As 2021 nears its close, the traditional annual season for reflection, gratitude, and setting intentions for the new year is upon us. As I think about where we are today at the conclusion of our first 16 months as the newest Hub to Oregon’s network of 13 STEM Hubs, this quote from Sisi Virasak, Computer Systems Faculty at Linn Benton Community College, sums it up perfectly. We may have only just launched as an organization last August, but Sisi’s advice, while intended for her students, also works as a kind of roadmap for the path we at the Hub have taken this past year:
“Be curious, ask questions, network, and find learning opportunities. Take it one day at a time and you will get there. And, most importantly, you belong.”
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Wherever you are in your journey and whatever path you take, may Sisi’s advice be a beacon to you as it has been for us. Thank you all for your support and partnership this year.
Wishing you all a very happy holiday season,
Sarah Whiteside, Director
Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub
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Career Opportunity: Grant Manager |
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The Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub is HIRING a Grants Manager! |
We want you! Don't be shy, apply today!
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Computer Science Education Week (Dec 6 - 12) |
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The theme for this year’s Hour of Code: #CSEverywhere
From fighting disease to exploring outer space, from creating your favorite movies to powering the device you're reading this on, computer science is everywhere! Help students discover the connections to CS in their lives during this year’s Hour of Code from December 6–12, 2021.
Whether you’re teaching in person or continuing remote learning, there’s an Hour of Code activity for you! Code.org How-To Guides will show you how to adapt for in-person, virtual, or no-tech options for students with limited internet access.
How YOU can get involved
virtually with a classroom and share how technology has impacted your life.
Contact Chris Singer, Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub Program Coordinator, if you'd like to team up on an event.
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Closing the Gap: Season 2 Episode 3 |
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This month we have Veronika Kivenson,a postdoctoral fellow in the microbiology department at Oregon State University on the show. Also, friend of the show, North Albany High School student Tori Thorp is back and conducting this interview with Veronika. In this episode we hear about Veronika’s journey down the path of getting her Ph.D. in Marine Science.
You won’t want to miss out on this Closing the Gap episode! Available on December 13th, you can find it on our website and on Spotify.
If you are a woman in STEM, or have a career in manufacturing or a skilled trade and would like to talk about your experience, contact Kacey Montgomery at montgok@linnbenton.edu.
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Resources, Events, & Upcoming Opportunities |
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STEM/CTE Community Bulletin Board |
What's happening in your school/business/organization? Send us your news items for the Community Bulletin Board in our monthly newsletter and we'll help you spread the word! We ask that submissions be regional, non-commercial, STEM/CTE germane, and be limited to one sentence and a link. Submissions are due by the third Monday of each month. |
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Please take our Computer Science/Digital Literacy survey |
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For the 2021-2023 biennium, the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub, in partnership with the Oregon STEM Hub Network, is working to:
- bring more CS/DL experiences to students;
- increase professional development opportunities to educators;
- increase engagement of CS industry partners;
- increase the number of districts who have adopted and are implementing CS standards.
Our hope is to increase the number of Oregon graduates who can be equipped for the jobs of the future AND create a strong CS ecosystem that one day ensures that every Oregon student has access to CS before graduating regardless of where they live or their demographic background.
To do this, we need your help. Our initial work in this area is to complete an assessment of of our region, identifying where districts and communities are in terms of expanding access to CS opportunities. Our assessment will survey and convene administrators, teachers, and out of school/informal providers, parents, students, as well as business/employers to capture the CS landscape across the state of Oregon. In order to address the equity gap, and to solve the program of access to CS, we need to better understand where we are collectively and individually starting from. With this information, we will create statewide and community-driven initiatives.
Please join us and take part in this work by completing our survey. For questions, please feel free to contact Chris Singer, Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub Program Coordinator. |
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Educator Resource: Amazon Future Engineer |
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Amazon Future Engineer is a comprehensive childhood-to-career program aimed at increasing access to computer science education for children and young adults from underserved and underrepresented communities.
Bring an industry professional to your classroom!
Request a guest speaker experience for your students through our Class Chats program. Meet Amazon professionals in a variety of roles that make Amazon's computer science come to life!
Explore the technology of Amazon’s Fulfillment Centers
From our online store to your doorstep, discover how computer science, state-of-the-art engineering, and incredible people deliver customer orders at Amazon. Learn how to set up your virtual tour.
Let us know if you're using or plan to use these resources. We'd love to hear how it goes!
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New Educational Resource: A Step Ahead |
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We are launching a new educational resource in December!
A Step Ahead is an educational video library that will feature one new video per month highlighting educational programs and careers in STEM, skilled trades, and manufacturing. Our goal is to highlight STEM and CTE pathways and employers right here in our region to help students get an inside look into the wide variety of career options available.
