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Five Top Stories from 2024 (And Five You May Have Missed)
A composite image featuring students gardening, talking with a mentor and showing a museum exhibit, along with astronaut Victor Glover speaking with students.
Written By Gabby Ferreira

As 2024 comes to a close, we’re taking a look back on some of our favorite news stories from the past year. Here are five of our top stories from 2024, and five more you may have missed.

Top Stories

  1. Mustangs in the Olympics

    Taylor Spivey and her Olympic teammates in Paris.
    Photo by Getty Images

    As the eyes of the world turned to Paris this summer for the Olympics and Paralympics, Mustang alumni strutted their stuff on the track, the course and behind the scenes — and some even medaled. 

    Learn more >>>

  2. Snakes on a Livestream 

    A pile of rattlesnakes on a rock.

    What do rattlesnakes do when left to their own devices? A groundbreaking livestream installed by Cal Poly researchers in a rattlesnake "mega-den" in Colorado has been viewed by thousands and is being used to demystify snake behavior.

    Read more >>>

  3. A Mustang Astronaut 

    Astronaut Victor Glover, center, with students on campus in May.

    What’s better than an astronaut? A Mustang astronaut! Victor Glover, who will be part of NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission in 2026, stopped by to visit campus, speak to students working to answer the challenges of space and flight, and share words of inspiration.  

    Read about Victor's visit to campus >>>

  4. Remembering Indigenous Contributions

    A student gives a tour honoring Indigenous contributions on Cal Poly's campus.

    Cal Poly lies on land originally held by the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash tribe. That connection — along with other campus ties to Native culture and history — was explored in an interactive campus tour developed by students and designed to call attention to Native contributions both on Cal Poly’s campus and off. 

    Learn about the tour >>>

  5. Hidden Voices

    A student leans on a glass case surrounded by posters and memorabilia from the Hidden Voices exhibit.

    Two students went deep into the annals of San Luis Obispo history to put together Hidden Voices, an exhibit about four women from underrepresented communities who played an outsize role in making San Luis Obispo the place it is today. 

    Read about the exhibit >>>

 

Stories You May Have Missed

  1. Cultivating Tenderness

    A College Corps fellow and a high school student work together in a garden.

    Students in the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program have volunteered thousands of hours supporting the community. For some of the fellows, service includes facilitating therapeutic horticulture sessions for local high school students.

    Read more >>>

  2. A Mentor for Life

    Juan Olivarria and Ramon Gutierrez chat at a lunch table at an elementary school.

    When Ramon Gutierrez got on a Zoom call at the start of his graduate program, he saw a familiar face staring back at him: his elementary school principal, the man who inspired him to become an educator in the first place. 

    Read about Ramon and Juan's connection >>>

  3. California's Untold Black History

    A composite image of an illustration of a conquistador and a black and white photograph of an African Californio.

    For decades, the narrative around California's early history has largely excluded the Black people who helped shaped the state — but an interdisciplinary research team is working to uncover the hidden history of the African Californios.

    Read about their work >>>

  4. History in Bloom

    Collin Marfia stands in front of the study lounge he redid for his senior project.

    Every January, Cal Poly participates in the Rose Parade in Pasadena — and the program celebrated a milestone anniversary in 2024. Rose Float Vice President Collin Marfia marked it with a unique senior project.  

    Read about Collin's endeavor >>>

  5. An AI Misinformation Age 

    A stock image of hands typing on a computer.

    In the last few years, the rise of AI has made it hard for consumers to trust their own eyes and ears. Kim Bisheff, a journalism professor who studies the spread of misinformation, explains what that means — and how to stay smart. 

    Learn more >>>

    Want more Learn by Doing stories in your life? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Cal Poly News Recap!

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