NHTI STEM Students Participate in NASA’s Plant the Moon and Plant Mars Challenges

You no longer have to use a telescope to study the surface of Mars – not when you’re on the campus of NHTI – Concord’s Community College, anyway.

NHTI professor Tracey Lesser’s Biology senior capstone students and the NHTI Environmental Action Club are participating in NASA’s Plant the Moon and Plant Mars challenges, giving them the opportunity to grow crops in a lunar or Martian soil simulant to study how these plants grow in non-Earth environments.

“When I saw this opportunity, I was so excited,” says Lesser. “The project demonstrates for students the intricacies of the space environment while learning how to make biological decisions in an experimental classroom setting. It’s invaluable in teaching future generations that anything is possible, given the right conditions.”

The Plant Mars and Plant the Moon global citizen science projects aim to help NASA learn how to support astronauts on long-term space missions. The winners will have the chance to showcase their results at a virtual symposium with NASA scientists, program executives, and other industry professionals.

At Manchester Community College, Free Job Training for SNAP Benefit Recipients The below was written by NHPR

New Hampshire is offering free job training to people receiving SNAP benefits, part of an effort to expand career opportunities for people in the nutrition-assistance program.

The initiative — launched a year ago — is a collaboration between the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Manchester Community College and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

It allows people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to take tuition-free courses through the community college. The state is also making career counselors available to connect people with opportunities and work on skills like resume writing.

Kim Runion, the bureau chief for employment supports at the Department of Health and Human Services, said the goal is to help people launch careers in health care and other fields, and create a path to upward mobility.

“For me, I did not see myself going to college until my company paid for me to go once to a class,” she said. “And I realized, ‘Wow I can do this.’' So we're hoping that our participants will recognize, ‘I can do this, I have the potential to do this, and there's resources out there to help me.’ ”

First Class of Student Apprentices Complete Medical Assistant Training at NCC

An inaugural class at Nashua Community College recently completed the Medical Assistant Registered Apprentice Program with a 100 percent exam success rate. A partnership with Southern NH Health and ApprenticeshipNH, the graduates are now on their way towards a rewarding career as medical assistants helping doctors in medical offices, clinics, and hospitals.

“You made a choice to invest in yourselves, to develop your skills and to contribute to a vital industry. This decision reflects your dedication, determination, and the pursuit of excellence that has brought you to this moment,” said NCC President Lucille Jordan, addressing students at graduation.

The two-part class combines eight, 40-hour weeks of theory and hands-on lab learning at the college followed by four weeks of clinicals.

 “You have all pushed yourself outside your comfort zone, and I know you will continue to do so in your journey through allied health,” said Kim Eckenrode, Career and Technical Education Pathways Director at NCC.

Another class of Medical Assistant apprentices will start in April.

The Foundation for NH Community Colleges and Granite Edvance Announce New Student Support Fund

For some college students whose finances are stretched razor thin as they pursue a better future, one unexpected expense may be all it takes to derail their goals. A new emergency grant program created by a partnership between The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges and Granite Edvance will help ensure students complete their degrees by assisting with emergency expenses such as food, housing, childcare, and transportation. The Student Emergency Aid Fund, established through a gift of $80,000 from Granite Edvance, will provide community college students with short-term financial support for non-academic emergency needs.

“We know that students who are unable to access basic needs such as food and housing are at a high risk for dropping out,” said Mark Rubinstein, Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) Chancellor. “We’d like to thank Granite Edvance for providing the initial investment to establish the Student Emergency Aid Fund. The fund will help students meet basic but very critical needs and help keep them on track to meet their goals. The assistance funds will be administered locally at each of our colleges across the state enabling the staff who work directly with students to respond rapidly in an emergency.”

Supporting the launch of the Student Emergency Aid Fund reflects Granite Edvance’s purpose: empowering students of all ages and backgrounds to discover and achieve their education and career goals, said President and CEO Christiana Thornton.