All posts by blenon

Career & Leadership Readiness Institute, Employee Spotlight, STEM Awards, STEM Education, STEM Grants, Teacher Professional Development

Staff Spotlight: Natasha Schuh-Nuhfer is a 2022 NOVA Reward and Recognition Program Awardee

Congratulations to NOVA SySTEMic’s Natasha Schuh-Nuhfer for being a 2022 NOVA Reward and Recognition Program awardee!

The Reward and Recognition Program recognizes administrative and professional faculty, classified staff, teaching faculty, and adjunct faculty who have demonstrated outstanding contributions and exemplary performance.

Natasha serves as the STEM Education Coordinator for the Manassas Campus and leads SySTEMic’s K-12 STEM teacher professional development efforts. She has been instrumental to the success of SySTEMic programs, stepping in to provide support wherever needed. Last summer, Natasha supervised the virtual cybersecurity STEM camps and taught the final Introduction to Cybersecurity camp when camp instructors had to return to their districts for the semester and were no longer available.

With COVID concerns going into the new school year, Natasha spearheaded the design of virtual professional development opportunities for STEM educators to learn to program with the BBC micro:bit, explore cyber and technology innovations, and understand the nuances of makerspace machines and software.

In January, Natasha eagerly stepped in to help support NOVA’s Career and Leadership Readiness Institute while also managing her teacher professional development responsibilities, eventually taking over the program in March and bringing it to its completion in mid-April.

Natasha can now be found supporting NOVA-awarded National Science Foundation grants focused on teacher professional development.

Thank you, Natasha, for your impact on the NOVA community and the region’s educators!

Computer Programming, Cybersecurity, SkillsUSA, STEM Competitions

NOVA Wins Big At SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference

(Back row: Humza Ansari, Tyler Armendaris, Maddie Gebremichael. Middle row: Niki Gordon, Ardian Peach, Hamza Ansari, Claudia Oviedo, Front Row: Alex Choi)

Seven NOVA Students earned seven medallions at the SkillsUSA Virginia State Leadership Conference on April 8-9 in Virginia Beach!

They competed in four competitions: Cybersecurity, Computer Programming, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Job Skills Demonstration.

Cybersecurity Team A (Ardian Peach and Humza Ansari) earned gold, while Cybersecurity Team B (Tyler Armendaris and Hamza Abdo) earned silver.

During competitions students had to demonstrate their technical skill knowledge around topics like Enterprise Router Security, Managing Switch Security and Troubleshooting, as well as completed a written test. Alex Choi earned gold in Computer Programming, showcasing his technical abilities in programming related to Java and C++ as well as completing a written test.

Claudia Oviedo earned gold in Extemporaneous Speaking where she gave a speech after only having 5 minutes to prepare on that topic. And, Maddie Gebremichael earned gold in Job Skill Demonstration A where she gave a speech and taught the judges how to build a suspension bridge and the engineering behind it.  These gold medalists will be advancing to compete at the National Leadership and Skill Conference in June in Atlanta.

During the conference Opening Session, NOVA advisor Niki Gordon was recognized for being the Post-Secondary Representative to the SkillsUSA Virginia Foundation Board of Directors.

Congratulations, all!

#BoldlyNOVA #WeDoSTEM #SkillsUSA #SkillsUSAVA

Business Engagement, Career & Technical Education, Design Thinking, Employee Spotlight, Engineering Technology, Mentoring, STEM Awards, STEM Events

STEM Coordinator Brendan Murphy Wins Awards

It’s been a big month for NOVA SySTEMic’s Annandale STEM Coordinator Brendan Murphy!

First, Brendan was awarded the Emerging Leader Award at the 2022 International Technology and Engineering Education Association (ITEEA) conference in Orlando, FL on March 9-12.

The Emerging Leader Award is presented in recognition of educators who have demonstrated a high level of competence, dedication, commitment, and professional activity in the field of technology and engineering education.

Brendan served ITEEA’s Council for STEM Leadership as the membership chairperson, presented at the conference on the application of Design Thinking and Digital Fabrication, and hosted a Networking and Mentoring workshop to support young professionals foster relationships with mentors in the field.

Secondly, at the same event, he was awarded with the Burke Supervision and Shared Leadership Scholarship, which is presented to practicing leaders in the technology and engineering profession with supervisory responsibilities and helps support the advancement of technology and engineering researched-based practices at major professional development conferences.

Thirdly, Brendan was selected as a Fellow for the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) 2022 NextLevel Postsecondary CTE Leadership Program, (sponsored by ECMC Foundation). The NextLevel Fellowship provides professional and career growth opportunities to the next generation of leaders in postsecondary CTE programs through this nationally-recognized program that is engaging, individualized, and memorable. Seventeen fellows were selected for the 2022-2023 cohort. See Brendan’s ACTE bio here

Brendan reflected on his awards: “It’s an honor to be recognized by such distinguished technology and engineering professionals. I’m excited to have the opportunity to continue to advance our profession and impact the lives of students and educators locally, nationally, and internationally.”

