Category Archives: NOVA Loudoun Campus

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

NOVA STEM Day Loudoun Activities 9-28

NOVA STEM Day at the Loudoun Campus
Saturday, Sept 28, 10am to 4pm
NOVA Loudoun Campus
21200 Campus Drive, Sterling, VA 20164
Pre-register here

NOVA STEM Day is FREE and will have the following activities:

NOVA Systemic – STEM Zone
Learn about programming and robotics using VEX, Sphero, Osmo platforms and more!

Loudoun County Public Library – Makerspace

Academies of Loudoun – UV Light/Slime
Interactive experiment with UV Lighting & Slime

Academies of Loudoun – FRC Robotics Team
Meet FRC Team 5338 and their FRC Robot!

NOVA Loudoun – Bones of the Body
Learn the bones of your body! What properties make up the bones of your body? What microscopic structures the compact of bone? Identify the organic and inorganic components that make bone hard and yet flexible. Examine skeletons, individual bones, coloring activities and more.

NOVA – CHM Toon
Chemical reactions and more!

Adobe Illustrator – Explore your Artistic Potential with Technology
Create characters and activities in Adobe Illustrator!

Vet Tech Dept – A Day in the Life of a Veterinary Technician
Become a Vet Tech by bandaging patients, examining xrays and bones and more!

Loudoun Water – Interactive Watershed Model
Explore the interactive watershed model, water source protection and conservation

Geared UP! – Robot Driving Station with Team Geared UP!

Northern Virginia Community College – Psychology IS a Science
Celebrate the scientific studies of the senses. Learn about sensation, perception and classical conditioning. Taste our treats, check out optical illusion demos, and more!

Russian School of Mathematics – Fun with Math!

NOVA Physics  Hands-on demos with a mini roller coaster, Van der Graff mini-generator and Gyro-effect with a Bicycle wheel

NOVA Programming  Introduction to Visual Programming

Virginia 529  spin the wheel to win prizes

biofeedbackWORKS Check out bio and neurofeedback technology!

Geology – Interactive Geology models and processes

Cyberjutsu Girls Academy (CGA)/Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu – workshops provide a hands-on, fun, and interactive experience in topics such as web design, mobile application development, computer fundamentals, programming and many more!

American Society of Naval Engineers  Students will play the FLEET video game so they are able to explore and master it at home. The game is completely free and a great resource for exploring STEAM and solving problems using the engineering design process.

NOVA STEM Day – Sept 30. Register now!

Our 4th NOVA STEM Day is coming up on Saturday Sept 30th at the NOVA Loudoun Campus!

STEM day provides a showcase of opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  Designed for students of all ages, the NOVA STEM day features hands-on exhibits, workshops, food, fun, and learning! The event is FREE, open to the public and runs from 10am to 4pm. 

See the event website for registration, FAQ’s, and photos from past STEM Day events!

As always, we have numerous sponsorship opportunities and we need your help! For sponsorship information please contact Liz Coffey at ecoffey@nvcc.edu or call (540) 305-7758

NOVA STEM Day Location:
Northern Virginia Community College – Loudoun Campus
21200 Campus Drive
Sterling, VA 20164

STEMinars – May 13 – Register Now

Our STEMinars are back!

STEMinars are engaging STEM workshops for High School and College Students.

Sign up for CAD/3D Printing and/or Coding STEMinars that will be held at the NOVA Loudoun Campus (Templin Higher Education Center) on Saturday May 13th. You can register here for one or both STEMinars.

STEMinars are $25 each. You can sign up for both for only $40, plus a free lunch. You will receive a completion certificate at the end of the session.

Click here for a one-page flyer for this event.

The CAD/3D Printing STEMinar (9am – 12pm) will focus on the following:

  • Students will be introduced to Computer Aided Design (CAD)
  • Students will start with a basic CAD file and modify it to be personalized
  • Students will be able to print a basic prototype or 3D model

The Coding STEMinar (1pm – 4pm) will introduce students how to utilize an Arduino Uno:

  • Students will learn how to use an Arduino to complete a project.
  • Basic electronics and circuitry will be introduced.
  • Coding or creating sketches will be introduced.

