Author: Lynch, Caroline

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Marine Sciences Workshop

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On Friday, October 18th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development workshop for certified ECE Marine Sciences teachers, under the guidance of Professor Claudia Koerting, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for Marine Sciences. Instructors connected via a hybrid modality; some joined us in-person on the UConn Avery Point campus, while others participated virtually. The morning consisted of updates regarding “what’s new” in the UConn Marine Sciences program, followed by some discussions of ECE course syllabi and university technologies and resources. Professor Craig Tobias, director for the CT National Estuarine Research Reserve (CTNERR) then provided some updates surrounding his research, and included information regarding teacher resources available through the Reserve. The Reserve includes 50,000 acres of land in and around Long Island Sound, Fishers Island Sound, the Thames River and the Connecticut River; the Reserves program works to preserve the land around their many sites, and provides education, training, and research opportunities, working with the rich biodiversity of the area to accomplish these goals.

Before lunch, instructors received a brief presentation on how to obtain funding (from ECE and other sources) to support their students’ learning in and out of the classroom. The final hybrid session delved into UConn’s current research activity surrounding “the relationship between offshore wind farms and marine life”. Finally, in-person attendees were treated to a tour of the Avery Point campus’s research facilities, and a trip to nearby Bluff Point led by Professor Tobias.

 

Thank you to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

 

UConn Marine Sciences Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE LMS Training

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On Thursday, October 17th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a virtual professional development training for certified ECE Library Media Specialists. The group connected via Webex and enjoyed discussions led by several representatives from the UConn Library. Student Success & Engagement Librarian Anna Twiddy kicked things off with a welcoming introduction, followed by a presentation on the library’s electronic resources, courtesy of Electronic Resources Librarian Kristina Edwards. Ery Caswell, another Student Success & Engagement librarian, then offered a thorough explanation of the library website and all of its search functions. Terry Palacios, an Associate in Interlibrary Services, then provided an overview of the Interlibrary Services available to ECE students and instructors. After a short break, Roslyn Kohlbrecher, a Pharmacy Librarian, gave our library media specialists the opportunity to explore using Google Scholar with UConn Library credentials. Finally, Erica Charis-Molling, an Instructional Design and Learning Librarian, offered some useful tips regarding the use of AI as a research partner.

Many important resources were shared! If you were unable to join us, we are happy to report that all information will be available on the ECE LibGuide (linked HERE) very soon.

 

Thank you to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

 

UConn Library services offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Chinese Workshop

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On Friday, October 18th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a virtual professional development workshop for certified ECE Chinese teachers, under the guidance of Professor Chunsheng Yang, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for Chinese. Instructors connected via Webex and enjoyed a discussion on program development from Ms. Chunmei Guan of Logan High School in Indiana. Later on, Professor Zhiying Qian joined us from Florida State University, and led a fascinating talk about the emerging relationship between AI and Chinese language teaching.

Thank you to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

 

UConn Chinese Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Biology Workshop

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On Tuesday, October 15th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development workshop for certified ECE Biology teachers, under the guidance of Professor Thomas Abbott, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for Biology. Instructors convened on the UConn Storrs Campus and enjoyed an invigorating field walk through campus, and the surrounding forests. 

Thank you to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

 

UConn Biology Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Environmental Science (NRE) Workshop

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On Tuesday, October 15th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development workshop for certified ECE Environmental Science (NRE) teachers, under the guidance of Professor Morty Ortega, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for NRE. This was an exciting opportunity for our NRE community to meet offsite, at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) in New Haven, CT. Instructors were treated to several informative talks, beginning with a discussion on integrated tick management research at the CAES led by wildlife biologist Dr. Scott Williams. Entomologist Dr. Megan Linske then delivered a fascinating lecture entitled “Diversity and Disease: Assessing Backyards for Tick Bite Prevention and Awareness”, all before lunch! The afternoon concluded with a final talk by entomologist Dr. Kelsey Fisher, which discussed Monarch butterfly biology and conservation needs. 

And, fun fact! Both Dr. Williams and Dr. Linske received their Ph.D.s from the University of Connecticut.

Thank you to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

 

UConn Natural Resources and the Environment (NRE) Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE CE (Engineering) Workshop

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On Tuesday, October 8th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development workshop for certified ECE Engineering teachers, under the guidance of Professor Sarira Motaref, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for Engineering. The event included a variety of enrichment opportunities, including a discussion on Neuroinclusive teaching strategies, and an opportunity to engage with the teaching resources that UConn makes available to its ECE instructors. Instructors were also given the chance to interact with representatives from UConn’s undergraduate chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), all before lunch! The afternoon was devoted to presentations from our own ECE Engineering instructors, who were given the chance to share strategies and student work from their own classrooms. 

Thank you to all who joined us for an enriching experience!

 

UConn Civil Engineering Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE HIST 1300 (Medieval Studies) Workshop

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On Friday, October 4th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development workshop for certified ECE Medieval Studies teachers, under the guidance of Professor Sherri Olson our ECE Faculty Coordinator for Medieval Studies. Special guest, Christine Cooper-Rompato | English | USU gave a presentation on the Mali Empire in Western Africa, and tasked attendees with discussing their own personal connections to the continent of Africa, as well as engaging with a variety of resources (maps, articles, video, historical documents, etc.) to enhance understanding.

Thank you to all who joined us for an enriching afternoon!

 

UConn History Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE Philosophy Workshop

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On Wednesday, September 25th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development workshop for certified ECE Philosophy teachers, under the guidance of Professor Mitch Green, our ECE Faculty Coordinator for Philosophy. The event included an exercise on paper grading, an illuminating discussion on artificial intelligence in the classroom, and a guest lecture from Professor Yarran Hominh from Bard College focusing on political philosophy and its relation to human agency.

 

Thank you to all who joined us for an enriching afternoon!

 

UConn Philosophy Courses offered through Early College Experience.

Fall 2024 UConn ECE U.S. Hist/MAST/AMST Workshop

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Fall 2024 UConn ECE U.S. Hist/MAST/AMST Workshop

On Friday, September 27th, UConn Early College Experience hosted a professional development workshop for approximately 75 certified ECE U.S. History, Maritime Studies, and American Studies teachers, under the guidance of Professors Mary K. Bercaw Edwards (MAST), Laurie Wolfley (MAST/AMST), and Matt McKenzie (AMST/HIST) our ECE Faculty Coordinators.

The event kicked off with an illuminating discussion led by Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes, Mystic Seaport's Senior Curator of Maritime Social Histories, which focused on the origins and sources of the museum's current Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea exhibit.

Following this conversation, instructors broke into small groups and engaged in four activities across the museum. Beginning with a tour of the Charles W. Morgan, the oldest commercial ship still afloat in the US, our group then got some hands-on experience with rope-making, followed by an opportunity to observe primary sources from the Morgan's heyday at the museum library. Finally, we explored the Entwined exhibit, which centers Black and Indigenous voices and histories and their interconnectedness, and unravels dominant, white-centric narratives of maritime history in Turtle Island, or North America.

This event was a new foray into offering interdisciplinary professional development experiences for instructors, allowing them to connect with faculty and instructors from several academic disciplines.

UConn U.S. History, American Studies, and Maritime Studies courses offered through Early College Experience.