24 September ICC STEM project receives MentorLink grant September 24, 2021 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 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. The grant will enable ICC to utilize a mentor in establishing an Introduction to STEM Professions course, a STEM Club and a STEM Week. The two-hour course will explore opportunities and challenges in fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, information systems programming, information systems networking, mathematics, advanced manufacturing, industrial maintenance, industrial electricity, robotics and automation and welding. It will also explore conceptual tools used by scientists and engineering, describe STEM professions and professional challenges, explore basic concepts associated with various STEM professions and provide hands-on experience and practice from multidisciplinary fields. “One of the key goals of the course is to give students interested in STEM an opportunity to see the academic perspective of STEM as well as the career education perspective,” said Bradley Howard, project director and computer science division chair. “In addition, the mentor will serve as a sounding board for the best way to implement and utilize the course, club and week to recruit students for these related programs. For example, a student may have an interest in engineering, but may be completely unaware that Precision Manufacturing and Machining is engineering and is an excellent career opportunity in the area.” The STEM Club, which will alternate meeting locations in Fulton, Tupelo and Belden, will connect students with an interest in STEM-related fields and will provide an opportunity for them to attend STEM-related forums, network with other students in similar fields of study, meet representatives from universities and local companies and discover and engage in new technology and community service, Howard said. Each year, the STEM Week will be dedicated to introducing and recruiting students to ICC’s academic and career education STEM-related fields. Each day will showcase a different career opportunity and will include speakers, industry partners and college recruiters. Field activities will spark interest in STEM. The goal of the three components, all of which will begin in the fall of 2022, will be to foster enrollment and recruitment into STEM-related programs, increase the number of graduates in STEM fields and career education programs as well as to facilitate student transfer into STEM field, Howard said. “Thank you for providing leadership and vision to invest in STEM technician education and to commit to a mentoring relationship,” said Ellen M. Hause, AACC Program Director for Academic and Student Affairs, in a notification letter. “The work of the MentorLinks project will benefit all AACC members. We anticipate that this will be a high-profile program. Key factors for success will be strong team building, shared resources, effective partnerships and good communication among colleges and with AACC. We look forward to working with Itawamba Community College on this important program.” In addition to Howard, the Project Advisory team includes Dr. Jada Mills, natural science division chair and Heather McCormick, mathematics division chair, who co-authored the grant proposal; and Bryan Hawkins, president of Hawkeye Industries. Dr. Michelle Sumerel, vice president of instructional services, will oversee the project, and Barry Emison, vice president of career and workforce education, will assist in coordination with promotion of the STEM career education programs. Related Articles ICC's PTK Upsilon Sigma Chapter receives grant for Honors in Action project Itawamba Community College’s Upsilon Sigma Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa has received a grant to enhance its 2021 Honors in Action project. Phi Theta Kappa and the Mellon Foundation teamed up to fund the grants. According to Susan Edwards, associate vice president of honors programming and undergraduate research for PTK, the award was based on the chapter’s “strong application. “We are proud of the work you do at your college and in your community with your participation in a robust Honors in Action project.” The project focuses on the fluctuation of natural constructed environments and how an intentional interaction can affect our legacy, according to Robin Lowe of Amory, contact adviser for the Upsilon Sigma Chapter. The research question is “How can we promote ecotourism both locally and globally to leave a legacy for future generations?” Lowe said that the project will focus specifically on discovery of the effects of ecotourism both on campus and in the college community. “Our intended goals are to promote our natural resource areas on (the Fulton) ... ICC School of STEM receives $15,000 contribution from TVA 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 ... ICC's Fleming-Parker receives bicycle helmet grant to benefit child care centers Children in Itawamba Community College’s Child Care centers will benefit from the care and concern of Associate Degree Nursing instructor Dr. Mary Ann Fleming-Parker of Tupelo. This summer, Fleming-Parker applied for and received a Prevention and Education grant through the Traumatic Brain Injury/Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund, through which 75 bicycle helmets were provided for the child care participants at the college. ICC Associate Degree Nursing program director Dr. Dana Walker said that as part of their coursework, sophomore students in the Family Centered Nursing Care course develop and present health promotion teaching projects to children at the Child Development Centers at both the Fulton and Tupelo campuses. The students have been at the CDCs on both campuses most Tuesdays and Thursdays since Sept. 1 to assist with temperature checks and hand washing as students arrive and then present a variety of health promotion projects, Fleming-Parker said. They will continue through Nov. 3. Fleming-Parker’s students presented the helmets Tuesday to ... 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 Beta Tau Sigma chapter of Phi Theta Kappa receives Honors in Action grant Itawamba Community College’s Beta Tau Sigma Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa has received a $1,000 Honors in Action grant to enhance its 2024 Honors in Action project, according to a recent announcement by the honor society. Adviser Jenny Bowers said that the chapter is researching Native American stories, specifically the Chickasaw story of Itawamba, and a tentative title is ‘Native American Folklore.’ The multilevel endeavor includes a presentation at ICC on Nov. 6, which the chapter hopes to repeat at the Natchez Trace Visitor’s Center, and construction of a story tree for the events that they plan to donate to the Lee County Library at the project’s conclusion. Other components include a children’s book about Itawamba for ICC’s Early Learning Center students. The grant will cover materials for the tree, honoraria for speakers and additional supplies needed for the presentation or book. “We are excited to be among the select few Mississippi/Louisiana PTK chapters that received the grant,” Bowers said. “We so appreciate your willingness to go above and beyond with your Phi Theta Kappa engagement to apply ... ICC, one of two in Mississippi, receives Metallica's All Within My Hands grant All Within My Hands, the nonprofit, philanthropic organization created by the members and management of Metallica, has announced the largest expansion of its Metallica Scholars Initiative and its largest grant to date. With the launch of year six, 18 new colleges join the roster of existing MSI community colleges. The Metallica Scholars Initiative now has a presence in 60 colleges across all 50 United States and the territory of Guam. Itawamba Community College, which is in year two, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College represent Mississippi. ICC’s $50,000 grant will focus on recruiting underserved populations to enable individuals to attain job skills and opportunities to equip them for employment to better position them for success and a better future. “It is a tremendous honor for Itawamba Community College to be selected as one of the continuing recipients of the prestigious All Within My Hands grant, which will significantly impact our career education programs and the lives of those who will receive scholarships to pursue a pathway and their best start,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “It is another indication of ... Comments are closed.