3D Printing, CNC Routing, Design Thinking, Makerspace, Making, NOVA Fab Lab, NOVA Makers

Fab Lab Activities in November

October 28, 2021 blenon

Sign Up For Our November Workshops!

Sewing Machine 101
Do you want to learn how to use a sewing machine? We can teach you how! Bring your sewing machine or learn on one of ours. In this workshop, we will show you how to use a sewing machine from winding a bobbin, to threading your machine, to sewing your first project – a drawstring bag. You’ll leave feeling confident that you can sew on your own!
Mon 11/15: 6:00-8:30 pm
Click HERE for more info and to register.

STEMinars

Dominating our Design Challenge Series
College students, high school and middle school students from all academic disciplines and backgrounds are encouraged to enter the Fab Lab Design Challenge that will be released in February 2022. The Challenge is sponsored by our industry partner, BAE Systems, and all sessions are offered free of charge. Although the challenge’s mission is to inspire innovation in fabrication, we want those with great ideas to participate, regardless if they have little to no experience on these topics. To support applicants, we are offering the following prep session:

Dominating our Design Challenge: Using Design Thinking
This virtual session will explain the five steps of Design Thinking to provide participants with a repeatable process for moving an idea to a functioning solution. The session will include examples of Design Thinking best practices, virtual team exercises in brainstorming, and a reference guide. Free and virtual format via Zoom. Two session choices:
Mon 11/29: 6-8pm (Click HERE for more info)
Thurs 12/9: 6-8pm (Click HERE for more info)

Dominating our Design Challenge: Learning the Tools
Whether it is turning a digital design into a 2D, 2.5D or a 3D model, or building a physical model from scratch, this in-person session will focus on four common fabrication technologies (laser cutting, additive manufacturing-3D printing, CNC routing, & plastic thermoforming) that can be used to bring your idea into physical space. This session focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of each of these different processes and how they can be used in rapid prototyping. Participants will be able to see equipment demonstrations of how each process works. Free and in-person at the NOVA Fab Lab (Manassas campus).
Mon, 12/6: 6-8pm (Click HERE for more info)
Thurs 12/16: 6-8pm (Click HERE for more info)

NOVA Makers
NOVA Makers is a program at the NOVA Fab Lab in which members can use the lab to work on personal projects, participate in regional/national design challenges, and/or gain more skills in a Maker community setting. Currently the technologies available for projects are additive manufacturing (3D printing), laser cutting/engraving, and hand tools. A NOVA Fab Lab membership, a safety and orientation training, and machine specific certifications are provided and required as part of this program. Membership is open to NOVA college students, faculty & staff, and high school students. Find more information at www.nvcc.edu/systemic/fablab.html

Amazon Web Services, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Computer Science, IET Events, Machine Learning, NOVA IET Career Pathways, Publicity, STEM Careers, STEM Networking, STEM Workforce

IET Events In November

October 28, 2021 blenon

IET Speaker Series: Joshua Powers
Thurs 11/4: 6:30-8:00 pm.

Information Technology professionals are in high demand and essential to just about every modern business model, the need for qualified professionals is immediate! Joshua Powers is the Technical Director for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning at Dev Technology Group. Josh has 25 years of experience in researching and applying artificial intelligence technologies to a wide variety of business and public sector challenges. Join us virtually for the third installment of our monthly NOVA IET Speaker Series and learn more about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and how they can be applied to Information Technology!

IET Speaker Series: Dolica Gopisetty and Christian Ramirez
Weds 11/10: 6:00-7:30 pm.

Dolica Gopisetty is a Solutions Architect at AWS in the Public Sector team and works specifically with customers in Higher Education. She helps them achieve their business objectives by hosting their mission critical applications in the AWS cloud.

Christian Ramirez is an Associate Solutions Architect at AWS, where he entered through the TechU Program. Christian made the career switch after completing a Cloud Computing Certificate at East Los Angeles College, where he gained the fundamental knowledge to attain an AWS Solutions Architect – Associate certification.

In the fourth installment of the NOVA IET Speaker Series, Dolica and Christian will share their journeys to becoming an AWS Solutions Architect, provide a brief introduction to Cloud Computing, and share tips on how to navigate a career in Cloud Computing.

Women in IET & Computer Science Networking Event
Weds 11/17: 4:00pm

Join us in our third and final Women in IET and Computer Science Coffee Chat of the semester. In this virtual session, we will feature a panel of women in IT to discuss their personal journeys into IT, how taking the initiative to learn has helped them advance in their career and how they have built their own personal toolkit to help them persevere in the face of adversity.

IET and Computer Science Clubs

NOVA Coding Club Annandale Campus

The Coding Club is held on Fridays from 12:30pm – 1:30pm for students interested in programming (coding) or computer science. It is open to any student interested in coding of any type. Meetings focus on coding challenges, upcoming events, and current events in the industry.

For more information contact Aren Waheed at asw2167@email.vccs.edu

Automotive Technology, Career & Technical Education, Fabrication, HVAC, NOVA IET Career Pathways, Nursing, STEM Careers, Teacher Professional Development

Upcoming STEM Careers and STEM Teacher PD Events

October 28, 2021 blenon

STEM Careers

Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) STEM Outreach Program, NOVA SySTEMic, is offering STEM Careers Virtual Workshops – Career & Technical Education.

Zoom sessions are open to high school students, NOVA students and the community. In these sessions, NOVA faculty and staff will share information about educational programs and industry representatives will share information about careers and current issues in their field.

