Annual Faculty and Staff Awards

Taryn Stanko

Professor
Orfalea College of Business

 Taryn Stanko’s students often describe her class as a TED talk with a smaller audience, as she engages her students to participate in every class discussion. She does an exceptional job of encouraging students to understand the importance of her material beyond the classroom so that her students invest their time to deeply engage with the subject material in a way that leaves a lasting impact for every individual. “Taryn has made me a better negotiator and businesswoman and I take many skills I learned from her classes into my everyday personal and work life,” wrote a student nominator. “I see Taryn constantly attending events in the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship network to support the school and giving guest lectures to improve the negotiation skills of Cal Poly founders.

"Professor Stanko's class was the most personally impactful class I've ever taken and the most rewarding in the MBA program,” another nominator wrote. “I was given the opportunity to succeed, to fail and to learn from this failure in a safe space without judgement.” Stanko challenges her students to learn the class concepts and apply them across a wide variety of scenarios. Her class is not about having the right answer, but about preparing for a situation so that no matter what happens you would be able to handle it effectively. “Not only did I learn the principles of negotiating effectively, but I was also given ample opportunity to put them into practice,” wrote a recent alumnus. “I did not succeed in every negotiation, but I learned something from each of them and I've carried these learnings with me beyond my degree.”

Taryn Stanko earned her doctorate in management from the University of California, Irvine, her master’s degree in marketing and management from the Stern School of Business at New York University and her bachelor’s degree in sociology from UCLA.

Eleanor Helms

Professor
Philosophy Department
College of Liberal Arts

Eleanor Helms' students see her passion in her teaching style and her genuine interest in students' perspectives. A student nominator wrote that “Professor Helms focuses on guiding discussions; rather than providing viewpoints for students to agree with or dispute, she asks for students' views on a subject, then facilitates a discussion that allows for a deeper understanding of both the subject and material involved.” Helms is kind and thoughtful towards students, and always comes to class and office hours with a calm and level temperament, while still maintaining enthusiasm in the course subjects. “Professor Helms is truly a kind and thoughtful professor; she is thoroughly knowledgeable and passionate about her work and areas of study, and she is incredibly well-spoken and professional, with an unparalleled understanding of her areas of specialty,” wrote a student nominator. “To see a professor with such a degree of enthusiasm for their work is a motivation to me to pursue a further career in academia, with the hope to continue to learn from others with the same passion and fascination with their studies.”

Eleanor Helms earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in philosophy from Fordham University and her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wheaton College.

Katharina Gillen

Professor
Physics Department
Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

Affiliate Professor
Computer Engineering Department
College of Engineering

Students recognize Professor Katharina “Kat” Gillen as an outstanding teacher, who continues to develop and improve her pedagogy from observing students during work time and attending professional development workshops to learn the latest techniques for her students. She understands that each class of students she gets will be different, and she adjusts her class structure to meet everyone where they are. “Through her attitude and upbeat energy, physics becomes a welcoming place to explore and truly understand why the world around us functions as it does,” wrote a student nominator. “What makes Dr. Kat unique is how she effectively addresses students who are struggling by approaching them with empathy and respect. She offers to sit down individually with students to formulate a plan to succeed in the class, no matter what that looks like for each individual.” Gillen urges her students to dive deeper into the learning. She teaches her students physics while simultaneously building up their presentation, communication and teamwork skills; she engages with her students on multiple levels and challenges them to be the best they can be.

Katharina Gillen earned her doctorate and master’s degree in physics from the Ohio State University and her undergraduate degree in physics from Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität in Bonn, Germany. 

