How do you get girls interested in STEM fields?
Consider showing them some stems.
Real, live, green ones, that is, with leaves growing. Put the girls — young women, really — in charge, from planting the microgreens to tending them to monitoring them. Charge them with running experiments and collecting data, like whether the greens grow better under fluorescent lights or LED lights, and whether plain water or fish tank water is more nourishing. Let them harvest, and judge which kind tastes best.
From left, Taylor West, Constanza Hazelwood and Karla Vega with greens grown in the vertical agriculture structure shown behind them.
That’s what intern Karla Vega and student Taylor West did this semester in a lab on NMC’s Great Lakes campus. The pair forged a research partnership that not only bridged language and cultural barriers but helps lay the groundwork for sustainable, indoor agriculture that could eventually improve the diets of millions.
“To get girls engaged in science we need to let them make decisions, give them room to make mistakes and try things out on their own,” said NMC Water Studies Institute Education and Outreach Coordinator Constanza Hazelwood, who supervised Vega and West’s research this semester.
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“NMC has program flexibility that allows students to transition smoothly and confidently to institutions such as the University of Michigan.” — NMC alum Matthew Cunningham
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Northwestern Michigan College alum John Militello, was selected as one of the speakers at this year’s TEDx Traverse City event. Militello is the head of creative for Google’s agency like ZOO Team. He leads a 14 person creative team of creative directors, creative technologists, designers, copy writers and video producers. He is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
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NMC’s Keith Kelly with an update on the successful Startup Weekend Traverse City held on June 13 at the NMC Parsons-Stulen Building.
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Ask NMC is a regular feature on the NMC Explore Blog set up for you to ask questions about NMC and for us to find the answers.
In this edition, we answer questions about what we do with items or equipment me no longer need, what the demographics of NMC students look like and how a prospective student can sign up for a campus tour.
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Anyone familiar with Northwestern Michigan College knows what a great impact community colleges have, what an incredible resource they are and what tremendous value they offer. Michigan’s Community Colleges are working to spread that word state-wide and this commercial is just the start of that effort.
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Northwestern Michigan College shares a connection with the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts, through the recently established Kevin and Linda O’Meara Fund for Arts Education that will support programs here at NMC’s Dennos Museum Center.
The opening of the Festival of the Arts is inspired by the late Linda O’Meara, a beloved dancer and teacher, on Friday.
For much more on special opening to Grand Rapids’ Festival of the Arts read this from M-Live.
Spoiler alert: Here’s how Festival of the Arts 2014 will open Friday
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“I believe in reciprocity, and the power of education. If there are ten people who can give a little at a time, this small gesture will add up and make a difference in a student’s life. This is why I give to NMC. Because it makes a difference.”
How did you get to NMC from Belarus?
My family moved to Florida from Belarus when I was 20. I wanted to go somewhere different for college and was drawn to Michigan given the abundance of water. NMC became the perfect fit as it is positioned directly on Grand Traverse Bay.
What’s your NMC story?
My time at NMC was very positive. What a wonderful community of caring people! The abundance of outdoor opportunities to hike, enjoy the water, and enjoy the culture downtown were definitely complimentary pieces to academics at NMC. Faculty and staff cared deeply about my academic success and I was able to make long-lasting friendships. The faculty taught me to love learning and care about the local community.
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