6 March ICC School of STEM receives $15,000 contribution from TVA March 6, 2024 By Thomas, Donna S. Career Center, General 0 Itawamba Community College’s School of STEM will benefit from a $15,000 contribution from the Tennessee Valley Authority. “Because of TVA’s generosity, ICC’s students, who are majoring in STEM-related areas, can experience a weather balloon experiment and a mobile planetarium, both significant additions to our curriculum and opportunities that will enhance learning,” said Dr. Jada Mills, Natural Science division chair and one of three lead contacts for the School of STEM. “Our mission at TVA is to improve the lives of those in our region,” said Carolyn Ward, Community Relations specialist. “One of the ways we are able to make an impact is funding contributions through our partnership with Tombigbee Electric Power Association, and we are incredibly thankful for their support. We know that STEM learning prepares students to be the workforce of tomorrow – preparing them for steady, good-paying careers that will see them through a lifetime of prosperity right here in Mississippi. I am proud that TVA played a role in bringing STEM exposure to Itawamba Community College, which will help to create a powerful workforce in the future.” The Weather Balloon Research Opportunity will be connected with Mills’ Special Topics in Biology course, and the students will learn how to conduct research. “We hope to have a community event later this spring for final launch as well as another opportunity so STEM students can present their research to others,” Mills said. The project includes general information about weather balloons, determining the purpose of the experiment, deploying the weather balloon at the Fulton Campus and collection and analysis of data. Mills said that the planetarium STEM opportunity will include STEM Week; afternoon planetarium sessions rotating at all ICC locations, including Fulton, Tupelo and Belden; STEM camp and a recruiting tool for the School of STEM. “We hope to host community STEM events and allow our STEM students to volunteer, narrate and be part of this exhibit,” Mills said. “A large part is sparking an interest in STEM at all age levels.” Currently, STEM at ICC includes the School of STEM, STEM Club and experiential learning, Mills noted. “Tombigbee for 90 years has been proud to work to better our region and the lives of our members,” said Scott Hendrix, chief executive officer for Tombigbee Electric Power Association. “Certainly, to foster educational opportunities in conjunction with TVA and ICC is a large part of that mission. We hope with grants such as this to enrich the lives of our students and give them science and technology opportunities ultimately encouraging them to stay in our region.” “Itawamba Community College is extremely grateful to the Tennessee Valley Authority and Tombigbee Electric Power Association for this significant contribution that will make a difference in the lives of many of our students who are now able to explore STEM areas and are now seeing evidence of its translation into more majors and more graduates in these fields,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “It will be exciting to see the integration of a weather balloon and planetarium into STEM instruction and activities.” In September 2021, ICC was selected as one of the winning colleges in the American Association of Community Colleges’ MentorLinks: Advancing Technological Education program, which was the catalyst for beginning STEM activities including utilization of a mentor in establishing an Introduction to STEM Professions course, a STEM Club and STEM Week. Related Articles ICC School of STEM, Trading Post to benefit from $20,000 TVA contribution Itawamba Community College’s School of STEM and its Trading Post will benefit from a recent $20,000 contribution from the Tennessee Valley Authority. “The School of STEM is very excited about the TVA donation,” said Heather McCormick, Mathematics Division chair and STEM lead. “Through field trips, student research and special speakers, this donation will support our study of clean water and energy as we explore conservation in our area and encourage our community to be good stewards of our natural resources.” “TVA is proud to support both the Itawamba Community College School of STEM and the Trading Post,” said Amy Tate, regional executive for the Southwest Region of TVA. “This investment in the future workforce is invaluable, and we are incredibly grateful to partner with ICC in preparing our students for future job opportunities and success right here in Mississippi.” The School of STEM will use its gift to support students through a variety of activities such as field trips, speakers, research and campus/location projects and STEM student support. ICC’s School of STEM includes programs for Science, Technology, Engineering and ... ICC STEM project receives MentorLink grant Itawamba Community College has been selected as one of the winning colleges in the American Association of Community College’s MentorLinks: Advancing Technological Education program. Part of a national initiative supported by the National Science Foundation, the MentorLinks is an AACC member benefit. “Itawamba Community College is extremely grateful to the AACC for the opportunity and awarding of this significant grant that will make a difference in the lives of many of our students who soon will be able to explore STEM areas,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “We expect this interest to translate into more majors and ultimately more graduates in these fields.” The goals for