Immersion author Sy Montgomery will be the next speaker in the NECC STEM Speaker’s Series. She will discuss her new book “The Soul of an Octopus”.

Five years ago, author Sy Montgomery met Athena, a giant Pacific octopus at the New England Aquarium. It changed the New Hampshire resident’s life and resulted in her most recent book, “The Soul of an Octopus,” which she will discuss during Northern Essex Community College’s STEM Speaker’s Series lecture on Wednesday, April 6, at noon in lecture hall E155 on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

Her 60-minute presentation, followed by a question and answer period and book signing,  is the second lecture in NECC’s newly created STEM Speaker’s Series designed to introduce a wide range of STEM topics to the general public. It is funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education’s STEM Starter Academy, which is an initiative of the 15 Massachusetts community colleges to inform, engage, recruit, retain, and graduate more students in science, technology, engineering, and math, through STEM Pathway programs leading to job placement or transfer to university STEM programs.

This event is free and open to the public.

The American Library Association has chosen “The Soul of an Octopus” as one of its 25 Notable Books for 2016.

Montgomery is a naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and author of 20 acclaimed books of nonfiction for adults and children, including the “The Good Good Pig:  The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood,” her memoir of her life with her pet pig. The book was a national bestseller.

The recipient of numerous honors, including lifetime achievement awards from the Humane Society and the New England Booksellers Association, Montgomery lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Border Collie, and flock of chickens.

Montgomery is a self-described, immersion journalist who has been chased by a giant silverback gorilla in Zaire, bitten by a vampire bat in Costa Rica, worked in a pit crawling with 18,000 snakes in Manitoba and handled a wild tarantula in French Guiana, in her quest to learn the real story of how these creatures live.

After a 2011 Orion magazine piece, “Deep Intellect,” about the sensitive, sweet-natured giant Pacific octopus at the New England Aquarium went viral, Montgomery knew she had her next book idea. In “The Soul of an Octopus,” she chronicles a growing scientific appreciation of the octopus’s intelligence, personality and memory. She also tells a love story about coming to know a complex and spirited creature.

In anticipation of Montgomery’s visit and lecture, Northern Essex will hold a book club event to discuss “The Soul of an Octopus” prior to her visit. For details regarding the book club event or the lecture, contact Carolyn Knoepfler, PhD, NECC’s assistant dean of math and science at 978-556-3541 or cknoepfler@necc.mass.edu

For additional information on Sy Montgomery visit her website.

Adults 50 and older are invited to attend the College of Older Learners (CoOL) spring seminar showcase on Tuesday, March 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. The event will take place in room 103B of the David Hartleb Technology Center on Northern Essex Community College’s Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott Street. It is free and open to the public.

CoOL is an NECC-based seminar series designed for individuals over the age of 50 who have a love of learning and a desire to challenge their intellects. At the showcase, attendees will learn more about the seminars and meet the instructors.

Ranging from science to film, the seminar topics for the spring include “Yoga/Meditation,” “Gems: Nature’s Mysterious Gifts,” “The Middle East – A Primer,” “Beginning Tai-Chi Chuan,” “Haverhill: Past, Present and Future,” and more. Please view the full list of available courses through the CoOL seminar website.

All seminars meet on a designated week-day for six consecutive weeks, unless otherwise noted, at the Haverhill campus, NECC Riverwalk, or off-campus. The cost for each course is $30.

For additional information, please contact CoOL at coolnecc@gmail.com or Ted Coughlin at tedcoughlin@verizon.net.

Upon enrolling, participants must obtain a campus parking permit from Christine DeRosa at cderosa@necc.mass.edu or 978-659-1225.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  More than 7,400 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 6,700 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

Allison Andrukaitis of Andover is a recent graduate of NECC’s Medical Laboratory Technology Program, which will be featured in NECC’s March Health & Wellness Fair.

At Northern Essex Community College’s Health & Wellness Fair on Monday, March 28, you can learn about the college’s more than two dozen health care programs and get answers to health topics, such as sleeplessness, dealing with stress, and the benefits of reiki healing techniques.

Free and open to the public, the fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon in the lobby of the Spurk Building on the college’s Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott St.

Everyone attending is eligible for free raffles and free chair massages will be available 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Student and faculty representatives from NECC health programs, including iHealth@NECC, will be available to discuss the value of each academic health program as well as health issues related to that program’s topic.

“This fair is open to anyone who may be considering a career in health care as well as anyone with an interest in medical topics,” said Linda Comeau, assistant director of iHealth@NECC.

For additional information contact Linda Comeau at lcomeau@necc.mass.edu

Northern Essex offers associate degrees in General Studies: Movement Science Option, Nursing (ADN), Nursing Advanced Placement: LPN to RN, Paramedic (EMT-P) Technology, Radiologic Technology, and Respiratory Care; certificates in Computed Tomography, Dental Assisting, Medical Assistant, Paramedic (EMT-P) Technology, Practical Nursing (PN), and Sleep Technologist; and a course in EMT-Basic.

Through iHealth@NECC associate degrees are offered in Business Management: Healthcare Practice, General Studies: Health Specialization, Health Information Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Nursing Advanced Placement: LPN to RN. Certificates are offered in Community Health Worker, Electronic Health Record Specialist, Healthcare Technician, Medical Assistant – Evening Program, Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Medical Office Assistant, and Ophthalmic Assistant.

All programs will be represented at the Health & Wellness Fair, except for nursing and paramedic technology.

For more information, visit the website www.necc.mass.edu/health

Study abroad student checking out the vegetation

At Northern Essex Community College learning takes place in many different settings. Sometimes it’s in the traditional brick-and mortar classroom, where whiteboards, desks, and books provide the tools for learning. Other times, and increasingly, it’s in the heart of the Andes, by the doors of ancient cathedrals, or high above the bustle of London streets – and it’s all thanks to the study abroad program.

Over the course of the past few years, NECC has enhanced its study abroad program to increase the short-term trips, which now run twice a year. All trips are approximately 10 days and count as program electives.

Recent trips have included Ecuador, England, Turkey, and Belize, with each country offering students a unique perspective on a specified topic. In Ecuador, for instance, students learned about the diverse makeup of South American subtropical ecosystems, exploring the hot springs at Termas Papallacta, the Napo River, and the slopes of Cotopaxi (one of the world’s tallest active volcanoes) in the process.

Study abroad students exploring the countryside

Such trips were made possible largely through the support of the NECC Foundation, Inc., which provides financial support to the college.

“The college support has allowed us to create new programs and continue to offer them at the lowest possible price, regardless of location or rising costs internationally,” says Marcy Yeager, executive director, Quarrybrook Outdoor Learning Center and NECC’s international programing. The affordable cost, coupled with the increase in shorter-term study abroad courses, has enabled a greater number of students to participate in the program college-wide.

The importance of international programs has become a growing topic of interest on the national stage. At a December 2014 Study Abroad and Global Citizenship Summit at the White House, research was cited that stated that students who take part in such programs are more likely to graduate on time, learn a second language, and develop multicultural awareness. Such research has helped boost the prospects for NECC’s own program.

“The national excitement for international programs has helped drive our growth, specifically through the increased aid offered,” adds Yeager.

But this news, she adds, is nothing new to NECC’s dedicated study abroad faculty. “They have known all along that these experiences are transformative. When the students return home they have a new drive!”

For more information on NECC study abroad opportunities, visit the website or contact the NECC Office for International Studies at studyabroad@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3332.