Club Spotlights - Spring 2020
Read more stories in the Spring 2020 Newsletter
Environmental Sciences Club
Cal Poly’s Environmental Sciences Club promotes environmental action, community service, campus involvement and education for students interested in exploring the environmental sciences through a strong and inclusive community. The club brings together various aspects and majors within the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department by providing a community bonded by the love of earth sciences. During biweekly club meetings, environmental professionals talk to students, giving them advice on how to get involved in volunteering, internships and potential job opportunities, while university professors discuss current research projects. The club is a great networking opportunity for students in the NRES Department and offers many opportunities for freshmen to get off campus, meet new people and experience the local area. Some past volunteering opportunities hosted by the Environmental Science Club include environmental restoration with the Morro Bay Audubon Society, invasive species removal in the Sweet Springs nature preserve in Los Osos, and work with the Growing Grounds Farm. Future volunteer events with Growing Grounds and the Morro Bay Audubon Society have been planned for the coming quarters, as well as several hikes to allow members to mingle and experience all the beauty San Luis Obispo has to offer. The club does not require dues from its members and can be contacted at esc@calpoly.edu for further information.
Soil Judging Team
The Soil Judging Team at Cal Poly gives students the ability to apply their field skills in a competitive setting to describe, classify and interpret soil textures established by the Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services. The team practices weekly in the many soil pits throughout the San Luis Obispo area in order to prepare for the annual Regional Collegiate Soil Judging Competition in which team members compete against students from other schools in identifying, classifying and describing four different soil profiles. The competition is hosted in a new setting every year and has been held at universities in Humboldt and Chico in California, as well as in Tennessee, New Mexico and Kansas. Most recently it was held in Arroyo Grande, California, where the Cal Poly team won first overall. The Cal Poly Soil Judging Team has also competed in the International Collegiate Soil Judging Competition, held once every four years. The last competition was hosted in Brazil. Cal Poly is currently ranked No. 1 in Region 6, which encompasses California, the Pacific Northwest, Arizona and New Mexico. There are eight members on the team, which is coached by Dr. Gordon Reese. New members can join after completing SS 321: Soil Morphology.
Applied Ecology
Established at Cal Poly in 2017, Applied Ecology is an Instructionally Related Activity (IRA) supported by the NRES Department. The club is open to students of all majors. It offers a unique out-of-classroom experience that provides opportunities to learn about ecology. The IRA programs differ from other clubs on campus because they do not require organization by students or ASI. Rather, these activities are backed by a department and are led by faculty or alumni. Currently, Applied Ecology is organized by Cal Poly alumni Alexis Montgomery (Agricultural and Environmental Plant Science, 2017) and Joe Murphy (Civil Engineering, 2013).
Applied Ecology cultivates an ethic of stewardship and awareness of the environment through facilitated activities, including tree and acorn planting, and habitat (garden/nursery) maintenance. These activities allow students to develop their own ways of learning and discovery of the natural world. Applied Ecology gives students the necessary tools and strategies to help mitigate people’s impact on the environment. For example, in the past, students have been allowed to participate in human-scale watershed rehabilitation. Students were taught easily accessible methods of rehabilitation, such as the use of plants and bags of sand. As a result, students understood how impactful even simple changes can be. Furthermore, these facilitated activities are designed so that students can apply what they have learned in class to their own lives and can expand their knowledge by teaching others these simple strategies.
Overall, Applied Ecology is a supportive learning environment. Students are encouraged to individualize their skills and center their own experiences in ecology outside an institution. Montgomery and Murphy are very excited about the future of Applied Ecology and for the hands-on experience students can take part in.
Read more stories in the Spring 2020 Newsletter
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