Perseverance – Page 5

556 FLCC students named to spring semester dean’s list

A total of 556 full- and part-time students were named to the Finger Lakes Community College dean’s list for spring 2020.

To be named to the dean’s list, students must have a 3.5 grade point average and meet other criteria as follows:

Full-time students are eligible if they are matriculated – meaning enrolled in a degree program – and achieve a 3.5 grade point average for the semester (12 or more hours of earned credit) with no grade below passing and no incompletes.

Part-time students are eligible if they are matriculated, have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours at FLCC, earn a combined total of at least 12 credit hours for a given year and achieve a 3.5 grade point average with no grade below passing and no incompletes. The student must be part-time for both semesters. The dean’s list for part-time students is compiled at the end of the spring term only.

Below are students by county and town:

Continue reading “556 FLCC students named to spring semester dean’s list”

188 FLCC students named to Phi Theta Kappa honor society

The Finger Lakes Community College chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year colleges, inducted 188 members this spring.

Phi Theta Kappa promotes scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship. FLCC’s chapter, Alpha Epsilon Chi, was chartered in 1981 and provides leadership, service and scholarship opportunities for members. Membership requires completion of 15 hours of associate degree coursework and a GPA of 3.0. Phi Theta Kappa members also serve as campus ambassadors.

New members are listed below by county and town:

ALLEGANY

Friendship: Calum Ruxton

Wellsville: Samantha Bailey

BROOME

Johnson City: Rebecca Rayne

CHAUTAUQUA

Forestville: Brandy Schroeder

DUTCHESS

Hyde Park: Brie-Anne Sloniker

ERIE

Alden: Jessica Froebelv

GENESEE

Batavia: Aisha Thatcher

Byron: Daniel Jensen

Le Roy: Sarah Efing

LIVINGSTON

Caledonia: Deanna Krenzer

Dansville: Sierra Crawford, James Shepard

Hemlock: Brooke French

Lima: Paige Stein

Livonia: Kyler Cavalcante, Angelle Farabell, Ryan Mattice, Anne Watt

MONROE

Fairport: Phillip Emmans, Robert Gehring, Hanna Slaughter

Henrietta: Aaron Nestler

Honeoye Falls: Samuel Chunick, Lisa Lapresi, Allissa Merritt

Pittsford: Josiah Capozzi, Courtney Renner

Rochester: Laura Buckley, Laura Kieliszak, Stephanie Mahonsky, Elizabeth Middleton, Selin Ogultekin, Megan Rotunno

North Chili: Elizabeth McGarvey

Webster: Alessia Paratore, Courtney Teeter

ONTARIO

Bloomfield: Zachary Brautigam, Mackenzie Helling

Canandaigua: Charlotte Alvord, Andrew Asserson, Samuel Belanger, Raymir Briceno-Ortega, Samuel Brocklebank, Matthew Brumagin, Jamie Colf, Olivia Dipaolo, Chelsea Doell, Sarah Ducar, Ranita Gage, Olivia Garlock, Andrew Gregory, Terri Griffin, Elizabeth Haas, Rebecca Hazard, Dylan Hazlett, Jeffrey Howard, Aria McKee, Belle McKee, Cassidy Miles, Brendan O’Shaughnessy, Allison Pellett, Jaylea Ransom, Brena Rocca, Nathaniel Schue, Ashley Smith, John Squires, Anna Vitale, Emily Young

Clifton Springs: Anthony Dimariano III, Selina Finewood, Danielle Hildbrand, Coby Maslyn, Alison Romeiser, Sara Vanderhoof

Farmington: Christopher Ayers, Madison Cunningham, Jourdan Hurlbutt, Emmanuel King, Derwin Melendez-Diaz, Samantha Reese, Taylor Reese

Geneva: Emily Augustine, Jami Baran, Ty Bluto, Jonathan Ferrer, Dierra Godfrey, Joshua Hennessy, Briana Horton, Tatiana Klestinec, Electra Laird, Caleb Miller, Grace North, Bailey Wayne

Ionia: Nathan Bradley

Manchester: Travis Liberty, Benjamin Moran

Naples: Lauren Robison, Michaela Williams

Phelps: Jasmine Fiori, Jared Jensen

Shortsville: Florence Weed

Stanley: Dominique Robinson

Victor: Deyanira Ainsworth, Vanessa Conte, Kelly Duprey, Alexis Gossage, Naomi McMullen, Cole Moszak, Zane Palzer, Careena Raftery

