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Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises Employment Services

ANNOUNCEMENT OF POSITION VACANCY

SUMMARY: Cal Poly Pomona Foundation is hiring Research Technician for a summer-only research position to assist with a mushroom and microgreen cultivation automation research project under the mentorship of Dr. Eshwar Ravishankar, Assistant Professor in Plant Science. The project focuses on building automated environmental control and data collection systems for an indoor container farm cultivating mushrooms and microgreens, and on supporting day-to-day cultivation operations across both production lines. The position pays $17 per hour and is open to applicants with backgrounds in plant science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, or related fields who have a demonstrated interest in indoor agriculture.

ABOUT US: As the largest employer of students on the Cal Poly Pomona campus, the Enterprises offers valuable work experience and hands-on training to approximately 1,500 Cal Poly Pomona students each year. The Enterprises offers positions in various fields; whether it is in the area of technology, science, retail, culinary arts, hospitality1500 management, leadership or research grants, these student employees participate in Cal Poly Pomona's learn-by-doing philosophy and acquire practical skills in their designated field of study.

The Enterprises also contributes operating support to nearly 1,100 Enterprises and scholarship programs every year, including Bronco Athletics and the Pepsi Scholarship. In addition, the Enterprises administers grants and contracts, contributes to campus security, and supports several university publications. The Enterprises contributes over $1 million annually to Cal Poly Pomona.

SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WILL GET TO DO (this is just a small sampling of work variety):

• Research technicians will design, build, and operate the automation system for the indoor container farm and provide hands-on support to mushroom and microgreen cultivation throughout the summer. Specific responsibilities and summer deliverables include:
• Build the central control panel by mounting a Raspberry Pi, terminal blocks, I2C multiplexer, status LCD, and cable glands inside a DIN-rail-based enclosure.
• Wire and install environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, CO2, ambient light) inside the inoculation and fruiting tents, using I2C bus extension over CAT6 cabling for reliable long-distance signaling.
• Install and configure Mycodo on the Raspberry Pi to monitor environmental conditions and control humidifiers, exhaust fans, lights, and AC unit responses based on sensor data.
• Tune PID controllers to maintain target humidity and CO2 setpoints across both growth stages, including configuring fresh-air-exchange logic for the fruiting tent.
• Assemble the variable-speed fan controller circuit (PCB soldering and component placement) and integrate it with the EC duct fan for closed-loop CO2 regulation.
• Set up InfluxDB and Grafana on the Raspberry Pi to store long-term environmental time-series data and to build operational dashboards covering both growth stages.
• Install a Raspberry Pi HQ camera in the fruiting tent and configure scheduled timelapse capture, with image collection synchronized to humidifier cycles for clear visual records.
• Configure mobile and desktop alerts to notify the team when environmental conditions drift outside target ranges, when humidifier reservoirs run low, or when sensors fail.
• Prepare and sterilize growth media for mushroom cultivation, including agar plates, liquid cultures, and grain substrates, using pressure-cooker autoclaving and laminar flow hood techniques.
• Inoculate petri dishes and grain jars using sterile technique with liquid culture and spore syringe methods, and support cultivation from inoculation through colonization, fruiting, and harvest.
• Seed, water, and harvest microgreen trays on a continuous production schedule, recording germination rate, harvest weight, and other yield metrics.
• Maintain laboratory cleanliness and follow strict sterilization and contamination prevention protocols across both production lines.
• Collect substrate, tissue, and biomass samples and assist with laboratory preparation for nutrient analysis (nitrogen determination, mineral composition).
• Document all build steps, wiring schematics, software configurations, and standard operating procedures so the system can be operated and extended after the summer.
• Record experimental observations, contribute to summer research reports, and present results at an end-of-summer lab review.

The position offers 20 hours per week, with technicians working closely with supervisors and reporting any issues promptly. This position is summer-only and runs approximately from early June through late August. Compensation is $17 per hour.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Must be graduated student at Cal Poly Pomona in Plant Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Interest in indoor agriculture, controlled environment agriculture, mycology, microgreens, embedded systems, sensor integration, or research automation.
• Prior experience in laboratory work, agriculture, horticulture, electronics, or hardware projects (Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or similar) is preferred but not required.
• Familiarity with the Linux command line, Python scripting, basic soldering, or low-voltage wiring is a plus.
• Comfort working with simple hand tools and willingness to learn sensor wiring and small-scale electronics assembly.
• Ability to follow sterile laboratory procedures and research protocols.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to document research activities.
• Effective communication and teamwork skills.
• Ability to work both in laboratory settings and controlled growth environments.
• Motivated, innovative, and shows initiative.
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises, Inc. may provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodation with the employer.