ICC’s project, entitled Full STEM Ahead: Promoting Pathways in STEM, include increase enrollment and retention in STEM courses and career education programs, increase the number of graduates in STEM fields and career education programs and to facilitate student transfer in STEM fields. The two-year $20,000 grant for the period of October 1, 2021-November 30, 2023 will include salaries, benefits, travel, materials or resources and equipment. ... ICC's Haley Dean receives TVA STEM Scholarship Haley Dean of Saltillo, recent graduate of Itawamba Community College, is the recipient of one of two STEM scholarships from the Tennessee Valley Authority and Phi Theta Kappa, a $2,250 award. This scholarship is awarded to Phi Theta Kappa members in Mississippi who plan to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). The students were selected based on academic achievement, leadership, campus and community service and faculty assessments. “We are very grateful to TVA for recognizing the academic achievements of our STEM members and providing them with mentoring that will further enrich their lives,” said Dr. Monica Marlowe, executive director of the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. “We are excited to see the impact this program will have on enabling students to pursue their careers in STEM fields.” Dean majored in mechanical engineering at ICC, where she was the vice president of scholarship for the Phi Theta Kappa Upsilon Sigma Chapter; member of the Honors College, Baptist Student Union, Science Club and Indian Delegation; president of the Student Government Association and a previous Orientation Leader. Dean was ... ICC's Health Sciences Division to host Code Blue and Red event for students from 12 area schools Itawamba Community College’s Health Sciences Division will host a Code Blue and Red event from 8:30 a.m.-noon, Feb. 10, in the Health Science Education Center at the Tupelo Campus. Students from 12 area schools will be on campus in two shifts (8:30 and 10:15 a.m.) to view simulations of three real-life scenarios, said Michael Holloway, director of recruitment and orientation. A North Mississippi Medical Center ambulance will arrive, and the students will see first-hand the need for and the role healthcare professionals play in the process. “It will be an impactful program,” Holloway said, “Our hope is that these students see the ‘real-life’ expertise used by the graduates of ICC’s programs.” Participating programs include students and faculty from Associate Degree Nursing, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Emergency Medical Sciences, Health Information, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Practical Nursing, Public Health, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care and Surgical Technology. Dean of Health Science Instruction Tonya Vaughn said that this event will be an exceptional interprofessional education opportunity. “IEP is a new emphasis area in healthcare education. The goal of these efforts is to develop knowledge, ... Nine graduate from ICC's prestigious Leadership Development Institute Nine members of Itawamba Community College’s faculty and staff have graduated from its prestigious Leadership Development Institute. They include C.J. Adams of Fulton, assistant director of marketing; Terry Bland of Mooreville, financial aid director; Josh Gammill of Fulton, continuing education director; Adam Gore of Fulton, sports information and media relations director; Holly Gray of Fulton, library director; John Wayne Harris of Fulton, director of physical plant operations; Chris Stevenson of Fulton, dean of academic instruction; Dr. Dana Walker of Tupelo, Associate Degree Nursing program director; and Steven West of Mantachie, systems analyst and programmer. “The LDI was extremely beneficial and helped me broaden my vision for ICC, both as a college and our nursing program,” Dana Walker said. “The sessions on leadership styles from Dr. (Jay) Allen (ICC President) and others helped foster new ideas on how to use the college’s strategic plan and goals for decision making at my level. The LDI motivated me and made me feel connected to ICC and especially aware of how my decisions impact ICC and the ... Itawamba Community College receives $100,000 and joins 41 other schools across the US as All Within My Hands' Metallica Scholars Initiative expands in year five Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands, continues its multimillion-dollar investment in critical workforce programs at community colleges nationwide. Among the schools, Itawamba Community College was selected from a competitive pool of applicants to receive $100,000 to transform the futures of students in the community. “It is a tremendous honor for Itawamba Community College to be selected as one of the recipients of the prestigious All Within My Hands grant, which will significantly impact our career education programs, providing funding for students to pursue a pathway and their best start,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “It is another indication of the success of the College and reinforcement of the mission that students and their success are our top priority.” The Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI) was launched in 2019 by Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands (AWMH), in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The workforce initiative marks its fifth year with an ambitious expansion into new curricula. MSI now directly supports 42 community colleges across 33 states, and by the end of this year, it will have helped ... Comments are closed.