STEM Week

Date: Monday, October 19, 2020
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Speaker: Naima Penniman

Naima Penniman, program director of Soul Fire Farm, will give a talk about the importance and value of food production, racism in food distribution, access, etc. This is a collaborative event with HSI STEM, Multicultural Affairs, the School of STEM, and the Urban Studies program.

Bio

Naima Penniman is a multi-dimensional artist, movement builder, healer, grower and educator committed to planetary health and community resilience. She is the Program Director at SOUL FIRE FARM, where she coordinates Afro-Indigenous farming immersions and workshops to equip hundreds of adults and youth annually with the land-based skills needed to reclaim leadership as farmers and food justice organizers in their communities, to heal their relationship with earth, and to imagine bolder futures. She is the Co-Founder of WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, a Black and Brown-led intentional community focused on ecological collaboration, transformative justice, and intergenerational responsibility. She is also the Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director of CLIMBING POETREE, an internationally-acclaimed performance duo that uses art as a tool for popular education, community activism, and personal transformation. Naima is devoted to subverting injustice, igniting imagination, and cultivating collaborations that elevate the healing of our earth, ourselves, our communities, lineages, and descendants.

Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Speakers:

• Ibrahim Ali, co-director of Gardening the Community
• Dr. Raja Staggers, assistant professor of sociology
• Jose Lopez-Figueroa, director of Center for Access Services (CAS)
• Dr. Becca Berkey, Director of Service-Learning at Northeastern University
  

There will be a panel discussion on the importance of food security, the prevalence of food deserts in our inner cities, the need to know where your food comes from, food access within the greater Springfield community. This is a collaborative event with HSI STEM, Multicultural Affairs, the School of STEM, and the Urban Studies program.

Bios

Dr. Raja Staggers-Hakim: is a social researcher and skilled facilitator in the areas of health inequities, social inequality, and race & racism. Staggers received a doctorate in medical sociology and race, class, and gender studies from Howard University and a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Education from New York University. Dr. Staggers-Hakim has nearly twenty-years of experience in non-profit leadership with community health centers. Staggers has worked in higher education for over ten years and has presented her research nationally. She has facilitated national conversations on discrimination and the impact on health and has led trainings on diversity, cultural competency, advocacy, and equity. Dr. Staggers-Hakim is the Founder and Executive Director of CHEER Institute, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating health inequities through health education and promotion; community health initiatives; engagement; and participatory research. Dr. Staggers is Assistant Professor in Social & Behavioral Sciences at Springfield Technical Community College where she teaches Intro to Sociology; Health, Illness, and Society; and Race & Diversity. 

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Speakers:

• Dr. Trisha Andrews, Associate Professor of Chemistry at UMass, Amherst
• Dr. Brian Neil Levine, Director of the Cybersecurity Institute and Professor of the College of Information and Computer Science at UMass, Amherst
• Dr. Molly Senn-Mcnally, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UMass Medical School--Baystate
• Dr. Carolyn Gardner-Thomas, Assistant Director of the Mathematics for Teaching Program at the Harvard Extension School, and Lecturer of Mathematics Education at Harvard University and UMass, Amherst

This symposium will involve talks by distinguished presenters about their STEM career choices, challenges, opportunities, and advice to students. Each panel member will also lead a group discussion on choosing and persevering in a STEM major. Participate and stay inspired. This is a STEM Starter Academy event.

Date: Friday, October 23, 2020
Time: 11:15am 1o 12:15pm

Speakers:

• Deema Alswaimil, Senior Technical Marketing Engineer
• Gabriela Bello, Co-lead of Dell’s Latino Connection North America
• Alfredo Cox Vega
• Kenneth Avilés Padilla, Senior Technical Marketing Engineer

Join us to hear and converse with Dell Technologies team members and how they got into the technology field. This is a collaborative event with HSI STEM, the School of STEM, and Dell Technologies.

Bios

Presenter: Zahi Haddad: Engineering & Science Transfer faculty
Topic: The Physics in Basketball

Presenter: Sharon Sheng, Engineering faculty
Topic: Computer Application in Engineering

This is a project for the class of "Computer Application in Engineering". Each student in this class is to pair up with 2 other students in a "design team", and the team is to select a consumer product (or some sub-assembly of a product) and examine the product by disassembling it. Then they will create the 3-D solid models for the entire product (using Solidworks) and finally propose a redesign idea to improve the product.

Presenter: Nick Massa, Optics & Photonics faculty

Optics and Photonics Technology involves the practical application of light, optics, and electronics in applications including laser materials processing, fiber optic communications, precision optical manufacturing & metrology, aerospace & defense, homeland security, medical device fabrication, nanotechnology, and many others. The Optics and Photonics Technology Degree program prepares engineering technicians with the knowledge and skills of lasers, optics, and electronics needed to design, test, and maintain complex optics and photonics systems. In this session, we will provide you with an overview of the Optics and Photonics field, the careers available, and some simple optics demonstrations to give you a flavor of what this fascinating technology is all about. Demonstrations will include:

• The disappearing beaker
• What color is a tomato?
• Polarized light art
• Exploring light spectra
• Bending light - Refraction

Presenter: Ann Simao, Math faculty
Topic: The Mathematics Behind Bin Packing
Title: Why Does my box only have one small item in it?

