BMCC students learning how to build a winning robot.

Sitting on the back of a plain brown table at the back of a BMCC lab sits an 8” x 12” plastic board covered by a cluster of wires. At first glance, the odd looking object looks like a stripped down two wheeled model dune buggy. But all those wires are attached to a small copper and black colored box filled with programs called a microcontroller, or brain.

More wires extend from the microcontroller to two even tinier black objects that stick up from the plastic board’s sides. Those are the ultrasonic sensors, or eyes. A DC motor provides power to the sensors, and it’s the sensors that send messages that detail distance, space and direction back to the microcontroller.

The microcontroller then commands the wheels to turn while at the same time, providing the necessary intelligence for the object to perform tasks, and it’s that intelligence that makes this little object in the back of the BMCC lab a robot.

The learning model for the competition

The little robot actually serves as a learning model for several BMCC students who’ve been gearing up since this past fall for the 2015 SUNY TYSEA robot building competition at Syracuse University this April.

Officially a robotics workshop, the students meet during Wednesday club hours to brainstorm and learn the hands on basics of building and programming a robot.

The workshop, sponsored by the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, or CSTEP, includes mostly engineering and science students, many who’ve taken classes with BMCC science Professor Mahmoud Ardebili.

Ardebili says this group is especially robot enthused. They’d likely spend even more time developing and perfecting their model if given the chance. They even took time to meet up during the winter holiday break where they discussed ideas they’d had.

“They have to work together as a team. They brainstorm different ideas, then they’ll do a program, next they’ll try out those ideas on the prototype to see if those ideas work or not,” said Ardebili.

Rules of the game

The upcoming competition at Syracuse, called the TYSEA Fishing Derby, commands that each team design and build and autonomous robot that can collect colored fish cutouts and then deposit them into corresponding colored fish tanks. Meanwhile, the unpainted fish can be deposited into any fish tank.

The robots will have a maximum time of 120 seconds in each of their four allotted trials. Robots have to meet certain parameters, starting out with 8 by 12 by 10 inch high dimensions. The model can be expanded to any size during a trial session.

When the competitive trials conclude, the robots will be on exhibit.

The BMCC workshop group has divided themselves into three focus areas; programming, design and electrical circuits.

Each of the students has an interest in robotics and they all recognize the growth in job opportunities that incorporate engineering science and more specifically, the world of robotics.

The changing face of American Manufacturing

In fact, the nation’s job market has seen significant growth in robot related fields over the past decade and will likely continue to do so.  According to the US Department of Labor-sponsored O*Net Online website, employment growth in robotics engineering is expected to be in the range of seven percent to 13 percent annually through 2018.

The students in the BMCC robotics workshop are getting a sample of the demands they’d face should they go on to pursue a robotics related career.

“It has to be functional, very accurate with its movements, but as far as what winning robot is, that’s some thing we won’t know until the competition,” said Engineering Science major Guillermo Herrera.

Once he graduates from BMCC, Herrera hopes to get into a four-year school and major in industrial engineering with a minor in robotics.

Mechanical Engineering student Gabriel Salvador agrees about the challenges of the competition.

Like Herrera, Salvador is hoping to pick up some practical research skills in the workshop that he can carry on to the next level of his education. Eventually, he hopes to explore a career in mechanical engineering.

Heading for a Robotics Major

Meanwhile, engineering science student John Woody hopes to head off to a four-year school and study computer engineering.   Long term, his goal is to work and help design the machines that have revolutionized the way goods get manufactured in factories.

“There are a lot of cool things out there getting made by robotic arms, from huge machines to construction equipment on new high-rise buildings” he said.

Space, the final frontier

It could also be said that some of the students hear the voice of Hal, from the 1968 epic science fiction film, 2001 Space Odessy.

It’s no secret, that in the the decades since that film’s release, robotic projects, such as the Mars Rover and robotic arms on space stations have become reality.  Some might say, robotics has revolutionized the exploration of the universe.

BMCC engineering science major Yuri Ghrimyan is aware of the exciting career possibilities.  He said he joined the workshop to get some practical experience outside of a classroom. And he’s got his eyes set on the stars, someday hoping to incorporate his love of robotics within the aerospace engineering field.

“I just read an article about a huge grant to NASA from the Federal Government to support further aerospace engineering research,” said Ghrimyan.

He also admitted he’s having a great time working with the team as they prepare for a heated competition here on earth.

The skills to turn buildings green

Some of the students see themselves pursuing careers in building science, a vast field that’s been greatly influenced by growing efforts at more sustainable developments.

EnergyStar, the government-backed program that helps businesses and developers protect the environment through energy efficient construction, says that commercial buildings produce around 20 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gasses.

They say building owners can make sustainable investments by retrofiting, upgrading, or installing new heating and cooling equipment that helps meet reduced energy loads.

Engineering science major Mohamad Aljelub says he wants to be a mechanical engineer, focusing primarily on HVAC business, designing and implementing heating, ventilation and air conditioning in large commercial buildings.  He pointed out that robotics is helping change the ways those new HVAC systems get implemented and operate.

“It’s a growing field in big cities,” he said, adding that so many large older buildings are changing their entire ventilation systems as they go green.

He too, sees his participation in the robotics competition as a chance to learn some skills that will benefit him as he pursues a career in the HVAC fieled.

The workspace verses the classroom

Engineering science major Yunus Kakar is transferring to State University of New York Stonybrook at the end of the spring.  He’s enjoying the practical experience in the workshop.

“At school we deal with theories, versus the practical, “ said Kakar.

Like Ghrimyan, the aerospace industry has peaked his interest. Kakar said he is hoping to increase his skills in robotics as he continues his education.

Helping people through robotics

Robotic research has also been advancing what’s possible in the world of prosthetics. New modular and extensible limbs offfer levels of freedom and controllable dexterity that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

Student Omar Esteves, who hopes to go into the bio-medical field someday, has his eyes set on a career that helps those individuals who’ve lost limbs.

“With the robotics program, I’m getting practical experience in the hardware and programming, “ he said.

The ambition in the room on workshop day was palatable. And there’s little doubt, the enthused focus will serve the BMCC team members well come April.

“They may even have more than one robot at the competition, “ said Professor Ardebili.

In fact, he says, they may have two teams.

English Professor Jami CarLacio leads her students on a research project for African American Heritage Month

To deepen their research into slave narratives—and create a poster presentation for African American Heritage month—Professor Jami Carlacio took her English 350 class on a trip uptown to the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

There, the students learned how to explore online manuscript collections, archival materials, photographs and other resources.

The Schomburg Center—generally recognized as the world’s leading research library devoted to the history and culture of the African diaspora—houses the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery, with over 400 rare items of printed material.

It also provides a 24-hour service, Digital Schomburg, that shares podcasts of oral histories and other online resources.

The Slave Narrative project, Professor Carlacio explains, has many layers for students: building knowledge, adding research skills and developing digital literacy.

“It means sifting through materials and evaluating their validity,” she says. “The students are learning to locate resources in a methodical way, synthesize information and write in a multi-media environment using critical literacy skills.”

‘Piercing the surface’ via posters

Working in groups of four, the students identified sources they would use, then used text and images to examine the transatlantic slave trade, specific slave narratives, the Middle Passage, the abolitionist movement, varieties of slave labor in the West Indies and American South, and other topics.

In the process, the class gained valuable experience producing an academic poster, the cornerstone of a scholarly research presentation in both the STEM and social sciences.

“I feel like poster presentations are the most effective way to learn about a topic,” says student Victoria Vazquez.