ORLEANS

Medina: Kaylyn Holman

OSWEGO

Pulaski: Emily Klein

Oswego: Taylor Ladue

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY

South Ozone Park: Munesh Roopnarine

SCHOHARIE

Sharon Springs: Owen Rohac

SENECA

Lodi: Sarah Farrow, Justin Smith

Ovid: Kodi Hopkins, Danielle Goerlich, Vincent Vangalio

Romulus: Sharon Goucher

Seneca Falls: Hunter Brignall, Mary Carter, Hunter Haust, Allison Hilkert, Georgedaliz Lopez, Madison McKoy, Brenden Sofo

Waterloo: Julia Corsner, Taylor Hurdle, Nicolas Lane, Derek Slywka

STEUBEN

Avoca: Nicholas Julien

Hammondsport: Megan Allen

Prattsburgh: Leif Jensen, Lydia Lenhard, Mackenzie Lynk

Wayland: Emily Bernal

WAYNE

Clyde: Nathaniel Brewer, Morgan Carr, Linda Gross, Alissa Hughes

Lyons: Shannon Sergent

Marion: Abigail Defisher, Christian Lopez-Dennis, Noah McKaig, Emily Passmore

Newark: Hollie Bassett, Aleah Buckalew, Ashley Cornett, Elizabeth Henninger, Marshall McFarland, Libby Smith, Haley Stivers

Palmyra: Lauren Crane, Cody Freeman, Casandra Hazlett, Jordan Huddleston, Harlan Miller, Earl Patton, Emma Perrone, Carissa Sabatasso, Ryan Saucier, Hannah Snelling, Lydia Wizeman

Sodus: Hugh Laird, Thomas Tangry

Walworth: Nicholas Block, Blake Britton, Alaska Dunstan, Abigail Giddings, Sarah Stripp

Williamson: Matthew Serody, Lindsay Sharp, Dara Storms

Wolcott: Sherri Lewis

YATES

Dundee: William Fryburger

Middlesex: Alexander Lyons

Penn Yan: Kari Ayers, Morgan Bayer, Deja Glover, Cameron Ledgerwood, Corey Ledgerwood, Chloe Madigan, Mildred Phillips-Espana

Rushville: McKenna Campbell-Fox, Misty Hill

Tune in to check out mockumentary and other New Media student creations

Image of virtual episode from New Media capstone project — Assistant Professor Paul Engin, bottom, and two students appear in an episode of a mockumentary called “Room 2420” about the spring 2020 New Media capstone class. The production had to be moved to a virtual format.

A mockumentary and a video game inspired by competition for parking spots at the FLCC main campus are among the projects to be presented by New Media students during a virtual livestream event planned for 5 p.m. Monday, May 11.

The New Media and Game Programming and Design capstone exhibition and presentations would have been held on campus this past Friday, had it not been for the pandemic. Organizer Paul Engin, assistant professor, decided the show must go on – the only way it can – and got to work coordinating the livestream with the help of some colleagues like Jeff Kidd.

Students around a ping pong table — New Media students met at the Geneva Campus Center before the COVID pandemic to discuss a group project.

Four class projects will be presented by their student creators and the class will offer a group presentation on the development process. Presenters will use Webex, and viewers will be able to watch via YouTube.

The New Media capstone course is a collaborative development of several, semester-long group projects. Students in the class begin by pitching their ideas to a panel of faculty and staff that this year included Margaret Pence, Rick Cook, Dave Ghidiu and Jeff Kidd.

Members of the New Media capstone class are shown during a visit this past winter to the Geneva Campus Center to plan the Park Shark project.

One of the projects, a mockumentary called “Room 2420,” began with last year’s New Media capstone class. Student Sam Bailey is the project lead for this year’s Season 2. Paul said it was off to a good start “but quickly changed when we could no longer be together for the production.”

“At that point,” he added, “the class had to decide if we were to continue production or not. The class accepted that it would be different and storylines had to change a little, but everyone adapted to the change and was up for the challenge.”

