2014 - Page 13 of 25

Equipment Donation will Lead to Better-Prepared Grads

July 21, 2014/in Archive/by review

Thanks to the generosity of Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, MA, which recently donated a sophisticated piece of pulmonary testing equipment to Northern Essex Community College, graduates of Northern Essex’s Respiratory Care program will now be even better-prepared for careers in their fields.

Photos by Mike Dean www.mikedeanphotos.com

NECC Professor Chris Rowse (in white coat) demonstrates the college’s new body box for Gareth Morgan of Morgan Scientific (left) and Michael Cornelius, manager, noninvasive services, Merrimack Valley Hospital. NECC student Lenka Poliquin of Plaistow, NH is in the box.

The donation was facilitated by Morgan Scientific, a Haverhill-based company, which also provided resources to get the equipment up and running.

The plethysmograph or “body box” for short is housed in the college’s Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center, located at 414 Common Street in Lawrence.

The airtight Plexiglas box is the size of a small phone booth. When patients are seated in the box, it measures the volume and flow of air from their lungs, helping to differentiate and diagnose respiratory illnesses such as asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and others.

“Merrimack Valley Hospital is proud to make this donation. We have a strong relationship with Northern Essex Community College, which offers outstanding health and human services degree and certificate programs,” said Lester Schindel, president of Merrimack Valley Hospital. “This equipment will benefit students in the respiratory care program in particular, and that will better prepare them for employment in their field, including a community hospital like Merrimack Valley Hospital.”

Respiratory Care Professor Chris Rowse says that having familiarity with this equipment will benefit Northern Essex students. “This type of equipment is commonly seen in pulmonary function labs. Having this specialty training will make our graduates more desirable in the job market.”

Recently, when Merrimack Valley Hospital upgraded its pulmonary function testing equipment, Morgan Scientific, which distributes pulmonary function test software and hardware, suggested they donate it to the college. The value of the equipment is $30,000.

Northern Essex offers an Associate Degree in Respiratory Care. Respiratory therapists work closely with physicians and nurses to diagnose lung and breathing disorders, and evaluate and treat patients to help them recover lung function. The demand for health care jobs is continuing to grow, including jobs in respiratory care

For more information, visit the college’s website, necc.mass.edu.

For more information on donating to the college, contact Jean Poth, vice president of institutional advancement, jpoth@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3624.

Charter School Students Study STEM in NECC Labs

July 17, 2014/in Archive/by review

Jeremy Rizzo of Lawrence measures sugar during his summer enrichment experience at NECC.

Jeremy Rizzo, 11, carefully and deliberately measures sugar into a white, paper cup sitting on a digital scale in a science lab at Northern Essex Community College in Lawrence. He is creating a visual to see what 44 grams of carbohydrates look like. That is the exact amount of carbohydrates in the can of soda sitting in front of him.

Jeremy is one of 18 students from Lawrence’s Community Day Charter – Prospect School to participate in a nutrition class every Tuesday for four weeks in the Louise Haffner Fournier Amesbury Street lab. This is a partnership between NECC and the Charter School which does not have its own science labs.

The Charter School offers a one-month summer enrichment program focused on health and wellness which includes hand picking fresh fruit, creating healthy dishes with the fruit, practicing yoga, visiting the farmer’s market, and listening to the Lawrence General Hospital nutritionist talk about good nutrition.

NECC is offering the lab and supplies as part as its commitment to community outreach. CDC Prospect is funding the faculty. Northern Essex science professor Dr. Maria Carles says she tries to make the labs fun by using things the young

Pablo Arias and Abner Marte work together on a science experiment at NECC.

students can relate to like soda, juice, and candy bars. One week they examined the microbes in different yogurts. Another week they extracted the DNA from a strawberry and learned about GMOs verse organic. One week they will extract the iron from breakfast cereal using magnets.

“I find it interesting,” says Jeremy. “This has taught me things about the foods I eat.”

Both Northern Essex and the Charter School benefits from this partnership, says Martha Leavitt, director of the campus operations and procurement.

“This is a great use of this lab space which would otherwise be empty on a summer afternoon,” Leavitt says. “In addition to exposing them to STEM projects, it gives them exposure to the Northern Essex campus and what it has to offer.”

For additional information on community partnerships contact Dr.Noemi Custodia-Lora, Executive Director of NECC’s Lawrence campus and Community Relations at ncustodialora@necc.mass.edu

NECC Professor Will Share How to Travel Internationally on a Budget

July 17, 2014/in Archive/by review

Northern Essex Community College professor of Natural Sciences and International Studies coordinator, Marcy Yeager, who has traveled to far-flung locations around the globe, will share her travel trips at a free presentation at the Peabody Institute Library.

