Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Williams Campus part of Power Knowledge Corridor

An article in the Arizona Republic titled, Officials unveil Power Knowledge Corridor signs, notes that Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, Gilbert Mayor John Lewis and Maricopa County Supervisor Denny Barney unveiled new street signage on April 3 along what they've been calling the Power Knowledge Corridor.

Stretching from McKellips to Pecos and from Greenfield to Ellsworth roads, the corridor includes Mesa Community College's Red Mountain campus, Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus, A.T. Still University, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, the East Valley Institute of Technology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of North Dakota's flight-training center. The sector also boasts big names in health care, aviation and other industries. Read the full article.

Four student teams win first place at Avnet Tech Games

*Arizona Republic covered this event in an article, Students test their skills at Avnet Tech Games

Last Saturday, four out of five CGCC teams won first place in different competitions at the Avnet Tech Games, an annual college technology competition that provides students with an opportunity to apply what they learn in school to real-world scenarios. The games are open to college students nationwide. Student teams are presented with a scenario and compete against other student teams from colleges across the country. Projects are submitted to judges who are able to score them remotely and declare a winner.

Each first-place student receives $1,000 scholarship. Additionally, four students received an HP laptop. In sum, CGCC students won $13,000 and possible summer internships.

Winning categories included:

Green Video Competition - This fun and exciting event combines video production skills, environmental awareness and marketing skills. "Let's Go," which highlights the energy savings of the gold-LEED certified Ironwood Hall on the Pecos Campus, took first place and was produced by engineering students Dustin Allen, Kendra Charnick, Joel Parker and Brian Weeks with faculty sponsor Elie Chmouni.


Design and Build a Digital Device - Students had four hours to design and build a digital electronic device to control a four-way traffic stop, including pedestrians wishing to cross streets using an ultrasonic transducer. Students had to design a simulation using one of the leading digital design software, Xilinx, and hardware (latest product of Avnet FPGA board) for the project as well as write and present a technical report to engineering judges from local industry.  Students winning first place included Nicco Horvath, Michelle Smekal and Neel Mistry with faculty coach Bassam Matar.

Java Blitz - This event provided students with the opportunity to develop an application using Java 7 Standard Edition. The work submitted by the teams were judged based on a predefined set of criteria, which included (but may not be limited to) functional requirements, code quality and overall quality and validation using predefined criteria.  Winning students included Larry Standage, Samuel Slater and Zachary Peshke with faculty sponsor Rameen Kaliqu..

HP Build the Fastest Computer - Who can build, tune and troubleshoot the fastest computer? Students were tested on "Build it Fast," a timed event on building a computer the fastest; "Troubleshoot it Fast," a timed event on troubleshooting a computer the fastest; and "Refurb it Fast," a race to build a computer using refurbished parts. Jeremy Morgan, Blake Knoll, and Troy Gerloff won first place with faculty sponsor Elie Chmouni.



Friday, April 11, 2014

Si Se Puede Foundation recognizes English faculty as Educator of the Year Honoree

The Si Se Puede Foundation recognized Chandler-Gilbert Community College English faculty Jean Schloeman as an Educator of the Year Honoree on April 5 at the 14th Annual Cesar E. Chavez Educators of the Year awards dinner.

Schloeman’s passion for literacy has led her to teach at several colleges and universities for more than 20 years. She is a conscientious instructor who cares about her students and is committed to service-learning principles.

Connected to Si Se Puede through Melinda Rudibaugh, Schloeman had her English 081 and 091 classes complete 424 hours of service learning in the fall 2013 semester to the Si Se Puede Foundation’s adult literacy program and another 480 hours in the spring 2014 semester.

She is most interested in meeting the needs of the immigrant and refugee populations, providing parents with the skills to communicate with the community and schools. Her passion and interest led to her being appointed as director of Si Se Puede Foundation’s emerging English and Adult Literacy program.

"I'm very honored and surprised, honestly, to be selected for this recognition," said Schloeman. "Alberto is doing such great work and I'm excited to be a part of that. We will be able to provide opportunities that allow all immigrants to succeed in their new homeland."

Schloeman earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Grand Canyon University and a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University.



Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Si Se Puede Scholars enjoy chemistry fun day


Chandler-Gilbert Community College chemistry faculty Lorelei Wood and Mike McFavilen partnered with Si Se Puede Foundation Scholars Program to provide a one-day chemistry camp to 20 Si Se Puede Scholars on March 21. The mission of Si Se Puede Foundation is to provide opportunities for STEM exploration to at-risk youth in our community.

