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Spring/Summer 2007 M A G A Z I N EPolyTrends

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Feature Stories8

Expanding Terrain

17Chain Reaction

20A Rare Breed

Departments2

University News

7Campus Perspective

Paying Attention

14Events Calendar

24Alumni News

Running Against the OddsField of Dreams

The Secret Life of Transplants

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Keep up with university news, announcements, photos and events through

Vol. 17, No. 2

CAL POLy POMONA’S

ONLINE MAGAZINE!

PolyTrends M A G A Z I N E

PolyTrends | sPring | summer 2007 1

Dr. J. Michael OrtizPresident, Cal Poly Pomona

Scott C. WarringtonVice President for University Advancement

Dr. Ronald H. FremontAssociate Vice President for University Relations OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITy ADVANCEMENTEditor Aida MoradGraphic Designer Ani MarkarianNews Editor Lisa McPheronPhoto Editor Tom ZasadzinskiContributing Editor Uyen MaiCopy Editor The Word WizardContributing Writers Julie Bos, Paul Helms Laurie McLaughlinWeb Site Michelle MagcalasDistribution and Support Tambra Williams

PUBLIC AFFAIRS (909) [email protected] AFFAIRS (909) [email protected] DEVELOPMENT (909) [email protected]

PolyTrends is published by California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and is distributed to friends of the university. Opinions expressed in PolyTrends do not necessarily represent the views of the university. Letters should be sent to: PolyTrends Editor, Office of Public Affairs, Cal Poly Pomona, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA 91768.

www.csupomona.eduNot printed at state expense / Printed on recycled paper

http://polycentric.csupomona.edu

2 PolyTrends | sPring | summer 2007

UNIVERSITyNewS

StorieS by Lisa McPheron, Uyen Mai PhotoS by Tom Zasadzinski


National Award Adds Up for JacobsMath Professor Judith Jacobs has been awarded the National Council of

Teachers of Mathematics’ Lifetime Achievement Medal, placing her in the company of “extraordinary math educators and national leaders in math education,” says College of Science Dean Donald Straney.

Jacobs, director of the Center for Education and Equity in Mathematics, Science, and Technology (CEEMaST), is the second math professor from Cal Poly Pomona to earn this top honor. Professor Emeritus Jack Price, who received the award a few years ago, surprised Jacobs by nominating her for the award.

The self-described “New York Jewish liberal feminist” has focused her research throughout the years exploring gender issues in mathematics. She searches for answers and solutions as to why fewer women study advanced mathematics and pursue careers in mathematics.

“Women consistently choose not to go on in mathematics and math-related courses,” she says. “It’s much better now than in 1973 when I did my dissertation, but it still happens.”

Through CEEMaST, an educational community service offered by the College of Science, Jacobs works with local school districts to develop and conduct professional development training for teachers.

“Before people can teach mathematics, they need to know mathematics. So I start there,” she says. “Mathematics has to make sense. It can’t just be a set of rules to remember.”

In the past 20 years, Jacobs has been instrumental in bringing more than $6 million in grants for Cal Poly Pomona programs and partnership programs with area school districts.

“This award says what I’ve been doing my whole life has mattered and made a contribution to the education of all children,” she says.

Blazing Some Happy Trails

The university’s Hunt Seat and Western horse teams have jumped, trotted and galloped to become 2007 Regional Champions in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, beating the likes of top schools, such as USC, UCLA, UC San Diego, the Claremont Colleges and University of Arizona.

“This has been our best season in about six years,” says Hunt Seat team co-captain Carolyn LaPrade, an urban & regional planning major.

The teams attract students from a variety of disciplines and require a year-round commitment to care for the horses, which are boarded at the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center. It’s typically an expensive sport to participate in; however, Cal Poly Pomona students have figured out ways to keep their costs low.

“We do all of the work to care for the horses, which makes it really affordable,” LaPrade says.

In Concrete TermsThe Cal Poly Pomona ameriCan SoCieTy of Civil engineerS (aSCe) ConCreTe Canoe Team will make a splash at the 20th Annual ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition in Seattle this summer after earning a spot in the prestigious contest when the team finished second in regionals.

Constructing the canoe is only half the battle. Each entry is also evaluated on its design, speed, floating ability and overall performance.

“The concrete canoe competition is the most demanding and intense event at the ASCE regional conference,” says Michael Thompson, concrete canoe team co-captain. “Success in the competition takes dedication, team work and determination.”

More than 200 teams nationwide vie for a spot in the annual event, with only the top contenders in each conference qualifying for nationals.

In 2005, the Cal Poly Pomona team won the regional competition for the second year in a row and placed in the national competition. Once there, the team earned its highest ranking at the national level after finishing eighth.

Honors Program Expands

many exCePTional STudenTS already have a strong passion for learning. But what if that passion can be harnessed and taken up a notch? That’s the goal behind the Keith & Jean Kellogg Honors College.

Designed for ambitious, goal-oriented students who love to learn and share ideas in a close-knit academic community, the program began in 2003 with just 60 students. Enrollment reached 270 students last fall, when the program was renamed after a generous bequest from the W. Keith Kellogg II Trust.

Honors students experience smaller classes, special mentoring relationships with faculty, summer research opportunities and involvement in community service. Additional advising is also provided to those students who wish to compete for national academic recognition and fellowships, such as Fulbright, Truman, Marshall and Rhodes scholarships.

To lead the growing program is Suketu P. Bhavsar, named the new director who will begin this summer. He will also teach in Cal Poly Pomona’s physics department. Currently director of the honors program at the University of Kentucky, Bhavsar earned one of his master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in astrophysics at Princeton University.

“An honors program is more than an organization for students who are already excellent,” he says. “It is a program and place where exceptional students are created. Honors is for students for whom learning is or could become a passion.”

“This award says what I’ve been doing my whole life has mattered,” says award winner Judith Jacobs.

Jean Kellogg and President Ortiz at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

In Neutral GearCal Poly Pomona is taking a stand on global warming, starting by addressing

its own impact on the environment. President Ortiz has joined more than 200 presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities across the country by pledging his support to the President’s Climate Commitment Leadership Circle. Ortiz is one of three CSU presidents to sign this agreement.

“This requires Cal Poly Pomona to develop a comprehensive plan of action that will lead to climate neutrality and increase the critical education and research necessary for society to re-stabilize the world’s climate,” Ortiz says. “The urgency for dealing with global warming is well documented.”

The task force will begin this process by completing an inventory of the university’s greenhouse gas emissions (including emissions from electricity, heating and commuting) and update the inventory every other year thereafter. Within two years, this group will develop an institutional plan for becoming climate neutral.

“This is a daunting task but one that must be addressed,” Ortiz says.

4 PolyTrends |SPRING 2007PolyTrends | sPring | summer 2007 5

United in Grief

BlaCkSBurg, va., may Be 2,389 mileS from Pomona, Calif., BuT ThaT did noT PrevenT The Cal Poly Pomona community from coming together to support its fellow polytechnic university.