Having to re-read and excerpt sources for a poster leads to a better understanding of a topic, she says, adding that “poster presentations allow students to pierce the surface of the topic and dive in head first, arriving for the presentation well versed and eager to educate our audience.”

She adds that there is “more creativity in a poster than in an essay, which puts less stress on the student. Despite being shy, I felt confident talking about the facts on our poster, instead of having them appear on a screen, which would have made it tempting to recite verbatim.”

Annette Tolentino adds that “making a poster keeps me interested. It allows me to remember some of the information I’ve researched and with the poster as a guide, I refer to the sources I used, in the presentation.”

The students shared their posters with the BMCC community as part of African American Heritage Month, talking with visitors in room S-341 on Wednesday, February 25.

‘We are all brethren.’

Crystal Baez and Becky Hernandez presented a poster titled, The Middle Passage, which Hernandez explained is a shipping route that took commercial goods from Europe to the west coast of Africa.

There, she said, “The goods were traded for enslaved Africans who were shipped to North and South America.”

“I’d heard of the Middle Passage but didn’t know anything about the harsh conditions on the ship, such as devices to hold a person’s mouth open and force them to eat,” Baez added.

Nathan Hughes, Terrence Tyson, Argenis Bonifacio and Christian Fana created the poster Key Dates in the Slave Trade. Their timeline starts in 1645, when the first slave ship originated in Africa, and moves forward through the abolitionist movement in the United States.

Dominique Barreno, representing group members Kevin Burns, Kristy Garcia, Josephine Cheng and Emil Alcantara presented the poster Quakers and Abolition.

“I was surprised to learn that Quakers were part of the abolitionist movement, that supporting equality was part of their belief system,” Barreno said, and classmate Josephine Cheng added that in the Quaker’s monthly meetings, they sit facing each other in a square or circle, “which helps them to be aware that everyone has equal status.”

Luz Perez, Geordami Nazario, and Jennifer Chavez prepared the poster Varieties of Slave Labor in West Indies and American South, and Chavez explained that “a slave’s skill level was determined by his or her value to the plantation owner.”

Bobby Lin, Briana Hickson and Kyle Harris produced the poster The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, telling the story of a prominent member of the Sons of Africa, a Nigerian group that campaigned for the abolition of slavery through their writing and lectures.

Luis Rodriquez, Annette Tolentino, Victoria Vazquez, and Ezekiel Durojaiye produced a poster highlighting Frederick Douglass’s life.

“We used a graph to organize the information so people can make more comparisons,” said Ezekiel.

The poster also presents copies of historic documents, such as a declaration in the late nineteenth-century anti-slavery newspaper Douglass published, The North Star: “Right is of no sex. Truth is of no color. We are all brethren.”

Building classroom community online

Another tool the class has been using is the online environment, Blackboard, which provides discussion forums, reading materials and a place to submit papers for group and instructor feedback.

“This is my first time responding through Blackboard in a comments sections,” says Jennifer Chavez. “It’s a great way to expand our feedback on each other’s work.”

“It’s a good way to give students who don’t speak up, a way to join in the discussion,” says Professor Carlacio. “They also write their papers and post them on Blackboard, for comment. Later this semester, they’re going to do a multi-model project using media and images.”

Carlacio’s scholarly research, among many other areas, includes women’s rights and abolitionism, digital media and pedagogy. She stresses that in order to be successful in their academic careers and enter the workforce, it’s important for students to graduate from college with digital literacy.

They seem to agree.

Luis Rodriguez, who plans a career in law enforcement says, “Cops need digital literacy too. They have to write reports online and constantly communicate with others online and get information that way.”

Bobby Lin adds, “I think it’s an effective way to interact. You see how people think.”

Emilio Gonzalez takes part in scientific research as part of the LSAMP program.

CIS major Emilio Gonzalez is nervous. He’s about to present a summary of his research project at BMCC, in a weekly meeting of his LSAMP peers across CUNY.

In the audience are students from LaGuardia Community College, Hunter College, Brooklyn College, Bronx Community College, City College of New York, Medgar Evers College, and NYC College of Technology.

They’re meeting in a Smart Classroom in Fiterman Hall.

Sitting in the front row, poised to give feedback is Claude Braithwaite, the CUNY-wide LSAMP Project Administrator—but he also holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the CUNY Graduate Center and has conducted research in the areas of chemistry, biology, chemical engineering and computer science.

He doesn’t miss much. Or mince words:

Check your facts.
What is the deliverable?
At the end of the day, is this something new?
What does the literature say?

Somehow, when the students sit back down, they seem energized by this grilling. To a person, they are smiling. Their next steps are clear, and their relief is palpable.

Raising the bar

As Emilio Gonzalez stands by a projected diagram of his project—analyzing inconsistencies in clinical terminology software—Professor Braithwaite makes an evaluation based on the investigative question, data interpretation and more.

“You’re basically creating an algorithm to achieve more accuracy,” Braithwaite says, “but what data set do you use to test your algorithm?”

The other students listen carefully as he engages Gonzalez in a conversation on how to raise the validity of his research.

Gonzalez explains that he’s working on “the most comprehensive healthcare terminology system in the world, analyzing inconsistences.”

Long story short, the more consistent the system is, the better able it is to support the cost-effective delivery of care, and facilitate health research.

The search for knowledge

Emilio Gonzalez, who moved to New York City from Miami, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and has made the Dean’s List for two semesters in a row.

Someday, he says, he wants to present his findings “to a lecture hall full of systems analysts” and secure a position in an advanced IT company, or start his own technology company.

Meanwhile, he is working closely with his mentor, Professor Yan Chen of the BMCC Computer Information Systems (CIS) department.

“She saw I was venturing into Java databases by myself, so she invited me to join her in a research program,” he says.

“Emilio is one of the best students that I have taught at BMCC for 11 years,” says Professor Chen. “He is intelligent, inquisitive and yearns to gain in-depth knowledge.”

BMCC: The only CUNY community college sending students abroad for LSAMP research projects

The LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation) CUNY-wide project encourages historically under-represented full-time students to take part in research assistantships in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.

Students receive a stipend, and are offered the opportunity to participate in special summer programs.

Recently it was announced that BMCC students Aned Gomez, Finola Fung-Khee and Crystal Mena will participate in the International Research LSAMP Programs, conducting biological research in Colombia and Brazil in Summer 2015.

“Since BMCC offers the right conditions and support for students to develop their research projects, BMCC is the only CUNY community college that will send students abroad to conduct scientific research through the LSAMP program,” says LSAMP Program Coordinator at BMCC, Dr. Jenny Paredes.

A nationally ranked basketball team may not be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing a big city community college.

But this year, the BMCC men’s basketball team not only won the 2015 CUNY championship, the team also produced the CUNY player of the year, Freshmen Kenneth Coar. Coach Nolan Adams was named CUNY coach of the year. And if that weren’t enough, the BMCC Panthers spent much of the season ranked in the top ten in the NJCAA Division-III poll, creating national buzz about the school’s athletic program.

Coach Adams said his experience at BMCC had been the most fulfilling in his eleven-year basketball-coaching career. He wishes every member of the team could take home a trophy, because the CUNY championship was about the team that came together from across the city and gelled together like a family.

“Amazing both on and off the court,” said Adams.

The challenges of going to college in the city

Work, school and other day-to-day demands weigh heavily on the shoulders of community college students who also have to support themselves beyond the walls of the campus. That’s especially true in dense, often expensive urban areas. The tolls of those demands show up in community college retention statistics. But, through programs such as rigorous organized athletic competition, students become more engaged and vested, both socially and academically.

