30 October Backyard Astronomy set Nov. 15 at ICC-Tupelo October 30, 2018 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 Itawamba Community College will present a Backyard Astronomy session from 6-9 p.m., Nov. 15, at the Health Science Education Center at the Tupelo Campus. The event will feature astronomy-related activities including a portable planetarium from the University of Mississippi, a presentation entitled “The Sounds of Science” by ICC astronomy instructor Bob Swanson and short presentations from current ICC astronomy students. Weather permitting, participants will have an opportunity to view the night sky from the parking lot. Attendees will pick up some naked-eye viewing tips as well as have the chance to look through several of ICC’s telescopes at features such as the Moon, Mars and the Pleiades star cluster. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Swanson’s background includes Shannon High School, where he taught physics, physical science and earth science; professional meteorologist – six years as a TV weatherman and four years as assistant weather editor of USA Today. He earned bachelor’s degrees in both physics and philosophy from The University of Scranton and a master’s degree in meteorology from Penn State University. In his spare time, Swanson writes and records children’s music about weather (Stormin’ Bob Swanson, the Singing Weatherman) and gives science presentations to local schools, libraries and community groups. He and his wife, Meredith, are the parents of three sons, D.J., Nate and Henry. For more information, contact Swanson at rsswanson@iccms.edu or call (662) 620-5369. Related Articles Backyard Astronomy set for Fulton Itawamba Community College will present a Backyard Astronomy session from 6-9 p.m., Apr. 19, at the Fitness Center on the Fulton Campus. The event will feature astronomy-related activities including a portable planetarium from the University of Mississippi; a presentation entitled “The Ringmakers of Saturn” by ICC astronomy instructor Bob Swanson; and a general-interest astronomy video entitled “Dark Universe.” Weather permitting, participants will have an opportunity to view the night sky from the parking lot. Attendees will pick up some naked-eye viewing tips as well as have the chance to look through several of ICC’s telescopes at features such as the waxing crescent moon, the Beehive Cluster and the Hercules Cluster. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Swanson’s background includes Shannon High School, where he taught physics, physical science and earth science; professional meteorologist - six years as a TV weatherman and four years as assistant weather editor of USA Today. He earned bachelor’s degrees in both physics and philosophy from The University of Scranton and a master’s degree in meteorology from Penn State University. In ... ICC pathway programs set to begin in November Registration is underway at the Itawamba Community College Belden Center for several pathway programs that are scheduled to begin in November. They include Basic Construction, Certified Nursing Assistant, Commercial Truck Driving and Food Service Pathway. The Basic Construction class will meet Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. from Nov. 9-20. It is a nationally-recognized certification for Construction Core designed by the National Center for Construction Education and Research. The curriculum includes construction math, power and hand tools, construction site safety, construction drawings, employability, communication skills and introduction to material handling. Successful participants who pass the NCCER examination will be eligible for entry-level construction jobs. Certified Nursing Assistant will meet Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. from Nov. 2-17. The program prepares participants to take the exam to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. Upon successful program and examination completion, employment could be available in nursing homes, medical centers, home healthcare providers and clinics. Commercial Truck Driving begins Nov. 16 and will meet Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. through Dec. 18. ... ICC formally opens newly-renovated Student Activities Center at the Fulton Campus Itawamba Community College reopened its Student Activities Center with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony, Aug. 14, at the Fulton Campus. “It is with great pride and excitement that we gather to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated Student Activities Center,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “Just as with our recent residence hall ribbon cuttings at Monroe and Sheffield Halls, this is not just a physical transformation but a renewal of our commitment to providing a vibrant and supportive campus environment for our students.” ICC’s approximately 13,000-square-foot Student Activities Center, which opened in 1961 and the oldest building on the Fulton Campus, has had numerous facelifts over the years, but this renovation touched every aspect of the building, including a completely redesigned interior to maximize open space for seating and the addition of a new covered space on the back to provide students a place to dine in the event of inclement weather. Allen said that the new space will be called “The Yard.” The outdoor furniture will arrive soon and be installed with outdoor TVs. “Our ... ICC team, only one from Mississippi, to compete in final round of Community College Innovation Challenge Itawamba Community College is among the 12 teams and the only one from Mississippi that will participate in the final round of the Community College Innovation Challenge set for June in Washington, D.C. Sponsors are the American Association of Community Colleges in partnership with the National Science Foundation. “ICC’s project is ViruShield: Next-Generation Care for HIV Patients. ViruShield is a subcutaneous pump that tests for HIV viral loads and administers doses of medication to an HIV-positive patient to help with the prevention of AIDS and to increase treatment compliance within this minority community,” according to Heather McCormick of Fulton, ICC mathematics division chair and team mentor. “Normally, a multitude of drug combinations are used along with a treatment schedule of daily pills and then monthly injections to keep HIV at an undetectable level.” The team includes Cortney McCord, Shaan Nagra, both of Saltillo; Jillian Babb and Matthew Butler of Tupelo. “I’m so proud of these students, their innovation and their hard work,” McCormick said. “Despite the busyness of the semester, they worked together ... ICC to offer four innovative scheduling options for fall With classes set to begin Aug. 17, Itawamba Community College is one of the only two-year institutions in the state to offer four innovative course schedule offerings for the fall semester. “In an effort to allow for physical distancing in the classrooms and assist with enhanced cleaning procedures, classes will be taught using one of the four instructional methods,” said Dr. Michelle Sumerel, vice president of instructional services. The offerings include face-to-face only, face-to-face hybrid, face-to-face Zoom and online only. These instructional methods ensure that all students who registered for a face-to-face class will have 50 percent or more of that class taught in that delivery system each week. Face-to-face only courses are delivered in a traditional format on Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays at all three of the College’s locations, Fulton, Tupelo and Belden. Sumerel said that all classrooms have been reconfigured with desks positioned six feet apart, and typically larger classes have been relocated to spaces that will accommodate more students to enable physical distancing. All face-to-face classes continue to be ... ICC team selected as finalist for 2021 Community College Innovation Challenge A team from Itawamba Community College has been selected as a finalist for the 2021 Community College Innovation challenge, which is sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Science Foundation. Members include Diana Salinas of Golden, Haley Dean, Abby Rinehart, both of Saltillo; and Emma Atkinson of Tupelo. The team mentor is Bradley Howard of Saltillo, Computer Science instructor and division chair. Howard said that this is the first time that ICC has reached finalist status. “These students have done an outstanding job on this project. They are all great examples of the high quality of students that we have at ICC.” As a finalist, the ICC team is required to attend the CCIC Boot Camp to be held virtually June 14-17. The camp is designed to provide a hands-on learning opportunity for the finalist teams to further develop their ideas with a focus on building innovation, entrepreneurship and strategic communication skills. Congressional members, community college leaders, STEM stakeholders, key congressional staff and other guests are invited to engage ... Comments are closed.