News & Notes – Cultivate Summer 2025
Leaning Pine Arboretum Accredited
Cal Poly’s Leaning Pine Arboretum is now certified is now an ArbNet Level 1 accredited arboretum. Annica Wu (Plant Sciences, ’25) led the effort to apply for the certification for her senior project. The five-acre Leaning Pine Arboretum is a distinctive representation of plant species that make up the five Mediterranean ecosystems worldwide. The student-managed botanic garden showcases a vast array of curated collections of flowers, plants and trees and provides an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in a thriving living laboratory of worldwide plant species. ArbNet is a global, collaborative network that supports and connects arboreta by providing accreditation, resources, funding and a comprehensive database to advance tree conservation. Cal Poly’s arboretum is now on of 800 accredited arboreta across 39 countries worldwide.
President’s Diversity Award
The Experience Industry Management Department was given the President’s Diversity Award for its innovative and inclusive initiative, the Pop-Up Resilience Room. The project was selected for the award for exemplifying Cal Poly’s commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. For five weeks during spring quarter, the Experience Industry Management Department successfully designed a dedicated space for neuroinclusion at the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market. A student team, guided by Lecturer Amber Karson and Professors Keri Schwab and Marni Goldenberg, created the Resilience Room — a calm, welcoming environment for individuals who experience sensory overwhelm or overstimulation in public settings. Located inside the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Resilience Room was open and free to all, offering a place to pause, recharge and rejoin the market at one’s own pace. This initiative, part of the research project “Designing for Neuroinclusion at Farmers Markets,” was made possible through the Cal Poly Experience Industry Management Department, a Cultural Arts and Community Promotions grant from the City of San Luis Obispo, the Downtown SLO Farmers Market and Karson Butler Events.
Faculty and Staff Award Winners
The annual CAFES 2024-25 Faculty and Staff Awards event was held in June. Recipients include:
| Outstanding Faculty Award|Mohammed Abo-Ismail | Animal Science Department |
| Outstanding Staff Award|Kari Roose | Agricultural Education and Communication Department |
| Outstanding Lecturer Award|Jacqueline Rose | Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department |
| Outstanding Mentor Award|Jim Shumate | Wine and Viticulture Department |
| Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award|Jerusha Greenwood | Experience Industry Management Department |
| New Teaching Award|Nicole Ray | Agricultural Education and Communication Department |
| Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award|Greg Schwartz | BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department |
| New Scholar Award|Yamina Pressler | Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences |
| Sustained Excellence in Scholarship Award|Shashika Hewavitharana | Plant Sciences Department and Strawberry Center |
| Early Career Staff Award|Anna Rodriguez-Paiatsyka | Center for Organic Production and Research |
| Dean’s Special Recognition Award|Wendy Robinson | Plant Sciences Department |
Scholarly Grants
Two faculty in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences received grants from the Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities (RSCA) grant program. Food Science and Nutrition Assistant Professor Laura Rolon was selected for her research in enhanced food safety and Soil Science Assistant Professor Yamina Pressler for her research in the distribution of soil microfauna in the coastal California rangeland. The RSCA faculty grant program is supported by funds from the CSU Chancellor's Office and Cal Poly’s Office of the Provost. It is designed to enable faculty to contribute new knowledge through robust scholarship focused on strengthening California socially, culturally and economically.
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