Category Archives: Community Partnerships

Business Engagement, Community Partnerships, IET Newsletter, NOVA Loudoun Campus, NOVA STEM Faculty, STEM Awards, STEM Courses, STEM Degrees

NOVA Adjunct Wins NVTC Data Center Champion Award

NOVA Adjunct Faculty T.J. Ciccone has been named the Data Center Community Champion at the 2nd annual NVTC Virginia Data Center Awards in McLean for his leadership, support, and contributions to NOVA’s Data Center Operations (DCO) program and students.

The virtual event was attended by more than 150 industry executives, economic development professionals and state elected officials to recognize individuals and projects that represent excellence in areas of sustainability, construction, support, and advocacy and community engagement. Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the world, according to NVTC’s 2020 Impact of Data Centers on the State and Local Economies of Virginia. You can read more about the 2nd annual NVTC awards here.

Professor Ciccone is the Vice President of Critical Operations at Stack Infrastructure and has helped lead the way in Data Center Operations for our college community by creating industry engagement opportunities for NOVA students, building industry-driven curriculum and providing data center tours and on-site laboratory activities.

His class at NOVA, ENE 195 – Intro to Data Center Operations (DCO), is part of the NOVA Engineering Technology A.A.S Degree DCO Specialization as well as the DCO Certificate program and expands basic knowledge on how data centers work from an engineering standpoint. This course is the only fully college accredited data center program in Virginia and more than 70% of students who have taken the intro course are now working in a data center. Professor Ciccone is teaching in-person (with social distancing) this semester at the Loudoun campus.

He responded to his NVTC award by saying “I am honored to be named a Data Center Community Champion, and beyond grateful to Northern Virginia Community College for embracing the need for an accredited data center program. It expands and increases the available talent pool, the diversity of candidates for the labor force, and most importantly the opportunity for young people from all walks of life to enter a career in technology. To be part of this, the largest data center market in the world, is very humbling.”

Congratulations, Professor Ciccone – we’re grateful to have you at NOVA!

#BoldlyNOVA #WeDoSTEM

Community Partnerships, Robotics, STEM Camps

STEM Camp Students Will Name Surgical Robot!

NOVA SySTEMic is partnering with OrthoVirginia on a naming campaign for their new MAKO Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgical Robot.

With 27 locations around the state that include on-site physical therapy, orthopedic urgent care, and out-patient surgery centers, OrthoVirginia makes it easy for orthopedic patients to excel on the path to recovery, powered by advanced technology and techniques. The MAKO Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgical Robot is the first robot in VA to be used in an outpatient surgery setting!

STEM Camp students in our robotics camps will be given the opportunity to name the robot! This will be available to students in robotics camps that run from June 29 thru July 24.  Students can submit two options each. From the submissions a name will be chosen by our committee on July 27 and the robot will be officially named with the winning moniker in time for its first surgery on July 30! Proposed robot names are due to Camp Instructors by July 24.

The MAKO robot performs total and partial knee replacement surgery. Click here for a video that highlights the robot’s capabilities.

There are prizes for the student who’s robot name is picked: 4 tickets to a D.C. United Soccer game and free D.C. United gear!

If you would like to sign your child up for our Virtual Robotics camps go to https://www.nvcc.edu/systemic/camps.html. We also have many other Virtual STEM Camps available.

#WeDoSTEM