Summer 2026 | Issue 27
From the Dean
As I reflect on my first year leading the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, I am filled with gratitude for this extraordinary community and inspired by what we continue to accomplish together.
Cover Story
Marc Cabeliza’s Learn by Doing Journey
Heading into State Public Service
On Marc Cabeliza’s life-skills map, the agricultural engineering student’s first stop will be the intersection of Civil Engineering and Environmental Policy.
Features
From China's Sichuan province, to Fiji and back home to Spanos Stadium, our students and alumni are taking Learn by Doing to the next level.
Q&A with Garrett Morris
Garrett Morris (Nutrition, ’14) is the founder and chef of Sichuan Kitchen SLO. While attending Cal Poly, he studied abroad in China's Sichuan province, where he developed a deep appreciation for the region's food and culture — a formative experience that inspired his career.
Learning to Lead, At Sea
After a 12,500-mile voyage across the Pacific, 283 Cal Poly Maritime Academy cadets returned home to Vallejo on July 6, completing Golden Bear's final Summer Sea Term after 30 years of service as the academy's primary training vessel.
Students Lead Poly Royal Rodeo’s Return to Spanos Stadium
By the time the first competitor of the 84th annual Poly Royal Rodeo entered the arena on April 11, there was not an empty seat left in Cal Poly’s Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
Photo Essay: Spring Commencement 2026
A celebration of all that was accomplished during their academic journey, and the promise of what awaits.
Commencement marks more than the end of a chapter – it celebrates the resilience, growth and determination that brought each graduate to this moment.
From Donation to Automation
After several months of rewiring, troubleshooting and engineering, a team of Cal Poly students transformed a donated leafy green harvester into an autonomous farm robot and submitted it to the international Farm Robotics Challenge.
A Legacy in Every Scoop
The Cal Poly Creamery is one of the oldest operations at the university, serving as a teaching and research laboratory for Cal Poly students for more than a century.
College News and Notes
With the transition to semesters taking place this fall, a new associate dean, the unveiling of an automation lab, a growing development team and more happenings, there is a lot of new around the college.
Student Success
Earning national championships and supporting World Cup fans, our students are everywhere.
This summer CAFES students were celebrated for their work on campus, their floral design skills, soil acumen, research, sales smarts and ability to judge ice cream. They can do it all.
Preparing Students to Make Headlines
Cultivate is the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences quarterly magazine, sharing student Learn by Doing stories and exploring how our faculty, staff and alumni continue to positively impact the world.