We live in a new reality with exciting opportunities in agriculture, food and environmental sciences.
For generations, we have been training and educating industry leaders who have taken on the challenge to find innovative solutions.
Our students are hard at work. They are analyzing data and using technology to increase the pace of automation. They are working on best management practices and supply chain solutions to ensure a safe food supply. They are engineering solutions to find smarter and more efficient ways to use and conserve water. And this is just the beginning.
With your help, we will increase our investment in cutting-edge facilities, enhance hands-on learning opportunities and expand access to applied research.
We believe there is no better place to do this than at Cal Poly, and no better way than through Learn by Doing. This is our opportunity to help shape a new reality — a better world for us all.
GIVING PRIORITIES
- CENTERS FOR EXCELLENCE: Our students thrive on Learn by Doing opportunities that enable them to create, collaborate and innovate. New centers, labs and classrooms with cutting-edge technology and equipment will foster applied learning and research that contributes to student success and honors our legacy. The Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research, Boswell Ag Tech Center, JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture, the Strawberry Center, horticulture greenhouse complex, plant and animal science facilities, and other centers of excellence bring faculty, students and industry together to discover new opportunities and solutions to our world’s challenges.
- EARN BY DOING: The college’s Earn by Doing Internship Program is an opportunity for students to gain paid hands-on, industry-specific experience at one or more of the college’s on-campus food and agricultural production units or departments. In the program, students can work at the animal nutrition center, veterinary hospital, rangelands, meat processing center, greenhouses, vineyards, organic farm, food science pilot plant, composting unit, strawberry research and production center. The knowledge, technical skills, accountability and work ethic they gain through the program benefit our students and the community at large, and ensure our graduates are Ready Day One.
- OUT OF THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES: Out of the classroom experiences like our Summer Undergraduate Research Program allows more of our students to work closely with faculty and engage in important research projects that tackle complex issues in agriculture, food and the environmental sciences. Classes abroad, research, internships, professional development and networking experiences, volunteer opportunities, conferences, industry events and visits equip our students with the experiences and opportunities needed to become tomorrow's leaders.
