Q&A

Q&AENVQ&A A ENV V Welcomes N

Martin Sancho-Madriz, Ph.D.

Martin Sancho-Madriz recently celebrated 20 years of service as a faculty member at Cal Poly Pomona. He began his appointment as the associate dean of the College of Environmental Design last spring. Prior to joining ENV, he was the chair of the Department of Human Nutrition and Food Science at the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture. He serves on Cal Poly Pomona’s Strategic Planning Steering Commiee and the WASC Reaccreditation Steering Commiee.

You’ve just celebrated 20 years at Cal Poly Pomona. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

I am most proud of my work as a faculty member starting and then developing the Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology Program. Over the years, I’ve watched it grow, going from just a couple of students and myself as the only faculty member back in 1999 to a robust enrollment of approximately 180 students, four tenure-track faculty, one full-time lecturer and three part-time lecturers in March 2017, when I assumed the ENV associate dean position. A highlight was when the first graduate of our program earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University and what this meant in terms of validating the quality of our program. [Editor’s note: Sancho-Madriz graduated from Cornell, whose food science program is considered one of the best in the nation.] I felt as proud as a parent does when their child has this kind of achievement.

Another important accomplishment in my time in the Department of Human Nutrition and Food Science was developing a mandatory internship program for the Food Science and Technology Program students that resulted in many of them landing their first job. This high-impact practice provided valuable feedback from employers and self-reflection from the students themselves regarding student preparation and job readiness, as well as on the quality of the program and the importance of its learn-by-doing approach that makes our graduates competitive and positions them to excel in their careers.

What strengths from your time in Agriculture and other leadership positions on campus do you bring to ENV as associate dean?

Spending close to seven years as the leader of my department allowed me to understand be er the Academic Affairs Division and the university; being department chair is both a challenging and rewarding position. My year as vice chair and two years as chair of the Academic Senate gave me a great perspective on faculty and programs across campus and on the importance of what I call the Three C’s: consultation, collaboration and compromise.

Continuous improvement, whether it is related to curriculum, policies, classroom/labs or other facilities, gives me the satisfaction that

keeps me going. My personal goal is to leave things beer than I found them and to benefit the students, faculty, staff and anyone else I serve through my job.

What opportunities and challenges have you identified in the college?

First of all, I am impressed with the talent, creativity and professional expertise that I have observed in ENV faculty and how this is also reflected in the students in the different programs. Also impressive: all ENV undergraduate programs are accredited. There are opportunities for collaboration within the college and with other programs across the university. I am glad some of our departments have submi ed proposals under the Cluster Hires Initiative and hope we are able to secure a position through the program. An important area of opportunity for the college is the growth of external funding, both through grants and contracts and through philanthropy. The biggest challenge for the college is being able to diminish reliance on state funding. As we know, our state funding is linked to enrollment and, while some growth is possible, we have limited human resources and infrastructure.

New w Members to Leadership Team

Pablo La Roche, Ph.D.

Professor Pablo La Roche, one of the nation’s leading scholars and practitioners of sustainable building and design, is the new interim director of the John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies.

The longtime Department of Architecture faculty member succeeds Professor Kyle Brown, who has held the position since 2004. La Roche also will become the graduate coordinator for the Master of Science in Regenerative Studies program. Brown returned this fall to the Department of Landscape Architecture, and will continue to teach in the department and at the Lyle Center. As a testament to his leadership and dedication to Professor John T. Lyle’s concept of regeneration, the Lyle Center will be honored this month by the American Society of Landscape Architects with the Community Service Award at its annual conference in Los Angeles. La Roche has published and presented more than 130 papers on passive cooling systems, low-energy carbon-neutral architecture, and affordable housing. Last year, he was the chair of the Passive Low Energy Architecture conference, bringing the international event to the United States for the first time. In 2013, he co-chaired the Building Enclosure Sustainability Symposium Sustainable Buildings conference, the first regional conference on sustainable buildings in the country. La Roche is also the sustainable design leader at Calliston RTKL, and previously served as director of design at HMC Architects.

Pablo La Roche speaks to architecture students at one of his Topic Studio classes.

What motivated you to take on the role of director at the Lyle Center?

When the Lyle Center was built, it was ahead of its time. At a moment in which most people were barely beginning to understand the importance of sustainability, the Lyle Center had already embraced the concept of regenerative systems—the idea of doing good to the environment instead of simply less harm. I am excited to lead a center in our very own college that has always been a leader in sustainability.

What are your starting priorities/goals as director?

For many years, Kyle Brown with limited resources has done a great job as the center’s director. As interim director, I have goals in multiple fronts. When the center was built, it was an example of advanced practices, implementing multiple types of technologies. Now, aer almost 25 years of inadequate maintenance, many of the original systems need to be repaired or updated. I would like to increase the center’s visibility as a demonstration facility that showcases strategies to reduce our impact on the environment and on climate change. The center’s graduate and undergraduate programs are also important and I would like to reinforce the center’s mission as an interdisciplinary center for research, education and demonstration in which multiple disciplines and colleges work together in projects that advance our understanding of different types of environmental systems.

What kind of opportunities and challenges does the Lyle Center face?

The center is special and unique, and there are many opportunities to make it into a special place. However, there are also many challenges. Some of the most important ones have to do with the urgent need for financial resources for much-needed maintenance, renovation and upgrades, which include not only the buildings but also the grounds and food production.

Learn about the Lyle Center and ways to support its mission at env.cpp.edu/rs/rs.