Cal Poly Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

05/28/2026

A little update on Field Quarter!

Students have been spending time in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert. They have been looking for snakes and lizards with Dr. Emily Taylor in the Kelso Dunes, hiking and learning about desert plant ecology in Joshua Tree National Park, and spotting Bighorn Sheep in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Rowan Campbell, a 3rd year environmental management and protection major, with a concentration in Wildlife Biology, shared, "I grew up in California, but Field Quarter has made me realize how little I really knew about the state I call my home."

Field Quarter continues to give students hands-on experiences that deepen their understanding of California’s diverse ecosystems while building connections with classmates, faculty, and the landscapes around them.

*Photos from Ben Sherman

05/27/2026

The latest edition of Cal Poly Magazine has arrived.

Bailey College stories include a spotlight on a research team that built Cal Poly's first laser, a math student who helps break down Cal Poly Baseball analytics and alumni news on Gary Charbonneau (Biological Sciences ’89).

Plus, read a host of other great stories within as the university celebrates its 125th anniversary!

Magazine link: https://magazine.calpoly.edu/

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)

05/19/2026

Join Counseling and Psychological Services for two remaining May Mental Health Fridays, a series of anonymous webinars covering a variety of topics, including:

May 22: The Neuroscience of Heartbreak. Join us for an engaging seminar that explores how loss, rejection, and emotional pain affect the brain and body, and what neuroscience tells us about healing.

May 29: Body Image & You. Join us to learn practical ways of responding to yourself with self-compassion, while challenging your internalized beliefs.

For more information, visit Cal Poly Now: https://now.calpoly.edu/event/12451018

*Photo by Emily Underworld on Unsplash

05/18/2026

Find out how a Cal Poly faculty/students Cal Poly Statistics Department worked with a Scripps Institution of Oceanography research group to develop a new method to study whale poplations.

The study assessed microbial communities to estimate whale numbers off the California Coast with a high degree of accuracy.

“The concept of this project was to try and find an indirect signal that’s based on ecological relationships in the microbial communities that are in the water and how they respond to macro-organisms, such as whales,” said Trevor Ruiz, a Cal Poly assistant professor of statistics and one of the study’s lead aut

*Whale photo by Joe Johston (Cal Poly)
*Portrait photo of CP Statistics faculty member Trevor Ruiz. Photo by Alexis Kovacevic (Cal Poly)

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

05/15/2026

Mentorship in action!

Bailey College students get valuable tips from alumni and industry leaders at today's Student Research Conference.

Engaging and inspiring connections and conversations today! Thank you all who attended!

05/15/2026

The 2026 Student Research Conference has officially begun! The conference kicked off with inspiring remarks from Dean Wendt and other guest speakers on Baker Lawn.

In Building 180, students connected with peers, alumni, and mentors while proudly presenting their research. Interactive stations featuring stickers and temporary tattoos were also set up throughout the building.

After a successful first day, we’re excited for tomorrow’s lineup of poster sessions, mentor sessions, and concurrent talks. See you in Building 180 starting at 9 a.m.!

05/14/2026

https://www.calpoly.edu/news/tiny-ocean-life-helps-scientists-estimate-whale-prevalence-california-coast

Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and Cal Poly discovered a better way to assess whale population data with microbes.

05/14/2026

Cal Poly Study Finds Building Density Was Strongest Predictor of Home Loss in 2025 LA Fires.

See coverage on the study from KCLU Radio

https://www.kclu.org/local-news/2026-05-13/central-coast-researchers-say-building-density-a-bigger-factor-than-trees-in-socal-fire-spread

CP News here: https://www.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-study-finds-building-density-was-strongest-predictor-home-loss-2025-la-fires

Cal Poly researchers found that the density of buildings, not trees, was the strongest predictor of whether a home was lost in the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.

05/12/2026

It's almost here!⏰⏳ 🎉

Students: This Friday (May 15), you will have a great opportunity to meet experienced professionals and learn more about potential career pathways.

Don't miss your spot to join mentorship sessions from teachers, dentists, medical professionals, biotech leaders, data scientists and many more during the Bailey College Student Research Conference mentoring sessions!

Mentorship is a powerful way to build your awareness and knowledge of future careers. Sessions will be held from 12:30-1 p.m. and 1-1:30 p.m. on Baker Lawn.

Signup link here: https://lnkd.in/gPcMQ5YF

Conference info here: https://cosam.calpoly.edu/conference

05/12/2026

Cal Poly research shows time-varying magnetic fields can engineer exotic quantum matter!

Physics Department Lecturer Ian Powell and student researcher Louis Buchalter, published the article “Flux-Switching Floquet Engineering” in the journal Physical Review B, highlighting how changing magnetic fields over time in time can create quantum states that do not exist in any stationary material (remaining in the same state as time elapses).

“On a big-picture level, I would describe this as an advance in our understanding of how time-dependent control can create and organize new forms of quantum matter,” Powell said.

Read the full story here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1126707