Titled “International Travel: Jet Setting 101: You can see the world on a budget!”, her presentation will be held on Monday, July 21 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Peabody Institute Library, 82 Main Street, Peabody.

Yeager believes that everyone can afford to travel, and she will share tips on how to see the most while spending the least.

Yeager celebrates her interest in the South American Rain Forest by teaching a course there every other year. She has also volunteered on a small farm/ecotourism center in Ecuador during the summer.

Recognizing the importance of international study and travel in today’s world, Northern Essex’s study abroad program allows students to experience another language and culture while taking courses that fit into their curricula. Past programs have included studies in England, France, Ecuador, Spain, and others. For students not able to dedicate an entire semester abroad, Northern Essex also offers a short-term travel study program with trips approximately 10 days in length.

This presentation is part of the college’s speakers’ bureau which provides speakers free of charge to area nonprofits.

For more information visit the website https://www.necc.mass.edu/community-engagement/speakers-bureau/ or contact Ernie Greenslade, Marketing Communications, 978 556-3862 or egreenslade@necc.mass.edu.

For more information on the presentation contact Kelley Rae Unger at the library, at 978-531-0100 or unger@noblenet.org

College Activities Part of NECC Experience for Single Mom

July 15, 2014/in Archive/by review

NECC Early Childhood Education student Maeve Hurley

As a working single mom, getting a quality college education is important to Maeve Hurley, and being involved with college activities is a valuable part of that college experience.

A 2010 graduate of Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, New Hampshire, Maeve played sports when she was there and she is pleased that she can continue her involvement at NECC.

Maeve has participated in the President’s Running Club and NECC intramurals,
including floor hockey, kickball, and football. She also plays basketball at the open gym every Tuesday, and is hoping to play softball in the spring when the college starts a new women’s softball team.

“The more you are involved with sports and clubs, the more you notice you have better time management skills. The more involved you are, the more organized you are,” says Maeve.

An Early Childhood Education major, Maeve balances caring for her two-year-old son with attending college and working as a waitress four to five nights a week. She says juggling her schedule is hard, but help from her family and friends makes it possible.

Maeve credits NECC with helping her to achieve her educational goals. “NECC has definitely helped me get the education I need at an affordable cost. I like how everything is accessible for commuters. The libraries and computer labs are open during hours that work for people with all different schedules, and they have everything you need to get your work done,” Maeve adds.

Ultimately, Maeve wants to work as a teacher. “I want to make something of my life to provide for my son. He has shown me what is important, and education is a big part of succeeding in life. I want to show him if I can do it, he can do it, and anyone can do it,” says Maeve.

“Rat Pack is Back” Tickets Selling Fast

July 14, 2014/in Archive/by review

“The Rat Pack is Back” tribute band will perform Sept. 20 at the Collins Center in Andover during the signature fundraising event for the NECC Foundation.

With more than half the tickets to “The Rat Pack is Back” already sold, Northern Essex Community College has begun its final ticket promotion. Don’t miss the music and feel of old Las Vegas when this Rat Pack nostalgia group performs at the Collins Center for the Performing Arts at Andover High School in Andover on Saturday, Sept. 20. This is the 10th annual signature event of the Northern Essex Community College Foundation, Inc., the Women of NECC, and the NECC Alumni Association. Proceeds from this event benefit NECC’s Endowment Fund.

The award-winning tribute show, featuring four talented singers, is a nod to the popular Las Vegas lounge act of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, and Sammy Davis Jr. The touring tribute show begins at 6:30 p.m. and offers nearly two hours of old ballads.

Tickets are $39 each and can be purchased through www.mvarts.info or by contacting Lori Smerdon in Institutional Advancement at lsmerdon@necc.mass.edu or calling the events line at 978-556-3870. Groups of 20 or more will receive a discounted ticket price of $29. All tickets must be purchased as a group.

The lead sponsors for this event are Merrimack Valley Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, both Steward Health Care Institutions.

For more information or to request communication access, visit www.necc.mass.edu/signature-event.

For additional information on the band, visit www.ratpackisback.com

Follow this event on Twitter at #neccRatPack.

Discounts are available for students and groups.

Two Professors Receive Award for Online Courses

July 14, 2014/in Archive/by Alexis Fontaine

Two NECC Professors, Jody Carson (left) and Jill Becker, received Course of Distinction Awards from Massachusetts Colleges Online.