“You sometimes work with kids who may not have been that focused in high school. Maybe they went through the public school system and it wasn’t such a great experience for them academically. But, then they come here and they meet folks such as us, and athletic director Stephen Kelly,” said Adams.

Adams said that he and Coach Tyrone Wilkerson “stay on” the players about keeping up with their academic studies.

Athletics and stronger academic performance

In order to play for the team, students must be full time and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA. Adams said the athletics department worked with the academic resource center setting up tutoring schedules for the team’s players.

“Not only are they getting to do something they love to do, they’re finding a different avenue with which to be motivated in class, “ he said.

Still, BMCC basketball is not Duke or Kentucky. The coaches understand they can’t expect their students to spend six or more hours on the court prepping for a game.

“We have one player who works 25 to 30 hours per week at Macy’s in Downtown Brooklyn, and he takes a full course load, and yet he’s here for practice every day” said Adams.

Vested in the BMCC community

Wilkerson says the team building skills the players learn while participating can also translate into life itself.

“The team can help bridge family gaps and other relationships they may not have,” said Wilkerson. He said the relationship skills they learn are invaluable.

Last year, when the team was not as successful, the gym was almost always empty for games according to Adams. But, this year, as the team began to see more victories, more and more students and faculty began to show up.

“Students and professors started to say hello in the hallways,” said Adams.

And, students have already begun to inquire about next year’s team.

He said BMCC students know what they have to do academically in the spring so they can be eligible in November for tryouts.

Top-notch program

“You go into our gym and our set-up for a basketball game, it looks no different from a higher-level school. Our facility, the programs we offer here at BMCC are top notch, it’s taken us time to build it up to this level,” said BMCC Athletics Director Stephen Kelly.

There’s no doubt the program has instilled an even greater sense of pride in its team members. All the team’s senior players are headed off to four-year schools in the fall. Among them is Justin Manon, who plans to attend St. Joseph’s College in Downtown Brooklyn and study education.

Motivation in class

Manon, who wants to be a teacher, said the team motivated him to be a better student. He said he hopes to take some of the skills he picked up playing on team as he pursues his career.

“Coach always stresses not only becoming a better player, but a better person. I hope, that as a teacher, I can do that too,” said Manon.

Business Administration major Elijah Bryant agrees.

“I’ve never really been part of a team,” said Bryant.

Being a part of the athletic program had helped him tremendously with his studies, Bryant said.

Senior and Liberal Arts major Joseph Ojo is planning on furthering his education in the information technology field.

“Playing on the team gave us an extra push to do well in our classes, because if we don’t pass, we don’t get to play,” said Ojo.

He also admitted that winning the CUNY championship had been emotionally overwhelming at times.

Criminal Justice major Kenneth Coar said he appreciated the sense of community the team offered throughout the year.

“Both on and off the court, my teammates had my back, encouraged me to go to class, we could talk about anything,” he said.

Perhaps Justin Manon summed it up best.

“I always wanted brothers, that’s exactly what I got,” he said.

When 26,000 students from over 160 countries come together with star faculty in a New York City academic setting, class discussions will prove more interesting and the points of view more diverse. This was one component of a celebratory introduction offered by BMCC President Antonio Pérez during his March 17 State of the College address in Theatre 2 at the main campus.

An almost full house of BMCC staff, faculty and students listened as the president detailed many of the past year’s accomplishments as well as a listing of challenges the school faces, and detailed plans to address them.

A changing labor force

Since BMCC first began, the school’s mission has been to serve the residents of New York City. “We are aware that many of our neighbors are still searching for the job that guarantees a secure foothold in our economic future,” said President Pérez, adding that those jobs must compete globally with up-to-date skills.

Pérez also highlighted success stories and milestones from the previous year.

For example, BMCC is currently ranked fourth in the nation among two-year institutions that award associate degrees in all disciplines to minority students, according to Community College Week’s annual rankings.

BMCC also ranks third in the nation among all other two-year colleges in awarding associate degrees in business as well as computer information science.

Extended offering of degree programs

“We have over 30 associate degree programs at BMCC, a number that grows every year,” said President Pérez.

In fact, the school is in the process of adding associate degree programs in Modern Languages, Art Foundations in Studio Art History, Sociology, History and Gerontology.

The president also told the audience that BMCC is at a critical juncture in its 50-year history. He said the school is working across several spectrums to develop new, innovative tools that further prepare students for what’s become an increasingly global economy. To that end, Pérez said the school’s first strategic priority is Excellence in Teaching, Research and Learning.

Already, BMCC has secured 26 articulation agreements with four-year schools to ensure the transfer of credits from an associate degree program to a baccalaureate program.  Of those agreements, 14 are with fellow CUNY schools, he said. Another dozen are with private senior institutions.

Student success and retention

To support BMCC’s second strategic priority, Student Success and Retention, the school is pursuing several more key initiatives.

Among them are a full honors program, developed by a college-wide faculty committee led by co-chairs Dean Erwin Wong and Professor Jason Schneiderman to complement the BMCC honors contract option that is currently available.

“Our faculty are world-class scholars and teachers,” said Pérez. Expanded internship opportunities and a CETLS strategic plan aimed at bringing faculty together across disciplines to enhance the scholarship of teaching, research and creative activity are also underway or in development he said.

“One such example is the Open/Alternative Textbook initiative, a partnership between the library and CETLS,” said Pérez. The initiative will help replace a number of costly textbooks with free open education resources.

New programs

BMCC is also implementing a Teaching Academy as well as plans to improve student outcomes in developmental courses, the president said.

Further, through programs such as the Freshman Learning Academy, or FLA and Quantway, the school continues to lead fellow community colleges as well as CUNY in student proficiency and achievement.

In addition, he pointed out that BMCC’s CUNY Start program, under the auspices of the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development, has served over 1,900 students since 2009, more than any other CUNY community college campus.

Supporting international students

The president said that BMCC is committed to the success of all its students, regardless of citizenship status.

He pointed out that undocumented students, often referred to as “Dreamers,” are not eligible for federal, state or city financial aid to help pay for a college education.

“We are happy to lead the way within CUNY to partner with an international scholarship program called TheDream.US to help our undocumented students,” he said.

Raising funds for scholarship

The BMCC Foundation and the school’s Office of College Development continue to build relationships with philanthropists who want to make a difference at BMCC through the foundation’s scholarship program, the president noted.

The BMCC Foundation’s annual fundraising gala is set for May 14, 2015 at the new Cipriani at 25 Broadway, in Lower Manhattan.

Effective organization and accountability

The third strategic priority outlined by President Pérez is Organizational Effectiveness and Accountability, including accreditation.

He used the speech as an occasion to announce that on March 5, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education accepted the BMCC Monitoring Report with the school’s next evaluation visit scheduled for 2017-2018.

Speaking to the school’s organizational effectiveness, the president pointed to BMCC’s technology infrastructure, which he called the vanguard for the CUNY system.

“We will develop and implement a comprehensive IT plan that aligns technology efforts with BMCC’s strategic priorities to better support the academic and administrative goals of the college,” said Pérez.

Global economy, global development

BMCC’s final strategic priority, the president said, is Global Engagement and Economic Development. As part of that effort, he stressed that in a global 21^stcentury economy and environment, students must be prepared to interact with cultures different from their own.

One outgrowth of the strategic planning process, the school’s Committee on Globalization, has been looking at exemplary programs in higher education in an effort to promote global citizenship among its students, he said.