When news first broke about the shootings at Virginia Tech on April 16, Cal Poly Pomona students huddled around televisions on campus, hanging on every word. It quickly became apparent that there was a need to come together in an effort to process the nation’s deadliest single-perpetrator shooting in U.S. history.

“When unexpected tragedies occur, such as what happened at Virginia Tech, it’s important for communities to offer spaces for mourning and grieving and assist in making some meaning of something that seems so senseless,” says Sunny Lee, interim director of the Office of Student Life and Cultural Centers.

Hundreds of students, along with some faculty and staff, gathered for a Rose Garden vigil on April 18 to pay homage to the lives lost and to the people left to heal in the aftermath. Many signed posters and cards that were sent to Virginia Tech. Additionally, two open dialogues were held to address issues of campus safety, emotional well-being, stereotyping and most importantly, to share resources available for the campus community, Lee says.

Supporting Future Teachers

if iT TakeS a village To raiSe a Child, The Same Can ProBaBly Be Said for Training TeaCherS. Participating in a teaching credential can be as time-consuming as a full-time job.

Student-teachers are often in the classroom four to five days a week, plus they have reports and papers due. Despite these demands, many aspiring teachers try to stay financially solvent by working part or full time.

Cal Poly Pomona is fortunate to have a community of allies through Partners in Education (PIE) to actively support the strenuous development of future teachers. This advocacy group collaborates with schools, families and communities to provide opportunities to those in the teaching profession.

This past winter, President Ortiz and wife, Betty, joined members of PIE to award $5,000 scholarships to three teaching credential students. The scholarships are intended to help students financially so they can focus more time on their studies.

“As a superintendent at Savannah School District in Anaheim, I know how critical the need is for educators who are passionate about teaching, who want to make a difference in their students’ lives, and who really care about students and the profession,” says Sue Johnson, director of PIE. “Our focus is to celebrate three very special students who we hope will become exceptional teachers.”

Credential students Andrian Chavez, Joanna Hall and AnaLisa Manlic were each granted a scholarship based on academic achievements and aspirations to enter the teaching profession.

Billy Bronco Makes TV Debut

Billy Bronco knows how to party hearty during March Madness. But he never loses his big hairy head in the process.

Cal Poly Pomona’s spunky mascot joined his fuzzy brethren for a 30-second television ad that aired throughout March Madness. The TV ad encouraged college hoop fans to have a fun, safe time during the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament.

Billy Bronco was joined by Cal State Fullerton’s Tuffy the Elephant, Prospector Pete from Cal State Long Beach and other university mascots. The “Good, Clean Fun” ad was part of a campaign with the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), which have partnered with Anheuser-Busch Co. to promote responsible

alcohol consumption.Although Billy

Bronco’s screen time was a mere three seconds, it was three seconds viewed by hundreds of thousands of hoop fans.

A Capital DecisionIt’s been nearly four decades since Bob

Balzer attended classes at Cal Poly Pomona, but the former student’s career is coming full circle this summer. The group publisher and CEO of the San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and Redlands Daily Facts will begin his service in July as the executive director of the university’s upcoming capital campaign.

“This is a great moment in my career as I now can direct 100 percent of my time to my true passion: education,” says Balzer, who will lead Cal Poly Pomona through an ambitious

multi-million dollar fundraising campaign to support new facilities, equipment, scholarships, endowments and research opportunities in the coming years.

During the past four decades, Balzer had made a positive impact on the region as a respected publisher and community member. He’s held many leadership positions with various news organizations, including MediaNews Group, Los Angeles Newspaper Group, Gannett and the Los Angeles Times. He began his newspaper career in 1969 at the Progress Bulletin while attending classes at Cal Poly Pomona.

Balzer’s commitment to education is evident through his support of various fundraising efforts in the region, as well as service to nonprofit, civic and educational organizations. He hosted an event last year that brought in $175,000 for Cal State San Bernardino’s new College of Education building, led the Chaffey College Foundation board as president to help raise more than $1 million, and served on Cal Poly Pomona’s University Educational Trust.

“Acquiring someone like Bob Balzer is an extraordinary coup,” says President Ortiz. “His reputation in the community is the result of his strong character and integrity. Bob will use those resources to create opportunities and access that will prove invaluable to the campaign.”

Thespian LessonsPeer pressure isn’t usually a

positive thing. But in this case, it is.The Pomona Peer Theatre program

is a joint effort between the university and Pomona-area teens to write, produce, and stage plays focusing on current social problems faced by teens in today’s fast-paced culture.

The program is based at the Cal Poly Pomona Downtown Center and features university and high school students working side by side to explore difficult issues — sexual assault, teen pregnancy, gang influences, drugs or racism — and tackle them in a creative and safe environment.

The innovative program received a seal of approval when it became the only university/school district partnership of its kind to receive a $10,000 grant last year from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“The most amazing thing about community- and youth-based theatre is the growth that the high school students go through during the two to three years they are in the program,” says Bernardo Solano, professor of theatre. “Students who came in as shy ninth-graders become outspoken leaders and seasoned performers and writers by the time they are seniors.”

These types of experiences are crucial to motivating high school students to consider a future in higher education. This one just happens to produce dramatic results.

The Peer Theatre program was the only university/school district program of its kind to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts last year.

Aspiring teacher AnaLisa Manlic receives a PIE scholarship, presented by Dean

Barbara Way and President Ortiz.

“I now can direct 100 percent of my time to my true passion: education,” says Bob Balzer, who will lead an upcoming fundraising campaign.


Competition RipensThe Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits

Competition returned to Fairplex in Pomona, where 3,788 wines and 53 tequilas were whiffed, sipped and spit by 76 judges, all under the leadership of Bob Small, professor of hospitality management. Additionally, 396 olive oils crossed the palates of 20 judges during the three-day competition in May.

The massive wine competition, formerly called the L.A. County Fair Wines of the World competition, is in its 68th year.

“If you get a gold medal here, you will basically sell all your wine,” says Small, chairman of the competition. “This is all about selling wine.”

About 20 Cal Poly Pomona students helped manage the ebb and flow of wine, spirits and olive oil under the direction of Small and Margie Jones, a wine education professor. Several students also sat with the panels of judges collecting their critiques and gaining first-hand experience observing the judges in action. The judges, who are a highly accomplished group of wine connoisseurs, include master sommeliers, winemakers and buyers, food and wine writers, restaurateurs and more.

The winning wines will be featured during the L.A. County Fair in September at the fair’s newly designated Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Marketplace.

paying

Along the way, I still faced challenges in college, one of which was reading comprehension. When I started college, I would have to read twice as much as a typical student in order to understand the reading assignment. Since I never had the time to read every chapter twice, I often neglected the assignment and focused on those that were not covered in the lecture. I picked up concepts a lot better while attending lectures.