Staffer Jim Perri joined Webex meetings in recent weeks to help guide students through the script change process. “Although not an ideal situation being remote, I think it presented opportunities to think about story and approaches differently,” said Paul, noting that the first three episodes will be shown during today’s capstone presentations.

Another project to be aired is a game called Park Shark that was inspired by the success of the Project Rock and Holo-Pong games, also created by last year’s capstone class and still available at the main campus for public use.

“The idea evolved from trying to Park in A lot on main campus and having others sneak into the spot you were pulling into – park sharking,” said Paul. “The plan was to develop an upright arcade style game with webcams allowing head-to-head competition with different campus centers, bringing a different level of collaborative play across all our campuses.”

The move to virtual forced a change, and the student developers got to work creating an app-style game instead.

Learn more about Park Shark, “Room 2420” and two additional projects, “Will of the Wisps” and MILK by tuning in at 5 p.m. here.

FLCC winemaking prof brings students to the vineyard, virtually

With a video camera strapped to his head, Paul Brock stood alone in a lab in the Finger Lakes Community College Viticulture and Wine Center on a recent weekday afternoon.

Paul instructed his students just as he would have if they had shared the same space. The GoPro camera recorded the lesson, which was streamed in real time on the internet.

Paul’s students may not have been in the Geneva lab, but they were present nonetheless, watching from the comfort – and safety – of their homes.

As the coronavirus pandemic made its way across the nation in early March, college students left campuses, their in-person courses transferred online. For degree programs centered on hands-on learning, like FLCC’s viticulture and wine technology major, the challenge to teach entirely online at first seemed insurmountable.

However, faculty members like Paul have teamed up with colleagues to find creative ways to connect with students and continue with courses dependent on laboratory and experiential learning.

“When we were told that there will be no in-person classes, I had to figure out a way to make our hands-on learning curriculum accessible through a screen,” said Paul, associate professor of viticulture and wine technology. “I know that watching videos is not a way to learn how to do things with your hands. I also know that many students struggle with the traditional online learning model of do-the-work-when-you-can.” Continue reading “FLCC winemaking prof brings students to the vineyard, virtually”

FLCC to Ph.D. Part 1: A professor’s story

The newest edition of The Laker magazine features four alumni who have earned or are about to earn Ph.D.s. Each talks about how their FLCC experience contributed to their decision to pursue academic research. We’ll share their stories over the next several days -and the full magazine will appear in your mailbox. (Not on the mailing list? Let us know.)

In the meantime, FLCC faculty have their own stories to tell.

Young woman talking to female professor — Linda Ross, Psy.D., professor of psychology, speaks with a prospective student at an FLCC open house in 2018.

Linda Ross was a high school dropout working as a seamstress when she decided she wanted more out of life. She embarked on an educational journey that ended with a doctorate in clinical psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In the audio file below, she shares her story with a colleague.

Tomorrow, Part 2: This thing called math

Alumni: Stay in touch
We love learning your stories and sharing them. Help us stay in touch by updating your contact information. Click here for an online form to record your address and any news.

IC Tech alumni get nod in new book

Two alumni from the instrumentation and control technologies (IC Tech) program are featured in a new book that tells the story of Construction Robotics.

Book cover showing robot arm, hard hat — The cover of a new book about Construction Robotics.

“SAM: One Robot, a Dozen Engineers and the Race to Revolutionize the Way We Build” by Jonathan Waldman explains how Nate Podkaminer and his son-in-law, Scott Peters, developed a brick-laying robot. They call it a semi-automated mason, or SAM, for short.

Construction Robotics was the first company to work with FLCC to get status under the Start-Up New York business development program. Under the partnership, the company agreed to give FLCC’s IC Tech students internships, and if all went well, jobs.

IC Tech was launched in 2010 as an interdisciplinary technology program, coordinated by Sam Samanta, professor of physics. Sam assists each student in finding a co-op, or paid internship, with a local company that often turns into a full-time job.

Kerry Lipp ’13 enrolled in IC Tech after injuries ended his construction career. In the book he is credited with helping develop some of the custom equipment necessary for this first-of-its-kind machine. “Essentially, he put together all the crazy things Scott dreamed up,” the author writes.

Mike Oklevitch, a former Eastman Kodak chemical engineer, also enrolled in IC Tech for a career change and landed a co-op at Construction Robotics. The title of chapter 10 bears his nickname, Mortar Mike, for his work in developing a way to keep the mortar the robot uses at the right consistency to stick to the bricks.