Pérez also said that BMCC had been awarded a two-year, $100,000 National Endowment for the Humanties, or NEH, grant to help begin globalizing its undergraduate curriculum.

The proposed NEH project, conducted in partnership with New York University, represents a major undertaking on the part of the college to strengthen and enrich humanities education.

He said the partnership would also serve as a model for other urban institutions seeking to implement similar reforms in humanities offerings.

Sustainable BMCC

BMCC also continues to make inroads on its ambitious efforts for a more sustainable campus, the president said.

“We are more than halfway through the 10-year BMCC Plan for Sustainability, which includes ambitious goals for energy conservation; curriculum and education; procurement; waste management and recycling,” said Pérez.

He said once an initial roofing project at the school’s main campus is complete. Soon, BMCC will begin installing an array of 300+ Kw solar panels. When the solar project is complete, it will the largest solar installation on the entire island of Manhattan.  The solar project will greatly reduce the school’s carbon footprint.

The mosaic of a city and school

Drawing to a close, the president pointed out some telling statistics about students born in a post 9/11 world, also known as Generation Z.

He said studies show that growing up in a time of uncertainty and changing norms has led to a mature, self-directed and resourceful generation.

With a nod to the international mosaic that is New York City and BMCC, the president was clear;

“It is our obligation to ensure that the skills, knowledge and competencies that our students build through their experiences at BMCC, prepare them for personal and economic success as well as full and responsible participation in the 21^st century global community,” said Pérez.

To read President Antonio Pérez’s 2015 State of the College address in its entirety please click here.

The Seventh Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon raises funds for the BMCC Student Emergency Fund.

The Seventh Annual BMCC St. Patrick’s Day luncheon, benefitting the BMCC Student Emergency Fund, was held on March 16 in Richard Harris Terrace.

It featured a traditional Irish buffet—corned beef and cabbage—as well as professional Irish dancers from the Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance.

Proving the old saying that “everyone is Irish,” the dance program even featured BMCC professor of Italian Kristina Varade.

Everyone giving in different ways

A full house of attendees paid $25 each to join the St. Patrick’s Day event. Part of the luncheon’s appeal each year—and a nod to the proverbial Luck of the Irish—is a loudly applauded raffle.

Winners took home BMCC T-shirts, caps and lanyards from the Barnes & Noble campus store. One guest collected a $25 gift certificate from Duane Park Patisserie; six attendees were given signed books from The Mysterious Bookshop and two won gift certificates from Tribeca Pizzeria. Two tickets to the NYC Comedy Show were handed out, as was a $50 gift certificate to the Tribeca Tap House and four $10 gift certificates to the popular TriBeCa restaurant, Woodrow’s.

“Our big prize was a $250 gift card from Century 21,” said BMCC Computer Information Systems office assistant Kim O’Donnell, who canvases the BMCC neighborhood each year for donated gifts.

The buffet luncheon from MBJ Food Services was donated by a generous individual on campus who asked to remain anonymous, said O’Donnell.

“This year as well as last,” she added, “Bridy Diviney, the mother-in-law of James Boyle, an administrator in Building and Grounds, donated fresh-baked loaves of Irish soda bread. So, people contribute what they can, in all their different ways.”

Reaching out to the entire community

The St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon is a testament to the power of people coming together from across the BMCC campus around a common cause.

In this case, that cause was the BMCC Student Emergency Fund, which provides financial assistance to students who have immediate, temporary needs—like the cost of a monthly Metrocard—that can make the difference between dropping out or completing their semester.

“I think the smaller fundraising events on campus, like the St. Patrick’s Day luncheon, really engage the entire community and welcome people who might not attend the larger scale events,” says Kinshasa (Sasha) Best, Manager of Alumni Affairs and Events in the BMCC Office of College Development.

“It’s our way of reaching out to faculty and staff who are eager to support services that benefit the students they care about, and work with on a daily basis.”

Media Center director John Gallagher, another organizer of the event, elaborated on that point.

“One of the good things is that it’s a very inclusive event, not just in terms of ethnicity but in terms of job title,” he said, adding that participants range from faculty, to employees working in Buildings and Grounds, to college assistants, HEOS and students.

“It really ties a lot of the community together, and what they all have in common is that they care about BMCC students,” Gallagher said.

Celebrating the contributions of immigrants

Organizers of the event also included Kay Conway, Robert Cox and Pat Malloy Splendore.

The event, in its seventh year, was started by John Gallagher and his friend Terrence Dunne, who is on staff in the College Computer Center.

“We started it because the economy had started to tank, and a lot of our students were having a hard time,” he says.

He also points out that since BMCC is a campus attended by students from over 150 countries, “they’re like so many earlier generations of immigrants—including the Irish—who left their home countries and brought their skills and talent to America.”

BMCC’s Out-in-Two program honors the Spring 2015 cohort.

BMCC’s Out-in-Two program celebrated 34 inductees—the largest cohort in its history—with a ceremony and buffet luncheon on March 23 in Richard Harris Terrace.

The program’s expansion from 25 inductees in Fall 2014 was made possible by donations from the BMCC Foundation and other donors.

That growth will continue, said President Antonio Pérez in his opening remarks.

He welcomed special guests including Stuart Post, who was at the ceremony representing Stephen Meringoff and the Meringoff Family Foundation, which has pledged a gift of $125,000 per year to the Out-in-Two program for the next three years, or $375,000 total.

That amount, the president said, will be matched by the Derfner Foundation and its trustee Jay Lieberman, for a total gift, over three years, of $750,000.

“Thanks to the generosity of donors like the Meringoff Family Foundation and Derfner Foundation, we will be able to support Out-in-Two scholars than ever before; more than 120 scholars over the next three years,” said the president.

He next welcomed special guest Lauren McGrail of the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, “which is also considering support for this impactful program,” he said.

Go far

Senior Vice President Karrin Wilks congratulated the inductees, and emphasized the importance of their volunteer service efforts. “The world needs smart, tenacious leaders to make a difference in our communities,” she said.

Dean Erwin Wong quoted the American Indian proverb, “If you want to go fast, go by yourself. If you want to go far, go with a group,” and reminded the inductees that their Out-in-Two network would be a resource throughout their academic and professional careers.

Out-in-Two Club President Randy Ramphal shared his experience volunteering with Meals on Wheels and visiting college campuses with fellow Out-in-Two members, as they planned their next steps after graduating from BMCC.

Senior academic advisor Mary Quezada, who co-coordinates the program with academic advisor Chris Pierre, told the group they would be provided with time management and study skills workshops, and Pierre encouraged them to become critical thinkers, “which also means being willing to seek academic support when you need it,” he said.

90% success rate

The new cohort of 34 Out-in-Two students is the largest in the program’s history.

Qualifying applicants must submit an essay as well as being first-time freshmen enrolled in a degree program, carrying at least 15 credits per semester and earning a GPA of at least 3.0, said Mary Quezada.

The new cohort’s group photo took a little longer than usual, as family and friends of the inductees took turns getting their shots of the scholars holding their plaques.

In addition to workshops and volunteer projects, the Out-in-Two scholars will explore New York together, attending Broadway plays and museums. Each participant will meet regularly with a dedicated academic advisor, and receive a $1,600 tuition credit for three consecutive semesters.

The financial support provided by Out-in-Two enables scholars to work fewer hours in jobs outside their full-time class schedule. It also helps defray the cost of textbooks, transportation to campus and other expenses.