Two Northern Essex Community College faculty members, Jody Carson of Hampton, NH, and Jill Becker of Andover, are the recipients of the Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) Course of Distinction (COD) Award given to state faculty who have developed and teach innovative online and blended courses that are representative of the best uses of eLearning instructional tools to enhance student success.

The awards were presented during Mass College Online’s 10th annual conference on elearning at Bridgewater State College, which was held in June. Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) is a consortium of the 15 community colleges and 9 state colleges of Massachusetts. The institutions have joined to share their convenient and flexible online courses and programs with students throughout the state and beyond.

An assistant professor in Northern Essex’s Early Childhood Education Program, Carson was recognized for “Child Care Administration”, a course which is designed for students who want to be child care directors or lead teachers. The fully online course covers leadership styles, financial management, personal management, licensing regulations, and state and national day care legislation. Her course was selected for the award based on the multitude of tools she uses for enhancing the group learning experience. Carson will be offering this course again this fall.

She is an assistant professor in NECC’s early childhood education program. She has been teaching at NECC since 2007. She has been teaching an NECC online course since 2008. In addition, Carson has 12 years of additional experience in the field from classroom teaching to training adult educators. She holds an Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education from NECC, a Bachelor of Arts on Human Development from Lesley University and a Master of Education in Child Development from Southern New Hampshire University.

Becker’s hybrid/blended iHealth nursing course “Professionals Issues in Nursing” which provides students in the licensed practical nurse advanced placement cohort the opportunity to critically examine contemporary issues and trends in nursing practice as they transition into the professional registered nurse role.

Topics in this nursing class include legal responsibilities, ethical decision making, and political forces affecting the practice of nursing. Students are asked to choose a health care issue or topic that is meaningful to them and reach out to elected officials. In a sense, the students control the focus of the class through participatory learning. By having most of the theory presented online, students have the opportunity to reflect on the content and make connections between online and face-to-face time leading to more spirited discussions both online and during class. The hybrid environment increases both student and instructor engagement, making this an exemplary course.

She has taught nursing at NECC since 2002. Prior to that, she taught as an adjunct at the University of Cincinnati, Simmons College, Xavier University, and Raymond Walters College. She has also worked at North Shore Medical Center and Eliot Hospital as nurse educator. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Iowa, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati, Legal Nurse Consultant from Northeastern University, Doctor of Nursing Practice from Northeastern University and a Certified Nurse Educator awarded by the National League for Nursing (NLN).

Northern Essex offers dozens of online courses, web enhanced courses, and hybrid courses each semester. More than 20 degree and certificates are now offered exclusively online or 80% online. These programs include business management, criminal justice, liberal arts, computer and information sciences, and sleep technology.

Here are NECC’s online course and program offerings.

NECC Professor to Present on Serendipity in Science

July 10, 2014/in Archive/by review

Professor Mike Cross

Mike Cross, professor of chemistry at Northern Essex Community College, will give a presentation titled “Serendipity in Science” at the Hampstead Public Library, 9 Mary E. Clark Drive, Hampstead, NH on Monday, July 14 at 7p.m.

Free and open to the public, this presentation will discuss how some of the most incredible breakthroughs in science were accidental. Cross will discuss the invention of penicillin, Silly Putty, NutraSweet, and more, as well as how the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for something that most created in kindergarten.

Cross holds a Ph.D in organic chemistry from the University of Utah where he specialized in oxidative lesions in DNA and RNA.

This presentation is made possible through the Northern Essex Community College Speakers Bureau. For more information on the speakers’ bureau, visit the college’s website www.necc.mass.edu or contact Ernie Greenslade, director of public relations, at 978-556-3862 or egreenslade@necc.mass.edu

For more information on this presentation, contact Janet Arden at the library, jarden@hampstead.lib.nh.us or 603-329-6411.

NECC Professor to Present on The Amazon Basin

July 10, 2014/in Archive/by review

Dr. Ken Thomas, professor of biology at Northern Essex Community College, will give a presentation titled “Jungle Talk—The Amazon Basin” at the South Branch of the Peabody Institute Library, 78 Lynn St, Peabody, on Tuesday, July 15 at 10:30 a.m.

Free and open to the public, this program is suitable for ages 7 & up. Thomas will explore the Amazon Basin in South America and share how it is like a huge bowl that collects water and sends it thousands of miles to the Atlantic. He will also talk about his time spent in Rio Napa, a tributary in Ecuador including photographs of animals and plants that thrive in the area.

Dr. Kenneth Thomas, professor of biology at Northern Essex Community College, earned his Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from NECC, a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from UMass Lowell, and a Master’s of Science in Zoology and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Rhode Island.

