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Material Engineers Around the World

Whether it’s a good solution or a good time, Cal Poly materials engineers are all over the world.

Trevor Harding, Chair, Materials Engineering

Trevor Harding took Learn by Doing on the road during his sabbatical, spending part of the summer in Guadalajara.

Harding collaborated with faculty at Universidad del Valle de Atemajac (UNIVA) to develop a biodegradable polymer derived from nopales, the prickly pear cactus that is cooked as a vegetable in Mexico.
Harding spent several weeks at UNIVA developing new blends of the nopal biopolymer, incorporating nano-cellulose fibrils to enhance its mechanical integrity while maintaining biodegradability. 
Harding spent several weeks at UNIVA developing new blends of the nopal biopolymer, incorporating nano-cellulose fibrils to enhance its mechanical integrity while maintaining biodegradability. 
Harding spent two weeks at Universidad de Guadalajara using polymer processing equipment to convert the nopal biopolymer blends into testable coupons.
Those coupons are now at Cal Poly, where materials engineering faculty and students will conduct mechanical tests to evaluate their integrity and determine whether the nano-cellulose improved their performance (Pictured above).

Cindy Shurtleff (Materials Engineering, ’80)

When donor Cindy Shurtleff (Metallurgical Engineering, ’80) started studying metallurgical engineering at Cal Poly, she joined a tight-knit group of aspiring engineers and supportive professors who have stayed connected for nearly 50 years. Shurtleff has also stayed connected to the world around her, traveling to more than 150 countries and territories.

Central Mosque in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Shurtleff received her “150-country” award from the Travelers’ Century Club international meeting in the Azores, 2024.
Shurtleff bicycling on the East Coast of Taiwan with her husband, Rob Shurtleff.
Trekking in the Dolomites, Northern Italy.
Shaki Khans Palace, in Sheki, Azerbaijan.
Hiking on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, with Joan Pinder (Chemistry, ’79), incoming Cal Poly Alumni Association chair.

Bob and Shellie Adams


Bob (Materials Engineering, 81) and Shellie Adams visited Argentina, Antarctica, Chile and Easter Island between mid-November and mid-December 2024. As an early employee of The North Face, Bob always admired The North Face founder Douglas Tompkins. A year ago, he read his biography, and the trip of a lifetime was formed.

Bob and Shellie take a hands-on approach to cooking in a class in Puerto Varas, in Chile’s Lake District.
Hiking the trail to Torres del Paine National Park Image1941to find the glacial lake at the end of the trail (pictured below).
Bob and Shellie ended their trip with a visit to Easter Island.
Enjoying the cold surroundings in Antarctica.
Enjoying the cold surroundings in Antarctica.

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