Press Releases

San Luis Obispo, CA – Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24), member of the House Armed Services Committee, secured $5 million in funding authorization for the Air Force Research Lab Education Partnership Agreement, which helps support Cal Poly’s Aerospace Engineering facilities. Funding for the program passed in the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The funding supplements engineering programs on Cal Poly’s campus, including the High-Performance Computing Lab and the Electrical and Micro Propulsion Lab. This amendment encourages DoD-academia research partnerships on the Central Coast that will ultimately help sustain the United States’ technological edge. Carbajal visited the Aerospace Engineering facility at Cal Poly in August.

“We are lucky to have some of the best and brightest students right here on the Central Coast thanks to the incredible opportunities provided by our higher education institutions,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I am pleased to see this support from Congress for our exceptional engineering programs at Cal Poly. The partnership between our military research facilities and our universities offers unparalleled access to cutting edge tools for these students and provides on the job experience as they prepare to enter the workforce.”

“We are excited about the opportunities this partnership will create,” said Rakesh Goel, Cal Poly College of Engineering Associate Dean. “We already have robust engineering programs, and this support will align well with our current work, allowing our students to gain experience in some of the industry’s newest fronts.”

The bill passed yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives 356-70 and will now head to the Senate, where it is expected to pass overwhelmingly.

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