Prior to teaching at NECC he taught for eight years at Hillsborough Community College in Florida.

His special interests include marine biology, student travel, science literacy, sailing, kayaking, and canoeing.

This presentation is made possible through the Northern Essex Community College Speakers Bureau. For more information on the speakers’ bureau, visit the college’s website www.necc.mass.edu or contact Ernie Greenslade, director of public relations, at 978-556-3862 or egreenslade@necc.mass.edu

For more information on this presentation, contact Alysa Hayden at the library, hayden@noblenet.org or 978-531-3380.

NECC Professor Receives Lawrence YWCA Honor

July 8, 2014/in Archive/by review

NECC Criminal Justice Professor Magdalena Suarez-Shannon.

Northern Essex Community College Criminal Justice professor Magdalena Suarez-Shannon of Portsmouth, NH, was one of 23 women to be honored during the 31^st Lawrence YWCA’s Tribute to Women.

The awards luncheon was held at the Andover Country Club.

Suarez-Shannon is an associate professor of Criminal Justice at NECC and the Criminal Justice Club coordinator. Her Latina culture and immigrant experience, having fled Havana, Cuba for the United States at a young age, gives Suarez-Shannon a deep insight into the lives of many of her students.

As coordinator of the Criminal Justice Club, Suarez-Shannon brings high level speakers to her students. She makes it a priority to introduce the students in the club to the social justice community in Lawrence by hosting monthly club meetings at which she brings in community leaders in this field to discuss employment opportunities and relevant issues in the field, and to connect NECC students with practitioners who can help mentor them.

On campus, Suarez-Shannon co-chairs NECC’s Culture & Equity Committee, which works towards helping to increase the diversity of staff and faculty on campus and to raise cultural awareness for current staff and faculty, all to benefit NECC students and campus life. Over the past two years, she has also served on several of the college’s Strategic Planning Committees.

Former Senator Susan Tucker served as honorary Chair of the event, noting the Honorees are now among a group of more than 800 women who have been so honored over the past 31 years.

Former YWCA Executive Director Rebecca A. Hall said, “I have been attending this event for 22 years, and I never cease to be humbled and amazed by the accomplishments of the women honored. This year’s Tribute Honorees are beyond inspirational.” Tribute also serves as our major fundraiser, supporting more than 21 programs for women, children and families. “Tribute really speaks to our mission of empowering women,” said Hall.

For 31 years the YWCA’s Tribute to Women luncheon has honored women who live and work in Greater Lawrence and who have made a difference in the workplace and in the community.

Suarez-Shannon holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, master’s degree from Harvard University, and a juris doctorate from Suffolk University.

NECC offers both an associate degree in criminal justice and a certificate in law enforcement.

NECC Observer Receives Award

July 8, 2014/in Archive/by review

The staff of the award winning NECC Observer include from left to right: Faith Gregory, arts and entertainment editor of Merrimac; Thomas Shamma, copy editor of Salem, NH; Everson Taveras, features editor, of Haverhill; Matt Gingras, editor-in-chief of Amesbury; Chad Gorham, news editor, of Newbury; Christina Hillner, staff writer, of Dracut; Ashlee Ferrante, opinions editor, of Methuen.

Northern Essex Community College’s student operated newspaper The Observer, recently received Gold Awards from Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for both the spring and fall semesters of 2013.

Matt Gingras of Amesbury served as editor-in-chief during those two semesters.

“We were really pleased to receive this award,” says Gingras. “The paper received a silver award last year, so it was nice to receive the gold.”

Founded in 1925, the CSPA unites student editors and faculty advisers working with them to produce student newspapers, magazines, yearbooks and online media. CSPA is owned by Columbia University and operated as a program affiliated with its Graduate School of Journalism.

The NECC Observer is an award-winning newspaper published by NECC journalism students. The Observer is published twice monthly during the academic year.

The NECC Observer staff works to inform the college community, including students, faculty, and staff. The Observer also serves as a public forum for the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses and accepts letters and guest columns from the college community.

The NECC Observer is funded by the college’s Academic Affairs division, and the newspaper staff receives its training in the college’s Journalism/Communication Program. Professor Mary Jo Shafer, an instructor in the Communication Arts Department, serves as faculty adviser to the newspaper.

The Observer is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the New England Press Association.

NECC offers associate degrees in liberal arts: journalism/communication and liberal arts: writing. Journalism/communication is ideal for individuals who like to write, have a curious nature, and would like to work in an exciting, fast-paced field.