Subject: FOOTHILL COLLEGE FUSION: MAY 2015
From: Andrea Hanstein <hansteinandrea@fhda.edu>
Date: 05/07/2015 7:59 AM

FOOTHILL COLLEGE FUSION
- Staff Edition -
IN THIS ISSUE
Foothill College Commencement: Friday, June 26

Encourage Students to Attend the Spring Internship and Career Fair on May 20

Foothill College Receives Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award

SLI Students Create Adaptive Devices for Those with Disabilities

Spring Dance Concert to take place on May 29 and 30

APAN Seeking Students Eligible to Participate in Annual CelebrAsian Event

Women's Swim Finishes Second at Coast Conference Championships

Foothill College Commencement: Friday, June 26

California Community Colleges Sign Transfer Agreement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Community Ambassadors Participate in Mountain View May Day Rally

Foothill Faculty, Staff, and Students in the News!

In Case You Missed It ..

FOOTHILL COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT 2015:  FRIDAY, JUNE 26
It's hard to believe that Commencement is less than two months away! This year's ceremony will take place on Friday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m. Please pay special attention to the start time which is different than in years past.

If you are planning on participating and need regalia, please place your order with Romeo Paule by Friday, May 15. Be sure to include the following information with your request:

Height:
Hat Size:
School:
Degree:

Those participating are asked to meet inside the Smithwick Theatre at 5:45 p.m. There will be signs directing you to your respective area. At 6:15 p.m., participants will queue up for the processional and depart no later than 6:30 p.m. The ceremony is expected to last approximately 1.5 hours and will conclude with a Corridor of Honor (follow your section leader's direction). A reception will take place immediately following the ceremony in the Bookstore Plaza.

Any questions regarding the schedule should be directed to Student Activities at extension 7241.
ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO ATTEND THE SPRING INTERNSHIP AND CAREER FAIR ON MAY 20
The Spring 2015 Internship and Career Fair will take place on Wednesday, May 20 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on the Library Quad. Students will be able to meet with employers, interact with recruiters, and apply for jobs. Employers attending the event include Nordstrom, Panda Express, and the Humane Society. Those interested in participating are asked to dress professionally and bring copies of their resumes.

FOOTHILL COLLEGE RECEIVES SILICON VALLEY WATER CONSERVATION AWARD
The Foothill College Environmental Horticulture and Design Program has been named recipient of a 2015 Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award for innovative instruction and conservation projects, which were made possible with funding from the Schmidt Family Foundation and 11th Hour Project. Foothill College representatives were recently presented with an award plaque at the organization's annual awards ceremony.

"I am incredibly proud of such a timely award given the exacerbated drought conditions in California," said Foothill College President Judy C. Miner, Ed.D. "We could not have accomplished our conservation efforts without the expertise of Dan Svenson from Foothill's environmental horticulture program and the advocacy of donor Kathleen Santora, who championed our cause with the 11th Hour Project of the Schmidt Family Foundation. This is an excellent example of Foothill College addressing a critical need through a strategic partnership."

Judges said they were impressed with three conservation projects developed and implemented at Foothill and used in the college's popular environmental horticulture and design program. The award-winning projects include installation of a water recapture system and rainwater harvesting technology, as well as creation of a replication model for use by other colleges and building sites. In addition to their use in Foothill's instructional curriculum, the water recapture and rainwater harvesting projects together save the college an estimated 110,000 gallons annually.

SLI STUDENTS CREATE ADAPTIVE DEVICES FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES
Students in Dr. Oxana Pantchenko's "Introduction to Biomedical Engineering" spent their time designing an adaptive handle that would help people with disabilities, especially children, grasp things they otherwise could not easily hold. The students had the opportunity to consult with an occupational therapist from California Children's Services. She showed them what tools those with disabilities currently use, the strengths and weaknesses of those devices, and also provided feedback for their designs.

Students also had a chance to work with other members of the Foothill academic community. "When the students were designing adaptive handles that would hold toothbrushes, we had a faculty member from dental hygiene come and review their products and provide feedback,'' Dr. Pantchenko said. "This was helpful in the design process for the students, who had to take the feedback from these outside sources and translate it into a more thoughtful, successful product." This cross-departmental coordination exemplifies Foothill's goal of being a living laboratory where different disciplines leverage each other to become more dynamic.

"The 3D printers we have play a substantial role, not just for this class but for so many classes," Dr. Pantchenko said. "The printers are used in engineering courses and for independent student projects, as well as by the students in the biomedical class.

The students worked in teams to produce designs for the adaptive handles. Two designs were selected to go into production, with the end result being a 100 number of the devices being delivered to California Children's Services in San Jose.

SPRING DANCE CONCERT TO TAKE PLACE ON MAY 29 AND 30

The Foothill College Repertory Dance Company will present its two-hour spring dance concert directed by award-winning choreographer and faculty member Bubba Gong in the Smithwick Theatre on Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30. The evening will begin with a showcase of students' original and experimental works at 7 p.m., followed by the main performance at 7:30 p.m.

 

Tickets are $25, general admission; $15, students, seniors and children. Order tickets online at www.vendini.com or purchase tickets at the Foothill College Box Office one hour before the performance.