Christina Firpo

Professor
History Department
College of Liberal Arts

Christina Firpo is an internationally recognized and award-winning author on women in modern Vietnam. Since arriving at Cal Poly in 2006, she has delighted in working closely with students on their research projects and aims to develop their love for research and writing. In the history department, Professor Firpo enjoys teaching the research and writing methods seminar, as well as senior projects and MA theses, among other classes. Outside of the history department, Professor Firpo enjoys mentoring students in the BEACoN program and the Change the World Challenge. She has also won multiple grants to include students in her own research projects. Professor Firpo’s first book, “The Uprooted: Race, Imperialism, and Childhood in Indochina, 1890-1980,” published in 2016, uncovered a secret program through which the French colonial government systematically removed Franco-Vietnamese mixed-race children from their indigenous mothers. “The Uprooted” was awarded the International Conference of Asian Scholars Colleague’s Choice Book Prize. While researching her first book, she noted that the colonial state justified removing mixed-race children on false claims that their mothers were prostitutes, so Firpo turned her scope on the sex industry in her second book, “Black Market Business: Selling Sex in Northern Vietnam, 1920-1945,” published in 2020. Her third book, “Beauty and the Nation: Europeanization, Vietnamese Modernism, and NeoConfucianism in Women's Fashion,” will be published in 2025. Firpo has also written 13 journal articles on Vietnamese history, and two more will be published this year.

Christina Firpo earned her bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University as well as a master’s and doctorate degrees in Southeast Asian history from UCLA.

Bing Qu

Professor
Civial and Environmental Engineering Department
College of Engineering

Bing Qu is an award-winning civil engineering professor whose focus is earthquake engineering of single- and multi-story houses, and bridges built across fault lines. He enjoys an international reputation. Qu has published 65 referred journal articles, 32 referred conference papers, with over 2,400 citations, and an h-index of 30 (a measure of research output based on the total number of publications and citations to those works). The 16-year Cal Poly veteran is one of only five engineers in the world with five first-authored publications cited in the American Institute of Steel Construction’s “Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings.” Based on his seismic bridge work, an international engineering firm developed software called CSiBridge that is in use by numerous firms across the globe. Qu received the American Society of Civil Engineers’ prestigious Moisseiff Award in 2019 for a paper suggesting a cost-effective way to prevent earthquake-induced building collapse. The following year, he garnered the College of Engineering’s Raytheon Excellence in Teaching and Applied Research Award. His research has been sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance and Caltrans. His students assist in these research studies. “Dr. Qu has involved many students as co-authors in his publications, and has supported many first-generation college students, underrepresented minority and female engineering students as a mentor, and provided financial support from national and state agencies,” wrote the Academic Senate’s Distinguished Scholarship Award Committee. “As a result, several students received major state, national and international awards.”

Bing Qu earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tongji University in Shanghai, China, and his doctorate from the University at Buffalo.

Tina Cheuk

Associate Professor
School of Education
Philip and Christina Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

Tina Cheuk, a national authority on science educational policies, developing teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds, and pregnant and parenting students, is an associate professor in the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics School of Education. Since 2019, her scholarly research includes 19 published articles, including four research works and seven book chapters, and an edited volume on political activism in higher education. Moreover, she has secured 11 grants totaling over 2.6 million dollars from sponsors such as the U.S. Department of Education, the Spencer Foundation and Imaginable Futures. Most recently, she was a committee member at the National Academies of Sciences, contributing to a consensus report on PreK-12 STEM Education Innovations. Members of her student research teams have been first and second co-authors, and several are pursuing graduate programs. As a teacher, Cheuk developed a “Developing Teachers of Color” course in 2022 that was recognized by the California Council on Teacher Education — the largest and most comprehensive forum for educator preparation in the Golden State — as exemplary in anti-bias and anti-racist teaching and teaching education. “This is an outstanding scholarly record, with a level of external recognition at the national and state level of its impact that has probably never been achieved before within the School of Education,” wrote the Academic Senate’s Distinguished Scholarship Award Committee. “Dr. Cheuk’s scholarship brings further attention to the seriousness and commitment with which we educate and thrive for greater social justice in our work with new teachers.”

Tina Cheuk earned her doctorate in science education and master’s degree in policy, organization and leadership students from Stanford University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Chicago.

