MWCC News & Events: What's Up at the Mount

MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

 

Friday, November 3, 2006

 

MWCC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT NAMED TO NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY ADVOCACY GROUP

By Kimberly B. Caisse

The energy Mount Wachusett Community College is saving annually through its conservation and renewable energy initiative would power 1,500 homes for a year. The amount of water the college saves each year would fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool more than four times.

Executive Vice President Edward Terceiro Jr.

These results are just two of the accomplishments that recently earned college Executive Vice President Edward Terceiro Jr. a seat on the prestigious American Council on Renewable Energy’s Higher Education Committee Steering Committee. This committee was created to take a leading role in “helping move renewable energy into the mainstream of the American economy and lifestyle,” according to ACORE.

The HEC aims to encourage 100 U.S. colleges and universities to purchase 100 percent renewable energy by 2010, to invest at least 10 percent of their endowments into funds which support renewable energy companies by 2010 and to create renewable energy courses by 2010.

“I’m very honored to join this important committee as a representative of Mount Wachusett Community College,” Terceiro said. “I believe our success with conservation and renewable energy will be a valuable resource to the Higher Education Committee Steering Committee.”

Terceiro, the college ’s resident engineer, credits the college’s success to the proactive leadership of President Daniel M. Asquino, who encouraged him to address the college’s need for cost-effective energy production in harmony with environmental protection.

“Under Ed Terceiro’s direction, the college staff has aggressively pursued numerous initiatives and projects to decrease our dependence on foreign fuels and to educate our students and community on the multitude benefits of renewable energy,” Asquino said.

MWCC is one of only 25 colleges and universities in the United States to be named to HEC Steering Committee.

The American Council on Renewable Energy, based in Washington, D.C., advocates for renewable energy technologies to become part of the American mainstream by hosting forums and conferences, publishing reports and other materials and much more.

On Nov. 29 and 30, Terceiro will attend ACORE’s fifth annual national policy conference, “Phase II of Renewable Energy in America: Market Forecasts and Policy Requirements,” in Washington, D.C.

Key accomplishments:

• A biomass plant at the Gardner campus began operating in 2002, reducing the reliance on electricity for heating by 80 percent.
• The college’s investment in biomass energy has led to a savings of over $1.2 million in three and a half years.
• The campus’ greenhouse gas emissions have declined by 22.5 percent in four years.
• The college has offset over 18 million kilowatt hours of electricity and reduced water consumption by 10 million gallons in four years.
• The Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognized these achievements by giving the college the 2005 Environmental Purchasing and Sustainability Award.
• The campus’ main building has a 5-kilowatt-hour photovoltaic array supplying continuous power to the college’s electrical grid. (The college recently applied for a Clean Renewable Energy Bond to install 100-kilowatt-hour photovoltaic solar panels.)
• Through a state grant, the college purchased and erected a 50-meter metrological tower that will quantify the Gardner campus’ wind resource for potential electrical generation via a 1 to 1.5 megawatt wind turbine.
• The college is currently under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to test a biomass gasification system that will provide heat and electricity for this campus.
• With funding from the National Science Foundation, the college offers renewable energy courses to students.

MWCC STUDENTS PERFORM HEALTH CHECKS AT BOB WILSON 5K RUN/WALK

By Kimberly B. Caisse

It’s natural to assume that participants in the inaugural Bob Wilson 5K Run/Walk are fit individuals. Precisely how hale and hearty is something Mount Wachusett Community College Anatomy and Physiology and Computer Information Systems students wanted to find out.

MWCC alumnus Jonathan Mangsen ('05), a runner in the inaugural Bob Wilson 5K Run/Walk, gets his blood pressure checked by MWCC Anatomy and Physiology student Christopher Davis at the event. (Courtesy photo - Gaurav Khanna)

Under the guidance of Biology Professor Bill Lefrancois and Computer Information Systems Associate Professor Tina Wilson, students worked together to develop a health assessment measuring tool to survey the public as their service-learning project. The Anatomy and Physiology students outlined what they wanted in the tool; the CIS students created it.

