Untitled - Montgomery College

Celebrating Students and Alumni
Shehzad Ahmed, Cathy Baker, and Ismael Barry—three Renaissance Scholars—were invited by the
United Nations Association of the National Capital Area to participate in the Maryland InterGenerational Consultation on United Nations Development Goals held on November 11.
Recommendations from the meeting are submitted to the Secretary General of the United Nations for
consideration in the 2015–2030 Development Goals. Montgomery College was the only two-year college
represented.
The Germantown Student Art League completed a public art project, Sidewalk Chalk Masterpieces, along
the pathway to the HT Building.
Four students from the STEM ED Community club volunteered at Frontiers in Science and Medicine Day
held in late October at Johns Hopkins University, Shady Grove Campus. They conducted hands-on
demonstrations. Dr. Virginia Miller and Nevart Tahmazian, professors of chemistry, also participated.
On November 12, students from the Macklin Business Institute (MBI) programs visited Nasdaq and
Aronson in Rockville to learn more about these companies’ operations and career opportunities. Both
Nasdaq and Aronson are generous scholarship donors for the MBI program.
A drawing by student Katerina Oberg was chosen for the Third International Exhibition of Contemporary
Islamic Art at the LuminArte Gallery in Dallas. Ms. Oberg attended the opening reception for the
exhibition.
Montgomery College students participated in the National Model United Nations Conference held at the
Osgood Center for international Studies. Dr. Nathan Zook, professor of political science, organized and
trained each delegation. The 11 students representing Montgomery College received an honorable
mention award as the delegation of Argentina, placing them in the top third of delegations at the event.
Work by Carol Moore was selected for the Winterglow exhibition at the Art League of Germantown in
November. Ms. Moore is a student of John Carr, professor of art.
Photography students Addisu Asres, Denise Canton, Melanie Diaz, Elli Herandez, Romario Lamont, Flor
Paz, and Lena Tzamaras were selected to participate in Visionaries, a FotoWeek DC exhibition at the
University of the District of Columbia in November. Alexandra Silverthorne, professor of art, coordinated
student entries to the exhibition.
Strut Yer Stuff, a sculpture by alumnus Paul Steinkoenig, was installed at The Residencies at Thayer
Avenue in Silver Spring. The installation represents a community art partnership initiated by Lincoln
Mudd, professor and chair of the visual arts department on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus.
The Montgomery College men’s soccer team won the DIII NJCAA Region XX Soccer Tournament for the
third year in a row.
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Celebrating Faculty, Staff, and Administrators
Conference Presentations/Invitations and Special Speaking Engagements
David Vargas, professor of cybersecurity, gave presentations at two conferences this fall. At the Viral
Bulletin Conference, he spoke about anonymous browsing. At the Information Systems Audit and
Control Association (ISACA) conference, he spoke about citizen hacker armies.
Several faculty members were presenters at the Two-Year College English Association northeast
conference:
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Dr. Leah Allen, professor of biology, gave a presentation about how to engage students with
mobile technology. She had two co-presenters: Gloria Barron, instructional designer in the
Office of E-learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence; and Dr. Mary Robinson, professor of
reading.
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Alejandro Leopard, professor of English, gave a presentation about critical thinking.
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Robert Giron and Joan Naake, professors of English, discussed globalizing the Introduction to
Literature course.
Professor Naake also spoke at the Association of American Colleges and Universities conference on
global learning. She was joined by Carla Naranjo, professor of Spanish.
Dr. David Bergtold, manager of the Math Accounting Physics Engineering Learning (MAPEL) Center,
gave a talk to the S-STEM scholars about his path leading up to and including his PhD research program.
Dr. Bergtold also joined Darren Smith, professor of math, and student, Nirja Dave, to present a
workshop titled Change Your Math Attitude, sponsored by the math department, the Office of Student
Life, the First Year Experience and MAPEL Center.