Results show that the program model works: Over 90% of the Out-in-Two scholars graduate in two years and go on to four-year colleges, a dramatically higher rate than the national average.

Thirty-one percent of full-time community college students take three years to complete their associate degree, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Science major Kristoff Joseph Russell was fully prepared when he made his way to the Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY career fair at the school’s gym March 18.

Russell, who eventually wants a career in physical therapy had gone and met with BMCC Center for Career Development counselors a few days before the fair. There, he got tips on perfecting his resume as well as a 60-second pitch for prospective employers.

The prep apparently paid off. Russell ended up with two offers for full and part-time jobs, as well as a promising interview with a non-profit organization that works with developmentally disabled individuals, a job that would provide him with experience that mirrors the health related field he hopes to someday work in.

Also, around a week beofore the fair, 50 students took advantage of the Career Services Resume Rush, where they sat with seven counselors who offered nuts and bolts advice as well as tools on how to improve their resume’s content and format.

High job-growth areas

Job openings increased over the past year in business services, health care and social assistance as well as accommodation and food services according to numbers from the April 7 Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly report. There were representative from many of those areas at the career fair.

Over 350 students worked a room divided by tables and rows, mapped by sector: business, education, financial services, government, health and human services and retail. The gym roared with activity as the mostly business attired students pitched themselves and company reps did the same, and once resumes were taken and initial conversations had, there were many cases of scheduled second meetings or interviews, even some reported job offers.

New Director Won Kang

Won Kang, who joined BMCC’s Center for Career Development this past December as its new director, called the fair an exciting opportunity for students and employers.

“We can help match up these employers with the students, where they can get prospective jobs, internships, part or full time employment. You can feel the excitement in the air around that,” said Kang.

Experience for the future

Community Health Major Amel Ahary called her experience at the fair “awesome.”

Long term, she says she’d like to become a health educator and eventually work either in clinics or a hospital.

“I want to help people, that’s what I’m passionate about. I volunteered in a hospital for a couple of months and enjoyed it,” she said.

Thinking outside the box

Some of the students at the March event explored opportunities beyond what they’d normally associate with their major.

Multi-media major Travis Douglas hopes to transfer to a four-year school and further grow his digital and graphic arts skills, eventually specializing in communication design. Over the next five years, he says he hopes to get into advertising, or possibly UX design for websites.

“My goal is to see a couple of companies that have focus in advertising, maybe I can do some graphic design for them, and see where it goes from there,” said Douglas.

He later met with representatives from the quasi-public/private Battery Park City Authority, or BPCA, the planned community that’s also one-third parkland and home to thousands of residents and business as well as landmark spots; The Irish Hunger Memorial, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City Police Memorial, The Skyscraper Museum, Poets House and the Battery Park City Library.

“I’d like to be part of a team that creates design and logos for the website,” he told the BPCA representatives as they met with students and collected resumes.

The representative from BPCA let Douglas know BPCA wasn’t directly hiring graphic artists at that time. But, he’d be well advised to send his resume and samples of his work to their programming department, which produces many of the events that happen within the 92-acre urban complex. Douglas called the exchange, “exciting,” and plans to follow up.

Nurse of the streets

Nursing student Joamy Vasquez stopped by the New York City Fire Department’s table. The representative there told her that the fire department’s Emergency Medical Technicians are the “nurses of the street.”

He explained the steps she’d need to take in order to pursue that as a career option as she moves along the path to a career in nursing.

“I was told I might be a great candidate for EMT, I just need to pass my exam,” she said.

Transferable skills

After an initial meet and greet with Santander Bank, Liberal Arts major Yusaf Sheiteh said he too, hopes to find a career in nursing.

But for now, he’s seeking a job that would give him customer service experience. Representatives from Santander explained that if he got a job at the bank, he’d likely have to handle a lot of cash while under pressure.

“As a nurse, I’d have to talk to a lot of patients and at times work under a lot of pressure,” he said.

Criminal Justice major Nitequa Ousley, who eventually hopes to be a criminal justice lawyer, was initially motivated in part to attend by the extra classroom points she’d earn for going through the motions of a career fair. Turns out, Ousley was well pleased by the opportunities she found at the fair as she talked with prospective part and full time employers. She said the career fair is like a walk into “adulthood.”

And as far as her future in law, she’s passionate.

“There’s a lot about our government system that needs change,” she said adding that her favorite class at BMCC so far had been Criminal Justice Policing.

That extra push to succeed

Later that afternoon, Joamy Vasquez took a moment to explain where her love of nursing came from and why BMCC was such a good fit. It turns out she’d come from family full of nurses.

“I used to put on their little uniform aprons; my aunts, my cousins, a lot of them worked in the healthcare field she said.

Vasquez said after she graduated from an alternative high school, she didn’t know what she wanted to do next and wasn’t really sure she wanted to continue her education.

But, she says she believes BMCC gave her the push she’s needed.

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m not as smart, or motivated, but when I came to BMCC, I see that I’m just as capable as the other people around me. Coming here has given me a chance to feel more comfortable with college, so I will be ready for a four-year school. I’m not sure how I would have felt at a SUNY school right out of high school,” she said.

With that, Vasquez went back among the tables of employers, and pitched herself to another employer.

The Students in Service to Women Recognition Award, sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center Council, is presented to nine recipients.

The first annual Students in Service to Women Recognition Award was presented to each of nine recipients March 30 in Richard Harris Terrace, on the main campus of Borough of Manhattan Community College.

The award is sponsored by the CUNY Women’s Centers Council, a group comprised of representatives from the ten Women’s Centers on CUNY campuses.

The event featured a buffet luncheon and gift bags for the awardees. Deborah Parker, Director of the Women’s Resource Center at BMCC opened the event.

Women’s Resource Centers across CUNY provide many services to students, as well as leadership opportunities, she said. “We rely heavily on students to lend a helping hand and help implement forums on our campuses.”

Vice President of Student Affairs Marva Craig welcomed the audience. Ricci Niles, BMCC alumna and former president of the BMCC Sisterhood Society presented her poem, “A Dedication,” which honors the boarding school girls still held captive today by the terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria, as well as foreign aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was held captive in Syria and murdered by ISIS.

As Niles’ poem puts it: “We salute the famous and/the nameless millions gone before./But for the grace of them/go we.”

“Our work is not done.”

Guest speaker Andrea Shapiro Davis, Associate Vice Chancellor for Corporate, Foundation and Major Gift Development, CUNY shared a childhood experience that set off her lifelong dedication to the issue of inclusion.

After attending Queens College/CUNY, Davis graduated from Hofstra University School of Law and served as Assistant District Attorney in Queens County. She also held positions including Executive Director of the NYC Commission on Women’s Issues in the administration of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She talked about balancing family and work, and having been sexually harassed in the workplace, advising others in that situation, “Don’t keep it a secret.”

Honoree Freida D. Foster, CUNY Board Trustee and Commissioner of the New York State Worker’s Compensation Board, thanked BMCC health education professor Olivia Cousins for being “the best mentor in the world.”

She noted that while the landscape of women’s rights has improved slightly in recent decades, “our work is not done,” and highlighted women who are part of that work, including Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and singer-songwriter Beyoncé.

Honorees, poet, artist

As the ceremony came to a close, it honored teaching artist Michelle Alexandria Payne, who has led poetry workshops for over ten years in the annual Student Women’s Leadership Conference and Retreat sponsored by the BMCC Women’s Resource Center.

Also recognized was Laura James, whose artwork had a presence throughout Women’s Herstory Month at BMCC. James is co-founder of The Bronx 200, an online directory featuring the work of 200 Bronx-based visual artists. She is also creating an ongoing series of paintings, Nannies and Other Mothers.