Wood, McFavilen, and CGCC chemistry students Diego Alvarado and Jerry Crum provided a day full of learning and experimentation for Si Se Puede students as they led lessons and several activities focusing on natural chemistry principles. Students participated in a number of chemistry activities including magic color milk science projects and chromatography experiments where they were separated and tested colors in washable markers.

Wood and McFavilen taught the students the scientific methods of observation and taught them how to form sound hypotheses. Students were then able to test their hypotheses through their experiments. Students also learned about independent, dependent and control variables in scientific experiments and their importance.

“Our students were excited that they had the opportunity to test their hypotheses, and see what happens when they change various elements. They are looking forward to the next chemistry camp to see what other fun projects they can participate in,” said a representative from Si Se Puede.

Submitted by Alexandra Cannell, Service-Learning

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Fifteen students noted as 2014 Artists of Promise

Fifteen students from Chandler-Gilbert Community College took top honors in fine arts competitions throughout the Valley. The Maricopa County Community College District sponsors annual competitions in creative writing, dance/choreography, music, visual art and theatre for its students.

The first place winners in choreography/dance, music composition, music instrumental, music vocal and theater acting will perform on stage at the tenth annual Artists of Promise on Wednesday, April 9 at the Orpheum Theatre.  An art exhibition at the event features this year’s winning artwork. The event is free and open to the public with a reception beginning at 6 p.m. and performances beginning at 7 p.m.

The competitions in visual art and creative writing are also sponsored nationally by the League for Innovation in the Community College, and winners of the Maricopa competitions are automatically entered into these national events.

This year’s winners include (Those in bold will be performing at the event):
  • Jacqueline Alcocer, Music Vocal Theatre Solo – Female, First place (tie)
  • Shelby Biggs, Music – Vocal Classical – Solo – Female, Honorable mention
  • Brittany Brown, Theatre – Performance/Acting – Female, Third place
  • Zac Bushman, Music –Vocal Classical – Solo – Male, Third place   
  • Brenda Kleppe, Visual Art – 2D, Honorable mention
  • Heeyoung Lee, Choreography – Solo , Honorable mention 
  • Samuel Loose, Music Vocal Classical Solo – Male, First place
  • Hailey McCourt and Courtney Miles, Choreography – Group, First place  
  • Jaden Medlock, Music – Composition, Third place
  • Katerina Noori, Theater – Design (Overall), Third place
  • Mathew Speakman, Music –Vocal Classical – Solo – Male, Second place
  • Devin Sugiharto, Music Instrumental – Guitar, First place
  • Sandra Whyman, Visual Art – 3D, League of Innovation, Winner and League entry 
  • Joyce Yi, Music  Vocal Classical  Solo – Female, First place



Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Music faculty receives ASCAP Plus Award


Josh Gottry with the cajon
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) selected Joshua Gottry as an ASCAP Plus Award recipient for his music composition and works performed in 2013. Gottry first received an ASCAP Young Composer Award in 1995 and has been selected every year since 2001 for the ASCAP Plus Award. The awards program provides cash and recognition to writers who create music with a value beyond the scope of performance surveyed by ASCAP. The main focus is on original pieces by the artist with weight given to recent performances.

Gottry’s 2013 submission included three pieces written for the cajon titled “Box Tops,” “Pocket Full of Rocks” and a duet entitled “Slide Rule” that was composed with a former student. Also included were performances of Gottry’s compositions including the cajon duet and a marimba quartet performed at the 2012 Percussive Arts Society International Convention, an ensemble performance by the Arizona School for the Arts at the downtown Phoenix "First Friday" arts nights, and a conga trio performed as part of the Eastman School of Music Community School Summer Music program.

“Composing is not a huge money maker,” said Gottry. “When I have the luxury of a little extra time, I compose, mostly because I want to notate a piece that I have in my head.” It takes approximately two years for a composition to be written, performed, published to his library and to receive a royalty, according to Gottry who spends hours each month tracking where his pieces are performed. “The ASCAP Plus Award encourages me to continue the work that I’m doing.”

Gottry serves as adjunct music faculty for Chandler-Gilbert Community College, teaching courses in percussion, music theory and composition, and music humanities. When not teaching, he works with percussion ensembles and private percussion students at all grade levels as a clinician and within his private lesson studio. He composes as many as five new pieces each year. As director of CGCC’s percussion ensemble, many of his compositions have been premiered in CGCC ensemble performances.