Polysomnography Technology Program Coordinator Amber Allen presented a lecture on “Pediatric Sleep Scoring Updates” as part of the AAST Annual Meeting of the SLEEP 2017 conference in Boston in June. The lecture was well received, with compliments offered from several top sleep technologist professionals. Professor Allen also presented a lecture on the effects of sleep deprivation at the Allen Public Library in June, as part of their “Discover a Healthier You” series.
Two recent Collin College Dental Hygiene program graduates have had their research papers published in Dentistry iQ, an online journal for dental professionals. The article, titled “Biotherapy and Chemotherapy: Oral Complications” by Sharoot Malik and Sumaiya Kasbati was published June 20. See their article at www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2017/06/biotherapy-and-chemotherapy-oral-complications.html. Congratulations to the students on this accomplishment.
Lishan Desta, Associate Professor of Political Science, recently presented his paper “Regional Instability: Spillover Effect and Military Spending” at the annual Southwestern Social Sciences Conference in Austin. His paper focused on analyzing the ways in which instability travels across borders and how a large amount of instability in one country leads other countries to divert resources for security purposes.
Associate Professor Roger Goldesberry was recognized as Hospitality Educator of the Year by the Hotel Association of North Texas at a luncheon, June 21. Along with the honor, Mr. Goldesberry received an award of $500, which he plans to donate to the Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Education scholarships at Collin College. We appreciate Professor Goldesberry for paying it forward and assisting students in their education.
Professor Carole Twichell and Dr. Bridgette Kirkpatrick are pursuing a partnership with Tufts University for a National Institutes of Health grant based upon the Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment (PARE) research project. The project asks students to collect soil samples which are then analyzed to determine the relative number of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The information collected is fed into a national database used to identify and monitor areas of high prevalence across the nation.
Student teams from Collin College took first and second place at the State Sputum Bowl competition during the Texas Society for Respiratory Care Convention in Waco in July. The Sputum Bowl is a quiz show-format respiratory care knowledge competition in which two teams square off and try to get the correct answers off the fastest. Questions include science, math and respiratory care content. Collin’s teams beat out 11 other teams to face off against each other in the finals, where the team of Patrick Forsythe, Kebron Isayas and Cesar Romero won by one point over the team of Alexis Matthews, Cassie Morris and Cindy Zhang (pictured above.) Congratulations to both teams on their efforts and to team coaches Angie Switzer and Julie Boganwright for their hard work in preparing the students for this contest.
Patrick Forsythe and Breanna Pierce, second-year Respiratory Care students, were presented Education Grants from the Respiratory Care Foundation of Texas at the Texas Society for Respiratory Care Convention in Waco in July. In recognition of their academic achievements, Patrick received the Woody Kageler, M.D. Educational Grant of $500 and Breanna received the Marguerite Kageler Education Grant of $1,000.
Professor Ed Bock, Cmdr. Jay Gutzler, and Dr. Raja Khoury will teach differential equations to 72 Plano ISD students this fall. The students have credit for AP-BC calculus prior to their senior year. If successful in this course and multi-variable calculus in the spring, these students will graduate high school with 15 college mathematics credits applicable toward mathematics, engineering, or technical degrees. Thank you to Provost Mary McRae, Dean Cameron Neal and Professors Bock, Gutzler, and Khoury for their work to provide these students with this opportunity.
Dr. Rebecca Orr, Dr. Bridgette Kirkpatrick, and Dr. Donna Cain presented a talk on Team Based Learning (TBL) in biology instruction at the American Society for Microbiology Conference for Undergraduate Educators in July in Denver. Data show TBL yields better results than traditional lecture. Thank you to Drs. Orr, Kirkpatrick, and Cain for their contributions to this growing field of academic interest.
Psi Beta has chosen Collin’s Psi Beta chapter for the 2016-17 Alberta Johnson/Ruth Cousins Building Bonds Psi Beta Award and Chapter Excellence Award. The award recognizes the collaborative efforts of a Psi Beta (two-year) and a Psi Chi (four-year) chapter that have made a significant impact at the local, state, regional, or national level. Congratulations to the students who took part in all of the activities which led to the award and to Collin College’s Psi Beta Chapter Advisors Jennifer O’Loughlin-Brooks and Patricia Coble.
Associate Professor of History Andrew Galloway continues to earn distinctions for his documentary films. The Eviction received a silver award from the Spotlight Documentary Film Awards (www.spotlightdocawards.com/awards.html ) and the Best Documentary award from the Lionshead Film Festival (www.lionsheadfilmfestival.com/2017-award-winners). Another documentary, Wally, was recently featured in an LGBT film festival ( www.andydocs.com/single-post/2017/06/27/Wheres-Wally ). Professor Galloway’s historical documentary, Gonzales: Come and Take It!, played July 15 at the Fort Worth Indie Showcase (www.fwindie.com/2017-schedule-of-films/sunday-theater-a ).
