2026-27 RSCA grant awardees
Cal Poly’s Office of Research is pleased to announce the 2026-27 cycle of the Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities (RSCA) grant program awards.
The RSCA faculty grant program is supported by funds from the CSU Chancellor's Office and Cal Poly’s Office of the Provost. It is designed to enable faculty to contribute new knowledge through robust scholarship focused on strengthening California socially, culturally and economically. The RSCA program is one mechanism by which Cal Poly supports the Teacher-Scholar Model through the integration of excellence in teaching with excellence in research, scholarly and creative activities.
Of the 79 proposals received, more than $305,000 has been awarded to 17 selected projects based on the criteria outlined in the RSCA Request for Proposals and guided by the review and rankings of the Academic Senate Grants Review Committee and the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Committee
The 2026-27 awarded projects are:
| Name | Project title | College |
|---|---|---|
|
James Antony |
“Neural and physiological mechanisms of sports betting engagement.” | College of Liberal Arts |
|
Daniel Bercovici |
“Development of a Novel Guanidine-Functionalized COF for CO2 Capture.” |
Bailey College of Science and Mathematics |
|
Hua Chai |
“Toward Structure-Informed Design: A Web-Based Platform Integrating Form-Finding, Material Selection, and Joint Design.” | College of Architecture and Environmental Design |
|
Lauren Chan Christopher Templeton |
“Evolutionary and ecological drivers of sociality and complex communication in Plain-tailed Wrens.” | Bailey College of Science and Mathematics |
|
Tara Goddard |
“Safe at Any Speed? Social Norms around speed(ing) and implications for road safety infrastructure.” | College of Engineering |
|
Matthew Harsh |
“Visualizing equitable maritime prosperity: Community perspectives on fair and sustainable transitions in shipyard industries through video ethnography.” | College of Liberal Arts/ Cal Poly Maritime Academy |
|
Ivan Hernandez |
“Advancing Inclusive STEM Education Through the Development and Validation of the Faculty Science Assimilation Beliefs Scale.” | College of Liberal Arts |
|
Hyun Jin Kim |
“Resilient and Low-Cost Passive Thermosyphon Cooling for Climate-Vulnerable and Low-Income Households.” | College of Engineering |
| Jess Lee Associate Professor of Sociology, Social Sciences |
“Algorithmic Equity in the Classroom: Evaluating Cultural Responsiveness of Generative AI in Sociology Education.” |
College of Liberal Arts |
| Peter Livingston Professor/Department Head, BioReources and Agricultural Engineering |
“Sustainable Propulsion for the Reconstructed Galaide: Heritage Engineering for Food Security.” | College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences |
| Joan Meyers Associate Professor/Department Chair, Social Sciences |
“Aging in Organizations: A Pilot Study of Late-Career Moral Worth and Belonging.” | College of Liberal Arts |
| Erin Pearse Professor, Mathematics |
“Strategic bidding in CAISO auctions.” | Bailey College of Science and Mathematics |
| Joseph Pechkis and Hyewon Pechkis both Associate Professors, Physics |
“Achieving Bose-Einstein Condensation.” | Bailey College of Science and Mathematics |
|
Mohammad Sadek Fahim Khan |
“Development of Machine Learning Algorithm for an Autonomous Leafy-Vegetable Harvester.” | College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences/ College of Engineering |
| Paul Schmitt Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Software Engineering |
“Application Geolocation: Cross-Layer Validation of RTT Signatures for Spoofing Detection.” | College of Engineering |
| Anahita Shadkam Assistant Professor, City and Regional Planning |
“Child-Friendly Development in San Luis Obispo County: An Overview of Urban Policies and Implementation Approaches.” | College of Architecture and Environmental Design |
|
David Vagnoni Mohammed Abo-Ismail |
“Genomic and Physiological Drivers of High Fertility in Dairy Cows.” | College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences |
Congratulations to those awarded grants, and thanks to everyone who submitted proposals. The team also extends a special thank you to the Academic Senate Grants Review and the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Committee members for their contributions to this important program.
Office of Research
