College of Science, Cal Poly Pomona
You are invited to the opening night of Cal Poly Pomona's "Exploring Our Land" exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. This exhibit will present the activities of Cal Poly Pomona students relating to the natural history of our southern California. The exhibit will run until October 21st. "Exploring Our Land" is a product of Cal Poly Pomona students enrolled in a Community Service Learning course offered by the Biological Sciences Department. Read more at Polycentric...
Opening night September 7th will be from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, and includes free admission, light refreshments, beverages, and free parking in the museum parking lot. The museum is located at 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007.
Cal Poly Pomona's annual event attracted over 1300 guests this year, with the College of Science hosting over 200 prospective students and their family members. The event is organized by the Kellogg Honors College to attract the best high school seniors to our campus.
After a brief introduction to the college, teams of students and faculty explained our hands-on approach and the close interaction between students and faculty in our classrooms and laboratories. The session concluded with a tour of our facilities.
View More Pictures Here.
National Science Foundation Awards Cal Poly Pomona $3.3 million
The National Science Foundation has awarded Cal Poly Pomona a $3.3 million grant that will enable the university to strengthen its ability to recruit talented and diverse faculty in its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.
Cal Poly Pomona is among only 12 institutions in the country selected for one of the ADVANCE: Institutional Transformation Awards. The university will join a network of prestigious universities across the nation (including Cornell, Brown and Duke) to develop ways to build the strength of its educational programs in technology. Full Story...
Dean of Science Dispels Bat Myths
A spotted bat. (Photo by Roger W. Barbour/ Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
Bats are so misunderstood.
Particularly around Halloween, myths proliferate about the mysterious creature. Is it a bloodsucking, flying rodent? Do they attack in hordes at night? Does their blindness cause them to tangle in peoples hair?
"No, no, no," says bat expert Donald Straney, dean of the Cal Poly Pomona College of Science. "Especially during this time of year, all the myths and misunderstandings come to the fore. Bats are real improbable animals. They're just full of surprises, but they're often not what people think they are."
Prior to heading the College of Science at Cal Poly Pomona, Straney was a professor of zoology at Michigan State University for 23 years. A specialist in bats and bat evolution, Straney helped sort bat fact from bat fiction. Full Story...
Building 3, one of the oldest buildings on campus, is about to undergo an extensive renovation.
State-of-the-art Learning Centered Technology Initative equipment will be installed in instructional areas.
A two-year, $23 million renovation and seismic upgrade of Science Building 3 will begin this summer, with contractors beginning preparations to install fencing and safety covered walkways around the construction site on July 31. Modular units are also in the process of being installed to provide supplemental classroom and office space during the construction. The "modular village" is expected to be completed by Aug. 9.
Building 3, which is one of the oldest buildings on the Cal Poly Pomona campus, is located between Building 92 to the west and Building 8 to the east. The renovation project involves 72,000 gross square feet and includes new electrical, mechanical, plumbing and telecommunication services, as well as new fire/life safety systems and upgraded energy efficient lighting. It also abates hazardous materials, replaces the existing roofing system and will include the installation of two new accessible elevators.
In addition, state-of-the-art Learning Centered Technology Initiative equipment will be installed in all instructional classrooms and classroom labs. Notably, the building's original 1957 constructed exterior facade will undergo a rehabilitation that will include all glazing and window frame replacement with an energy efficient window system. The air conditioning system will also be connected to the campus chilled water plant distribution system to not only provide central air-conditioning into the building but also to provide improved sustainability features within the building. Full Story...
These faculty members conduct extensive research in a unique lab that brings together chemists, physicists, engineers and computer scientists: (Clockwise from left) Hector Mireles, Dennis Livesay, Winny Dong, Chuck Millner, Phyllis Nelson and Samir Anz.
Senior electrical engineering majors Stuart Yamamoto and Jonathan Kamrava study the effects of an argon ion laser with associate professor Phyllis Nelson.
With a $500,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation, Cal Poly Pomona will be creating a state-of-the-art experimental facility in its Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Material Design (CM3D) that will complement its existing computational facility. The new experimental laboratory will provide the equipment necessary for modern experimental science, which has become increasingly interdisciplinary and complex.
"The W.M. Keck Foundation grant will enable our science and engineering students to work in one of the most powerful computational centers housed at any undergraduate institution in the country," says Donald Straney, dean of the College of Science. "It places us at the forefront of computational science and undergraduate universities nationally."
"This support will let us build on our growing strength in nanotechnology," adds Edward Hohmann, dean of the College of Engineering.
CM3D brings students and faculty from chemistry, physics, engineering and computer science into one research center. Both CM3D facilities will be used for undergraduate curriculum development and exceptional opportunities for hands-on research, which is usually reserved for graduate-level researchers and faculty. Full Story...
Chemistry associate professor Dennis Livesay has been awarded a $960,000 research grant for work on "Predicting Protein Flexibility and Stability."
Chemistry associate professor Dennis Livesay has been chosen to receive a $960,000 research grant for work on "Predicting Protein Flexibility and Stability" from the National Institutes of Health. Livesay will share the grant with collaborator Donald Jacobs of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
"Livesay received one of the most competitive of the grants the NIH offers," says Donald Straney, dean of the College of Science. "It represents a singular confirmation of the quality of Dennis's work. We are fortunate to have a researcher of his caliber on campus working with our students. His accomplishments reflect well on the Chemistry department's ability to mentor students and junior faculty."
Livesay specializes in computational biology and bioinformatics, the use of techniques from applied physics, mathematics, informatics, statistics and computer science to solve biological problems. He and Jacobs are exploring the balance between protein flexibility and protein stability. This balance is critical for proteins to function properly. For example, a protein requires flexibility to perform a given task efficiently, but if the protein is too flexible then it may unfold (denature) and fail to function. Improper protein folding is linked to a variety of medical conditions, including: cystic fibrosis, Alzheimers and even Mad Cow disease.
"This grant will allow us to build a theoretical framework for deciphering these complex physical relationships that are so critical to protein function and disease," says Livesay. Full Story...
Mathcounts is a nationwide program to boost the math competency of middle school students with a series of competitions where students must solve complex math problems.
Local teams of sixth through eighth grade student "mathletes" competed in a regional Mathcounts competition on Feb. 25 in the Bronco Student Center.
The local contest was sponsored by the university's Electrical Engineering department in the College of Engineering, Mathematics & Statistics department in the College of Science, the Foothill Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the California Society of Professional Engineers.
Cal Poly Pomona often works with community partners to encourage K-12 students to pursue knowledge at a young age.
The day's events began with individual competitions consisting of the sprint and target rounds. The morning session wrapped up with a team round where groups of four students representing local middle and junior high schools competed amongst each other to solve challenging math problems. The top 12 individuals then competed in head-to-head countdown round in the afternoon. Full Story...
President
George Bush announced the recipients of the 2004 Presidential Award
for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
(PAESMEM) -- a program supported and administered by the National
Science Foundation (NSF). Among the nine distinguished recipients
is Cal Poly Pomona's Barbara Burke, a professor of chemistry and
director of the Science Educational Enhancement Services (SEES)
program.
PAESMEM honors individuals and institutions that have enhanced the
participation of underrepresented groups -- such as women, minorities
and people with disabilities -- in science, mathematics and engineering
education at all levels. Each award includes a $10,000 grant
for continued mentoring work. Full
Story...