Dr. Judy Ackerman, vice president and provost for the Rockville Campus, presented at the American
Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges. She talked about careers in academia.
Genevieve Carminati, professor of English and coordinator of the women’s and genders studies
programs, participated in two panels at the National Women’s Studies Association conference in Puerto
Rico. Effie Siegel, professor of English, also attended and moderated a panel.
Three faculty members helped with Maryland-DC-Virginia section of the Mathematical Association of
America (MD-DC-VA MAA) fall meeting at Bowie State University. John Hamman, dean of mathematics
and the section’s chair-elect, ran the meeting. Kathryn Linehan, professor of math and MD-DC-VA MAA
program chair, organized the meeting and secured the speakers. Dr. Amy Shell-Gellasch, professor of
math, gave a talk titled Ancient Indian Verse and the Powers of 2.
Dr. Brad Stewart, vice president and provost for the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, was a featured
speaker at the 2014 Maryland-DC Campus Compact President’s Institute at Morgan State University. He
spoke about K–20 partnerships to enhance college, career, and civic readiness.
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Dr. Rodney Redmond, dean of English and reading, participated in a Middle States Commission on
Higher Education peer review team.
Sara Ducey, professor of nutrition and director of the Paul Peck Humanities Institute, gave a
presentation in early November at the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference (NCHC). The talk
focused on academic internships at the Library of Congress, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,
and the Smithsonian. Dr. Lucy Laufe, professor of anthropology and director of the Honors Program, and
Betty Petrides, professor of English, were co-presenters. Dr. Laufe was also re-elected co-chair of the
major scholarships committee for NCHC.
Several faculty members participated in the STEMTech conference held in Denver in early November:
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Dr. Laura Anna and Dr. Sunita Thyagarajan, professors of chemistry, presented a poster session
titled Honors Course Module Infuses Undergraduate Research into the Curriculum.
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Dr. Carolyn Schick, professor of chemistry and learning assistant coordinator, presented a talk
titled Opening Doors to STEM Teaching with a Learning Assistant Program.
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Stephen Kcenich, professor of mathematics, Dr. Eugene Li, professor of physics, Dr. Maria-Elvira
Luna-Escudero-Alie, professor of Spanish, and Nevart Tahmazian, professor of chemistry,
presented STEMulating and ARTiculating Innovative Strategies in Learning Communities.
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Randy Steiner, program coordinator and professor of architecture, gave a talk titled Coalition
Building: Broadening the Pipeline to STEM-Intensive Architectural Education.
Publications
Dr. Mark Alves, professor of English as a second language, had a chapter published in The Oxford
Handbook on Mon-Khmer, a major language family in Southeast Asia. He also had articles or chapters
published in: Cahiers de Linguistique Asie Orientale; Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages; Encyclopedia
of Chinese Language and Linguistics; and Languages of Mainland Southeast Asia-The State of the Art.
Jill Kronstadt, professor of English, had stories accepted at Moon City Review and Sou'wester for spring
2015.
Katherine Smith, professor of English, had poetry accepted at the Missouri Review. Her poetry
collection, Woman Alone on the Mountain, was published this fall by Iris Press.
Dr. Antonio Chaves, professor of environmental science, published the second edition of Ecology,
Development, and Sustainability: Environmental Science Lab Manual. He recently exhibited his manual
at the Maryland Association of Science Teacher’s Conference.
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Awards/Accolades
Barbara Nubile, nursing director and associate dean of health sciences, received the 2014 Maryland
Nurses Association Outstanding Mentoring Award.
Kunjamma George, Carol Holness, Jasline Moreno, Ionara Santos, and Tara Sohrabi, professors in the
health sciences department, have been awarded new faculty fellowships from the Maryland Higher
Education Commission. Each recipient receives between $10,000 and $20,000 this year and $5000 each
of the next two years.