Rob Brewster

Electromechanical Equipment Technician III
Biological Sciences Department
Philip and Christina Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

Rob Brewster is known as a “phenomenal” employee, a “jack-of-all-trades” whose work designing, building and repairing equipment is considered essential to teaching and research in the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics. The quality of his work is “leaps above what we could purchase commercially for similar purposes, and his contribution of new ideas to the project/equipment really goes above and beyond what is required in his job position,” said a colleague. Brewster is praised for his enthusiasm when helping students, faculty and staff members. “I cannot say enough how essential Rob Brewster is to the functioning of our department,” said a nominator. “He designs and builds custom equipment for course labs and research activities that would simply be unavailable to us otherwise. He is friendly, consistently helpful and simply a pleasure to have as a colleague.” Another colleague singled Brewster out for his “help in constructing the most advanced aquarium system that is able to investigate how climate-related changes in several environmental variables, i.e., temperature, oxygen, pH and food availability, affect marine organisms with our tide simulator. I like to say that Rob delivers a Cadillac when you asked him for a Ford Fiesta.” His contributions to the college’s research program and others’ have advanced Cal Poly’s reputation as a primarily undergraduate institution with cutting-edge research experiences for our students. “Rob's technical skills lift up the profile of Cal Poly as an institution enabling undergraduate students to conduct cutting-edge research via Learn by Doing,” said a colleague.

Rob Brewster earned a B.S. degree in in industrial technology and packaging from Cal Poly and a High Performance Automotive Technician degree from University of Northwestern, Ohio.

Amie Hammond

Executive Director
Career Services 

Amie Hammond is recognized for her dedication, positive influence and commitment to Career Services and Cal Poly. “When Amie says she will do something, it gets done in a timely and intentional manner,” said a nominator. She is credited for instituting new initiatives, programs and processes, including Cal Poly Career Connections, an online networking and mentoring platform that has linked together thousands of students and alumni. Hammond’s willingness to review, change and reimagine processes and programs to make them more efficient is another one of her strengths. “She encourages us to try new things and make changes as necessary,” wrote a nominator. She is known as a “relationship-builder who takes time to make sure her team and Cal Poly students feel valued.” One colleague said, “Amie shines as a leader … and she continuously sets an example to all of us on our team. She shows up … and she keeps her word.” She has a great reputation among campus partners and believes in Career Services’ mission to help students achieve a lifetime of meaningful career success. Hammond’s team acknowledges her for fostering a culture of inclusivity, welcoming questions and ideas from staff during meetings and taking the time to acknowledge the hard work and accomplishments of team members. “Amie is one of the most caring and empathetic supervisors I’ve had in my career,” said a nominator. “She cares about her staff both personally and professionally and actively makes time to check in with others.”

Amie Hammond earned a B.A. in kinesiology from Occidental College, an M.A. in student personnel administration from New York University, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from Fresno State University.

Albert Rangel

Associate Director of Custodial Services
University Housing

Albert Rangel has demonstrated exceptional loyalty and a commitment to personal and professional growth during his tenure at Cal Poly. His strong work ethic, unwavering dedication and passion for excellence has guided his rise from temporary custodian to his current position. “His journey is an inspiration to others and reflects the values of hard work, dedication and perseverance,” wrote a nominator. Rangel’s colleagues praise his leadership style, which emphasizes teamwork, mutual respect and active involvement. “His willingness to work alongside the custodial team underscores his dedication to their success and reinforces a powerful sense of camaraderie within the department,” said a colleague. Rangel isn’t satisfied with the status quo. He consistently evaluates and upgrades the cleaning supplies, reflecting his dedication to providing the best possible environment for the housing community. He is known for his proactive approach to identifying areas for improvement and his willingness to invest time and effort into implementing positive changes. Rangel is also credited for cultivating meaningful relationships within the Cal Poly community. “His approach extends far beyond overseeing his responsibilities; he actively engages with our students to understand their perspectives and address their needs,” wrote a nominator. Because of his open and welcoming approach, he is the person that many of the custodial staff go to for advice or to share ideas. “Albert’s dedication to the department and students we serve has been a mainstay of focus in every position he has held. He continues to be a shining example of dedication, loyalty and possibilities,” wrote a nominator.

Albert Rangel is current working toward a B.A. in sociology.