Along with academic challenges, I also had social issues to contend with. People with Inattentive ADD tend to keep to themselves and lack self- expression.

CAMPUS PerSPecTiVe

Attention

The Struggles of a

Student with ADD

(Perspective cont. on page 23)


Civil Engineering Lands Donation

Civil engineering STudenTS will have more oPPorTuniTieS Than ever To learn aBouT environmenTally friendly land development design practices in the new Sustainable Land Development Laboratory.

The specialized computer lab, which is completely funded by donations, will support a range of courses, including Engineering Hydrology, Subdivision Design, Highway Design, Environmental Resource Systems and senior projects.

“The focus of the lab is on developing or redeveloping land in a way that serves present needs, while minimizing the environmental impact,” says Donald Coduto, professor and chair of civil engineering.

“It is really the support of industry that helps us stay current,” President Ortiz said during the lab dedication in March. “This lab is a real testament to industry’s support of engineering education.”

Irvine-based RBF Consulting is the lab’s biggest donor. The civil engineering firm regularly hires Cal Poly Pomona graduates, with nearly 60 alumni working for the company.

”The entire engineering community benefits from well-prepared graduates,” says Doug Abramson, RBF Consulting senior vice president.

Under the direction of professors Margie Jones and Bob Small, the wine competition provided students with a first-hand judging experience.

“Minimizing the environmental impact” during land development is one of the benefits of the innovative lab, according to chair Don Coduto.

Andrew Brody is an industrial engineering senior with a minor in mathematics. He is diagnosed with Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder (Inattentive ADD).

By Andrew Brody

To moST PeoPle, i’m juST a TyPiCal College STudenT. i’m uSually ruShing BeTween classes, juggling school and personal calendars, playing Frisbee football with my

fraternity buddies, cramming for exams and lacking sleep. What is not so apparent is that I struggle each day with learning difficulties.

I have what is known as Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder (Inattentive ADD). This is a neuro-cognitive disorder where one has trouble focusing on the task at hand, including reading comprehension, remembering short-term tasks or paying attention in a conversation.

I was diagnosed with Inattentive ADD when I was in the second grade. The first sign was when my reading level was not up to par with the rest of my class. After my diagnosis, I began to see a special tutor and continued through eighth grade. This helped me cope with my learning problems, and by the time I was in high school, I had found ways to succeed despite the challenges. I ended up doing well throughout school in college-prep courses.

When I came to college, however, I tried to get by on my own but found it much more difficult than I thought. The things I did to cope in high school were not going to work in college. I joined the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and received support through the Achievement Retention & Commitment to Higher Education Success (ARCHES) program. The DRC helped me receive accommodations, such as extra time on tests, textbooks on tape and having the help of a note-taker, while ARCHES provided free tutoring, organizational help and advising. Having these accommodations combined with my coping mechanisms have helped make college workable.

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Landscape architectureCelebrates 50 Years

and Counting

The World Trade Center Memorial landscape design, led by alumnus Douglas Findlay ’80, features a line of trees as a series of colonnades.

Color rendering courtesy of PWP Landscape Architecture

By Laurie McLaughlin

Douglas Findlay is working on two projects on opposite sides of the globe. The first is the World Trade Center Memorial project in Manhattan, and the second is the U.S. Embassy in China.

“It’s interesting that when the United States built an embassy, the pattern was to put a few shrubs around some buildings and that was it,” says Findlay, president of PWP Landscape Architecture in Berkeley and a 1980 alumnus of Cal Poly Pomona’s landscape architecture program. The lack of exterior design at the embassies was for security purposes.

“Now, security measures require new embassies be built at least 100 feet from the street. And in this case in China, we’re making American-designed gardens within that zone for visitors and the people who work there.”

Architect Michael Arad learned that his proposal for the World Trade Center Memorial was among entry finalists in the largest competition of its kind in the world; however, it required rethinking and collaboration with a landscape architect to

for a garden to cost up to $5 million an acre,” says Truskowski, who earned his landscape architecture degree in 1970 and was included in the Robb Report’s 2005 Best of the Best list of landscape architects. “When I did Mick Jagger’s house on Mustique, we had to put in a desalination plant and bring plants over on the weekly banana boat,” he says.

Truskowski also created a shark lagoon in Saudi Arabia. “It was a couple of acres of sharks and other sea life, and the landscape was purchased in various parts of the world. We chartered the top floor of a container ship and moved full-grown trees from Florida to the Middle East.”

In spite of all of his success, and the extravagant projects he works on, Truskowski personally subscribes to an environmentally conscious lifestyle and focuses on more than just the success of the estates’ lavish landscapes. “During our projects, we train local people and give them skills,” he says, “because it’s important to leave knowledge behind to help people to improve their status in life.”


garner approval. Arad selected PWP, and with the help of Findlay’s landscape design team, the revised plan was chosen as winner. Located at the site where the towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001, the 16-acre, multi-use development will include office buildings and a park.

“Our primary goal is for it to function like any other beautiful park but simultaneously be a place that commemorates what happened,” says Findlay in a phone call from New York while working on the project, scheduled to be completed in 2010.

“We’re doing it with emptiness, trees, water and stone pavement. People can come here to grieve, but at the same time they are in the midst of a ‘life-goes-on’ experience, and office workers are having lunch, laughing and living their lives.”

50 Years of PracticeFindlay credits the practical education he received at Cal

Poly Pomona for launching his career. “When I was in college, my professors focused on how to get things done, and when I graduated, I was really prepared to go to work,” says Findlay. “It’s a very strong program, and it’s amazing how many people I bump into, even outside California, who are from Cal Poly Pomona’s landscape architecture program.”

This year, the university’s landscape architecture program is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and along with the industry, the program has grown in both number of students and breadth of knowledge.

“Back then, the program developed a reputation for teaching design and technical abilities,” says Karen C. Hanna, FSLA, FCELA, dean of the College of Environmental Design, which houses the department. “Technical capabilities in the beginning meant understanding construction, and today it also means digital abilities and environmental considerations, and we are still known for our strength in those areas. It’s a discipline that requires both the left and

right sides of the brain.” A combination of creativity and practicality are required no matter the

project, from recreational areas and highway beautification projects

to office parks and housing developments.

For alumnus Robert Truskowski, his landscape architecture career has taken him around the world where he’s specialized in a niche market for extremely high-end residential clients, including Mick Jagger, Quincy Jones and a number of business leaders on the

Forbes list of richest people. “I have a lot of projects

where it’s not unusual

T R a nSLUCe n T de SignSDecidedly against the grain, alumnus

Andy Cao cultivates translucent landscapes with recycled glass instead of flora and has established an international reputation for his work in creating private landscapes. “There’s a therapeutic quality to glass,” says Cao, who earned his degree in landscape architecture in 1984. His experience at the university, he says, “helped me realign my focus and gave me the courage to realize I could find my own niche.” In 2001, he received the prestigious Rome Prize Fellowship in Landscape Architecture, and he founded the Cao/Perrot Studio. His work has been featured in dozens of magazines, books and television programs, and he designs his stylized landscapes for hotels, residences, stores and museums around the globe.

