Monthly Archives: August 2021

IET Events, NOVA IET, Tech Equity

IET Speaker Series featuring Mayuko Inoue

IET Speaker Series featuring Mayuko Inoue

Sept 23: 6-7:30 PM EST

Registration opens on September 1st at iet.novastem.us/Register

After working in Silicon Valley tech companies like Intuit, Patreon, and Netflix for six years as an iOS Engineer, Mayuko became a full-time creator in 2020. With over 400,000 YouTube subscribers, Mayuko uses her platform to help people find their way through the tech industry by sharing her own experiences navigating this world through technology, as well as sharing career advice and lifestyle videos. She is passionate about discussions around mental health, cultural identity, and creating technology with empathy and compassion. Join us on Thursday, September 23, 2021, 6 PM EST to be inspired, learn more about computer science and software engineering, and dive into how to follow your passions and create technology with care.

*This event is open to the public

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3D Printing, Community Partnerships, Engineering Design Challenge, Engineering Technology, Grants, Laser Cutting, Makerspace, NOVA Fab Lab, NOVA IET, NSF Grants, STEM Grants, STEM Workforce, Tech Equity

NOVA Awarded 3-Year “Makers By Design” Grant

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded NOVA a three-year grant, set to begin in September 2021, to establish a Professional Learning program in design thinking pedagogy for secondary and postsecondary educators. Makers By Design (MBD) as we call it, is officially titled: Supporting Instructors to Embed Design Thinking in Digital Fabrication Courses.

Makers By Design Overview:

> Manufacturing and engineering technologies industries are facing a looming skills gap.

> Employers identify increasing need for soft skills (critical and design thinking, problem solving and communication) as manufacturing transitions to high-tech.

> There is a need to align engineering and engineering technology with industry defined technical and soft skills.

> MBD is a professional learning (PL) program for secondary and postsecondary educators focused on developing design thinking pedagogy through digital fabrication (e.g. 3D printing, laser engraving, CNC) techniques.

> Aligned with NSF includes broadening participation in STEM for underrepresented minorities.

> MBD will foster a community of practice between teachers, faculty, makerspace educators and industry.

The Grant

The curriculum will focus on design thinking projects that involve digital fabrication techniques, including 3D printing, laser engraving, and Computer Numerical Control milling. The Professional Learning program is expected to improve the educator’ teaching practices and enable them to update existing curricula and lesson plans to better align with industry relevant skills and techniques. The project also intends to create a community of practice around design thinking in digital fabrication that will build a beneficial network among secondary teachers, community college faculty, makerspace educators, and regional employers. It is expected that the project will support 36 secondary and postsecondary educators who will teach more than 3,000 K-12 and undergraduate students in the northern Virginia region. These students will have greater interest in and be better prepared for technical careers in manufacturing and engineering.

The overarching goal of the project is to use Professional Learning to move digital fabrication instruction beyond the reproduction of simple objects. Instead, the project will train educators to use pedagogy and cognitive strategies to embed design thinking into their digital fabrication lessons and courses. As a result, students will learn to use design thinking to build complex, useful objects.

The project’s specific aims include to: (1) create a professional learning institute; (2) host digital fabrication summer camps at NOVA and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington; (3) host a semiannual design and digital fabrication challenge; and (4) establish an online resource library of projects and lesson plans created and refined by educators in the community of practice. The project is expected to advance: understanding of the pedagogies that help to develop student interest in manufacturing and engineering; the capacity for Professional Learning to facilitate integration of design thinking into classrooms and makerspaces; and the extent to which a capstone design challenge may foster sustainable change in instructional practices. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation’s economy.

The NOVA Fab Lab has a Makerspace utilized by many NOVA programs and the community as well as a new Makers Program for college students coming up this fall

Check out the NOVA Fab Lab Page

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Grants, IET Events, NOVA IET, STEM Degrees, STEM Education, Tech Equity

IET Convocation Fall 2021

 

The Fall 2021 IET Convocation was held in-person on August 18 at the NOVA Pender 3 Administrative Building. Even behind masks, everyone was happy to see one another after almost a year-and-a-half of remote learning! There were a lot of pressing and relevant items to cover that will move IET forward in preparing students equitably to build regional STEM talent.

Dean Paula Ford began the event with Faculty & Staff self- introductions.  Everybody was able to meet IET’s new Associate Dean Christianne Nieuwsma for the first time in person, as well as the new IET Advising Specialists, Allison McElfresh and Sara Ali. New Faculty introduced were Laura Kelley (AN – IT), Shirley Cash (MA – IT), Mohammad Iftikhar (WO – IT), Xue “Peter” Bai (LO – IT), Ronnie Dasgupta (IT/Engineering Technologies) and Amir Mehmood (LO– Engineering Technologies).  With introductions came a few departures.  It was announced that both Kurk Lew (MA) and Kevin Reed (AL) have retired; and, Tierney Pitzer (LO) and Zahra Ogun (IET Staff) have recently resigned.