One group of Anatomy and Physiology students randomly surveyed the 5K participants and another group gathered participants’ blood pressures, pulses, heights and weights—skills they had practiced in class. The 5K was held Sunday, Oct. 29 at the Elliot Field track of Fitchburg State College.

During November, the Anatomy and Physiology students will also randomly survey and test students at the Gardner campus.

When all the assessments and surveys are complete, the CIS students will compile the results, which will be analyzed by both classes. The results will be depicted with charts, graphs and comparative statistics in order to show MWCC students the role proper fitness and nutrition play in health.

The CIS students also plan to design a handout that will feature content supplied by the Anatomy and Physiology students. The Anatomy and Physiology students want to set up a table at the Gardner campus to give out the material and talk to fellow students.

About 180 people registered for the Bob Wilson 5K Run/Walk, raising more than $2,000 for the Bob Wilson Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The fund provides scholarships, through Fitchburg State College and Fitchburg Access Television, to communications and broadcasting students attending FSC and MWCC. One scholarship, sponsored by Fitchburg Access Television, will be given to an incoming freshman at either FSC or MWCC who plans to study broadcasting, and the other will be awarded to a returning FSC photography or film/video student.

Wilson organized the 5K in memory of her husband of seven years. Bob Wilson, who passed away in 2005, worked at FSC for 19 years as a photographer and a media coordinator as well as within the Information Technology Department. Bob Wilson served as a volunteer and on the Board of Directors of Fitchburg Access Television. Community involvement was important to him.

THEATRE AT THE MOUNT ANNOUNCES THE TAMY AWARDS

Theatre at the Mount is pleased to present the inaugural High School Musical Theatre Awards, the TAMYs, recognizing exceptional accomplishments in the production and performance of musical theatre in area high schools.

This program publicly acknowledges the outstanding effort area schools make to strive for excellence in the performing arts and is also designed to develop a creative and dynamic relationship between the schools and Theatre at the Mount.

The TAMY award program recognizes the extraordinary amount of work, creativity and devotion that faculty and students pour into their high school theatrical productions. The TAMYs will celebrate the entire art of musical theatre: casts and crews, directors and designers and the great musical theatre works that inspire such devotion.

Area high schools are invited to participate in the competition by entering their annual musical production for consideration in a variety of categories, including: best overall production, best actor, best actress, best choreography, etc.

Members of the Theatre at the Mount staff will attend and evaluate each production, making nominations in each category. Winners will be honored at a “red-carpet” awards ceremony and dinner modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards.

Local schools interested in participating in the TAMY Award program should contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or at gsteele@mwcc.mass.edu.

The TAMY Awards will provide a prominent step forward in expanding Theatre at the Mount’s educational initiatives. By recognizing the fine work being done by local high schools in the unique art form that is the American Musical Theatre, the spotlight will shine on student achievement in the arts and encourage even greater support for these programs.

PN STUDENTS’ ADVOCACY FOR NATIONAL NURSE PUBLISHED IN NATIONAL NEWSLETTER

Nursing program students last year became advocates for the creation of the Office of the National Nurse, a growing movement led by Terri Mills and Alisa Schnieder, nursing faculty from Portland Community College in Oregon. Some of their letters were published in the National Nurse electronic newsletter.

The Office of the National Nurse would reinforce the message of prevention to communities throughout the country by involving citizens in preventive health practices, complementing health services already in place, focusing national attention on the nursing profession and establishing volunteer National Nurse teams to deliver health education to the public and assist in emergency situations in their own communities.

The students actively participated in advocating for the position to Congress after attending a lecture on campus in March 2006 aimed at educating the nursing community and others about the National Nurse position.

To read their letters supporting Bill HR 4903, visit www.nationalnurse.org.

