A new 10-foot-tall poppy and butterfly wind-activated sculpture created by a group of Cal Poly engineering students was recently installed in the Children’s Garden at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden.<\/p>\n
The sculpture was part of the students’ interdisciplinary senior project. Garden leadership challenged the team to blend artistry with engineering, source materials locally, and design for minimal upkeep. After touring the site and noting the garden\u2019s poppy logo \u2014 the state flower \u2014 the students settled on a spinning poppy topped by a butterfly.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Emily Slater<\/p>\n
General engineering graduate Aiden Largay and mechanical engineering graduate Irene Han stand beneath their student-built 10-foot steel poppy topped by a stained-glass butterfly in the Children\u2019s Garden.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis sculpture is the Children\u2019s Garden\u2019s new showpiece,\u201d said Janine Stillman, executive director of the nonprofit that sponsored the project.<\/p>\n
General engineering graduate Aiden Largay and mechanical engineering graduates Irene Han and Madeline Xiong spent long days in Cal Poly\u2019s machine shops, water-jet cutting and hand-bending each petal to complete the installation before graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving the freedom to craft something entirely new drew me in,\u201d Xiong said. \u201cWatching it evolve from sketch to reality and knowing we sourced everything locally makes me proud.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students utilized Cuesta College’s auto shop to paint the flower in the garden’s signature orange and used stained glass to shape the butterfly wings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved the creative freedom of this project,\u201d Largay said. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t another one like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Children’s Garden reportedly draws more than 100 visitors a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like that the whole neighborhood will benefit,\u201d Largay said. \u201cKids come here to learn about nature. Now they\u2019ll learn about engineering too.\u201d<\/p>\n