Do you ever wonder why you get a big bow delivered that only has one small item in it?  We will talk about the mathematics behind bin packing.  Will you be able to find the most efficient way to package items that need to get shipped?

Math Curriculum: Why Does My Box Only Have One Small Item In It?

Planning and Scheduling

• Apply the List Processing Algorithm with priority lists for scheduling
• Apply theories and solve problems relative to scheduling and bin-packing

Next Fit

A new bin is opened if the weight to be packed next will not fit in the bin that is currently being filled. The current bin is then closed.

Worse Fit

The next weight to be packed is placed into the open bin with the largest amount of room remaining. If it does not fit in any bins, open a new bin.

First Fit

The next weight to be packed is placed in the lowest numbered bin already opened into which it will fit. If it does not fit in any bins, open a new bin.

Assignment:

Students will hypothetically work for a certain company of their choosing. They will determine which algorithm is best for their company and explain why that method was chosen. The students will then determine the number of packages that need to be boxed (a minimum of 10 packages will be created). The student will determine the maximum weight that is available in each box.

Presenters: Sean Collins, President of Governors America Corp. & STCC alum; Tom Minor, MET faculty
Topic: Extreme Precision: Splitting Hairs on a CNC Machine and Measuring Them in the Metrology Lab

Presenters: Ed Bigos, Computer Systems faculty; Andrew Collins, Computer Systems faculty; Nick Bishop, CSET staff assistant
Topic: Election Security

By 2025 Mobile Internet access is expected to hit 4.3 billion users worldwide. Artificial Intelligence will become more widespread and the current estimated 9 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices which are connected to global information networks is expected to grow beyond 50 billion devices in the next decade.

The Computer Systems Engineering (CSE) program is designed to offer you the training and experience to tackle the IT challenges of today and tomorrow. We pride ourselves on providing a “hands-on” kinesthetic education, where you will train on real enterprise grade equipment in one of our well-equipped labs.

Overview of Voting Security

DEFCON Voting Machine Security

Sergio Sales - Cisco Networking Academy

We are a proud partner of the Cisco Networking Academy. The Cisco Networking Academy is a learning resource which provides students high-quality training materials and simulation tools at no cost to the student. Check out this video about Sergio Sales, and his journey into the Information Technology career, with his training at a Cisco Networking Academy like ours.

There are many pathways, certifications, and learning opportunities for students through the Cisco Networking Academy. Check out Cisco’s Interactive Learning Paths.

Beyond the focus of IT Networking, the Internet of Things (IoT) has become an explosive force on the world stage in recent years. Internet connected devices from the Amazon Microwave, to Smart Cars, Smart Homes, and more; have added millions more devices to manage and deploy. In the CSET program, you will explore how to manage and deploy IoT devices in this ever-expanding market. 

What is the Internet of Things?

With this massive increase in connected devices, now more than ever Cyber Security is a crucial part of building and maintaining networking infrastructure. All of the advancements in the Internet of Things, the worldwide growth of I.T. Networking, and the many other I.T. related systems increase the risk and create many new threats of being attacked.

The World of Cyber Security

While there are many levels of Cyber Security defenses, the CSE programs primary focus is on securing the I.T. Networking infrastructure and its devices. CSE graduates are the boots on the ground, the first line of defense against cyber threats and threat actors. In courses such as Computer & Network Security, CSE students explore the fundamentals of Cyber Security and its applications to many different I.T. systems and devices. Students will also explore and work hands on in Cyber Security Operations and Ethical Hacking courses, exploring defensive and offensive technical security aspects.

If you want to enroll in a top of the line, hands-on program, with excellent career growth and earning potential, come join us in the Computer Systems Engineering program at STCC.

Free Courses

These are self-enroll courses. Students will need to use their first and last name along with an email address to get started.

Introduction to Cyber Security 
The introductory course for those who want to explore the world of Cyber Security.

Introduction to Linux 
The "start from scratch" Linux course. A quick intro to the popular operating system.

Introduction to Packet Tracer
Enroll to download your free copy of Packet Tracer and learn basic skills with the tool. This tool is essential to learning Cisco Computer I.T. Networking Technologies.

Introduction to IoT
Start your IoT learning journey here. No experience required.

Cloud and Virtualization Concepts
Explore the basic concepts of Virtualization and Cloud Computing

* Students Need to take the “Introduction to Packet Tracer” before starting the “Introduction to IoT” in order to get the best learning experience.

Presenters: Brian Candido & Jason Alves, Computer Information Technology faculty
Topic: Make An Android App in 20 Minutes

In this session, you will learn how to make an Android app, using free software in 20 minutes. This app will allow you to take a picture, modify it, and send it to a friend.

Here is a link on how to run an app, once it is coded. Try it out yourself!

Use this kitty picture to practice what you have learned.

There have also been some recent student events, highlighting various activities that our STEM students have done.

Hackathon

Summer Research Posters

WWLP: Recent STCC graduate part of team that invents sensing eye mask