Cory Obendorfer and Ellington Robinson, professors of art, both received grants from the DC
Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Art Exhibitions/Performances
Patricia Kessler, professor of art, is exhibiting her work at the Hill Gallery & Studio in Richmond through
early December.
Special Assignments/Appointments
John Hamman, dean of mathematics, recently accepted the invitation to join the advisory board for the
masters of mathematics education degree at Hood College.
Interesting News to Note
In late October, the Chemistry Department celebrated National Chemistry Week with chemistry
giveaways and goodies. This year’s theme was the “Chemistry of Candy.” Mole Day was also marked on
October 23.
Members of the men’s basketball team read books and played basketball with kindergartners as part of
Read Across MC. Michael Simone, athletic coordinator, organized the event.
The K-to-College program is now in full swing. Joan Naake, professor of English and seven Renaissance
Scholars explored poetry and helped kindergarteners write “I Am” poems. Another class learned about
the origins of origami from Ja’Bette Lozupone, assistant to the vice president and provost; Sharmini
Azeez, administrative aide, and Nghi Nguyen, web specialist, both from the Office of E-Learning
Innovation and Teaching Excellence, helped students create their very own bunnies and airplanes out of
folded paper. Alvin Cannon, instructional aide, led an art activity involving fall leaves. Nevart Tahmazian
and Dr. Virginia Miller, professors of chemistry, performed chemistry “magic” just in time for Halloween:
children enjoyed demonstrations of dry ice, green slime, and color-changing pencils. Faculty from the
nursing, diagnostic medical sonography, and radiology programs taught students about germs and hand
washing, sound waves, x-rays, and bones.
Sister 2 Sister (S2S) mentees recently met with Monica Trent, instructional dean, AELP, linguistics, and
communication studies. Other speakers included Professor Joan Naake, director of the Renaissance
Scholars program, and Nancy Nyland, librarian. Sister 2 Sister (S2S) is a mentoring program designed to
support and promote academic success and personal enrichment for first semester African-American
women at Montgomery College.
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Students in a sports history class led by Dr. A.J. Baca, professor of health, recently visited the Newseum
and attended a DC United playoff soccer game. They also toured Camden Yards and visited the Sports
Legends Museum in Baltimore. Many students had never visited a museum or toured a stadium before.
Academic News and Notes
STEMXpress II came to all three campuses in late October and early November. The event provided
students with opportunities to learn about ways to succeed in STEM classes, identify academic support
resources, meet with advisers and mentors, and learn about opportunities to participate in research and
paid internships in STEM fields.
Patty Gorski, a professor of radiologic technology, organized an interactive “trauma day” for radiologic
technology students. Together with Kimberly Murphy, an adjunct clinical instructor from Children’s
Hospital, the program provided scenarios for students focusing on getting good, diagnostic images on a
patient with traumatic injuries. Kathleen Dayton, coordinator of fire sciences and emergency services
programs, brought three students from the EMS and fire science program to act as victims. She also
provided the realistic moulage (fake wounds and gore) for the victims.
The College hosted the inaugural Maryland Collegiate STEM Conference (MCSC) on October 31 and
November 1. The conference was sponsored by 16 academic Institutions. Dr. Carolyn Schick, professor
of chemistry, talked about the learning assistant program. Rachel Cali, a student learning assistant, was
featured in a video in which she conducted a chemistry review session for the CHEM 131, Principles of
Chemistry I, course. Dr. Lucy Laufe, coordinator of the college honors programs, gave a talk titled
Understanding the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship: An Opportunity for STEM
Majors. Dr. Christina Devlin and Dr. Joan Naake, professors of English, offered a workshop on writing
effective letters of recommendation.
On Saturday, November 15, the Math Department hosted 56 middle school girls for Sonya Kovalevsky
Day, a one-day conference to introduce middle school girls to science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM). The keynote speaker was Jill Hubbard, an engineer on WMATA’s silver line project.