To read a New York Times review of the book, click here.

FLCC announces fall 2019 dean’s list

Finger Lakes Community College announces the dean’s list for the fall 2019 semester. A total of 445 students earned this honor.

To be eligible for the FLCC fall dean’s list, full-time students enrolled in a degree or certificate program must earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and have completed 12 or more credit hours. Part-time students are included in the spring dean’s list.

Below are the students listed by county and town:

ALLEGANY

Angelica: Cassidy Mountain

Belfast: Morgan Hamer

Belmont: David Holmes, Christian Stuck

Friendship: Rylea Comstock, Calum Ruxton

Wellsville: Samantha Bailey, Lacey Shuttleworth, Ashley Taylor

BROOME

Johnson City: Rebecca Rayne Continue reading “FLCC announces fall 2019 dean’s list”

Student Emily O’Neill honored by Sheriffs’ Association

Emily O’Neill of Canandaigua, a Finger Lakes Community College student, has received a New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute award.

The Sheriffs’ Association grants a $250 award to one student at each New York community college who demonstrates academic excellence in the pursuit of a career in criminal justice.

O’Neill, a 2016 graduate of Canandaigua Academy, is in her second year and expects to graduate in the spring of 2020. She hopes to transfer to a four-year college, possibly SUNY Oneonta. She remains interested in criminal justice, but is considering expanding her studies to include nutrition and dietetics.

“After high school, I took two years off because I didn’t want to go to school not knowing what I wanted to do,” she said. “Receiving this award is very encouraging. I’m proud of it, and honored that my professors chose me. It’s going to be very helpful with school supplies and such.”

O’Neill was nominated for the award by her advisor, James Valenti, an attorney and associate professor of criminal justice. Valenti and FLCC President Robert K. Nye congratulated her during a visit to the main campus by Ontario County Sheriff Kevin Henderson, a 1984 FLCC graduate, on Dec. 17. Also on hand were Joseph Mariconda, associate professor of criminal justice, and Jason Maitland, chief of campus police.

Emily O’Neill’s success is a result of perseverance, a value at the core of FLCC’s Strategic Plan.

New FLCC Return to Finish program forgives unpaid bills

Mortarboard that says: Mama did it for you — Message on one graduate’s cap during the 2019 FLCC commencement.

Students who left Finger Lakes Community College before graduating and have unpaid bills to the college can now return and get up to $1,200 of those charges canceled upon graduation.

The new program, called Return to Finish, is meant to help students who may have been unable to register for classes due to previous debt. The deadline to enroll in Return to Finish is Jan. 8, 2020.

“We know that many of our students face multiple challenges, from medical and family issues to emergency expenses. Sometimes these issues become overwhelming and lead them to withdraw from college,” said Matthew Stever, FLCC director of admissions. “This program allows students to come back with a way to manage their past debt.”

Data show that financial problems can cause students to withdraw from school. This new policy is one way to level the playing field for underrepresented students, a key element of the FLCC strategic plan.

Continue reading “New FLCC Return to Finish program forgives unpaid bills”

Mom of seven among scholarship recipients

Demetrice Garcia is a mom to seven children, ranging in age from 20 to just seven months and she works part-time in the emergency department of a local hospital.

That’s plenty to juggle. For Garcia, there’s more: She’s also enrolled full-time as a biotechnology major at Finger Lakes Community College.

Professor Bryan Ingham posing with student Demetrice Garcia — Demetrice “Demi” Garcia of Newark is shown with FLCC mathematics professor Bryan Ingham. Ingham and his wife, Christine, started the scholarship that Garcia received for the current academic year.

Garcia says she wouldn’t be able to pursue her dream of earning a degree if it weren’t for the support she has received from her employer, family and friends. Her perseverance has been recognized at FLCC with another measure of relief: she was recently awarded the Fred and Mary Jennejahn Memorial Scholarship.

The $1,000 award was created by FLCC mathematics professor Bryan Ingham and his wife, Christine, in honor of his grandparents. Fred was a WWII veteran, Rotarian and volunteer firefighter, while his wife was a longtime middle school math teacher.

FLCC scholarships advance Objective 1 by fostering self-advocacy and improving retention by removing financial barriers.