An inside look at living, studying and working at Cal Poly.

Inside Cal Poly

Original Source: University Communications and Marketing



Reporter: Nick Wilson 



Date: May 5, 2026



Link: <a href="https://ucm.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-students-build-universitys-first-laser-rare-and-valuable-skill">https://ucm.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-students-build-universitys-first-laser-rare-and-valuable-skill</a>



SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly students have built the first solid-state laser in the university’s 125-year history.



Undergraduate students collaborated with Isinsu Toker, an assistant professor of physics in Bailey College, to construct a titanium-sapphire laser from scratch. The tunable laser, which emits red and near-infrared light, was constructed over three months during the fall and winter quarters.



“This is the very first laser built on campus,” Toker said. “This is a very important step for students, especially undergraduates, to develop a rare and valuable skill that has a wide variety of applications for industry and research.”

Cal Poly Students Build University’s First Laser: ‘A Rare and Valuable Skill’

Original Source: University Communications and Marketing



Reporter: Jarrod Gerhardt 



Date: May 6, 2026



Link: <a href="https://ucm.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-maritime-academy-embarks-2026-summer-sea-term">https://ucm.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-maritime-academy-embarks-2026-summer-sea-term</a>



VALLEJO, Calif. — Over 300 Cal Poly Maritime Academy cadets will soon embark on their annual Summer Sea Term, a 65-day Pacific training voyage aboard the Training Ship Golden Bear, marking both a defining part of a cadet’s education and the final era of a vessel that has served the seafaring academy for three decades. 



The voyage also marks the first since the transition from California State University Maritime Academy to Cal Poly Maritime Academy, now part of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. 



The training cruise provides cadets with immersive, hands-on training operating a working vessel while navigating real-world maritime conditions.

Cal Poly Maritime Academy Embarks on 2026 Summer Sea Term 

Original Source: The Porterville Recorder



Date: May 8, 2026



Link: <a href="https://www.recorderonline.com/gallery/cal-poly-bareng-burton-form-partnership/article_50154464-b561-4876-9975-817f1e0e7c06.html">https://www.recorderonline.com/gallery/cal-poly-bareng-burton-form-partnership/article_50154464-b561-4876-9975-817f1e0e7c06.html</a> 



 A collaboration between Cal Poly San Luis Obispo architecture students, Burton School District, and Bareng Corporation is creating a new model for how education, technology, and community development can come together to shape the future.



Recently, Cal Poly architect students, led by Professor Tom Fowler — a respected educator, mentor, and longtime advocate — visited Porterville to present design concepts developed in their studio. These ideas were shared with Summit Collegiate High School students, who actively engaged in discussions, offered feedback, and participated in collaborative design sessions.



The experience extended into hands-on teamwork, as students from Cal Poly and Summit formed groups to tackle real-world design challenges. The focus of the collaboration: exploring how artificial intelligence can be integrated into education through architectural design and the development of technology learning labs.

Woman with headphones working on a laptop and architectural drawings beside a 3D printer in a busy office.

Cal Poly, Bareng, Burton Form Partnership

Original Source: KSBY



Reporter: Richard Gearhart



Date: Apr 09, 2026



Link: <a href="https://www.ksby.com/morro-bay/billy-bob-thornton-on-being-a-proud-cal-poly-dad-and-loving-life-by-the-coast">https://www.ksby.com/morro-bay/billy-bob-thornton-on-being-a-proud-cal-poly-dad-and-loving-life-by-the-coast</a>



He&#8217;s best known for his roles in &#8220;Sling Blade,&#8221; &#8220;Bad Santa,&#8221; and his current series, &#8220;Landman.&#8221; Recently, you may have seen Billy Bob Thornton sporting Cal Poly shirts and hats during interviews on national TV programs, like &#8220;The Today Show.&#8221;



“Our daughter, Bella, when she graduated high school, really wanted to go to college… We toured UCLA and Cal Poly and a few others… We all that day just said, well, this is the place,” Thornton said about Cal Poly. Bella Thornton is now a sophomore, and her famous father couldn’t be prouder.



Meanwhile, the man who says he majored in “billiards and beer” while he was in college is amazed at what Cal Poly has offered his daughter, especially the library, one of her “go-to places” on campus.

Two men sitting across from each other at a table by a waterfront with boats in the background, KSBY logo.

Billy Bob Thornton on being a proud Cal Poly dad and loving life by the coast

Original Source: The Tribune



Reporter: Sadie Dittenber



Date: April 11, 2026 



Link:<a href="https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article315368734.html"> </a><a href="https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article315368734.html">https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article315368734.html</a>



Cal Poly alum Victor Glover and the rest of the Artemis II crew returned to Earth on Friday evening in a picture-perfect ocean splashdown off San Diego. At Cal Poly, students, staff and alumni gathered in the University Union lounge Friday afternoon to celebrate as the pride of the university completed the historic mission.



