{"id":5201,"date":"2014-04-18T09:37:26","date_gmt":"2014-04-18T13:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/?p=5201"},"modified":"2014-04-18T09:37:26","modified_gmt":"2014-04-18T13:37:26","slug":"ccri-opens-door-to-many-opportunities-of-stem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/2014\/04\/18\/ccri-opens-door-to-many-opportunities-of-stem\/","title":{"rendered":"CCRI opens door to many opportunities of STEM"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Victor<\/a>
Victor Hugo Guerrero, above, talks about his educational and professional journey into the STEM field. Dr. Peter Woodberry, left, CCRI dean of Business, Science and Technology, welcomes students to the annual Technology Open House.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Peter<\/a><\/p>\n

RI students learn firsthand about what is possible<\/h3>\n

Standing before 150 high school students fanned out in the stadium seating of Community College of Rhode Island\u2019s<\/a> Hackett Theatre, Victor Hugo Guerrero offered himself up as a living example of opportunities both lost and taken.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho has a plan?\u201d he asked the students, gathered for CCRI\u2019s 6th<\/sup> annual Technology Open House on April 11, 2014. \u201cWho doesn\u2019t know what they\u2019re going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paraphrasing the Drake song, saying, \u201cI started from the bottom, now I\u2019m here,\u201d 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).<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys are probably just thinking about what you\u2019re having for lunch today,\u201d Guerrero said, receiving a round of laughter. \u201cWhen I started, unfortunately, I failed a few classes. That\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guerrero\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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,\u201d Dr. Nobles said.<\/p>\n

And, she said, college-age speakers such as Guerrero give a perspective unmatched by any adult: \u201cIt\u2019s someone close to their own age. They do sit up and pay attention. We, older folks, can talk until we\u2019re blue in the face, but they really do listen to their peers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chicken<\/a>
A live chicken adds excitement to the Engineering Eggs lab at the annual CCRI Technology Open House.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guerrero told the students, \u201cIf you don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR contributes to the effort by providing materials, supplies and kits used in Warila\u2019s biotechnology workshop. Pelletier also volunteers throughout the day, typically serving as a tour guide.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said Pelletier, who grew up in Providence and graduated from Rhode Island College, and spent more than a decade working in the biotechnology industry.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s STEM pipeline.<\/p>\n

\"CCRI<\/a>
The 2014 technology event at CCRI offered Rhode Island students a firsthand look at opportunities in the STEM fields.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d Pelletier said. \u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to help you get an understanding of what\u2019s possible,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to help you achieve your dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quoting President Barack Obama from a 2010 speech, Di Pasquale said, \u201cLeadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our children today, especially in science, technology, engineering and math.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos and stories by Amy Dunkle<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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