Ms. Hubbard discussed her background, her job experience, and the challenges of being a woman in a
male-dominated field. The girls rotated through several activities. Dr. Amy Shell-Gellasch and Lisa
Vaughnn, professors of mathematics, and Sudha Kunhikrishnan, instructional associate, all helped with
the day.
MC in the News
Reporter Holly Morris of Fox 5 spent a morning in November broadcasting live from the Rockville
Campus. She “took classes” in chemistry, automotive technology, emergency services, and physical
education.
The College’s Innovation Works initiative was featured in the Gazette article Montgomery College
Initiative Promotes Innovative Thinking, Doing.
Students in the College’s health sciences programs, sonography and radiology, were featured as part of
an ongoing series by WUSA 9 titled Where the Jobs Are.
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Laura-Leigh Palmer, professor of art, was featured in the Gazette article, Palmer Named Featured Artist
of the Month for Montgomery Art Association.
The Miami Herald featured alumna Valerie Austin, now a retired Army lieutenant colonel, in the October
article, Miami West Point Graduate to Speak at Veterans Day Program.
Katherine Smith, professor of English, was interviewed by the Delphi Quarterly about her work as a poet.
Robert Giron, professor of English and American English Learning, was quoted in the
November/December issue of Poets & Writers.
Wilfred Brunner, professor of art, was interviewed on REE—an event-based bilingual radio transmission,
broadcasting in in two languages simultaneously.
A show at the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center was featured in the Gazette.
KenYatta Rogers, professor of theatre and Maryland Professor of the Year, was the subject of an article
in the Sentinel.
The Integrated Experiential Learning Cooperative program was featured in the Gazette.
An article in the Amristar Tribune discussed Dr. Pollard’s visit to India. Dr. Sanjay Rai, senior vice
president for academic affairs, who was part of the College’s delegation to India, was interviewed on
a television news program there.
Latest from Student Services
The Student Life and Peace and Justice Studies Community sponsored the Oxfam Hunger Banquet in
November. The program simulated world food distribution: at the banquet, 15 percent of participants
ate well, 35 percent ate simply, and 50 percent had too little to eat. Guests from Nourish Now and the
Community Foundation participated.
Tech Talk
The Office of Information Technology surveyed faculty and staff in November to get feedback on for a
redesign of MyMC. Students will also be asked to provide feedback.
Speakers and Events
Humanities Days, organized by the Global Humanities Institute and the Paul Peck Humanities Institute,
and supported by the campus vice presidents/provosts and the dean of humanities, featured over 40
events over four days at the end of October.
The Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus hosted a mental health fair, co-sponsored by the Office of
Student Life and the mental health club. The program was titled Alive! Mental Health Fair & Suicide
Prevention Tour. Approximately 300 students participated.
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Dr. Harold Barber, counselor, gave a presentation on the significance of Latin in everyday lie.
The history and political science departments of Rockville and Germantown presented a debate
between National Committeewomen Nicolee Ambrose (R) and Heather Mizeur (D) in late October. The
two departments, with their counterparts at the Universities at Shady Grove, also presented a program
on the 2014 election with Blair Lee of the Gazette, Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post and Len
Lazarick of the Maryland Reporter.
The Frank Islam Athenaeum Symposia hosted two speakers recently. Julie Hera DeStefano discussed and
showed videos from her new documentary Journey to Normal: Women of War Come Home. The
documentary focuses on the obstacles women who have experienced combat confront when they
return home. At another symposium, Clementine Wamariya spoke about surviving the Rwandan
genocide and eventually graduating from Yale University.
A Spectrum Lecture Series featured Dr. Ben Busby. Dr. Busby is the genomics outreach coordinator for
the National Center for Biotechnology Information and the chair of the bioinformatics department at
the Foundation for the Advanced Education in the Sciences. His presentation was titled Access to Human
Genetic Variation and Its Impact on Personalized Medicine in the Rising Era of Individual Genome
Sequences.