NOVA Loudoun Campus address:
21200 Campus Drive
Temple Higher Education Center
Sterling, VA 20164

Come to Loudoun STEM Day on Oct 1

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Don’t miss our second annual Loudoun STEM Day at NOVA! If you love STEM then you’ll love our free showcase of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math opportunities for students of all ages. Featuring hands-on exhibits, workshops, food, fun and learning.

This event is a collaborative effort between Northern Virginia Community College, SySTEMic Solutions, Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and Loudoun County Public Schools. The event is FREE and open to the public. For a list of STEM Day topics and workshops, see the Loudoun County STEM Day Website.

When:
Saturday October 1st, 10am-4pm

Where:
Northern Virginia Community College, Loudoun Campus
Robert G. Templin, Jr. Higher Education Ctr.
21200 Campus Drive, Sterling, VA 20164

Click here for a STEM Day Flyer

142 STEM Camp Students on a NOVA Campus

IMG_5380Our summer STEM camps are underway and hundreds of students are engaging in STEM activities throughout Northern Virginia.

While STEM Camps are held at different locations in PWC, Fairfax, and Loudoun, (traditionally at high schools) this week has given middle and high school students a taste of something different: STEM learning on a college campus. Four of our camps are being operated on the NOVA Loudoun Campus in the state-of-the-art Higher Education Center.

From Lego EV3, VEX IQ and VEX 1 robotics to a more advanced cybersecurity camp, 142 students and their parents are engaging in STEM and walking the halls of NOVA as a backdrop to an informative and inspirational hands-on STEM experience.

Version 2Particularly for the cybersecurity students, who range from rising 9th to 12th graders, NOVA is an attractive option for continued study in STEM because it offers an A.A.S. in cybersecurity. As cyber jobs are increasingly in demand, NOVA can provide a fast-track of sorts to the workforce because a 4-year degree isn’t necessarily the only way to a cyber career.

Bradley Schwartz, President & CEO of the Blue Canopy Group, a Northern Virginia IT firm, suggested exactly this notion at the VA Cyber conference (held on NOVA’s Woodbridge Campus) last fall. He said “you don’t just need a 4-year degree, you need really smart people and practical experience.”

In addition, Senator Mark Warner stated that “a cyber career is not just for 4 year degrees or masters, but [for] community colleges and certificates.”Version 2

With this type of endorsement the potential NOVA students that attend our cyber camp can move forward with more confidence since attaining a certificate in cybersecurity is seen as a more and more viable option to fill the 17,000 vacant cyber jobs in the commonwealth. Having high school students inspired not only in cybersecurity but learning about it while on a NOVA campus is a win-win situation.

Best-selling higher education author Jeff Selingo in his book College (Un)bound: The Future of Higher Education and What it Means for Students says “few things matter as much in where a student eventually ends up as the campus visit. As a result, schools have increasingly tried to sell an experience on the tour rather than simply convey information.” While STEM camp is not overtly a tour for prospective students, it is an important exposure for them.

Version 2Dr. Julie Leidig, Provost at NOVA’s Loudoun Campus, emphasizes the importance of interfacing early with students to create an expectation of college simply by visiting. “We want to get kids thinking about STEM and college while they’re still young enough to be excited and less prone to feel that they have limitations. With these camps, early exposure to learning on a college campus starts to acclimatize them to college and the idea of going to NOVA for STEM education. We have a mission to build the regional STEM workforce in this community. SySTEMic Solutions is an extension of our mission.”

Many of the students we’ve engaged in STEM over the last few years are not yet in college. As they start to get to college age, our goal is to develop an effective tracking system of “camps to college to career” metrics that not only inspires STEM students but also keeps them in our regional workforce after graduation.

John Wood, CEO of Telos, a cybersecurity company in Loudoun, has a simple formula for this: “Make math and science cool,” he says. “That’s where you start.”

The NOVA Loudoun campus will also host the second annual Loudoun County STEM day on October 1. From drones to robotics to 3D printing to biotech and more, we are confident that thousands of students in Northern Virginia will find STEM cool enough to pursue as their career.

And NOVA can play a big part.