More MWCC News:

• Gateway to College, one of MWCC’s College Access and Preparation Programs, offers high-school dropouts and students on the verge of dropping out of high school an opportunity to earn a diploma in a college-like setting and earn college credits. Massachusetts residents who meet the program’s eligibility requirements may apply. Information sessions for the session that begins in January 2007 will be held on Mondays Nov. 6 and Dec. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. To register for an information session or to request materials, call (978) 630-9481 or (978) 630-9450, or visit http://www.mwcc.edu/services/CAPP/default.html.
• MWCC’s Career Services office and Human Services Department are sponsoring a Human Services Career Panel Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Gardner campus’ commons area. The panelists are from agencies that provide services for domestic violence victims, children and adults with special needs, at-risk adolescents, residential care and abused children and their families. They will discuss their career paths and current positions. For more information, contact Kimberly B. Caisse, public relations specialist, at kcaisse@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9547.
• Through Thursday, Nov. 9, the Student Government Association is holding its annual food drive. Members are collecting non-perishable food items for students in need and a local food pantry. Food items can be dropped off at the Student Life office, room 151, or in one of several designated baskets that are located around the first floor of the Gardner campus’ main building. For more information, contact Director of Student Life Greg Clement at (978) 630-9252 or gclement@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Ten semi-finalists in MWCC’s second annual Business Plan Competition will compete for finalist and grand prize awards when they present their business plans to a panel of judges on Monday, Nov. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Gardner campus. The finalist/category winners chosen that night will compete for the grand prize before a panel of judges Thursday, Nov. 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Gardner campus. Both events are open to the public. For more information, contact Lisa Derby Oden, director of the Entrepreneurial Resource Center, at loden@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 840-3221 ext. 206.
• MWCC will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the commons area of the college’s Gardner campus. To register, contact Marianne Stoy at (978) 630-9136. Walk-ins are welcome.
• MWCC has launched the new Clinical Laboratory Science program. Students enrolled in this program will learn how to use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and computers to analyze blood and other body specimens. Information sessions will take place Wednesdays Nov. 15 and Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. in the OBS Conference Room on the second floor of Heywood Hospital. Prospective students interested in attending the information session are asked to call the Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110 (TTY (978) 632-4916), or send an email to admissions@mwcc.mass.edu. Information about the new CLS program also is posted on the college Blackboard website called CLS Information Center. To access more information, go to https://bb.mwcc.edu and then enter “cls” as both the username and password.
• MWCC’s Transfer Services office is hosting the annual Transfer Fair on Monday, Nov. 20 in the Gardner campus’ South Cafeteria from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Over 50 four-year college transfer representatives plan to attend. This is an opportunity for students to meet with four-year college and university representatives and talk to them about issues pertaining to transfer. For a full list of the colleges that will be at the fair, visit http://transfer.mwcc.edu. For more information, contact Nancy Greenlaw at (978) 630-9321 or ngreenlaw@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Clark University's Jack Foley

  The What’s Next Speaker Series will continue Friday, Nov. 17 with Jack Foley, founder of the Clark University Park Partnership in Worcester, giving the presentation “A Model to Address Poverty Among Disadvantaged Children.” The lecture will take place from noon to 2 p.m. at the Doyle Conservation Center in Leominster. A complimentary lunch will be provided. Pre-registration is required. Submit registrations to whatsnext@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9324. The event is sponsored by the Center for Democracy and Humanity, the Twin Cities Latino Coalition and the Trustees of Reservations.
• The Twin Cities Latino Coalition and the Trustees of Reservations will host a conversation with Dr. Peter Senge, author of “The Fifth Discipline” and world-renowned guru of the field of organizational change and leadership development, on Monday, Nov. 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Doyle Conservation Center, 464 Abbott Ave., Leominster. Senge will moderate the panel discussion entitled “Meeting the Changing Face of Our Future: Facing the Challenges of Changing Today in Response to the Emerging Future.” Pre-registration is requested. Register with Sayra Pinto, associate vice president of inclusion, by calling (978) 840-3221 ext. 207 or emailing spinto@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The First Connections Mothers Group’s weekly meetings are held every Friday. At the gatherings, which take place in the Children’s Room at Levi Heywood Memorial Library from 10:30 a.m. to noon, attendees discuss topics such as feeding, sibling rivalry, temper tantrums, appropriate toys, traveling with children and how to choose a daycare provider. All mothers and their babies are invited. For more information, contact Professor Nancy Duphily, the meeting facilitator, at duphi@yahoo.com or (978) 630-9233. Duphily will be assisted by MWCC nursing students as part of their service-learning project.