VP of IET & College Computing, Chad Knights spoke about IET’s promising enrollment and G3 funding. The subjects of mask mandates, CSC guidance and vaccines brought several questions.  Dr. Knights also spoke of DCTP (Data Close To Practice) for this Fall, and presented a common read for the division, “Equity Talk to Equity Walk” by Estela Mara Bensimon, Lindsey E. Malcom-Piqueux, and NOVA College Wide Convocation speaker Tia Brown McNair. All were asked to read this book for ongoing discussions by September 30th (NOVA libraries have options for obtaining the book for Staff & Faculty).

NOVA Systemic Director Josh Labrie spoke about grants that we have been awarded and new grants we will be applying for.  Jack Bidlack, IET Director of Strategic Initiatives, spoke specifically about our partnership with the United States Naval Community College (USNCC) and the speakers series that Brittany Hollis, IET Career Coach, is putting together this fall and spring for IET students. The morning session concluded and participants broke for lunch. Following lunch, breakout sessions regarding news on curriculum, and students filled the remainder of the afternoon. It was a successful start to our fall semester!

For more on NOVA IET programs, including Cloud Computing, Data Canter Operations and Information Technology go to https://www.nvcc.edu/iet

Follow us in Twitter @NOVAIET 

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3D Printing, Laser Cutting, NOVA Fab Lab

NOVA Makers: College Students

The NOVA Makers program offers NOVA students an opportunity to be part of a Makers community at the NOVA Fab Lab (located on the Manassas campus).  A host of opportunities are available, including (but not limited to) being able to work on personal projects, competing on teams in regional/national design challenges, learning new digital design skills, building career readiness skills, and being able to tinker! The lab is equipped with fabrication equipment including 3D printers and laser cutters.

NOVA Students can attend one of our interest meetings on Thursday, Sept. 16th at 6:00 pm or on Friday, Sept. 17th at 2:00 pm to learn more and receive a tour of the lab.

Please register in advance at http://fablab.novastem.us/Sign-up or at the door.

NOVA Fab Lab, Manassas Trailside Building (1st floor), 10500 Battleview Parkway, Manassas, VA, 20109.

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Data Center Operations, STEM Scholarship

New AFCOM DCO Scholarship

Potomac AFCOM Offers New Scholarship Opportunity for NOVA’s Data Center Operations Program

The Potomac chapter of AFCOM (Association for Computer Operations Management) in conjunction with the NOVA Foundation is pleased to announce the Wendy Darling Scholarship, a fund of $10,000 honoring Potomac Chapter Board Member, Stuart Dyer’s mother, who passed away in October 2020.

“AFCOM’s mission is to provide educational advancement opportunities to its members, and we extend that mission to up-and-coming experts in this community by supporting their academic growth,” said Stuart Dyer, Global Data Center Strategy and Planning at IBM, and AFCOM Potomac Chapter director of scholarships & internships. “Losing my mother to this terrible pandemic, at the young age of 60, was an enormous and tragic loss. My mother always put my education first, and it was extremely important to her that I finished college. To be able to establish an AFCOM Scholarship in her honor is something that would make her proud, and I am honored that the AFCOM Board has made this gesture of kindness.”

NOVA’s Data Center Operations program develops students for entry-level positions in the fast-growing data center industry. This curriculum is designed to prepare students for employment in data centers or companies that support data center function as a technician, operator and/or technologist.

“I’m excited to be a part of this innovative program. As a teacher and as someone in the industry, this is a win-win for everyone involved. There is so much potential at NOVA. I’m looking forward to helping students get excited about the data center industry,” said TJ Ciccone, NOVA Adjunct Faculty and Vice President, STACK Infrastracture.

Wendy Darling Scholarships will provide a pathway that eliminates the cost for entering this program.

“We are proud of and grateful for our ongoing partnership with Potomac AFCOM. The Wendy Darling scholarship award is an investment of $10,000, which will provide $500 to each new student in our first class of data center operations program. Organizations like Potomac AFCOM are leading the way for NOVA students to achieve their educational and professional dreams in a high demand field,” said Kelly Persons, executive director of the NOVA Foundation.

AFCOM Potomac supports the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia for individuals (members and non-members) who wish to learn about, participate in and network with the local data center community. AFCOM supports the advancement of data center and IT infrastructure professionals around the world by delivering comprehensive, vendor-neutral education and peer-to-peer networking to its members.

Learn more about the Wendy Darling scholarship by visiting: https://potomacafcom.webstarts.com/wendy-darling.html.

The NOVA Foundation is governed by a board of directors whose members come from both the public and private sectors in Northern Virginia and may hold their positions for up to three years. For additional information about the NOVA Foundation, visit https://giving.nvcc.edu/. For press inquiries, contact Hoang Nguyen, public information officer, at hdnguyen@nvcc.edu.

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Business Engagement, NOVA IET, STEM Careers, Virtual Events

LCPS Career Camp Equips Students for Workforce

 

Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) IET Division, NOVA SySTEMic and NOVA faculty members partnered with Loudoun County Public Schools to offer a virtual week-long Summer Career Camp for rising 9th graders through graduating seniors July 19-23, 2021.

