Tag Archives: community college

Brooklyn Science Innovation Initiative

In its second year, the Brooklyn Science Innovation Initiative (BSII) invited more than 35 high-school students to Kingsborough Community College (KCC) for a summer science and business immersion program. BSII paired a college-level Earth Science coursed with a virtual enterprise experience and had student develop virtual businesses using the concepts they learned in each class. This year’s student businesses include SpearTech, a solar-powered outdoor canopy that harnesses the sun’s power for usable energy, and BeeHax, a company that studies and proposes solutions to the collapse of bee colonies around the world.

Join us next Monday to hear student pitches and view their showcase of potential ideas. The event will be held at KCC’s MAC Rotunda (the Lighthouse) on August 8th from 2:30pm to 5:00pm

RSVP: http://bsii2016.eventbrite.com/

BSII is a collaboration between CEWD, KCC’s College Now and the Physical Sciences Department at KCC and is generously supported by the AT&T Foundation

CEWD Director, Babette Audant, Researches the Stackability of Culinary Arts Credits at KBCC

CEWD’s Executive Director, Babette Audant, just released findings from her study: Stackable credentials and career/college pathways in culinary arts at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY 
The study “compared employment and education opportunities for Community-College-Journalstudents enrolled in short-term training to those of students enrolled in an associate degree program. Its goal was to explore gaps between employer demand for trained workers and long-term investments in education. The study also aimed to suggest ways in which we can meaningfully support students in their pursuit of degrees, even as they seek employment in high-growth sector for which education, experience, and job titles are often an imprecise match.”

 

Kingsborough and Achieving the Dream

CEWD programs (Project Rise, Northeast Resiliency Consortium) serve as pipelines to college enrollment, specifically enrollment at Kingsborough. Our programs provide educational training needed for college-level work, the opportunity to bank college credit, preparation for the CAT (CUNY Assessment Tests), and enrollment assistance when participants decide to move on to higher education. Pretty awesome, right? It gets even better:

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Kingsborough just announced that the College has been recognized as Leader College—a national designation awarded to community colleges that commit to improving student success and closing achievement gaps—at Achieving the Dream. KCC has shown how data can inform policy and practice to help community college students achieve their goals, resulting in improved skills, better employability, and economic growth for families, communities, and the nation as a whole. Upon hearing the news, KCC President Farley Herzek said that the college is “committed to helping students walk away with a sense of confidence and readiness for four-year study or for the workforce.”

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Summer STEM at CEWD and KCC

This summer 14 high school juniors and seniors participated in the Brooklyn Science Innovation Initiative (BSII), a program generously supported by the AT&T Foundation. BSII, a collaboration between CEWD–led by our very own Dr. Edgar Troudt–and KCC’s College Now program–led by the program’s Director Robert Pero–provided college-level Earth Science and Entrepreneurship classes. During this 5-week program, student groups developed virtual business based on what they learned in class.

Photo via Jessica Nieberg at Kings County Politics

Photo via Jessica Nieberg at Kings County Politics

Last week, these students presented their businesses to a crowd of over 50, including the president of AT&T Foundation in New York, Marissa Shorenstein, KCC President Farley Herzek, and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Businesses included a system using oysters to clean the ocean, the development of metal cell phone cases to protect and limit radiation exposure, a proposed design for a prototype machine to clean the bottom of the ocean, a solar-powered water filtration system for countries with limited access to clean drinking water, and an app to help make learning earth science more enjoyable.

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A Slice of Farm Life: Tales From the Field

By Ben Hanon, KCC Urban Farm Student Aide

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Today’s story is about staff distribution, one of the most exciting times of the year. We hope you enjoy!