Students in Service to Women awardees came to the podium one by one, to say a few words and receive their plaque.

These included:

• Sumaiya Sarwar, from BMCC;
• Akosua Benewaa-Bonsu, from Brooklyn College;
• Rahima Sajid, from College of Staten Island;
• Mirella Laure, from Guttman Community College;
• Sanjida Afrin Meem, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice;
• Jhodi-Ann Dunkley, from Kingsborough Community College;
• Modupe Marks, from LaGuardia Community College;
• Sarah Lefry, from Medgar Evers College and
• Teresa Mercer, from York College.

Top row: Actor Billy Crystal; COO Marianne Brown. Bottom row: Anchor Cindy Hsu; CEO Marc Holliday.

NEW YORK, NY: Emmy- and Tony-award winning actor Billy Crystal is set to join SunGard Financial Systems COO Marianne Brown and SL Green Realty Corp. CEO Marc Holliday as honorees at the 2015 Invest in a Future Scholarship Gala. CBS anchor and reporter Cindy Hsu will emcee the event.

The Scholarship Gala is sponsored by the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Foundation. It will take place Thursday, May 14, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. at Cipriani, 25 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.

Media are invited to attend the cocktail hour at 6:00 p.m. for photo and interview opportunities.

Media must RSVP to John Cody Lyon, jlyon@bmcc.cuny.edu; Lynn McGee, lmcgee@bmcc.cuny.edu or Manny Romero, mromero@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Billy Crystal—who himself attended a public community college—returned to TV this year in the FX “mockumentary-style” series The Comedians. For this year’s Gala, he takes the torch from last year’s celebrity Honoree, film legend Robert De Niro. The Gala raises money for BMCC Foundation scholarships.

Last year, the Gala raised over $1 million, enabling BMCC to provide scholarships to hundreds of high-achieving students facing economic challenges to staying in school and focusing on their studies. This year, the Foundation hopes to exceed that amount, in order to provide assistance to even more hard-working students.

For more information about the Scholarship Gala or to donate to the BMCC Foundation, please call 212-220-8020.

Fulfilling the important role of community colleges in today’s economy, BMCC helps bridge the educational opportunity gap by providing academic excellence at an affordable price. Located at the gateway to the newly rebuilt World Trade Center, BMCC’s motto, “Start Here, Go Anywhere,” rings true as the college prepares students—many the first in their families to attend college—for careers in high-growth areas, or to continue their higher education, earning bachelor’s and other advanced degrees within CUNY, at Ivy League schools and other fine institutions.
About BMCC:
Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) and enrolls over 25,000 degree-seeking and 11,000 continuing education students a year, awarding associate degrees in 33 fields. BMCC ranks #4 among community colleges nationwide in granting associate degrees to minority students, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. Visit: http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu.

The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) will award over 3,500 associate degrees during morning and afternoon commencement ceremonies at The Theatre in Madison Square Garden on May 29.

The morning ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. and an afternoon ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m.

BMCC President Antonio Pérez will present this year’s Presidential Medals to Stephen Meringoff, president of the Meringoff Family Foundation in the morning ceremony and Jay Lieberman, trustee of The Derfner Foundation will be recognized during the afternoon ceremony.

BMCC offers associate degree programs in over 30 disciplines, ranging from engineering to theatre and from computer science to criminal justice. This year’s graduates include Kasey Mora, the college’s first community health education graduate and Ruisheng Zhao, the college’s first secondary education with a concentration in math major graduate.

Both morning and afternoon ceremonies will feature speeches by the 2015 BMCC valedictorians. Childhood education major Eddy Rodriguez will speak that morning and liberal arts major John Portelli is set to speak at the afternoon commencement.

About BMCC:

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) and enrolls over 25,000 degree-seeking and 11,000 continuing education students a year, awarding associate degrees in 33 fields. BMCC ranks #4 among community colleges nationwide in granting associate degrees to minority students, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. Visit: http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu.

The future is 3D—and now BMCC students will get a head start on working with the 3D technology and aesthetic that is part of the 21st-century workplace.

Woetzel, who also served as global head of operations and technology for BNY Mellon and formed a technology start-up, has seen first-hand, the evolving technology demands that today’s students will encounter as they advance in their finance, engineering, design and many other careers.

The overlap between these disciplines is reflected in a new acronym: STEAM; an adaptation of the familiar “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), infused with “A” for “Art.”

Exploring the possibilities

The MakerBot 3D printer, housed in the Sculpture Studio in Fiterman Hall, has been a big hit with students. But before they began their 3D projects, a MakerBot representative visited the college and met with three BMCC art professors: Sarah Havilland, Ann Hjelle and Jessica Ramirez.

“We looked at the MakerBot printer and its software and now we’re exploring ways to integrate a MakerBot project into our curricula,” says Professor Ramirez.

On May 6, Kurt Woetzel visited the Sculpture Studio and met with students, faculty and staff who are learning more about the applications of 3D technology. Students shared the results of their first MakerBot projects, which resulted in an array of colorful plastic objects.

“Some of the students created workspace organizers with the printer,” says Ramirez.

“We introduced them to Thingiverse, a website that enables you to share digital design files. I think they were excited to actually use 3D software and create a functional object. It gives them an edge if they work in visual branding, or product identity someday.”

There’s a high demand for students to understand 3D software, she adds, whether it’s in the context of the gaming industry, engineering or art.

Opening doors

There is also a new MakerBot club at BMCC, to bring students together as they explore the possibilities in their art, or academic careers.

“We’re grateful for Kurt Woetzel’s generous gift to the college, and the doors it opens for our students,” said BMCC Vice President of College Development, Doris Holz.

“I’m very impressed with these early projects exploring the possibilities of 3D technology, thanks to Kurt Woetzel’s vision and his interest in our students.”

BMCC Valedictorians (left to right) Eddy Rodriguez and John Portelli

Borough of Manhattan Community College(BMCC/CUNY) selected two valedictorians for the college’s 2015 commencement ceremonies set for May 29 at The Theatre in Madison Square Garden.

Childhood Education major Eddy Rodriguez will speak during the morning at 11:00 a.m. and Liberal Arts major John Portelli is scheduled to speak during the afternoon ceremony that begins at 3:30 p.m. Both Rodriguez and Portelli maintained 4.0 Grade Point Averages and are members of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

Rodriguez, a graduate of East New York Transit and Technical High School in Brooklyn, and Portelli, a graduate of Sir M.A. Refalo Secondary School in Malta, say they will speak about their academic journeys at BMCC.

“No matter where we go or what career path we all take in the future, the two or three years we students spent here at BMCC has left a huge impression,” said Portelli, who plans to transfer to Hunter College/CUNY next year.

Portelli was born and spent his early childhood in New York. But at age 14, his father moved the family to Malta. Not long after his high school graduation, Portelli convinced his parents that it was time to move back to Manhattan.

“Where I lived in Malta, everyone was Maltese, so the ideas and opinions weren’t so diverse, and a lack of diversity can create an atmosphere of intolerance,” Portelli said.

Portelli said he was grateful for services such as the Learning Resource Center, the Writing Center and the guidance he received through programs such as ASAP.

Portelli met a number of students who were unable to complete their college education during their first attempt or who never considered attempting college at all. But, he said BMCC provided many of those students an opportunity or in some cases, a second chance.

Rodriguez plans to speak about how BMCC provided him an outlet to express himself.