As the capsule neared its return, the crowd of about 300 attendees grew quiet with nervous anticipation. But those bated breaths soon transformed into cheers as the spacecraft splashed down off the coast.



The feed reported that the mission concluded with a “perfect bullseye splashdown for Integrity and its four astronauts” — to which Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong shouted in response, “Because the pilot was Victor Glover!” “It’s been a real thrill for me to get to know Victor and know that he went to ISS (International Space Station) and came back safely,” Armstrong said in an interview with The Tribune. “And going to the moon and going farther than anybody in history, I just can’t put words to it. It’s so exciting.”

Audience sitting and raising hands, many holding up phones, facing a screen showing coral reef images.

Cal Poly alum, Artemis II crew return to Earth in picture-perfect splashdown

Original Source: Mustang News



Reporter: Ashley Strain



Date: April 11, 2026



Link: <a href="https://mustangnews.net/victor-glover-artemis-splashdown/">https://mustangnews.net/victor-glover-artemis-splashdown/</a>



“Isn’t it a great day to be a Mustang?”



That was the question Jeffrey D. Armstrong posed to a packed University Union lounge Friday afternoon as students, families and community members gathered to watch Cal Poly alum Victor Glover return to Earth from the Artemis II mission.



More than 300 students and nearby community members attended a watch party of the splashdown of the Orion spacecraft into the Pacific Ocean southwest of San Diego inside the University Union.

Man in green jacket and black cowboy hat smiling and clapping at an indoor event with seated and standing audience.

University watch party marks alum Victor Glover’s historic return from Artemis II

Original Source: KSBY



Reporter: Leslie Santibañez-Molina



Date: Apr 11, 2026



Link:<a href="https://www.ksby.com/san-luis-obispo/cal-poly-students-and-parents-react-to-artemis-ii-return-to-earth"> </a><a href="https://www.ksby.com/san-luis-obispo/cal-poly-students-and-parents-react-to-artemis-ii-return-to-earth">https://www.ksby.com/san-luis-obispo/cal-poly-students-and-parents-react-to-artemis-ii-return-to-earth</a>



Current and future Cal Poly students gathered in the University Union to watch the historic moment Artemis II astronauts concluded their 10-day trip around the moon, landing back on Earth just off the San Diego coast. Alumnus Victor Glover piloted the mission.



For many at Cal Poly, the successful splashdown was even more inspiring. It was evidence that for graduates, even the moon is not out of reach.



Anika Nangia is an incoming freshman who said she finds it inspiring.



“It truly means that anything is possible and it&#8217;s so cool to see how like we can do that,&#8221; said Nangia.

Crowd of people sitting, clapping, and cheering with some recording on phones at an indoor event.

Cal Poly students and parents react to Artemis II return to Earth

Original Source: Mustang News



Reporter: Kimber Draughon



Date: February 28, 2026



Link: <a href="https://mustangnews.net/cal-poly-tech-park-expansion/">https://mustangnews.net/cal-poly-tech-park-expansion/</a>



A&nbsp;<a href="https://ucm.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-partners-opens-new-building-technology-park">new building opened at Cal Poly Technology Park</a>, marking the end of the second phase of expansion for the $12.2 million project. The final lease was signed in November 2025.



The two-story, 16,200-square-foot facility is intended to foster further collaboration between students and industry collaborators.&nbsp;<a href="https://calpolypartners.org/real-estate-development/technology-park">Tenants are expected to complement Cal Poly’s technical programs</a>&nbsp;and operate through applied research and workforce development.



“The main driving factor for Tech Park is to complement the student success with opportunities to get job experience while they’re here on campus,” said Cal Poly Partner’s associate executive director of Real Estate Development &amp; Services Jim Dunning.&nbsp;

Green and silver two-story building with exterior staircase, large windows, handicap parking, and a sign reading "Technology Park II.

Cal Poly Partners expands Technology Park with new collaborative facility

Original Source: Cal Matters



Reporter: Mikhail Zinshteyn and Jeremy Garza



Date: November 20, 2024



Link: <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2024/11/cal-maritime-cal-poly-merger/">https://calmatters.org/education/2024/11/cal-maritime-cal-poly-merger/</a>



In a bid to forestall its financial disintegration, Cal Maritime, California’s smallest public university, is merging with one of the state’s most selective and financially stable universities, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. It’s a move that’ll conjoin a Bay Area campus that trains students for a life at sea to a school 250 miles away that’s known for agriculture and engineering.



The state’s Lt. Gov, Eleni Kounalakis, a trustee member, said “this is, without question, the most exciting thing that has happened” in her six years of serving on the board. The consolidation is “going to elevate both of these campuses.”

Group of young people in Cal Maritime Keelhaulers shirts standing outdoors with one holding a blue flag with an anchor symbol.

Tag: Cal Poly