As a new year begins at Cal Poly, we're taking one last look back at 2017 — big campus news, reflections on a year of change, and some of our favorite stories of the year from Cal Poly Magazine and beyond.

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What did 2017 sound like at Cal Poly? Immerse yourself in the sounds of campus — or hit pause to read on in silence.

In their own words, Cal Poly students, faculty and alumni share how the year challenged them — and changed their lives for good.

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Sometimes the best way to tell a story is to let the subjects speak for themselves. Click below to discover the stories behind some of our favorite quotes from this past year.

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The Mustang Report

It was a huge year for Mustang Athletics in 2017, with several teams winning championships, scoring epic routs of their rivals, and making history.

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From breaking ground on new facilities, to new initiatives in academics and student services, to milestones in admissions and philanthropy, plans long in the works took form at Cal Poly in 2017.

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The Last Word

Looking forward to a new year, President Armstrong describes how Cal Poly is preparing for a more sustainable future.

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Headlines of 2017

From revolutionary research to competition wins, explore the news and announcements that made 2017 a year for the books.

Petal Power

The Cal Poly Rose Float, “A New Leaf,” produced entirely by students from the San Luis Obispo and Pomona campuses, won the Founders’ Trophy in the 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Waste Not

Economics Professor Stephen Hamilton and a team of researchers earned a $500,000 USDA grant to find new solutions to food waste using the sharing economy.

Fuller and Brighter

Cal Poly was named a top producer of U.S. Fullbright scholars by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.

Construction: Managed

Four teams of Cal Poly construction management students took home trophies at the Associated Schools of Construction Region 6 and 7 competition.

Rock the Vote

Political science Professor Michael Latner received the Voting Rights Kendall Fellowship from the Union of Concerned Scientists to measure the impact of political disenfranchisement.

Racking Up the ROI

Payscale.com ranked Cal Poly No. 29 (tied) in the nation, estimating that the 20-year return on investment for in-state graduates is nearly $680,000.

1,500 Miles to the Gallon

The Cal Poly Supermileage team finished in fourth place at the 2017 Shell Eco-Marathon, where the car reached efficiency of 1,500 miles per gallon.

Leaning Tree Mystery

Professor Matt Ritter’s research on Cook pine trees, which lean toward their equator from any position around the globe, caught major attention in the Los Angeles Times.

Paddling Concrete

Students raced their concrete 19-foot concrete canoe to a national championship at the American Society of Civil Engineers Concrete Canoe Competition.

Crowning Glory

Journalism senior Jillian Smith was crowned Miss California 2017, earning more than $25,000 in scholarships for a master’s degree.

Success in Any Language

Members of Cal Poly’s first-ever Spanish-language debate team were ranked as world finalists at the Campeonato Mundial Universitario de Debate en Español.

Transforming Motor City

Kevin Herhusky’s project to help revitalize downtown Detroit took first place honors at the 2017 Student Steel Design Competition.

A+ In Architecture

DesingIntelligence ranked Cal Poly’s bachelor of architecture program “Best in the West” and second in the nation.

25 Years and Counting

U.S. News and World Report ranked Cal Poly “Best in the West” among public-master’s universities for the 25th straight year.

The New Silicon Valley

Cal Poly's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship received a $500,000 grant from the Department of Commerce to spur job growth on the Central Coast.

Learn by Doing — on Ice!

Biology students and faculty braved the conditions in Antarctica to study how Weddell seal pups adapt to their extreme environment.

First on the Scene

The student reporters of Mustang News covered the heroic efforts to halt a 97-acre brush fire that threatened — but spared — structures on the Cal Poly campus.

CSU All Star

Cal Poly ethnic studies and sociology student Jeremiah Hernandez received the 2017 California State University Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement.

A Major Minor

The Women’s and Gender Studies Department launched the 24-unit Queer Studies Minor, which includes classes on sexuality studies and queer anthropology.

Get Your Hands Dirty

Popular Mechanics named Cal Poly one of the best science and tech colleges in the nation, proclaiming it the “best campus to get your hands dirty.

CP+AWS

Cal Poly announced a major partnership with Amazon Web Service to create a digital hub addressing public sector technology challenges with the university's academic expertise.

Top of the (Math) Class

Cal Poly Mathematics Professor Stan Yoshinobu was named Teaching Innovator by the Chronicle of Higher Education for helping develop new techniques to reduce math anxiety.

Timber!

Cal Poly‘s logging team won first place at the Cal Conclave Collegiate Logging Competition. Junior Will Kraemer was honored as “Bull of the Woods,” a title bestowed upon the top male competitor.

Solar-Powered Success

Industrial technology student Madison Fleming's research on a solar electric cooking stove took first place in a clean energy poster presentation competition at MIT.

Out of this World

Cal Poly students and faculty leveraged teams of amateur astronomers in the Research and Collaborative Occultation Network (RECON) to track trans-Neptunian objects in the outer reaches of the solar system.

Wheeling on Water

Alumnus Rory Cooper (Electrical Engineering '85; M.S. Engineering '86) helped invent a pneumatic wheelchair that enables children and families to play at the country's first ultra-accessible water park.

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