 

APAN SEEKING STUDENTS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANNUAL CELEBRASIAN EVENT

The Asian/Pacific American Network (APAN) is hosting its annual CelebrAsian event on Friday, June 26 from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. in the Dining Hall. During the ceremony, faculty and staff will honor students of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry who are graduating, transferring, or completing certificates. The event will include a buffet reception, scholarship award presentations, and the ever-popular Foothill College Faculty and Staff Taiko Drummers.

 

Event organizers are trying to reach out to these students and need assistance. If you know any students who may qualify, please ask them to email either Lily Luu or Tilly Wuu.


WOMEN'S SWIM TEAM FINISHES SECOND AT COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Foothill College Women's Swim Team ended its season on a high note when they finished second out of nine teams at the Coast Conference Championships in April. 

Layna Auchard was Coast Conference Champion in the 100 Breaststroke (1:06.95), 200 Breaststroke (2:26.65), and finished second in the 200 IM (2:15.87). Marissa Sendejas was Coast Conference Champion in the 200 Freestyle (2:04.32), 1650 Freestyle (19:45.28), and finished second in the 500 Freestyle (5:39.71)

The Lady Owls also won two relay events. The team of Merav Ben-Zvi (Backstroke), Mackenzie Trudrung-Arnold (Breaststroke), Brittney Malick (Butterfly), and Layna Auchard (Freestyle) won the 400 Medley Relay, while Mackenzie Trudrung-Arnold, Marissa Sendejas, Layna Auchard, Brittany Malick (pictured above) took home gold in the 800 Free Relay. 

CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES SIGN TRANSFER AGREEMENT WITH HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERISTIES
Recently, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office announced that it had reached an agreement with nine historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) to guarantee admission to transfer students who meet certain academic requirements. The nine colleges are:
  • Bennett College, Greensboro, N.C.
  • Dillard University, New Orleans, La.
  • Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn.
  • Lincoln University of Missouri, Jefferson City, Mo.
  • Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Ark.
  • Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
  • Talladega College, Talladega, Ala.
  • Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala.
  • Wiley College, Marshall, Texas
HBCUs were founded to serve the higher education needs of the African-American community, though they are open to all. HBCUs are well regarded for their small class sizes and supportive collegiate environments. The Chancellor's Office found that retention and graduation rates of California community college students who have transferred to HBCUs are high so the partnership was a natural fit.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAMS ENJOY WINNING SEASONS
Both the men's and women's Foothill College basketball teams have enjoyed winning seasons this winter.

The men's team entered the state playoffs as the number 17 seed and quickly upset their first-round opponent, American River College, 78-67. Last week, the team traveled to Fresno City and stunned the Northern California top seed, beating them 72-64. Last night, the team played San Joaquin Delta and defeated them in a close game, 55-52. The team has now reached the Final Four and will take on Merritt College this Saturday, March 7!

The women's team won the South Coast Conference League, going undefeated with a 10-0 record. Foothill's Angie Reid Angie Reid was named Conference MVP while Rose Tahaafe and Leslie Tiongco were named to the All-Conference First Team. Head Coach Jody Craig was named 2015 South Coast Conference Coach of the Year and picked up for 400th collegiate win.
COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS PARTICIPATE IN MOUNTAIN VIEW MAY DAY RALLY
Several members of the Foothill College Community Ambassadors Program (CAP) participated in the annual May Day Rally, held on Friday, May 1 in Mountain View. They marched to inform elected leaders and the wider public is that immigration reform remains the predominant political issue for more than 11 million undocumented people living in limbo in the United States. 

This was the fourth year for the march and this year's attendance topped 100. The march started at Rengstorff Park and continued downtown before concluding with speeches and music.
FOOTHILL COLLEGE GOOD NEWS CORNER!
Psychology instructor Ben Stefonik was recently recognized by UC Irvine for being a community college faculty member who greatly impacted transfer students. He was nominated for the award by a former student and will be included on the university's Web Wall of Fame.

Physics instructor Frank Cascarano has been named a Fellow of the American Association of Physics Teachers. He is also the brains behind the popular Foothill College Physics Show.

The Foothill College Physical Sciences & Engineering Center (PSEC) received the Society for College and University Planning's Award for Excellence in Architecture for a New Building. This was a highly selected process and Foothill was selected over universities such as Duke and George Washington.

Atif Velagic, a current Foothill College astronomy student, has been selected by NASA as one of the 2015 National Community College Aerospace Scholars and will be flown, all expenses paid, to NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center in Texas to participate in a 3-day workshop for promising community college students. A refugee from Bosnia, Atif has wanted to work for NASA since he was a young child.

Lauren Woo-Ermacoff, a former Foothill College student, is currently serving as an intern in the White House. Lauren, who now attends Seattle University, works in the Office of Management and Administration.
In case you missed it ...

President Judy Miner was featured in a recent issue of California Forward, a publication of the California Economic Summit. She discussed the work of Foothill College to increase the numbers of Latinos in STEM jobs. 

To read the article, "Education gap creates STEM job gap for Latinos in Silicon Valley,"  in its entirety, click here.

 


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