
• Journalism student Michael Hernandez won second-best sports video story. Journalism students Katy Clark and Cassandra Garcia won third place for their reporting on the Turning Point USA protests. 
• Mustang News won second place for best social media campaign for the Poly Pick’s campaign. 
• Graphic communication student Cindy Nguyen won numerous awards for her designs for KCPR and the MMG business team.

Learn more and see who won awards from the California College Media Association.

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Congratulations to music and physics student Wyatt Willard whose piece "Cascade" will be published in C. Alan Publications. While working on "Cascade," Willard received mentoring from his composition teacher, Aaron Kline, and the big band Music Department's big band interim director, Dave Becker. 

 

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Faculty

Mira Rosenthal.

Congratulations to English Associate Professor Mira Rosenthal whose book "To the Letter" has been long-listed for a major literary award, the Griffin Poetry Prize. The Griffin Poetry Prize is one of the world’s most generous poetry awards. As of 2023, the prize is worth C$130,000, making it the world’s largest international prize for a single book of poetry written in, or translated into English. "To the Letter" is translated from Polish written by Tomasz Różycki. Learn more about "To the Letter."

 

 

At the inaugural Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Symposium last October, the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion (OUDI) announced the HSI Mini-Grant Program to further the university's mission of becoming an HSI that thinks critically and holistically about serving the Latine/x community.

Out of 39 applications, OUDI selected 16 projects for funding including five CLA projects led by five CLA faculty members and one student.

Congratulations to:

• English Associate Professor Jason Peters
• Communication studies student Lilianna Rivas and Assistant Professor Leslie Nelson
• Music Assistant Professor and Director of Bands Christopher Woodruff
• Psychology Assistant Professor Susana Lopez and Associate Professor Jay Bettergarcia

Read more about the projects.

 

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Students

Cal Poly's Cantabile presented a send-off concert on Friday, March 1, in the First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo, which included works by Hildegard von Bingen, Caroline Shaw and new works by David N. Childs and Cal Poly music Professor Meredith Brammeier.

The concert served as a preview of Cantabile’s performance at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Western Region Conference titled “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in Pasadena, California, on March 8. The conference represents choral directors, singers and composers from seven states, and is one of the largest choral conferences in the U.S.

“An invitation to perform on an ACDA regional conference is highly competitive and sought after and one of the greatest honors a college choir can receive,” said Scott Glysson, Cal Poly’s director of choral activities and vocal studies.

 

Two CLA students, Collin Marfia (history and anthropology and geography) and Jason Brown (history), helped lead the Cal Poly universities’ “Shock n’ Roll: Powering the Musical Current” float to victory on New Year's Day as part of the San Luis Obispo team's leadership and construction departments, respectively. The team received the Crown City Innovator Award at the 135th Rose Parade® held in Pasadena. 

Read the story in Cal Poly News.