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Student Success

Cal Poly Students at the Association of Western Forestry Clubs Logging Conclave at the University of Montana 


The Cal Poly Loggers, an intercollegiate team of male and female students involved in traditional forestry field skills, won second place in April at the Association of Western Forestry Clubs Logging Conclave at the University of Montana, in Missoula, Mont. The event is the largest collegiate logging event in the country. Biology senior Corey Caudill was ranked as the top male competitor and named “Bull of the Woods.” The Cal Poly Loggers include 48 members of various disciplines from across the campus.  


Cal Poly Students Take Forth Place at National Marketing Competition

Cal Poly’s National Agricultural Marketing Association (NAMA) Team earned fourth place at the annual National Agri-Marketing Association student marketing competition in Kansas City, Mo., April 13-14. Cal Poly was one of 30 university teams from the U.S. and Canada to compete in the two-day competitionThe Cal Poly team worked with Cal Poly alumni-owned CalPure, an avocado oil company based in Oxnard, to find a market for the avocado seeds left over from the oil production process. The students formulated an avocado seed tea and branded it as “Love, Avocado.”  

 “The competition is an incredible opportunity for students to develop their critical-thinking skills and invest themselves in a rewarding team project with real-world implications,” said Professor Lindsey Higgins, the team’s coach.  

 Cal Poly has won the competition 11 times in the past 38 years, including in 2014 and 2015.

Cal Poly Junior Wins Second Place in Business Pitch Contest at Conference for Minorities

Cal Poly agricultural business junior Jose Alvarez won second place in the business pitch contest at the national Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences annual conference in Jacksonville, Fla. Alvarez, from Santa Maria, Calif., was selected from more than 50 applicants nationally to give his business pitch — patterned after the television show “Shark Tank” — to three industry judges. He proposed developing a nonprofit or cooperative organization to support the H2A visa program for farmworkers in California while also ensuring a labor force for small farmers. 

 

Cal Poly Team Excels at North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge

The Cal Poly Dairy Challenge Team earned first place at the 15th annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, held April 7-9 in Liverpool, N.Y. This marks the team’s fourth consecutive win. The students assessed all aspects of a working New York dairy farm and developed a farm analysis that included a list of recommendations related to facilities, nutrition, financials, reproduction and animal health. They ranked first among eight competing teams that evaluated the same dairy. “Cal Poly is the only university to take first-place honors for four consecutive years at the national level,” said Professor Stan Henderson, who coached the team.  

Cal Poly Polo Wins Title in 2016 Western Regionals

The women’s section of Cal Poly’s Polo Team won the regional title at the 2016 Western Regionals. Fiona McBride (animal science) and Jillian Tietje
 (dairy science) were selected to compete on the all-star women’s team. The men’s team competed as well but was eliminated in the preliminary round.

Theo 
Anastos (biomedical engineering) was selected to participate on the all-star men’s team. In addition, the team’s horses won Best Playing String, and Trompo, a chestnut gelding, was selected as the Best Playing Pony. The team advanced to the national competition at the University of Connecticut in April, losing to Cornell University. The Cal Poly team includes five men and 10 women — students from throughout the university. The team has been working since September to prepare for the national competition. At the nationals, it will compete against Cornell University in the first round April 6. The Cal Poly Polo Team has been active on campus for nearly 40 years, ranking as regional champions 10 of those years. 

Cal Poly Students Win Local CFA Institute Research Challenge for Third Consecutive Year

An interdisciplinary team of Cal Poly students won the local CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute Research Challenge for the third year in a row. For the first time, students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences competed with students from the Orfalea College of Business. Cal Poly competed against teams from USC, Loyola Marymount University, UC Santa Barbara, and Claremont Graduate University. The teams were charged with analyzing and making buy/sell/hold recommendations for video game publisher Activision. After visiting Activision in the fall, the team prepared an extensive written report and presentation. A panel of eight industry professionals and CFA charter holders judged the presentations. “With our third win, Cal Poly has built a tradition of excellence, which is a tribute to our faculty who believe in preparing career-ready graduates,” said Agribusiness Department chair Cyrus Ramezani, who advised the teamWe’re proud to represent Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy on the global stage.” 

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