Month: November 2024

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Chemistry Workshop

Posted on by

On Monday, November 25h, UConn ECE Chemistry instructors convened on the UConn Storrs campus for their annual professional development conference, under the guidance of Dr. Fatma Selampinar, ECE Faculty Coordinator for Chemistry.

We were joined by Assistant Professor Alexander Askenov, who led a lecture on his research entitled “Introduction to Molecular Community Networking and the Dark Matter of Metabolomics”. Following the talk, instructors participated in an interactive workshop, involving analysis of public mass spectrometry data using the “MCN Approach” (steps outlined below):

– Setting up molecular networks using GNPS

– Use of Cytoscape software

– Displaying molecular structures with ChemDraw

– Exploring antibiotic-focused networks

– Structure prediction and prioritization

Following a short lunch break, the workshop wrapped with a discussion on “Future Applications in Drug Discovery” and closing remarks.

Many thanks to Dr. Askenov for creating an enriching experience for our instructors, and Dr. Selampinar for all of her work to support our ECE Chemistry community!

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Communication Workshop

Posted on by

On Monday, November 18th, UConn ECE COMM instructors participated in an online professional development workshop organized by Dr. Svetlana Kalnova, ECE Faculty Coordinator for the Department of Communication. The workshop consisted of three parts. It started with the discussion of assessment strategies and speech evaluation ideas. Instructors were given the opportunity to share their classroom experiences, ask questions, and receive feedback from Dr. Thomas Meade, our Comm 1100 faculty supervisor.

Then instructors participated in a hands-on collaborative activity, coming up with acceptable/unacceptable uses of generative AI. The final document was shared with participants after the workshop.

After a short break, instructors were treated to a presentation on “Generative AI uses for creative minds” by Dr. Matthew Worwood, UConn, Digital Media & Design. Dr. Worwood’s research highlights teacher creativity and design thinking inside the context of teaching and learning. The talk focused on how generative AI impacts creativity and affects 21st century skills.

Many thanks to Drs. Meade and Worwood for creating an enriching experience and sharing their expertise with our workshop participants!

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Human Rights Workshop

Posted on by

On Thursday, November 14th, certified ECE Human Rights Instructors met on the UConn Storrs Campus, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Sandra Sirota, our ECE Faculty coordinator for Human Rights. The day’s main event was a lecture entitled “Creating Change for Children in the U.S. and Around the World”, delivered by Professor Jo Becker of Columbia University. Becker serves as the advocacy director for the division for children’s rights at Human Rights Watch, an organization which bridges research and political action to expose human rights abuses around the world, and fight for policy change to prevent further harms. Additionally, she serves as a founding chairperson for the international Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, and helped negotiate a landmark 2011 treaty to ensure labor rights for domestic workers.

Her lecture on Thursday delved into the current state of children’s rights globally, including the fight to end child marriage and child labor both domestically and around the world. Becker ended her talk with several action items for students, including engaging with their local representatives and signing petitions or open letters. This left our instructors equipped with several strategies to encourage their students to join the fight for change.

To learn more about the organization, and Jo Becker’s work, please visit hrw.org, or check out the following UConn Today article detailing the lecture she shared with our ECE instructors!

Investigate, Expose, and Change – Jo Becker on Advocating for Children’s Rights

We are so grateful to Professor Becker for taking the time to share her incredible advocacy work with us. And, as always, thank you to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

UConn Human Rights courses offered through Early College Experience.

 

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Sociology Workshop

Posted on by

On Friday, November 1st, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development experience for all certified ECE Sociology teachers, in collaboration with Dr. Ingrid Semaan, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for Sociology. Instructors connected virtually via Webex, and began the day with conversations surrounding their individual classroom experiences. The main event was a panel of three UConn faculty, who discussed their research in the realm of sociology. 

Thanks to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

Contributors:

1) Dr. Elizabeth Jacobs – “New Data Sources for Immigration Resources”

2) Dr. Simon Yamawaki Shachter – Analyzing “how the interrelationships between civil society and the state perpetuate and/or alleviate inequality”

3) Dr. Beatriz Aldana Marquez – “Her research currently focuses on Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and challenges the frameworks of power that significantly and disproportionally affect Latin American immigrants. Additionally, she investigates the immigration law and courts.”

UConn Sociology Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE SPSS Workshop

Posted on by

On Tuesday, October 29th, UConn Early College Experience Sustainable Plant & Soil Systems (SPSS) Instructors were treated to a unique professional development experience, in the form of the 12th biennial Symposium for the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG). CIPWG is an organization committed to mitigating the negative environmental impact of invasive plant species, through educating themselves and others on identification and management of invasive plants, as well as replacement of invasive with native species. The topic of the most recent symposium was Real Talk: Making an Impact in Invasive Plant Management, and attendees were treated to a variety of discussions emphasizing the critical role of education in conservation, and rooting the discussion of eradicating invasive plant species in local case studies. Many thanks to ECE’s own SPSS faculty coordinator, Julia Kuzovkina, Ph.D., for her efforts in organizing such an enriching experience for our instructors.

Be sure to check out UConn’s student newspaper, the Daily Campus, for an illuminating article on this event. Linked HERE!

 

UConn SPSS Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Physics Workshop

Posted on by

On Wednesday, October 30th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development experience for all certified ECE Physics teachers, in collaboration with Dr. David Perry, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for Physics. Wednesday’s event was twofold, with instructors first given the opportunity to commune with one another and discuss the ever-important topic of exam design and performance. Then, they were treated to one of the first shows hosted in the newly renovated Cynthia Wyeth Peterson planetarium. Our instructors left excited to potentially bring students back to the facility in the spring, once it opens up for regular displays. Many thanks to the UConn Physics faculty and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for opening up their space to us for this event. We extend even more gratitude to Dr. Matt Guthrie and PhD student Kelcey Davis, for their expertise and creativity in putting on an incredible planetarium show for our instructors!

To learn more about the Peterson Planetarium, we urge you to check out this article from UConn Today:

UConn’s Planetarium Dedication Honors a Physics Pioneer

Thanks to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

 

UConn Physics Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE English Workshop

Posted on by

Friday, November 1st marked the annual UConn ECE English conference, organized in collaboration with Professor Scott Campbell, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for English. This year’s conference theme was Collaborative Circulation: A Recursive Roadmap, and attendees engaged in a variety of small group discussion sections on several topics (listed below):

  1. Circulation for Brainstorming and Ideation
  2. Circulation of Feedback
  3. Circulation as a Rhetorical Device/Context
  4. Interconnected Circulation: an Activity

The day ended with a panel discussion led by several representatives from the UConn English department.

Thanks to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

UConn English courses offered through Early College Experience.