“My classes at Cal Poly Pomona rated very highly against the classes at Harvard,” says alumnus Robert Truskowski (above), whose firm has offices in Laguna Beach and Florida. “I have graduates from many universities all over the country, and those from Cal Poly Pomona are really premium employees.”

Among alumnus Robert Truskowski’s projects is a palatial garden in Montecito, complete with swans.

The landscape architecture at The Crossings at Corona

was designed by Robert Cardoza ’64 and his

firm, Nuvis.

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Many of us know the point where Pico Boulevard ends — it’s an enticing dining locale at either the trendy Shutters on the Beach or historic Casa Del Mar Hotel. It’s also the site of the “California Wash: Pico to the Pacific” landscape architecture project, and it won a national competition for environmental artwork. Bob Perry, emeritus professor, served as one of the landscape architects on the project, which is located where the storied boulevard meets the sand between the two hotels. The small “park” was created to heighten awareness of Los Angeles’ canyon watersheds draining into the Pacific with representational use of walkways and native plants.

Stephen Jerrom

“There’s a therapeutic quality to glass,” says Andy Cao ’84, whose stylized landscapes have been featured in hotels, residences, stores and museums.

Field Test for Students Several months ago, Gary Neely

from State Assemblyman Bob Huff’s office contacted the department

to see if Cal Poly Pomona students would be interested in participating in a redevelopment project along the 60 Freeway. The students seized the opportunity

and created a comprehensive landscape design for the Fairway

Drive interchange that straddles the City of Industry and Rowland Heights.

“They spent a month creating enormous models, paintings and designs and presented them to the City of Industry’s mayor and a blue ribbon panel,” says Joan Hirschman Woodward, FASLA, landscape architecture professor and graduate coordinator. “The students presented suggestions with landscaping that would play a functional role in not just aesthetics, but also pollution control and irrigation.” Their presentation was successful, and the students have been invited to examine three other freeway interchanges in the area, she says. “This has been very exciting because students are helping with tangible change right here near the university.”

Last fall, five landscape architecture students in the graduate-level 606 Studio class did their research and decided to approach government leaders in the city of Buena Ventura on the Pacific Coast about its future. Their plan reaches forward to 2050 and evaluates the state of the region if peak oil consumption is met and affordable fuel is no longer available.

“The students have looked at what happens to an urban area when people have to find alternatives to living with cheap oil,” says Hirschman Woodward. “This not only affects travel but also is relevant to everyday activities including heating, cooling and in particular food because much of it is flown into this region.”

The students’ plan, which calls for localizing food production and consumption, evaluates what the city has to accomplish in order to transition from an urban to agricultural environment. “The students made the proposal to the Buena Ventura city council, and the council members were impressed and wanted to see more, so they are working on projections for 2015, 2025 and 2050,” says Hirschman Woodward. “The plans show both how the city could evolve with change and what may happen without change.”

The 606 Studio is a consortium of faculty and graduate students who apply advanced methods of analysis and design to projects emphasizing preservation and restoration of sensitive natural systems. The research involved considers dynamics well beyond

Ca M pUS L a n dM a R KSThe work of both landscape architecture

students and faculty has created a number of experiential sites on campus that are not only attractive but educational:

The Rain Bird Ethnobotany Learning Center was designed by Gerald O. Taylor, ASLA, assistant professor of landscape architecture. The one-acre oasis emphasizes the relationship between the Gabrielino-Tongva, the indigenous people of the Los Angeles basin, and their natural environment with both water and native plant life. A pond and re-creation of a ceremonial gathering area within the small park serves as an outdoor classroom.

The George and Sakaye Aratani Japanese Garden fosters an appreciation of nature and Japanese culture and reflects the university’s interest in international education. Adjacent to the Classroom/Laboratory/Administration Building, the 1.3-acre garden features traditional Asian flora, a reflection pond, waterfall, bridges and a small amphitheater and was designed by Takeo Uesugi, professor emeritus of landscape architecture.

FaT H e R OF T H e WH e R e FaC TOR

He’s so famous he has his own entry in Wikipedia. He’s Jack Dangermond, a 1967 landscape architecture alumnus, and his geographic information system (GIS) technology software is used in the OnStar road navigation system and helps manage the Metropolitan Water District pipeline system and Caltrans roads. Companies, such as MapQuest, Thomas Bros., National Geographic and Realtor.com, use it to create new maps each day. He founded the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) in 1969, and it’s now the leading developer of GIS software for both the world of academia and the private sector. In 2005, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Cal Poly Pomona. Of his innovation, he says, “We couldn’t see into the future, but we knew when we first discovered GIS that we were working with very important technology.”

L . a . de SignS L . a .The Grand Avenue Intervention project has

been working to solicit civic engagement and ideas for the design of a 16-acre park in the heart of downtown Los Angeles amid the rapid re-development and revitalization of the area with new skyscrapers, loft developments and shopping. Cal Poly Pomona professors Sarah Lorenzen and Andrew Wilcox incorporated the Grand Avenue project, part of the city’s much-publicized master plan, into their studio classes. Wilcox’s senior level students planned and designed a new urban park that reflects the urban district’s history, cultural and social diversity, and changing community demands of downtown L.A. One of the questions he put to his students in the class syllabus was “What does ‘park’ mean today?”

Professor Joan Hirschman Woodward touts students’ designs for the City of Industry’s redevelopment along the 60 Freeway and other 606 Studio projects.

what those outside the profession may assume fall into the realm of landscape architecture, including social, political and economic factors within a particular community. This past spring, the 18 students in the studio class worked on three other projects. In San Diego, the students are working with a nonprofit organization to revitalize Chollas Creek. In South Los Angeles, students have approached the Community Redevelopment Agency to re-envision public space, which may include parks and affordable housing. In Riverside, students will present a plan advocating effective, high-density urban planning within the city in order to avoid continued suburban sprawl and destruction of the surrounding natural habitat.

Growth Creates OpportunityCal Poly Pomona is the only university in California with both

an accredited undergraduate and graduate landscape architecture program, and with that popularity comes an overwhelming interest from prospective students.

“In this region particularly, there has been a tremendous amount of development in the last decade that has increased the awareness of landscape architecture,” says Philip N. Pregill, professor and chair of landscape architecture. “Our program has consistently grown over the past decade from 200 to 300 students, and we are at capacity in terms of accommodating enrollment demands.”

The program’s high profile in the industry has brought experienced faculty to the university, especially with a real-world laboratory as large as the region’s metropolitan area. “We have no problem attracting quality faculty. Part of the draw, of course, is that we are near Los Angeles,” adds Pregill. “The department’s theme for its 50th anniversary, Re-generating L.A., has been an effective way to convey the focus of the program to both faculty and students.”