Heating, AC and Refrigeration
Weds 11/3: 3:00-4:00 pm.
(NOVA Professor John Meeker & Women in HVACR President Lauren Roberts)

Nursing
Mon 11/8: 3:00-4:00 pm.
(NOVA MEC Interim Dean of Student Services Kimberly Nicely, NOVA Nursing Program Graduate & HCA Reston Hospital Critical Care Nurse, Diana Hernandez and Director of Critical Care Nurse Director of Acute Care Services, Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center, Eyad Abdel Latif RN, MSN, MBA, CCRN-K, LSSGBC)

Automotive Technologies
Tues 11/9: 4:00-5:00 pm
(NOVA Professor Laura Garcia-Moreyra & NOVA Automotive Technologies Graduate/Current BMW Automotive Tech Michelle Reyes)

STEM Teacher PD

NOVA SySTEMic is excited to announce the scheduling of STEM Teacher Professional Development for the 2021-2022 school year. Virtual and in-person professional development will be offered to educators in the areas of fabrication, programming, and technology integration. All sessions are free of cost to STEM educators within the NOVA region! For the latest session information, schedule, and to register, educators can visit http://teacherpd.novastem.us/Register

December Sessions

Micro:bit STEM Applications – Intro Sessions
Wednesdays: December 1^st& 8^thfrom 4:00-6:00pm via Zoom

This course will introduce educators to the BBC micro:bit and applications to various STEM subjects. The 2-part intro series will focus on getting to know the micro:bit using block and text-based coding. Three follow-on sessions will be offered in 2022 in the areas of science, math/health, and art/music. Educators can choose which sessions they want to attend. All attendees will receive their very own micro:bit upon completion of the intro series. Attendance at the intro sessions or previous experience using the micro:bit is highly recommended for the subject-specific follow-on sessions. This two-part series is open to any NoVA region STEM educators.

Demystifying 3D Printing
Monday, December 13^th from 4:00-6:00pm via Zoom

It whirs and bings, and if you’re patient, it prints you a cool miniature Han Solo, but once the novelty is over, how do you make better prints? Understanding your 3D-printer, and how the print settings effect everything from strength, surface quality, print time, and supports is crucial for success. In this session, we walk you through how the printer works, common troubleshooting solutions, print settings, and post-processing techniques. Session is targeted to educators with beginner to middle-level knowledge of 3D printing. Topics discussed are broad and translatable to variety of manufacturers. Sessions are open to any NoVA region STEM educators.

Amazon Web Services, Business Engagement, Fiber-Optic Fusion Splicing, Industry Partnerships, NOVA IET Career Pathways, Professional Development, Publicity, STEM Networking, STEM Workforce

NOVA Fiber-Optic Fusion Splicing Course Makes News

October 27, 2021 blenon

“Northern Virginia’s skilled workers — including many NOVA students and alumni — build, operate and maintain our region’s critical infrastructure. Exciting programs like this support an inclusive innovation economy and prepare our talented and diverse students for high-demand, high-wage jobs and careers that will keep Northern Virginia on the leading edge of technology well into the future.”

~ NOVA President Dr. Anne Kress

NOVA’s IET Division was happy to partner with Amazon.com Inc. on October 13^th and 14^th for a fiber-optic fusion splicing course and career networking session. Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Inc., an optic fiber manufacturer and data center solutions provider based in Raleigh, North Carolina, also partnered in the course and networking session on Wednesday and Thursday. The event was held in the WRC Building on the Woodbridge campus, and with almost 40 students participating and completing the training, it was a huge success.

Northern Virginia is home to the largest data center market in the world and is nearly equal to the 2nd through 5th largest US markets combined. When you add this with the increased demand for broadband technology and access, you can see the rapidly growing need for skilled labor for the data center industry and the supporting companies. Opportunities like this give NOVA students industry credentials to explore careers even during their educational journey and add value to their resumes for future employment efforts.

Fiber-optic cabling is made of glass fibers inside a casing that transmits data through signals, including for internet, television and phone services — technology that’s critical to the build-out of communication networks and data centers. Participants in this week’s course, the first installment in Greater Washington, learned how to install and repair fiber optics and met with local employers, an AWS spokesperson said.

Check out the article from the Washington Business Journal

Information Technology, NOVA IET, NOVA IET Career Pathways, NOVA Rankings, Publicity, STEM Careers, STEM Degrees, STEM Workforce

NOVA IT Degree Programs Ranked Top 10 in the Country

October 27, 2021 blenon

NOVA IT Degree Programs Top 10 in the Country

According to Value Colleges.com, NOVA’s online information technology degree programs for 2022 are in the Top 10 for the country. The methodology for ranking the best online associate’s in information technology starts with the editors research of accredited, trustworthy colleges and universities known for return on investment. Then they ranked programs according to student reviews, graduate salary, and cost, according to current Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and Niche data.

When you add that all up, they came up with the top 25 online information technology associate’s degree programs. NOVA, with its extensive online IT courses landed at number 10. The Information and Engineering Technologies Division offers nine of its thirteen IT programs (AAS and CSC) completely online. Students can complete everything from Cybersecurity to Information Systems Technology, or Application Programming to Network Administration. There are plenty of options for students seeking the flexibility of fully online programs.

“According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for computer support specialists was $55,510 in 2020. This is representative of the average associates degree in information technology salary, but actual pay varies depending on your role. Many IT fields value experience along with education, and if you’ve combined earning an associate’s degree in information technology online with employment, you can find higher paying positions. It’s easy to discount the opportunity for higher paying jobs because you “only” have an associate’s degree, but the field of IT is one that rewards people for knowledge, education, experience, and intuition quite nicely.”

Full Article: Top 25 Best Value Online Associate’s Information Technology Degree Programs for 2022