During the career camp, students learned how to create effective resumes, developed their team building skills through interactive virtual activities, and participated in interview workshops.  Students also completed a mock interview and participated in virtual networking activities with industry partners and NOVA faculty and staff. Students who attended all camp sessions were sent a Certificate of Completion.

One participant shared the following: “My experience at the Career camp was phenomenal. I was taught a large spectrum of things, from the importance of networking to ways I could improve my resume. Additionally, I participated in a mock interview where I got the opportunity to polish my communication skills and socialize with possible employers. I am so glad I got the opportunity to participate in the camp, it was such an amazing experience.”

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Cybersecurity, Publicity, STEM Awards

(ISC)² Award for NOVA Cybersecurity Faculty

NOVA Cybersecurity faculty member Marouane Balmakhtar, is a 2021 (ISC)² Global Achievement Award Recipient!

This Senior Professional Award is given in recognition of the 5G Cybersecurity and Security Awareness project. This is the highest global award an individual can receive in the cybersecurity field!

Prof. Balmakthar said “I am so humbled and excited to have received this. As a representative of the NOVA /NVCC family, this is a testament for us and for the work that we do as part of our designation as a Center of Academic Excellence and for our unmatched Cybersecurity leadership.”

Global Achievement Award recipients will be celebrated during (ISC)²’s premier global event, Security Congress, which will be held both virtually and in-person on October 18-20, 2021. More info about the event at https://www.isc2.org/Congress#

Prof. Balmakhtar can be reached at mbalmakhtar@nvcc.edu

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Information Technology, STEM Awards, STEM Resources Online, STEM Workforce, Tech Fellowships

FAIT Fellowship for IT Honors Students

The Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship, is a two-year program funded by the U.S. Department of State and an excellent opportunity for community college honors students who are interested in pursuing an IT-related bachelor’s degree and a career in the Foreign Service.

The FAIT Fellowship provides up to $75,000 in academic funding for the junior and senior years in an IT-related bachelor’s degree, two summer internships (with stipends), professional development, and mentorship. Additionally, after successful completion of the Fellowship and the State Department’s requirements, the Fellow receives an appointment in the Foreign Service as an Information Management Specialist.

Many FAIT Fellows are community college alumni. The State Department wants to reach more community college students with this opportunity, and seeks to attract outstanding tech talent to the Foreign Service that reflects the diversity of the United States. Members of minority groups underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women and those with financial need are encouraged to apply. 

Applications for the 2022 cohort is planned to open on September 8, 2021.  Webinars and virtual info sessions will be offered throughout the fall semester. Please contact Monique.Dans@twc.edu for more info and to discuss ways to spread the word to honors students.

Here are a couple of resources to learn more:

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Community Partnerships, Engineering Technology, NOVA Fab Lab, Robotics

Friday Night Robotics Starts Sept 17

The NOVA Fab Lab will be open on Friday nights for VEX teams to scrimmage and work on their robots starting Sept 17!

The 1st and 3rd Friday’s of the month are designated for VEX IQ Challenge (VIQC) teams and the 2nd and 4th Friday’s for VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) teams.  A game field will be available along with space for teams to work.

Sessions will start on Sept 17 from 5 to 10 pm and continue until the Virginia State VEX Championship in March 2021.

A one-time registration fee of $10 per participant is required for this recurring event at fablab.novastem.us/FridayNightRobotics (NOTE: Parental consent is required in the registration process as each participant needs to register – coaches cannot sign-up their entire team in one registration).

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Computer Science, Fab Lab, Information Technology, STEM Articles, STEM Degrees, STEM Education, STEM Workforce

VA Ranked #1 State for Tech Talent Pipeline

Virginia ranks as the “Best Business Climate” and the “Top Tech Talent Pipeline” in the nation, according to Business Facilities’ 17th Annual Rankings Report, released this week. Home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world, Virginia also tops the magazine’s “Cybersecurity Leaders” chart.

“Virginia has undertaken the most impressive effort in the U.S. to fill the national shortage of skilled workers in the data-centric sectors that are driving economic growth in the 21st century,” said Jack Rogers, editor-in-chief of Business Facilities.

“World-class universities are partnering with industry giants to add thousands of new computer science grads to Virginia’s rapidly expanding tech workforce. This combination positions Virginia to defend its tech talent pipeline leadership for years to come,” Rogers added.

California, New York, North Carolina and Maryland round out the top five, respectively, in Business Facilities’ new Tech Talent Pipeline state ranking, which evaluates each state’s tech talent investments, STEM-oriented education programs and partnerships between industry, universities and EDOs, among other weighted factors.

Business Facilities noted that Virginia is injecting more than $2 billion into a Tech Talent Investment Program that cumulatively represents the largest state commitment to computer science education, aiming to create an additional 31,000 computer science graduates in the Commonwealth while strengthening computer science programs at the elementary and secondary school levels.

Click here to download the full report.

Official Tweet from NOVA IET

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