Success also has its challenges, such as the need for larger facilities in order to grow. It’s a good problem to have, says Hanna, but there are a few hurdles in the way. “The

A student photographs her installation for a

landscape architecture construction class.


(Continued on page 16)

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02


Navigating the

Supply Chain Industry By Lisa McPheron

if you’ve reCenTly PurChaSed anyThing made in aSia, iT likely came through the ports of Los Angeles or Long Beach bound for a distribution center in the Inland Empire before being placed on a store shelf.

Cal Poly Pomona is physically located along this river of cargo, which flows daily through Southland freeways and railroads. Given its centrality, it is a natural fit for the university to steer students to be leaders in this growing industry.

Between 1990 and 2003, the transportation and logistics industry in Southern California gained nearly 73,000 new jobs, amounting to a 23 percent increase, according to the California Transportation and Logistics Institute. By 2030, the institute predicts 350,000 more jobs will be needed to maintain the growth.

“Many of these positions will be well-paid technical jobs,” says Lynn Turner, professor of management & human resources in the College of Business Administration. “We want our students to be prepared for these jobs and our faculty to conduct research that will influence the future of this industry.”

Technological innovation, globalization and e-commerce impact the strategies, operations and complexity of today’s business supply chain. As the industry evolves, Cal Poly Pomona’s emphasis on its supply chain and logistics program will as well.

Business alumnus Michael Entzminger ‘76 is CEO and founder of Mach 1 Air Services Inc., one of the world’s

ReactionChain

pReSeRVaTiOn, pReSeRVaTiOn, pReSeRVaTiOn

Taking on the challenge of preserving the last remaining wetland environment in the port city of Wilmington, landscape architecture students Michelle Landis and Joel Shafor worked with residents and government officials during their thorough research of the area at the mouth of the Dominguez Channel, which empties into Los Angeles Harbor. Gerald O. Taylor, ASLA, assistant professor, challenged his class to select projects that would improve the health of the residents living in an under-served community. In recognition of their efforts, the duo received a prestigious award from the American

Society of Landscape Architects 2006 Student Awards competition. “Through our work with the

community, we gave the residents something to rally behind,” says Landis, who

graduated in 2006, along with Shafor. “Nothing can match that feeling.”

T H e BLU e L ag OOn

Examining native plants and the environment is not what most people describe as a good time, but for Woody Smeck, it is his life’s passion. This landscape architecture alumnus (‘85 and ‘91) has fought to preserve major

parks in the Mediterranean Coast Network through

his innovative ideas and environmental programs,

which include a research learning center and fire management plan.

As superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world’s

largest urban national park, Smeck helped restore Zuma Lagoon in Santa Monica. With debris removed and native plants restored, the living wetland features 108 species of birds and colorful wildflowers thanks to his leadership. Last year, the National Park Services named Smeck the Superintendent of the Year for Natural Resource Stewardship.

(COvER STORy cont. from page 13)

Michelle Landis and Joel Shafor were challenged to work on a project that helped improve the health of an under-served community.


next freshman class will have about 100 students in it, and we have room for about 60. We just desperately

need more space,” she says. For 10 years, the university administration

has been lobbying for a new landscape architecture facility. “My hope is that we

will be high enough on the California State University list to be funded by the 2008 bond act,”

adds Hanna, and in the meantime, she’s working to raise funds from alumni and firms who hire graduates in

order to augment the department’s case for being at the top of the CSU list. It is evident that alumni and community support is chief among the elements necessary for consideration.

For more information on the landscape architecture program, contact Carrie Geurts, director of development for the College of Environmental Design, at (909) 869-4468 or [email protected].

Preserving natural habitats is not just a job, but a passion for Woody Smeck ‘85, ‘91.

PolyTrends |SPRING 2007 21

PolyTrends |SPRING

2007 9

fastest-growing transportation and logistic services companies. He attended Cal Poly Pomona before there was a comprehensive program in that field.

“We called it trucks and buses, and it was considered an easy ‘A,’” Entzminger recalls. “Now it is an extremely complex program.”

The technology & operations management (TOM) department exposes students to the complexity of today’s businesses, helping them develop the skills needed to properly manage the business supply chain, according to chair Hassan Halati. Faculty members are also active in monitoring industry trends and innovations, such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracking. Through RFID, objects are tagged with tiny devices that allow large retailers and delivery companies to track the movement of their goods.

In addition to maintaining an

educational upper edge through exposure to business trends, partnerships with industry have also greatly benefitted the program. To jump-start an enhanced lab focusing on the supply chain industry, the department received a $315,000 gift last December from the City of Industry’s Industry Manufacturers Council and Kent R. Valley of Majestic Realty. The contribution will help develop the Supply Chain & Logistics Technology Laboratory and will increase students’ exposure to new and emerging developments in RFID and other state-of-the art changes in supply chain management technologies, Halati says.

“Technology is changing the face of business,” he says. “The modern business student needs to be more informed about this emerging field.”

RFID, the Internet (EPCglobal Network), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), transportation system planning, global positioning, and global data synchronization technologies have significant impact on businesses. The lab will provide firsthand experience and demonstrate the inner workings

of these state-of-the-art developments in supply chain management technology. Students will learn the strategic implications of RFID mandates in

commercial and government sectors; acquire firsthand knowledge of the technology’s applications and engage in the practical study of end-

to-end RFID solutions implemented for real-world application.It is this type of hands-on learning that often helps

graduating seniors land top jobs before their diplomas are delivered in the mail.

“The program is very comprehensive,” says Susan Benitez, a 2006 TOM alumna, who is a

materials manager for Fluor Corporation. “The professors have a lot of experience, and in every class, they tried to bring in experts from the real world, so we are exposed to the business.”

Hua Chang, a 2005 graduate who now works for UPS, developed an inventory analytical tool for his senior project, Bugarin says.

“That tool is going to save us six figures,” he says. “The students have just been fantastic.”

In total, the TOM department estimates that senior projects have saved companies more than $2 million through intuitive and creative work by students. Both Entzminger and Bugarin agree that staying current with technology is vital to staying competitive in the global marketplace. They see Cal Poly Pomona fulfilling an important role in preparing students to use these technologies once they graduate.

Entzminger’s business, Mach 1 Air Services, provides a complete supply chain and logistics package for companies. Essentially, Mach 1 will pick up a product from a manufacturer anywhere in the world, ship it, monitor inventory and distribute it to the customer or store.

“Technology has made us more efficient,” Entzminger says. “It’s a hands-on business. The hands-on polytechnic practices at Cal Poly Pomona prepare students well for this business before they even hit the workforce.”

Just as in a seamless chain, consumers can continue to purchase products thanks to this business technology. And Cal Poly Pomona is a key link.

Benitez was introduced to recruiters from Flour at an Association of Technology and Operations Management Students (ATOMS) meeting before she graduated. She was offered a job before completing her last final and has been promoted in less than a year.