“Growing up in a conservative, Pentecostal home, I never really had the chance to reach out beyond the circles I grew up around,” Rodriguez said.

After graduating high school in 2009, Rodriguez jumped right into the New York City workforce. Then in 2012, after his grandmother died, he began to ponder his long-term future. Rodriguez later decided he wanted to pursue a career as a middle school teacher in an inner city neighborhood.

“By far, my biggest influence while at BMCC was Teacher Education Professor Cara Kronen,” he said.

Rodriguez said her class, Urban Schools in a Diverse American Society, was his best classroom experience at BMCC.

“As a conservative, at first I was scared to opine in the classroom,” he said, worried that classmates or the professor might judge his opinions.

But Professor Kronen created a classroom environment where open and respectful discourse was encouraged, he said. Discussions were often lively, and yes, viewpoints differed, but he says Kronen instilled a level of mutual respect among her students, he said.

“In the end, we all had the same goal, how we could be better teachers and impact positive change for the educational experiences for kids in the inner city,” said Rodriguez, who is still considering his options of four-year schools.

About BMCC:

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) and enrolls over 25,000 degree-seeking and 11,000 continuing education students a year, awarding associate degrees in 33 fields. BMCC ranks #4 among community colleges nationwide in granting associate degrees to minority students, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. Visit: http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu.

Twelve Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) students spent Spring Break 2015 working with the organization Habitat for Humanity to build two new homes in the Gentilly section of New Orleans, a neighborhood badly damaged by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina.

The BMCC Office of Student Affairs provided funds for the students and two chaperones to take part in the Alternative Spring Break from April 6 through 11. The students were selected from a pool of 60 who applied to take part in the program. In New Orleans, they all stayed in a Central City three-bedroom apartment filled with bunk beds and one bathroom provided by the organization United Saints Recovery Project.

Each day started around 5:00 a.m. By 7:00 a.m. the group would meet at a nearby church that had a large kitchen where they made and ate breakfast and then prepared that day’s lunch. The group then traveled in a rented van to the worksite, where they worked from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in 90-degree heat and New Orleans’ notorious humidity.

 Real Construction Work

“When we got there, there was the structure of two houses. The basic frames were already in place,” said Robert Cortes, BMCC Student Affairs Counselor who chaperoned students along with Melissa Aponte, BMCC Student Affairs Assistant Director.

On the first day of work, two on-site coordinators, both 23 year-old female volunteers from Habitat for Humanity, spent around two hours laying out plans for the week. The coordinators, both recent college graduates, trained the students on how to properly use saws, hammers and ladders on a construction site.

“Four people walking up a twenty-foot ladder carrying a hundred-pound beam of wood for a new roof. These students and myself did some serious construction,” said Cortes.

Computer Information Systems major Chris Wilton said each member of the group was then assigned a role.

“The work included adding framework and supports to the inside of the house, putting up boarding to the front and back of the house, fitting the front door, and more,” said Wilton who is in his third semester at BMCC.

The group took 30 minutes for lunch. They would always finish each day by tidying up the site, putting all the tools away and then driving back to the Central City apartment where Wilton said, they would shower and get ready for dinner.

Experiencing New Orleans

Cortes said the New Orleans volunteer experience likely pushed some of the students beyond their New York City comfort zone. Upon arrival in Central City, the group was told what streets were safe, as well as which streets were off limits.

But, he said with the hands-on volunteer experience, the students’ eyes were opened to New Orleans in ways that tourists’ eyes would not.

“The people in New Orleans are so friendly, they would said hello and wave at us even without knowing who we were,” said BMCC student and Liberal Arts major Esi Panyin Asmah who added that the trip “left a beautiful mark in my life and the experience will never be erased.”

BMCC Criminal Justice Major Jeremiah Perez agreed, saying he hopes to go back to New Orleans and do more volunteer work when time permits.

“I was able to help a community that suffered from a tragedy so long ago, yet are still suffering till this very day. From the tours and learning the history and seeing the issues for myself, my heart was truly touched” said Perez.

Perez, who plans to complete a bachelor’s degree at Buffalo State, encourages other students to volunteer. He said spending time in New Orleans was more educational than reading about it in a book.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by the year 2050, the number of people aged 65 and over will reach 83.7 million, almost double today’s number.

To help address that population boom and the public health and economic issues it produces, BMCC Professor Jun Liang is researching molecular mechanisms that respond to stress and impact on aging—and thanks to a recent grant award of $150,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), her research will be funded now through March 2017.

“There is a critical need to define the mechanisms that extend a person’s health span—the amount of time he or she is able to maintain good health,” says Liang, who is Principle Investigator on the grant.

“This is the first NIH grant BMCC has received as the lead institution for active scientific research. It is also the first time a major NIH research grant has been awarded to a community college as a leading institution, within CUNY and the U.S.”

Students glimpse their next step

Cathy Savage-Dunn, a biology professor at Queens College, CUNY, is the NIH grant’s co-investigator, and this summer, she will host Professor Liang’s students for a visit to the biology lab at Queen’s College.

“They’ll get to interact with undergraduate and graduate students engaged in research at a senior college, and get a first-hand view of the kind of scientific environment they could be entering as their next step,” says Liang.

The students’ foray into research, led by Professor Liang at BMCC, focuses on stress-responsive genes and how they signal cellular responses in a simple organism, C. elegans, a type of pond worm that has biological properties in common with humans: It possesses a digestive and nervous system, and it produces DNA—deoxyribonucleic acid; a molecule that encodes the genetic instructions that enable the function of all known organisms.

A thousand C. elegans pond worms can fit in a petri dish, and because of their three-day life cycle—in which they produce 350 offspring—they make excellent models for a genetic study.

‘An entry place to participate in real research’

“In additional to contributing to a nationwide knowledge base, the project will provide an entry place for BMCC students to participate in real research,” says Liang, who has mentored a number of students in the science lab since she joined BMCC in 2010.

The cellular response she is researching “plays an important role in muscle again and animal heat stress management,” she explains.

“Adapting to temperature change is a fundamental requirement for animal survival and development, as well as for cellular homeostasis, or the ability of cells to stay balanced and continue functioning in a normal way, as factors change around them.”

In short, Liang’s project introduces stress triggers to worms that have different genetic backgrounds, to see how they respond to stress, and to measure how a particular set of genes affects the life span of an animal.

Her research also focuses on secreted growth factors that regulate cell arrest, proliferation, tumor genesis related to cancer and other functions.

“By understanding cellular stress response, it is possible to alter gene expression and control the gene’s important role in tumor progression and metastasis, as well as aging” she says.

“The extensions of this research can affect quality of life for many individuals, including those who are reaching the end of their longevity.”

On May 14, 2015 the Foundation Board of the Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY hosted the 2015 Scholarship Gala in the new Cipriani at 25 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, raising $1,113,000 in funds for student scholarships.

Close to 500 guests celebrated alongside BMCC President Antonio Pérez, who presented the BMCC Award of Excellence to Special Guest Star Honoree, Emmy®- and Tony®-Award winning comedian, actor, producer, writer and director Billy Crystal. The Gala also featured Honorees Marianne Brown, Sungard Financial Systems COO, and SL Green Realty Corp CEO Marc Holliday.

President Pérez presented the BMCC Award of Excellence to all three Honorees.

Reading to Billy Crystal from the Award inscription, the President thanked him “for the laughter you have brought into our lives. The world is a better place because of your talents and compassion for those in need.”

