RI students learn firsthand about what is possible

Standing before 150 high school students fanned out in the stadium seating of Community College of Rhode Island’s Hackett Theatre, Victor Hugo Guerrero offered himself up as a living example of opportunities both lost and taken.

A 2013 CCRI graduate, Guerrero, 24, today is a registered nurse, firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT), and enrolling at the University of Rhode Island to further his education.

“Who has a plan?” he asked the students, gathered for CCRI’s 6^th annual Technology Open House on April 11, 2014. “Who doesn’t know what they’re going to do?”

Paraphrasing the Drake song, saying, “I started from the bottom, now I’m here,” Guerrero said he had no idea what he wanted to do or what he wanted to be when he first arrived at CCRI, one of nine partner institutions that form Rhode Island NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

“You guys are probably just thinking about what you’re having for lunch today,” Guerrero said, receiving a round of laughter. “When I started, unfortunately, I failed a few classes. That’s the way I was. But, I became successful. I decided to take a biology class, which I really liked, and I branched off from that.”

Guerrero’s story offered the perfect launch to the annual event, which Dr. Diane Nobles, program manager for STEM Plus at CCRI, said was aimed at providing students a firsthand look at potential careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“It gives students the opportunity to learn about education programs in STEM areas and see how an education in STEM fields can lead to exciting careers,” Dr. Nobles said.

And, she said, college-age speakers such as Guerrero give a perspective unmatched by any adult: “It’s someone close to their own age. They do sit up and pay attention. We, older folks, can talk until we’re blue in the face, but they really do listen to their peers.”

Guerrero told the students, “If you don’t know what you want to do, going to CCRI is a pretty good plan. It opened my eyes to the opportunities. And, URI took all of my credits.”

This year, Rhode Island students from 12 career and technical centers and comprehensive high schools spent the morning rotating through their choice of 10 labs put on by CCRI faculty.

The options ranged from Program A Raspberry Pi (engineering and technology) to The 411 on Fire Science (fire science), Meet the Man of Steel (manufacturing technology), Slime and Nylon (chemical technology), and Code Blue (nursing).

Assistant Professor Scott Warila presented Mystery of the Crooked Cell for a biotechnology lab, directing students through the forensic steps of confirming if any of three suspects in a bank robbery were carriers for sickle cell anemia. Their job was to match the blood type of a spot found at the crime scene to determine the identity of the robber.

The lab on Engineering Eggs seemed to progress routinely enough until instructor Jody Robinson reached into a large box at the front of the room and pulled out a live, wing-flapping chicken.

Tim Pelletier, outreach and education coordinator for Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR, said he looked forward every year to help organize and participate in the experience. Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR contributes to the effort by providing materials, supplies and kits used in Warila’s biotechnology workshop. Pelletier also volunteers throughout the day, typically serving as a tour guide.

“The open house is a great way for high school students from across the state to experience what it feels like to be a college student in a technology based class,” said Pelletier, who grew up in Providence and graduated from Rhode Island College, and spent more than a decade working in the biotechnology industry.

Now with Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR and the coordinator of the RI Outreach Center for Biotechnology at CCRI, Pelletier focuses his efforts on broadening the Ocean State’s STEM pipeline.

“The lab experiences this program affords are very important and, for most students who attend, provide the first taste of what a career in technology can offer,” Pelletier said. “There are opportunities for them to master the skills necessary to be successful well after their studies are completed, and many of these opportunities are available right here at CCRI.”

CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale championed the same sentiment in his welcoming to students earlier in the morning, telling the group that as the largest community college in New England, CCRI offered its graduates the potential to go anywhere they wanted. And STEM, he said, is where the jobs are going to be.

“We want to help you get an understanding of what’s possible,” he said. “We want to help you achieve your dreams.”

Quoting President Barack Obama from a 2010 speech, Di Pasquale said, “Leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our children today, especially in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Photos and stories by Amy Dunkle