Brenden Wright, head of global recruiting at VEECO Instruments, Inc., gave a master class on preparing
for a career. He helped analyze career plans of STEM students from each campus. The event was
sponsored by the STEM Transfer Student Success Initiative (t-STEM), which is funded by a grant from the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Tanya Allison and Sal DiMaria, professors of applied geography, presented a GIS workshop to 16
students of the School Without Walls, in Washington, DC. The high school geography class learned about
map making and using satellite images in geographical studies.
On November 7, in the Bioscience Education Center, veterans and active military personnel participated
in a career exploration event with Accenture, one of the world’s largest consulting and technology
companies. Participants benefitted from the opportunity to meet with an Accenture recruiter for
resume guidance.
Criminal justice faculty hosted a Careers in Criminal Justice Day on the Rockville Campus in November.
Eleven criminal justice agency representatives from the federal, state, and local government levels
spoke with over 100 students about career and internship opportunities.
Dr. Amy Shell-Gellasch and Teresa McCullough, professors of mathematics, each gave math talks on the
Rockville Campus in November.
The award-winning Native Pride Dancers performed a free concert on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring
Campus in honor of Native American Month.
Jenny Buns, director of mission at Honest Tea, gave a talk on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus
about running a successful business.
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Four leading Latino executives in the entertainment industry—Julio Garcia, Monica Gil, Helen
Hernandez, and Aida Rodriguez—spoke on the Rockville Campus about working in television and film. In
addition to the panel discussion, the program included opportunities for questions and networking.
Montgomery College co-sponsored the ninth annual College Scholarship Conference in November.
Other sponsors were the Universities at Shady Grove and Montgomery County Public Schools. More
than 750 families attended.
The Faculty and Staff Art Exhibition is on display through mid-December at the Sarah Silberman Gallery,
featuring work by art faculty from the Rockville and Germantown campuses. Eternal Photographs, an
exhibit from modern practitioners of historic photographic printing processes, was on display at the
Rockville Media Arts Gallery in November.
The World Languages Film Festival offered several films on the Rockville Campus in late October and
November. Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town focused on how victims of the Pompeii volcanic
eruption lived; Leo Hunt, professor of world languages, led a post-film discussion. Departures addressed
the struggles of a young cellist-turned-mortician; Miki Reed, professor of world languages, led a postfilm discussion. Children of a Lesser God examined love and communication between a speech teacher
and a woman with hearing loss; Pauline Laster, professor of American Sign Language, led a post-film
discussion.
David Hartsough, executive director of Peaceworkers and co-founder of the Nonviolent Peaceforce,
spoke on the Rockville Campus in November about his latest book, Waging Peace.
Dr. Dawn Avery, professor of music, performed selections from her new album, 50 Shades of Red, at the
Rockville Campus MC & More in November.
The College Performing Arts series presented Reckless at the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center in
November. The production featured performance majors and other student actors. On the Takoma
Park/Silver Spring Campus, students performed The Art of Murder.
Representatives from the US Department of Agriculture spoke about agricultural economics at an event
organized by the economics club on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus.
Math professors Dr. Amy Shell-Gellasch and Teresa McCullough gave math talks on the Rockville
Campus in November. Dr. Shell-Gellasch spoke about spherometers. Professor McCullough spoke about
parentheses in math equations.
Ed Furgol, military historian, gave a talk on World War I to the history club on the Takoma Park/Silver
Spring Campus.
The fifth annual Employee Arts and Crafts Fair, held in November, raised approximately $500 for the
emergency book fund for students.
The Office of Community Engagement participated in the World of Montgomery festival in late October,
held in Wheaton. Representatives promoted the College, with a special emphasis on arts programs.
The Student Construction Association held its second annual networking and appreciation event in
November. Members of local industry groups were thanked by students, faculty, and staff for their
support of scholarships, internships, and other programs.
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