“The emphasis placed on the supply chain definitely prepared me to be a buyer,” she says. “I understand how manufacturing works, so it gives me an edge working with manufacturers.”

Alumni have gone on to be leaders in this field. Some like Entzminger and Genaro Bugarin, a 1995 alumnus, maintain their ties with the university by lending their expertise in advisory roles.

Bugarin, who is senior manager of Operations Planning at PETCO, has stayed connected to the TOM department throughout his career. Bugarin mentors senior projects, serves on a TOM advisory board and has hired Cal Poly Pomona professors as contract analysts.

“Just a few years ago, we were recruiting people mostly from Midwestern or Southern schools where they have strong supply chain programs,” he says. “However in the past few years, the TOM department has begun offering more supply chain classes, fulfilling the needs of the industry.”

Bugarin has mentored three TOM students working on their senior projects. Over the course of a quarter, the students work on various tasks and develop business solutions. The student assigned to reduce shipping costs, for example, may realize that the products’ boxes are too big and essentially waste space during shipping, Bugarin says.


“We called it trucks and buses. Now it is an extremely complex program,” says Michael Entzminger ’76, CEO of one of the world’s fastest-growing transportation and logistics companies.

A senior operations manager at PETCO, Genaro Bugarin ’95 stays

connected by mentoring students and advising on industry trends.

Students get an inside look at the Smart & Final distribution center.

A Strong Link

A $315,000 gift from the City of Industry’s Industry Manufacturers Council and Kent R. Valley of Majestic Realty will help develop the Supply Chain & Logistics Technology

Laboratory at Cal Poly Pomona. The lab will provide firsthand experience and demonstrate the inner workings of state-of-the-art developments in supply chain management technology including:

RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION TRACKINGEPCGLOBAL NETWORK

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNINGWAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSTRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PLANNING

GLOBAL POSITIONINGGLOBAL DATA SYNCHRONIZATION TECHNOLOGIES

By Lisa McPheron

In pursuing his boyhood dream of a having a stable full of Arabian horses, cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg created one of the most visited tourist attractions in Southern California during the 1920 and 1930s. In doing so, he established a legacy that is preserved today in more ways than one at Cal Poly Pomona.

Kellogg’s 813-acre summer ranch, which would later become the heart of the Cal Poly Pomona campus, was a watering hole for some of the biggest movers and shakers in California. Silver screen star Rudolph Valentino made headlines when he requested that Jadaan, a prized Kellogg Arabian stud, be featured in his 1926 blockbuster, The Son of the Sheik.

The ranch’s location, a scant 32 miles from Los Angeles, ensured a regular flow of Hollywood celebrities, boosting the popularity of the horse ranch. Numerous starlets and their leading men, governors and news reporters, as well as animators from Walt Disney Studios flocked to the grounds for the exquisite collection of Arabian horses. Large crowds of everyday people followed, attending the free Sunday horse shows that began in 1926. Aviation legend Charles Lindberg

a Rare Breed

flew the Spirit of St. Louis over the property to huge fanfare in 1927 to help Kellogg dedicate a small air strip that is now long gone.

“This was the place to be,” says Melissa Paul, librarian for the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, which is temporarily located in three retrofitted stalls in the original stables on campus. “Thousands of people used to watch the horse shows. It didn’t hurt that Kellogg gave every guest free Cornflakes during the Great Depression.”

Celebrity and politician visits certainly brought attention to the ranch in its early days. However, it has ultimately been the commitment to breeding, training and studying Arabian horses that has cemented the unique heritage of the center, and the university as well.

When Kellogg deeded his 813-acre ranch to the state of California in 1949, he did so with the stipulation of maintaining the horse shows and continuing the breeding and training of the domesticated animals. More than 70 percent of the domestic Arabian bloodstock in this country traces its lineage to Kellogg’s

Kellogg’s Arabian Horse Heritage to Be Preserved in New Library

W.K. Kellogg would have been proud to know that more than 70 percent of the domestic Arabian bloodstock in this country traces its lineage to his original breeding program.

original breeding program, a statistic that would have made him proud. He also wanted the horses to be utilized in equine science education, which is being accomplished through Cal Poly Pomona’s comprehensive educational program. This includes instruction at the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, monthly Sunday exhibition shows that run from October to May, the Equine Research Center established in 1980, as well as clinics offered to horse enthusiasts.

Today, the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center is home to 110 world-famous Kellogg Arabians from the original Kellogg herd. It continues to thrive in many ways. There were 13 expecting mares this spring, and student equestrian teams recently won regional championships. Preservation of the legacy is also reaching new

heights with the upcoming construction of the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library.The new 5,600 square-foot facility, which will be prominently located on the

grounds of the 38-acre horse center, will help preserve Kellogg’s love for Arabian horses and his dedication to philanthropy, as well as a multitude of rare and historical materials dedicated to the horse breed.

The $6 million structure will largely be made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, based in Battle Creek, Mich. Earlier this year, the foundation granted $5 million to the horse center, which marks the third largest grant ever given to the university. The grant allocates $2 million for the construction of the new W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, with $3 million earmarked for an endowment fund for the future care of the center.

“This funding will be crucial to us,” says Bill Hughes, director of the horse center. “This will help us complete deferred maintenance and improve our facilities.”

Although the $2 million gift will provide the funding impetus to build the library, additional sources of

support are being explored.The library collection preserves all

types of Arabian horse information in multiple formats including newspapers, magazines, art work, brochures, newsletters, videotapes, photographs, letters and manuscripts, as well as rare books. The collection is intended to be used as a research facility by the university and community at large.

“We have many materials that are in storage,” says Michelle Moyer, the College of Agriculture’s director of development. “The new library will provide a much improved setting to display these items and help preserve the legacy of the horse center.”

Throughout the year, roughly 35,000 people visit the horse center, so there will be a steady stream of visitors who likely would be interested in the library’s collection, according to Hughes.

“This way, people can go to the library and look at all the historical materials, then walk a little bit farther and see the live show,” Hughes says.

For more information about the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, visit www.csupomona.edu/~equine/Kellogg.htm or call (909) 869-2224.

On an Equal Footing

More than half of the students registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at Cal Poly Pomona have invisible disabilities, similar to Andrew Brody’s. Whether they struggle with impairments to mobility, sight or hearing; chronic health conditions; or attention, learning, neurological or psychological disorders, receiving the support they need can make or break their college experience.

The DRC verifies disabilities and prescribes specific accommodations that enable students with disabilities to compete academically on an equal basis with their non-disabled peers. Students can take advantage of various services at the DRC, whether they need textbooks in alternative media, note-takers for classes, increased test time or use of the assistive technology center.

To supplement the DRC’s academic support, students also benefit from the Achievement, Retention, and Commitment to Higher Education Success (ARCHES) program. Established in 1997 to provide academic advising, study skills development and tutoring, as well as financial aid and scholarship assistance, ARCHES is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of

Education TRIO Programs. TRIO programs promote educational equity for students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education — students who are in the first-generation of their families to attend college and who are low-income, and/or are disabled.