Congratulations, Brendan! We’re glad you are on our team.

#WeDoSTEM #InDemandTech #ITEEA #ACTE

 

Data Center Operations, Engineering Technology, IET Events, Industry Partnerships, Industry Tours, NOVA IET Career Pathways, Professional Development

Data Center Tours and Career Info

Data Centers are on the rise, especially in Northern Virginia. Demand for Data Center Technicians is soaring and NOVA has the only fully accredited 2-year data center degree program in the state of Virginia.

Last month NOVA faculty and staff as well as Loudon County Public School educators participated in a tour of STACK Infrastructure, which is a leading data center company built from the ground up to address the full stack of client critical infrastructure needs, today and into the future.

Participants were guided through the facility by STACK employees and provided descriptions of data center equipment and procedures. TJ Ciccone, VP of critical operations STACK who also serves as a NOVA adjunct instructor in Data Center Operations (DCO), conducted the tour and educated participants on the mission-critical fields of DCO and engineering technology (ET).

Some of the points about Data Center careers that TJ Ciccone highlights are:

  • The pay is incredible. Students typically make $30-$35 with no experience.
  • Demand is very high in the field. There are 2 million people working data centers worldwide, with that number expected to increase to 2.2mil in the next five years. We need 40,000 people a year with very little outlets to create new candidates.
  • This is a career and not just a job. Outside of data center engineering, there are a multitude of career paths you can take once you are in. These include project management, sales, sales engineering, HR, legal, and more.
  • Data centers are global. You could literally transfer anywhere in the world.
  • Data center skills are transferable. You could work at any number of data center providers once you are trained on the theory of how they work.

NOVA faculty and staff were able to network with LCPS educators and provide them with information such as the points above for upcoming NOVA programs that will help build pipelines for K-12 students into the DCO and ET career fields.

More tours of STACK are currently planned for April 22 and May 20. Contact TJ Ciccone at tciccone@nvcc.edu for more information.

#WeDoSTEM #InDemandTech #HighTechHighWage

Data Center Operations, Engineering Technology, Externships, Fab Lab, NOVA IET, NOVA IET Career Pathways, NOVA STEM Faculty, Professional Development, Teacher Professional Development

Engineering Tech Externship Program at NOVA

NOVA has 2 exciting Externship opportunities for 1) Secondary Educators and 2) Industry Professionals in Engineering Technology. These externships are supported by an NSF DCO Tech Grant.

1) Externship For Secondary Educators
Register at: iet.novastem.us/Externship2 

>> For secondary school CTE administrators, teachers, and/or counselors who are interested in guiding students into a successful tech career.

This externship equips educators to build awareness for Engineering Technology (ET) and Data Center Operations (DCO) careers in the region and the educational pathways NOVA provides to prepare students for these in-demand and high-wage careers. Educator Externship participants receive a stipend after completing the following activities:

  1. Attend an industry tour of Micron Technology, where attendees will see the daily operations and gain insight into career opportunities in Engineering Technology. 
  2. Attend an industry tour of a data center, which will provide first-hand visuals of a data center’s daily operations. There will also be a presentation on data center careers and opportunities. 
  3. Attend a tour/professional development day at the NOVA Manassas Fab Lab. The goal is to create clear pathways and provide materials to guide high school students into NOVA’s Engineering Technology and Data Center Operations programs. 

Micron Tours: April 5th or May 16th
Data Center Tours: April 22nd, May 20th, or June 30th
NOVA Fab Lab Tours/PD Day: July 22nd or 29th 

>> Register at: iet.novastem.us/Externship2
>> For more info contact Matt Lambert at blambert@nvcc.edu

Click Here for more info about Engineering Technology at NOVA
Click Here for more info about Data Center Operations at NOVA

2) Externship For Industry Professionals
Register at iet.novastem.us/Externship

>> For engineering technology professionals and data center technicians to inspire the next generation of engineering technicians.

This externship engages professionals in the Engineering Technology industry to support high school students who are learning about technician careers, and equips professionals to teach NOVA’s engineering tech programs. Industry Externship participants receive a stipend after completing the following activities:

  1. An introduction to NOVA’s engineering technology programs and facilities.
  2. Learn credentials required to teach as an adjunct instructor at NOVA and explore the pathways to becoming a credentialed engineering technology or data center operations faculty member.
  3. Develop and deliver two lessons for the summer bridge program to inspire high school students to pursue careers in Engineering Technology.

Participants will attend an in-person professional development session at the NOVA Fab Lab (NOVA Manassas Trailside Building) on June 10th, where they will create their lesson presentation for NOVA’s Engineering Tech Summer Bridge Program, to be taught on either June 24th or 30th.