The sign outside the farm gate seemed simple enough. It told the staff and faculty what time the distribution of vegetables began. 11:30 A.M. on the dot, never a second too early, and never a second too late. From the back of the farm looking out, the farm crew could see a sea of bodies. Bodies of people who had dedicated themselves to two things. The first was serving the Kingsborough community to the best of their ability, the second was getting their farm fresh organic veggies before our stock ran low. This crowd had been waiting all year as students came and went as they pleased to student only distributions of produce. They were ready, they were hungry, and we were ready to serve them.

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Welcome Cris Izaguirre, new Farm Manager at KCC Urban Farm!

10333808_10152116532037705_1215833138407859233_oWe’re excited to introduce KCC Urban Farm’s new Farm Manager, Cris Izaguirre!

Cris completed the Ecological Horticulture Apprenticeship at the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems in Santa Cruz, California (the same training program as our previous, Farm Manager, Silvia Torres!).  Previously, Cris worked on permaculture and Native Hawaiian farms on the Big Island of Hawaii, while also assisting elementary school gardening classes at Honaunau Elementary School. Having worked part-time as a Farm Assistant pre- and post-Hurricane Sandy at KCC Urban Farm, Cris feels like they are returning to their farming home.

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Ambassador Program at Project Rise

 

ProjectRiseLogoThe CEWD Ambassador Program at KCC’s Project Rise is part of the program’s Internship Tier System designed to provide the students the opportunity to gain specialized skills that are useful in the workplace and in their personal lives. Ambassadors learn skills such as professionalism, public speaking, networking, marketing, self-awareness, and responsibility.

Unlike many internship programs, this one allows ambassadors to work within a supportive and engaging professional environment where they learn about CEWD’s other workforce programs, teamwork and leadership, setting work schedules, developing marketing materials, networking with other professionals and neighborhood businesses, and serving as representatives of CEWD at citywide events, fairs and conferences.

This program not only aids students in self-improvement and self-confidence but also helps them overcome hurdles and barriers. Through activities such as role-playing, ice breakers, team competitions, memory quizzes, and the implementation of the “Selfie Race” (taking a selfie photo during the outreach and recruitment events with the Hashtag #CEWDwashere), each individual will utilize various learning techniques that will ultimately widen their horizons to new opportunities and success.

Note: If you are a current Project Rise participant and want to become an Ambassador, please note that slots are limited. Each participant is given the same opportunity to apply and interview for the program. Speak with Project Rise’s Associate Director, Dina LiMandri for more information.

Microsoft Office Suite for CUNY Students

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Great news for CUNY students: free access to Microsoft Office Software! The collaboration between Microsoft and CUNY is a huge deal for the 450,000+ students who attend CUNY colleges. In addition to helping students excel in the classroom, this partnership is also geared toward preparing students for jobs that rely heavily on Microsft Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

If you don’t already know, KCC’s Northeast Resiliency Consortium Culinary Arts and Community Health Worker programs not only prepare adults to be resilient workers, but classes provide college enrollment assistance and even college credits to eligible students. Amazing, right?! Application sessions are happening now! Sign up today!

Culinary Arts with NRC

Interested in stepping into the culinary world but not sure where it’ll take you? We’ve got a program for you. Check out what Culinary Arts training with NRC can give you:

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If you’re interested in learning more, fill out our quick online survey to see if you qualify; choose an information session date and come meet the NRC team! We’ll help you start your career.

Also, if culinary arts isn’t of interest to you, we also have a great Community Health Worker program. Check us out!

CEWD’s Presentation at CUNY IT

CEWD at the CUNY IT ConferenceOn Thursday, December 4th, 2014 CEWD presented at the 13th Annual CUNY IT Conference at John Jay College. The presentation was moderated by Dr. Edgar Troudt, CEWD Director of Technology, with speakers including Christopher Pileggi, Min-Kyung Park, Gillian Gooding, Christine Zagari-LoPorto and Jessie Cinelli (read our full bios here).  Workforce Development Supported by Strategic IT Investments detailed our multi-faceted use of technology that supports CEWD’s many programs and initiatives.  

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