Robyn Kontra Tanner

Nov 1, 2024 | calpoly.edu | Robyn Kontra Tanner

From tending to lush gardens to building accessible seating, students and faculty have been hard at work in Cal Poly’s Leaning Pine Arboretum to prepare the five-acre living laboratory for visitors in the new academic year. “It’s really a space for everyone,” said Tiffany Faulstich, arboretum manager and Plant Sciences Department lecturer. She oversees a team of student employees who help the gardens thrive year round while guiding large-scale improvement projects.

Aug 20, 2024 | m.farms.com | Robyn Kontra Tanner

By Robyn Kontra TannerCalifornia is the breadbasket of America: with 26 million acres of farmland in the state, crops wind up in grocery stores all over the nation. But climate change is making it harder — and more costly — for farmers to produce quality food consistently.

Aug 19, 2024 | calpoly.edu | Robyn Kontra Tanner

California is the breadbasket of America: with 26 million acres of farmland in the state, crops wind up in grocery stores all over the nation. But climate change is making it harder — and more costly — for farmers to produce quality food consistently. The Sustainable Land Initiative (SLI), a Cal Poly research project that takes an integrated approach to land and resource management, aims to dramatically accelerate California’s transition to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices.

May 31, 2024 | magazine.calpoly.edu | Robyn Kontra Tanner

In the wee hours before the 2023 Rose Parade®, Collin Marfia was starting to panic. Cal Poly’s majestic float, “Road to Reclamation,” was decorated and in position to wow thousands of parade spectators and millions of broadcast viewers around the world. A key part of Marfia’s job as drive engine operator was to get the float started so it could begin its five-mile route through Pasadena. But the engines sat silent, unable to turn over.

May 5, 2024 | calpoly.edu | Robyn Kontra Tanner

Last fall, California passed SB 244, otherwise known as the Right to Repair law, which requires tech manufacturers in the state to provide tools, parts and documents that consumers or repair shops need to service or fix devices. Though the legislation doesn't go into effect until July, Cal Poly engineers have already embraced repairability to help cut down on e-waste and improve sustainability.