Our first video features Linn Benton Community College’s Non Destructive Testing Program. We follow Department Chair Scott Ballard and experience a day in the life of a second year NDT student.
Not sure what Non-Destructive Testing is? This is a great opportunity to find out what duties a Non-Destructive Testing Technician performs and their important role in keeping our communities safe.
You can find out more about A Step Ahead on our website.
Subscribe to our YouTube to be notified when new A Step Ahead videos are available. |
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Essential Employability Skills Survey |
The Workforce and Talent Development Board (WTDB), Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), and Oregon Department of Education (ODE) want to know what you think about the employability skills we need for Oregon's future.
Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey that will close on December 8th at 5pm.
The results from this survey will help us develop priorities to prepare the next generation of Oregonians for meaningful and satisfying careers. We ask that you share the survey with your education, business, industry and community partners as we continue to build robust supports for our Career Connected Learning system across the state.
Thank you for taking the time to invest in the future of our K-12, community college and adult learners.
If you have questions, please reach out to Jim Taylor. |
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The Albany branch of AAUW is offering a scholarship that is open to female-identifying students Linn-Benton Community College degrees in STEM related fields.
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Tap Talks Corvallis (Dec. 13th) |
Join 500 Women Scientists Corvallis at Common Fields (545 SW 3rd St, Corvallis) at our new outdoor (with heated seats!) venue. Dr. Cady Lancaster, from OSU College of Forestry, will discuss solving natural resource crimes including illegal logging. Before the talk (5-6 pm) check out our resource table and enjoy this month’s science-themed Sum Fun IPA from Oakshire Brewing. After the talk (7-8 pm) try your hand at an all-ages STEM activity. https://linktr.ee/500WSCorvallis
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The EAGLES STEM program is a collaboration between Portland State University and Heritage University designed to guide and support scholars through their academic journey. Scholars receive financial assistance, advising, & research opportunities to achieve graduation. Scholars earn degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, & mathematics) majors, including:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Ecology
- Engineering
- Physics
- Environmental Science/Studies
EAGLES STEM scholarships are need- and merit-based awards that support under-represented students in STEM. Learn more at: http://pdx.edu/eagles. |
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Holiday Resource Guide from Pollywog |
Pollywog was developed to align health care, parenting education, and early childhood services for children, prenatal to age five, and their families in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties, in Oregon.
Family Resources for the Holidays
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Lending Library News & Updates |
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This has been a big month for the Educator Lending Library. Jaime Willoughby’s 2nd Grade class in North Albany spent some time exploring coding and robotics with our set of Sphero robots, more proof that learning at school is fun! |
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Speaking of robots, our new set of lego-compatible Edison Robot EdCreate kits just arrived and will be available soon! They might not be as fast as the Spheros, but I’d like to see Sphero try to turn into an excavator!
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Check out the MVSH Lending Library catalog here and submit a request here. Know of something we should add? Let us know here!
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December's Social Media Support |
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Are you noticing low engagement with your posts? |
Have you ever made a post on social media and then all of the sudden you get a new follower that likes several of your posts? You want to go to their profile and check out who they are and what they are doing, and who knows maybe you even follow them back. Now their content shows up with some regularity in your feed for a while after that positive interaction.
A good way to help keep up with engagement on your social media is to stay in touch with your followers and the people that you follow. Making time to get on your preferred platform(s) and interact with your community is a great way to remind people you are there and interested in what they are doing; it also reminds them to check out what you are doing. Remember, building a following is a two way street. The more you can interact with someone else the more your content will be shown to them and the more you reach out, the more you get in return.
Reaching out and commenting on, liking and sharing your communities content shows that you care about your interactions and relationships with those people. It’s kinda like calling your family to say you’re thinking about them.
So, reach out and follow us if you're not already! We'd love to share our work with you and learn more about yours. Send me an email at montgok@linnbenton.edu. |
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Albany Options offers new construction program |
Albany Options is offering students hands-on training in 20 different aspects of the construction trade.
This is part of the alternative high school's career technical education program which will offer pathways directly into careers or trade schools after students graduate.
If students do well in the program, they can qualify for a certificate from the Carpenters International Training Fund, which will make it easier for them to get an apprenticeship once they graduate.
Watch and read:
Photo: Gabe Diaz shows Connor Jordan and Justin McKenzie how to measure the electrical consumption of light bulbs at the electrical station. Photo by Joanna Mann, Mid-Valley Media
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iCrab, Dance & Coding Summer Camp |
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Oregon Sea Grant funded a project that used dance & computer coding to teach kids about how low oxygen in the ocean affects crabs. The project was led by our friend and partner Darryl Thomas, a dance professor at Western Oregon University (you might remember Darryl from our Drone Dancing Camp this past summer at LBCC). Watch a video about this wonderful STEAM project below: |
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To keep up on the latest MVSCH news, follow us on our social media networks: |
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