For more information about the Disability Resource Center, visit www.dsa.csupomona.edu/drc or call (909) 869-3333.

CAL POLy POMONA STUDENT DISABILITIESLearning 31%

Attention 30%

Physical 11%

Psychological 10%

Neurological 7%

Low Vision/Blind 4%

Deaf/Hard of Hearing 4%

Mobility 3%

(Perspective continued from page 7)


I coped with this by joining the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. When I first joined, I had a lot of great ideas but was hesitant to speak up. Older members started to discuss my ideas but would not fully explain them, forcing me to step up and become more vocal. This went on until I figured how to do it on my own.

One of my fraternity brothers gave me a quote when I was a new member. I still remember it to this day: “If you’re shy, you’ll go hungry.” I took this quote to heart, which comes in handy when I share a pizza with three hungry fraternity brothers. This quote has also given me the courage to run for student government and the Greek council. I also think about this quote when my instinct is to hold back on something I want to do, whether it’s for a class project or an organization I’m involved with.

Another challenge I had was in carrying on a conversation, which requires me to focus. I usually end up missing things in a conversation and often ask people to repeat themselves. I felt bad annoying people by constantly asking them to repeat things. So I decided to try focusing only on the one person I’m speaking with. It seemed to work well in class, and I also tried it outside of class. Now when I’m in a conversation, I typically do not look around, so I can stay focused.

The last challenge is the tendency to forget things in my short-term memory. At home, I would be asked to get four items from the kitchen, and I usually would come back with three of the four items. This hap-pened frequently until I started working at Sears Auto Center. When I sell a set of tires, I have to go downstairs to get them. The technician keeps the paperwork while I get the tires. To avoid forgetting the tire numbers, I started taking a copy of the paperwork down with me to make sure I got the right tire. Eventually, I would memorize the last three digits of the part number without needing the paperwork.

It’s been a long struggle, but I’ve found ways to overcome these challenges and enjoy my college experience. I’m currently a fifth-year industrial engineering major with a minor in mathematics, and I will be graduating in fall of 2008.

“When I started college, I would have to read twice as much as a typical student in order to understand the reading assignment.”

The $6 million Arabian horse library will be funded largely by

the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

“People with Inattentive ADD tend to keep to themselves and lack self-expression. I coped with this by joining the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.”


By Julie Bos

diagnoSTiC radiologiST. olymPiC aThleTe. Entrepreneur. Motivational speaker. Each of these titles represents a rare accomplishment on its own. To have them all describe the same person is even more phenomenal. And yet, that’s exactly the case with Dr. Una Morris, who has repeatedly overcome the odds to achieve extraordinary success.

Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Morris lost her mother to illness when she was 10. At 17, she moved to California to finish high school and pursue a career in science.

“Before my mom died, she made me promise her I would pursue my education,” she says. “And even though I knew it was a very difficult road, I decided to become a physician.”

After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona in 1970 with a degree in zoology, Morris went on to the University of California, San Francisco to earn her medical degree. She invested another three years to become a diagnostic radiologist and has been practicing in the Pasadena area for the past 32 years. Because the percentage of minority women in the medical field is quite low, Morris finds herself a role model to minority youth everywhere.

“I love the field of radiology because it’s continually changing and adapting to new technology,” she says. “Plus, this career choice has been very conducive to being a wife and a mother of three.”

Her love of science, however, is only one of her passions.

About the time her mother died, Morris discovered another skill: running. For the next decade, she honed her natural

Running Against the oddsUNA MORRIS ’70 a Role

Model to Minority youth

tom Zasadzinski

Alumni

Spotlight

County/University of Southern California Medical Center and continues to spend her free time motivating the next generation of scientists.

Considering her love of science, it’s no surprise to learn she supports Cal Poly Pomona’s Science Educational Enhancement Services (SEES) program, which promotes diversity among science students. In fact, she gives not only her time but also financial support annually, including a $3,000 gift this past April.

“I often meet with students to encourage them to overcome their personal struggles in order to achieve their goals,” she explains. “When I was their age, I wished I had someone to encourage me to reach my dreams. Many of these students are already highly motivated, but sometimes they need a little extra encouragement.”

Based on a lifelong history of overcoming odds, Morris’ advice to young people is always the same. “I tell them, ‘There’s nothing you can’t accomplish if you persevere and really believe in yourself. Nothing should ever prevent you from reaching your goals.’”

talent and eventually competed in a number of track events — with very impressive results. Her laser focus and commitment to hard work helped her compete in the 1964,

1968 and 1972 Olympics, earning fourth place in the 200-meter race in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. She also earned the gold medal in the 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay in the 1966 Caribbean games; a gold medal in the 200-meter race in the 1967 USA Indoor Championship; and a silver medal, along with numerous others.

In addition, she was named Sportswoman of the Year in 1964 and 1965; held the world record for the 300-meter track event in 1966 and 1967; and held Jamaican records in the 200-, 400-, 800-meter and Pentathlon events.

During the course of her life, Morris has also pursued a variety of other interests. She owned and operated a Jamaican restaurant in the Pasadena area for many years, has invested in real estate, served as assistant professor of radiology at Los Angeles

“When I was their age, I wished I had someone to encourage me to reach my dreams. Many of these students are already highly motivated, but sometimes they need a little extra encouragement.”


Alumni

Spotlight

Sports Entrepreneur BOBBy BRETT ’73

Hits it Big

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By Paul Helms

In the annals of baseball, the Bretts are one of the sport’s most recognizable families. Brothers John, Ken, Bobby and George all played professionally, with Ken pitching 13 years in the major leagues and George enjoying a 20-year career with the Kansas City Royals that earned him a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

While Bobby Brett didn’t attain the on-field acclaim his big-league siblings enjoyed, he has never let that overshadow his own career. Now living in Spokane, Wash., he is owner of both the Spokane Indians minor league baseball team and the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. He helped develop Brett Sports and Entertainment, as well as the Spokane Shadow Soccer Club, and is also involved with the Brett Brothers Bat Company.

His surname and skills notwithstanding, Brett believes the foundation for all his personal and professional achievements is grounded in those things he learned nearly 1,400 miles away on the baseball field at Cal Poly Pomona.

“To this day, I talk to him at least once a year,” Brett says of legendary Broncos baseball coach John Scolinos. “You learned all about life lessons from John Scolinos. I look back on the role he played in my life, and I learned so much from him. He is as fine a human being as I’ve ever been around.”

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24 PolyTrends | FALL 2006 |WINTER 2007 PolyTrends | sPring | summer 2007 27

By Laurie McLaughlin In Christian mythology, there is the story of brothers

Cosmos and Damien, the patron saints of twins, doctors and organ donors. Nearly 2000 years ago in Arabia, they were known for practicing medicine and miracles. They were martyred for their Christian beliefs, but the stories that grew after their death included a legend since depicted in numerous paintings. To cure a patient of an ailing limb, the twins grafted the leg of a recently deceased Ethiopian to a white man’s body. The man with the new leg was immediately healed and shared the news of the miracle.