Leslie Nelson

Associate Professor
Communication Studies Department
College of Liberal Arts
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Leslie Nelson, an associate professor of Communication Studies, was named Outstanding Faculty Advisor for 2023-24 — an honor established 22 years ago to recognize a faculty member who “best exemplifies the positive role faculty advisors have on students and their success.” Supporters’ statements recognized her contributions in supporting students’ personal and professional goals and her ability to balance high expectations for students with warmth and compassion. One student shared: “At the beginning of my fourth year, I knew that I wanted Dr. Nelson to be my senior project advisor. I remember her excitement when I approached her, and at that point, I knew I would be in good hands. She was committed, supportive, attentive to details, and guided me through every step of the way.” Another student praised her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in her advising efforts: “Dr. Nelson has been so supportive of not only me but amplifying marginalized voices. She never wants to speak for a particular group, and instead gives people like me a place to be heard.” Nelson joined Cal Poly in 2018. Her research examines how communication affects and reflects identity, sense-making, and well-being in diverse family forms, including foster families, (transracial) adoptive families, Black families, interfaith families, sexual and gender minority members' family relationships, and mother-daughter relationships.

Leslie Nelson earned her B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Interpersonal and Family Communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Jeong Woo

Department Head
Construction Management Department
College of Architecture and Environmental Design 

Jeong Woo plays a critical role in driving fundraising efforts and nurturing robust relationships with alumni, donors, and industry partners to build a unique culture of philanthropy. Since joining Cal Poly in 2019, he has proven himself adept at cultivating relationships, overseeing gift management and allocating resources to support research, student activities, facility upgrades and students in need. His accomplishments include numerous facility improvement projects, including work on the Pacific Structures Concrete lab and the De Mattei Student Lounge. Woo’s fundraising successes directly involve people and student success. This year, he raised one million dollars to endow the Whiting-Turner professorship dedicated to construction safety. He also established a fund for women in construction initiatives, secured new scholarship endowments for first-generation students and has demonstrated a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in his fundraising efforts. Jeong awards more than $100,000 of scholarships to construction management students each year, including the Ryan Companies Scholarship, Mark Montoya Family Scholarship and Alandt Family Scholarship. Woo’s accomplishments have resulted in a Construction Management Department advancement program that is unrivaled.

Woo earned his master's degree in construction management and doctorate in architecture from Texas A&M University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from Kyung Won University.

Joseph Cleary

Associate Professor
Construction Management Department
College of Architecture and Environmental Design

Jeong Woo

Department Head
Construction Management Department
College of Architecutre and Environmental Design

Jacques Belanger

Associate Professor
Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

Project Title: Skip the Grid

Skip the Grid, an interdisciplinary community service project, aims to positively impact the Navajo Nation by providing off-grid solar energy to families of school-age children living without electricity. The project, now in its third year, provides Cal Poly students with guidance to achieve educational objectives and gain real-world experience. Over three years, 54 students representing five of the university’s six colleges — with the support of five faculty members — organized, planned, designed and installed dependable solar photovoltaic energy systems. To accomplish this, an extensive education and training program was developed. For more than two months prior to the trip, students worked to accomplish their specific tasks, meeting weekly to share their progress. In addition to participating in cultural sensitivity training, students gained an understanding of the solar system and its optimal orientation as well as learned how to inspect a roof, connect the system, install the lights, test the system and provide instruction to the beneficiary family. Each year, students learn from the lessons — and challenges — of the previous year’s installations. They develop a deeper understanding and skillset, leading to increased efficiency and productivity. To date, students have brought reliable energy to 62 homes. Skip the Grid enhances interdisciplinary education beyond the classroom, compelling students to deliver a real-world application as part of a team far exceeding the fundamental coursework of any of the represented disciplines. In addition, partnering with SOLV Energy and an extensive list of industry and community supporters and educational equity non-profit Heart of America that identifies and serves as a liaison with the families requires the level of coordination expected of professionals in the industry. This Learn by Doing project truly equips the students to be ready from day one.

Joseph Cleary earned a B.S. degree in construction and an M.S. degree in project management, both from Illinois State University; he is ABD in a doctorate in construction management from Arizona State University.

Jeong Woo earned a B.S. degree in architectural engineering from Kyung Won University in South Korea, an M.S. degree in construction management and a doctorate in architecture from Texas A&M University.

Jacques Belanger earned a B.S. degree and an M.S. degree in mechanical engineering, both from Laval University in Quebec City, Canada; he earned a doctorate in aeronautical engineering from Caltech.