Virtual PD Sessions: May 5th, 12th, and 19th
In-Person PD Session: June 10th, 2022 at the NOVA Fab Lab
Bridge Program Instructing: June 24th or 30th

>> Register at iet.novastem.us/Externship
>> For more info contact Matt Lambert at blambert@nvcc.edu

Click Here for more info about Engineering Technology at NOVA
Click Here for more info about Data Center Operations at NOVA

Supporting Technology Programs at NOVA

NOVA IET: NOVA’s Information and Engineering Technology Program. Learn more about Information Technology, Engineering Technology, Data Center Operations, Cybersecurity, Information Systems Technology, and Cloud Computing https://www.nvcc.edu/iet.

NOVA SySTEMic: NOVA’s STEM Program to equip students for in-demand technology careers and expand regional capacity for STEM talent. Learn more about STEM Careers, NOVA Fab Lab activities, Summer Bridge Programs (in Computer Science, Information Technology, and Engineering Technology), STEM Camps, Teacher Professional Development, STEM Competitions, Expos, and more: https://www.nvcc.edu/systemic

#WeDoSTEM #InDemandTech #HighTechHighWage

Business Engagement, Career & Technical Education, Community Partnerships, Computer Science, Internships

Elevate Loudoun Virtual Computer Science Internship Fair

Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) is looking for computer science community members from all industries to support LCPS High School Juniors and Seniors by participating in their Virtual Computer Science Internship Fair. This event is a great opportunity for LCPS high school students who are interested in computer science to learn skills related to a career in technology and to speak with companies who have internship experiences available for students.
Date & Time: January 25, 2022 from 4-7pm
Questions? Contact Mrs. Kristina Lee at Kristina.Lee@lcps.org or 571-246-0982
3D Printing, Design Thinking, Engineering Design Challenge, Fab Lab, Fabrication, Laser Cutting, Machine Learning, Makerspace, Making, NOVA Fab Lab

Fab Lab Activities in December

 

Save the Date for December Tours and Workshops!

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)

Tours
NOVA Fab Lab guided in-person tours will be provided for participants to view the spaces and equipment in the Makerspace, Woodshop, and college Mechatronics labs. Open to the public, no registration required .
Sat, 12/4: 10am-2pm (tours start every half hour)
Location: NOVA Manassas Campus, Trailside building, first flr
Address: 10500 Battleview Parkway, Manassas, VA 20109

Mini-Workshop Laser Cutting: Holiday Decoration 

The Lab will be open to the public for a mini-workshop where participants can create a personalized Laser Cut Holiday Decoration. Participants can come and go at any time. The workshop is FREE, no registration required.
Sat, 12/4: 10am-2pm (tours start every half hour)
Location: NOVA Manassas Campus, Trailside building, first flr
Address: 10500 Battleview Parkway, Manassas, VA 20109

Find more information at www.nvcc.edu/systemic/fablab.html

Cybersecurity, NOVA IET, NOVA IET Career Pathways, Veterans in STEM

Veteran’s Day Student Spotlight

Saim Bashir is a student in NOVA’s Cybersecurity program, choosing cybersecurity as a career path after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.

He is an active member of the Veterans’ Student Association and, as an injured warrior, a great example of perseverance. He has faced many barriers while transitioning back into civilian life. However, being involved at NOVA and in the Cybersecurity program has given him an outlet to be active and engaged. He had often questioned if he would be able to find a fulfilling career after serving our country, and NOVA’s Cybersecurity program has given him the ability to continue making a difference.

Despite financial hardships brought on by the pandemic, the G3 funding has allowed him to continue to take classes at NOVA. Thank you for your service, Saim!

Check out our Cybersecurity program at NOVA.

Design Thinking, Engineering Design Challenge, NOVA Fab Lab

Design Thinking Fellowship

NOVA is recruiting for the first cohort of Design Thinking Fellows! This NSF-sponsored program is open to college faculty, middle and high school teachers, and informal STEM learning professionals. During this 9-month fellowship, participants will learn how to integrate design thinking into their pedagogy through a professional learning institute, teaching during a 1-week summer camp, and leading their classes through a design challenge. Fellows will receive a stipend of $2,200 for participation.   

Please register here to be updated about the session and application process.  

Feel free to contact systemic@nvcc.edu with any additional questions!  

Computer Science, Professional Development, Teacher Professional Development

Micro:bit Professional Development and Classroom Support with Kilmer Middle School

On October 27 & 28, NOVA STEM Coordinator Natasha Schuh-Nuhfer, and Education Support Specialist, Lisbeth Valladares introduced students in teacher Susie Fox’s class at Kilmer Middle School in Vienna to the BBC micro:bit.

Overall, 150 students at Kilmer Middle School, spread among five 90-minute classes over two days, donned their headphones and listened to Lisbeth explain the features of the micro:bit and how to use block coding to make it come alive. Ms. Fox served as on-site support, helping the students connect their micro:bits, troubleshoot their coding, and share their screens if they ran into any technical issues.

SySTEMic was thrilled to be able to provide professional development and classroom support via a virtual format. Ms. Fox will use this collaborative experience to teach the content on her own in Spring 2022. Much of the materials used were previously created in partnership with Prince William County Schools to advance computer science education and are available for free to all Virginia educators on #GoOpenVA.