At the University of California, Irvine, in the 1980s, Charles W. Hewitt and his colleague, Kirby S. Black, replicated that scenario on a lab rat.

“It just so happens our first limb transplant was a white rat who received a black leg,” says Hewitt, currently a professor of surgery for the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Camden. “It wasn’t intentional, but it was poetic.”

Hewitt, who earned his master’s in biology at Cal Poly Pomona in 1980, is one of the nation’s leading researchers in the field of transplantation. Three decades ago, Hewitt and Black introduced the field to what they termed “composite tissue transplants,” which focus on the transplantation of limbs, skin and bone marrow. Conventional transplantation focused mainly on internal organs, such as kidneys, livers and hearts, which have relatively homogenous vein and muscle systems allowing their placement into a new body. However, the transplantation of more complicated physiological systems, such as arms, was in the procedure’s infancy and fraught with challenges.

“These transplantations had various musculoskeletal components, such as skin, muscles, nerves, veins, connective tissue, bones and bone marrow. We saw these operations as a package of very disparate and distinct tissues, which is ‘composite tissue,’ and it turns out that they were very different from transplanting an organ.”

Even with their progress in connecting these multiple vascular, bone and muscle systems, the main problem with the innovative science was that the host body would reject the new limb. Fortunately, in 1983,

the secret life of Transplants

Alumni

Spotlight With the Research

of CHARLES HEWITT

’80, Mythology

Becomes Reality

“I was the only one of the four brothers to finish college, so I was like the knight in shining armor to go to college and get my degree.”

the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of cyclosporine, a drug that revolutionized transplant surgery because it suppresses the T-cells that reject foreign tissue after a transplant without suppressing the cells that fight infection.

“Cyclosporine changed the whole face of surgery, and things began to happen quickly,” says Hewitt, who was working at UCI, where his focus was on burn patients, while earning his doctoral degree at USC.

Now that rejection was more manageable, Hewitt’s continued research into transplantation of multi-part organs, such as limbs, skin and bone marrow, was breaking ground around the world.

“We’d assert in our talks that severely burned patients needed to have composite tissue transplants for the face because there are no subcutaneous tissues that make the face look normal, and the patient would always be disfigured,” says Hewitt. “And, people with limbs, yes, that’s an obvious application. But there are all kinds of uses in the areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery because you can’t reconstruct an ear or other features. The whole idea is that you can transplant these parts.

“There used to be a lot of ethics debate about this, that it’s not a life-threatening situation, so it had to be argued that it was a quality-of-life issue, which is as important as life itself,” adds Hewitt. “There is not much debate about that now.”

Since the first such surgery, a 1995 hand transplant in France, there have been about two dozen similar composite tissue transplants including

limbs and skin. One of the most recent and remarkable transplants was a partial face transplant in 2005.

Hewitt credits his time at Cal Poly Pomona under the tutelage of Jill Adler-Moore, professor of biology, and a simultaneous job with a urologist doing kidney

A first-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association outfielder his senior season, Brett graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 1973 with a degree in kinesiology and signed with the Kansas City Royals. After a few seasons playing professionally, he tried his hand at coaching, serving as head coach at Inglewood High School during the 1974-75 season.

Brett decided to switch careers and focus on real estate, where he made such a big hit that he considered the possibility of team ownership. Brett put together a group of close friends and family members and purchased the Spokane Indians in 1985. He would later purchase the Chiefs ice hockey team, and these days, he is also associated with the High Desert Mavericks and Tri-City Dust Devils baseball clubs.

“With four teams, it’s always fun. If you like sports, there’s nothing better,” Brett says. “You always have the best seat, and I guess I can get a free hot dog if I’d like.”

Brett says he enjoys watching young ballplayers pursuing their dreams of becoming Major Leaguers. One of Spokane’s best prospects was a 17-year-old named Carlos Beltran, who started his professional career with the Chiefs and is now one of baseball’s best outfielders and plays with the New York Mets.

Of course, Brett knows a thing or two about professional success stories. His older brother, Ken, was a first-round draft pick out of high school and reached the majors by age 18. A pitcher, he played for 10 teams during a 14-year career, appearing in 349 games with a lifetime 3.93 earned run average. Younger brother, George, was a second-round pick out of high school. He became one of major league baseball’s elite players and was the first ever to win batting titles in three different decades (1976, ’80 and ’90).

Still, Bobby Brett realized one accomplishment that his brothers never achieved.

“I was the only one of the four brothers to finish college,” he says proudly. “So I was like the knight in shining armor to go to college and get my degree.”

Brett’s success has not been a surprise to Scolinos, who still refers to him as one of his favorite players.

“He had a great attitude and he hustled all the time,” Scolinos says. “He had ability, like all the Bretts did. I was very fortunate to have had him play for us. He was great for our ballclub. He was always helping the other ballplayers, going out of his way to make them better.”

Brett is proud of his collegiate career and still thinks fondly of his days as a Bronco.

“When I was at Cal Poly Pomona, I was always treated like family. They truly cared about my success and helped me achieve my goals,” he says. “Coach Scolinos made sure all of us grew up and knew the right way to do things. I always remember him telling us, ‘you hang out with donkeys — you’re going to be a donkey.’

“While the budget wasn’t always as big as some of the teams we played, we were never lacking anything. There was a lot of pride in our program.”

Charles Bentley also contributed to the story.

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“There are all kinds of uses in the areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery because you can’t reconstruct an ear or other features. The whole idea is that you can transplant these parts.”

transplants, with inspiring him. When he started work at UCI, he says, “I was able to run a lab without a Ph.D. because of my strong Cal Poly Pomona education, and when I got started on my doctorate, I had written more papers than most of my professors had at USC.”

Today, Hewitt focuses mainly on bone marrow transplants, which has been his specialty for the last 15 years, and the far-reaching advancements in immunology the procedure will provide. He’s still in the laboratory working on perfecting the science, publishing articles and writing books.

“Bone marrow transplants are complicated right now,” he says. “You have to take out all of the patient’s blood, and the patient is radiated; the whole time the patient is at risk because he or she doesn’t have any blood.”

Hewitt’s bone marrow transplants would take healthy bone marrow from a donor, surgically attach the marrow and all its parts (cells, all the substructures, the supporting structures, everything that goes with the supporting microenvironment in bone marrow, in addition to the marrow itself) and eliminate the risk of draining a patient’s blood.

“You are actually transplanting the immune system itself into the patient,” he says, which allows the patient to fight infections — fungal, bacterial, viral and more.

His nationally recognized bone marrow transplant discoveries are a few years away from practicality, but Hewitt continues to enthusiastically lead the medical community into this new frontier — changing mythology into reality with his research.

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