Pamela Sawyer, Rosemary Karr, and Elaine Zweig — Professors in Integrated Reading/Writing, Developmental Mathematics and Child Development respectively — have published a book which will be used at Collin College. The Architecture of Educational Frameworks offers guidance that encourages instructors from all disciplines to be comfortable teaching study skills for education, English, mathematics, and sciences. It includes unique variations essential in each of these disciplines. With the integration of reading, writing, and education learning strategies, The Architecture of Educational Frameworks makes learning more approachable for students. Read more from the book at https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/architecture-educational-frameworks.
The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) has approved Collin College’s Respiratory Care program for continuing accreditation until 2027. The program also achieved 100 percent RRT credentialing success for the Class of 2017. National pass rates for the Therapist Multiple Choice Exam is 81.37 percent and 60 percent for the Clinical Simulation Exam. Congratulations to Executive Vice President Brenda Kihl, Vice President/Provost Jon Hardesty, Dean Gary Hodge, Respiratory Care Program Director Araceli Solis and her staff for both of these achievements.
Collin College’s Purchasing Department recently received the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the 12th year in a row. The award honors organizations that demonstrate excellence in innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement and leadership attributes of the procurement organization. The award is given by the National Purchasing Institute and is sponsored by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, the National Association of Educational Procurement and the Institute for Supply Management, as well as several other organizations. Congratulations to Ken Lynn, Purchasing Director Cindy White, Reporting Manager Cyndy Smith, and the entire Purchasing Department for their work in achieving this recognition.
Collin College has been named one of 10 finalists in the Seamless Transfer Pathways Design Challenge, a project sponsored by Education Design Lab. Collin was selected along with its transfer partner University of North Texas. A final cohort of four pairs of schools will be chosen in late August to participate in a 15-month design process exploring best practices for ensuring students seeking a bachelor degree transition smoothly to a four-year institution. The challenge is funded by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Thank you to Vice President of Academic Services Dr. Dani Day for her work with UNT to develop this opportunity.
Kayla Ast, Allie Evans and Ted Huang, three Collin College students, recently worked with Del Frisco’s Grille Plano to create unique tasting menus benefiting the college’s Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Education (IHCE). The menus were offered for dinner service during the first three weeks of July in celebration of Culinary Arts Month with 10 percent of the meal’s $49 purchase price going to IHCE scholarships. The students raised $355 for their efforts. Thank you to them, to Associate Dean Karen Musa for developing a strong relationship with Del Frisco’s Grille and to Stephen Wright, the restaurant’s general manager, for organizing this fundraising effort.
Kathleen Blust, Nursing Simulation Coordinator for 8 years, completed an International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation Learning (INACSL)/CAE Healthcare Academy simulation fellowship in June of 2017. The fellowship included eight months studying best practices in simulation pedagogy, educational theory, evaluation methods, as well as skills and techniques for facilitation and debriefing. Dean of Nursing Donna Hatch called Professor Blust “a truly dedicated educator who uses development, best practices and commitment to deliver a high-quality simulation experience for nursing students at Collin College.” Congratulations to Professor Blust for this tremendous accomplishment and her commitment to student success.
Kay Mizell, Professor of English, is working with College Education Behind Bars in the Philippines to provide inmates with an education that will promote a successful re-entry into society. Read about this critical work at http://mindanaotimes.net/freedom-through-education/.
Collin College alum Chad Wolf was appointed Chief of Staff of the Transportation Safety Administration in March. Learn more about him, his time at Collin College and his experience in Washington D.C. in the August edition of Allen Image. An online version of the magazine is available at www.allenimage.com/current-issue.
Collin College had 10 students selected as Terry Scholars in June, adding to the 37 students who have received tuition assistance since the Terry Foundation opened its scholarships up to current college students in 2013. Terry Scholars are selected based on academic excellence, leadership potential and financial need. The transfer scholarship, covers about 65 percent of off-campus costs of university attendance. A Terry Foundation official recently noted that Collin College students have typically done very well in its selection process. The Terry Foundation recently began sponsoring Phi Theta Kappa, with chapters like Collin’s Alpha Mu Tau, because students who participate in that organization personify the traits the organization looks for in a Terry Scholar. The 10 most recent Scholars selected from Collin plan to attend a variety of four-year institutions, including UT-Austin, UTSA, UTD, UNT, TWU and Texas State. For more information on the organization and its scholarships, visit https://terryfoundation.org.