Educators from Cheshire, Hamden, New Haven and Norwalk complete ‘Engineering is Elementary’ workshop

Clockwise from left: Quinnipiac University School of Education student teachers Megan Mourao and Jara Richards take part in the “Engineering is Elementary” program with their cooperating teachers Anne Marie Wintenburg, a teacher at Doolittle Elementary School in Cheshire, and Amy Warren, a teacher at Church Street School in Hamden.

Incorporating engineering into an elementary school lesson plan is not so difficult after all.

That’s what five Quinnipiac University School of Education students and their cooperating teachers learned on Jan. 11, when they took part in the workshop, Engineering is Elementary,® a National Center for Technological Literacy project to enhance engineering and technology knowledge and to inspire the next generation of engineers, inventors and innovators.

Lucie Howell, director of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Center for Science Teaching and Learning at Quinnipiac, led the training which included students and cooperating teachers from Cheshire, Hamden, New Haven and Norwalk.

The attendees took part in a series of activities designed to expand their thinking about technology.

“Technology is anything human-made that is used to solve a problem or fulfill a desire,” said Howell, who led the workshop at the School of Education on Quinnipiac’s North Haven Campus. “Technology can be an object, a system or a process.”

Howell had the participants work in teams to determine how various everyday objects, including spoons, painter’s tape, Post-it Notes and highlighters, are all forms of technology.

Amanda Lubin, a student teacher at the Fair Haven School in New Haven, said the workshop taught her how to integrate engineering into her lesson plans and to think more broadly about technology. “Technology is just not cell phones and computers,” she said. “This workshop showed me how to make students think about the world and how it was not always the way it is today. Not everything we have today was always available to us. We’ve had to change and modernize.”

Andrew Turkewitz, a student teacher at the Bear Path School in Hamden, agreed. “This has been wonderful,” he said. “It has given me good ideas how to use engineering as a theme for integrated teaching. It really lends itself to teaching science and mathematics.”

In another exercise, the participants formed groups of four and were given index cards and tape to build a stand to hold a small teddy bear. At the end of the activity, each team displayed and tested its stand and discussed how they constructed it.

“I hope the student teachers and their cooperating teachers see how they can introduce more integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities into their classroom activities,” Howell said. “I also want them to see how science, technology and engineering overlap. My hope is that they realize that these types of activities can add to the learning environment without increasing their workloads.”

Those who participated in the workshop were: Anne Marie Wintenburg, a teacher at Doolittle Elementary School in Cheshire, and her student teacher Jara Richards; Amy Warren, a teacher at Church Street School in Hamden, and her student teacher Megan Mourao; Lisa Kingston, a teacher at Bear Path School in Hamden, and her student teacher Andrew Turkewitz; Ann Marie Blake, a teacher at West Woods School in Hamden, and her student teacher Christina McGuire; and Monica Morales, a teacher at the Fair Haven School in New Haven, and her student teacher Amanda Lubin. Sally Davids and Karyn Privalsky, teachers at the Side By Side School in Norwalk, also took part in the workshop.

President John L. Lahey announces Cabinet reorganization

Members of our student organizations interviewed Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Mark Thompson on Nov. 26 about his changing responsibilities. Here, Sunny Nariyani ’13, general manager of Q30-Television, speaks with Thompson.

By President John L. Lahey

I am pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2013, Dr. Mark Thompson will be promoted to the newly-created position of Executive Vice President/Provost.

In this position he will serve as the university’s chief operating officer with broad authority and responsibility for internal operations, including academic affairs, student affairs, athletics, public safety, facilities and information technology.

I am announcing this change now to allow Mark sufficient time to search for his successor for the position of Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, with the hope of filling that position also effective July 1, 2013.

I congratulate Mark on this promotion which was approved and authorized by the Board of Trustees’ Personnel Committee in June.

It reflects both the board’s and my appreciation for his many previous accomplishments as Dean of the School of Business and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, and our confidence in his leadership abilities and what we expect will be even greater contributions to Quinnipiac University in the years ahead.

Rich Ferguson, our current Senior Vice President for Administration, indicated to me over two years ago that he plans to retire at the conclusion of this academic year. Rich has been a critical member of the senior management team and Cabinet for the past 14 years.

He served as Vice President/Chief Information and Technology Officer from 1998 to 2009 and developed our information technology area into an enormous Quinnipiac strength both for academics and administration.

In his role as Senior Vice President for Administration he led equally transformative changes for human resources, public safety and facilities. We will sorely miss Rich’s outstanding leadership, collegiality, and friendship, as well as his analytical, thoughtful and collaborative leadership and management style that has greatly advanced Quinnipiac University both strategically and operationally.

In conjunction with Rich’s retirement, we will be eliminating the position of Senior Vice President for Administration.

Ron Mason, Vice President for Human Resources, will report directly to me effective July 1, 2013, and he will continue to serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet. Rich’s other direct reports and their areas of responsibility will report to the Executive Vice President/Provost effect July 1, 2013.

Engineering students welcomed to university community

Students in our founding engineering class competed with senior School of Business leadership on Sept. 7 to build the tallest free-standing noodle structure — and better get to know each other. (Photo by Kyle Gravitte ’13.)

Students in Quinnipiac University’s founding engineering class competed with senior School of Business leadership on Sept. 7 to build the tallest free-standing noodle structure.

• Please click here to see more photos from the event.

Equipped with only 20 sticks of raw spaghetti, a yard of string, a yard of tape and a jumbo marshmallow, each team spent 18 minutes sketching plans and building upward in the Lender School of Business Center.

“The primary goal is to give our engineering students the opportunity to better get to know each other and other people at the university,” said Justin Kile, associate professor and interim chair of engineering. “Engineering is a challenge. This activity helps our students to better visualize the process.”

The School of Business and Engineering offers an engineering program to educate students in civil, computer software, industrial and mechanical engineering. The students in Engineering 110, the world of an engineer, are among 33 students who will be among the first at Quinnipiac to be eligible to earn bachelor of science degrees in engineering.

Mark Thompson, senior vice president for academic and student affairs, told the students that the university was fully committed to the program.

“We have a thorough understanding of your needs,” Thompson told the students as they shared pizza. “You committed to us and we are fully committed to you. We are behind you 100 percent.”

Andrew Collins, a sophomore, transferred to Quinnipiac because of the new program.

“I heard great things about Quinnipiac and about the plans for this program,” he said. “Quinnipiac has a great atmosphere and great people. I have felt comfortable here since my first visit.”

Nick Manciero, a nontraditional student, enrolled in the engineering program for its interactive nature.

“I’m very excited and glad I have this opportunity to expand my horizons,” he said.

At the end, the students won demonstrating why they were engineering majors.

Justin Kile and John Reap appointed to the founding faculty of the undergraduate engineering program

Justin W. Kile, left, and John J. Reap have been appointed to the founding faculty of the undergraduate engineering program at Quinnipiac University.

Kile is an associate professor of industrial engineering in the new program which will offer its first classes this fall. Earlier this year, the state Board of Education granted the university licenses to offer programs in civil, mechanical, industrial and software engineering leading to bachelor of science degrees.

Reap is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the new program which will offer its first classes this fall. Earlier this year, the state Board of Education granted the university licenses to offer programs in civil, mechanical, industrial and software engineering leading to bachelor of science degrees.

Engineering chair previews new major, to appear on Quinnipiac Conversations on Saturday

Scott Hamilton, chair of engineering in the School of Business and Engineering, will appear on Quinnipiac Conversations on WQUN-AM 1220  at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 2.

Please click here to listen to a preview of the interview and for more information on our newest academic department.