L to R: Marc Holliday, Marianne Brown, President Antonio Pérez

To Marianne Brown he said, “We are truly grateful for all you have done to support tonight’s scholarship Gala and for all you do to support others in the world,” and he thanked Marc Holliday for his “generosity, friendship and heartfelt support of BMCC and its students.”

Crystal applauds community colleges

Paul Schaffer, bandleader for Late Night With David Letterman, introduced Crystal, who returned to TV this year in the FX “mockumentary-style series, The Comediansand who was congratulated in a video featuring last year’s Special Guest Star Honoree Robert De Niro.

Others featured in the Billy Crystal tribute video were actress Whoopi Goldberg; Josh Gad, Crystal’s co-star in The Comedians; Joe Torre, a former manager of the New York Yankees, and TV executive producer Dick Ebersole. Crystal’s long-time friend and sportscaster Bob Costa also provided a congratulatory video.

Three BMCC students who received Foundation Scholarships told their story at the podium before Crystal went on. “I was really moved, because I was them,” he said as he took the stage. “Fifty years ago I was one of them.”

He shared that after his father passed away and he graduated from Long Beach High School in Long Island, New York, he entered Marshall University in West Virginia. “I did okay, not great,” he said. “I was homesick; I was still grieving, and the bottom line was, nothing against the school; it was great—but West Virginia was just a little too ‘Off Broadway’ for me.”

After returning home to Long Island, Crystal attended Nassau Community College, then New York University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1970 and joked, “Last week, I finished paying off my student loans.” Segueing to a more serious note, he spoke highly of the opportunity to earn a quality education at a reasonable cost, that community colleges such as BMCC provide.

Business and real estate leaders Marianne Brown and Marc Holliday honored

BMCC Foundation Board member Tony Portannese, Managing Director of Human Resources at Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, introduced a short video about his colleague, Honoree Marianne Brown.

Craig Hatkoff, a co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival and also a BMCC Foundation Board Member, gave remarks before a video about his former Columbia University student, Honoree Marc Holliday.

The evening’s emcee, Cindy Hsu, Emmy Award-winning anchor and for CBS 2 News said, “BMCC bridges the economic and educational opportunity gap for many people who would not otherwise be able to access higher education.”

Three BMCC Foundation Scholars spoke at the event: Liberal Arts major Randy Ramphal; Accounting major Chadrick Frederick and Business Administration major Ya Ru Xie. Over a dozen Foundation Scholars circulated throughout the vast Cipriani dining hall—which features a sixty-foot-tall, Italian Renaissance-style domed ceiling—greeting guests and escorting Honorees to the stage.

The event included a Text-to-Pledge option, in which guests dialed a number, typed their pledge amount and short message. The Gala raised $1,113,000 altogether, and about $30,000 of that amount was raised in these spontaneous donations marked by texts appearing on several screens around the enormous room. Gifts ranged in dollar amounts from the tens of thousands to one pledge of $20 “from a BMCC student.”

Every year the CUNY Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Leadership Award is awarded to two CUNY students from each campus.

Md Emran Masud and Ray Sukhu are BMCC’s lucky recipients for 2015. Actually, luck had nothing to do with it. Each student dedicated himself to his studies, and to making his community a better place, during his time at BMCC.

And here’s more good news.

In addition to being selected for the CUNY Vice Chancellor’s Award, Md Emran Masud was just selected by the CUNY Division of Student Affairs as the CUNY Student Leader of the Year, for the 2014-2015 academic year.

The leadership awards were presented on Friday, May 15, 2015 in the City College of New York’s Great Hall. Students, faculty and staff from across CUNY gathered to celebrate the winners, students from every CUNY campus who have displayed outstanding leadership and service within their college communities during the 2014-2015 academic year.

Emran Masud: Research, community service and more

Biotechnology major Emran Masud, who plans one day to be a medical doctor, has been a research intern with C-STEP, the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, and published four research papers on green chemistry with his research team. He also founded the Research and Nature Club, where they discuss scientific research from all over the world and at BMCC.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Masud has been a member of the BMCC Academy of Leadership and Service, where he attended weekly leadership workshops. He was a BMCC Welcome Ambassador and Math Lab tutor. He volunteered his time with BMCC Engaged in Service Together (BEST), Partners Lending Universal Support (PLUS), the BMCC Office of Accessibility, BMCC Peer Mentoring Program and the CUNY Malave Leadership Academy. He also served as the Social Media Officer of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for two semesters.

Ray Sukhu: Leading, volunteering and studying

Ray Sukhu has volunteered with the CUNY Service Corp and attended the BMCC Alternative Spring Break in New Orleans, joining disaster relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

As a BMCC Welcome Ambassador, he helped new students move through the registration process, and he served as President of the Scholarship Society club, helping get the word to other students about scholarships and volunteering opportunities on campus.

He was a peer mentor, and spoke at the annual BMCC Foundation Scholarship Gala. He took part in leadership programs including the BMCC/Goldman Sachs Mentoring Program and Partners Lending Universal Support (PLUS) and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, through which he tutored high school students at the Manhattan Early College for Advertising (MECA).

In addition to his volunteering efforts, Sukhu worked part-time in the Office of Student Affairs at BMCC and maintained a 4.0 GPA. He plans to study Biology or Education upon transferring to a four-year college, and eventually serve as an Emergency Medical Physician in the U.S Air Force.

In Conversation, an exhibit featuring artists’ work as well as photos of their studios, opened in May 20 at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center at Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY.

The show will run through August 1. A related panel discussion is scheduled for June 10.

Artists featured in the exhibit include Polly Apfelbaum, Kathy Butterly, Hermine Ford, Tara Geer, Laura J. Gerlach, Jacqueline Gourevitch, Michelle Jaffé, Joyce Kozloff, Kathleen Kucka, Melissa Meyer, Luisa Rabbia, Jennifer Riley and Leslie Wayne.

The installation was guest-curated by Stephanie Buhmann; photographs of the artists’ studios are by Laura J. Gerlach.

The impetus for the exhibit took place between January 2013 and March 2015 as Buhmann interviewed 14 New York-based artists.

Frustration with the media’s focus on art as investment only, fueled Buhmann’s commitment to the project, she says, adding “The exhibit invites the audience to the place where art is the most intimate and concrete: the artist’s studio.”

Buhmann’s interviews, which will be compiled in a forthcoming publication, stress concepts of individuality and diversity. They refer to technical aspects, such as the artists’ processes, but also discuss personal history and the artists’ eclectic sources of inspiration.

“In our fast-paced world, we often only glance at who and what is around us, making quick assessments based on our tastes and experiences,” says Buhmann.

“However, I believe that looking at art, which requires true personal engagement, should continue to defy this trend. Each conversation reveals just how much thought, emotion and resilience goes into making a work of art.”

A portion of all sales from the exhibit will support the BMCC Foundation scholarship fund.

For information about the exhibit, contact Kathleen Kucka, kkucka@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) and enrolls over 26,000 degree-seeking and 11,000 continuing education students a year, awarding associate degrees in 33 fields. BMCC ranks #4 among community colleges nationwide in granting associate degrees to minority students, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. 

The BMCC nursing program is known for its rigorous, hands-on instruction. Future registered nurses (RNs) not only complete clinical rotations in public and private hospitals throughout New York City, they take part in simulated training on campus in labs that feature the latest in human patient simulators.

One of these labs, located in room S747 on the BMCC main campus, has now been named The Leila and Simon Peskoff Nursing Skills Laboratory, in honor of the parents of Fred Peskoff, professor and recently-elected chair of the BMCC math department who established the Peskoff Family Endowment in 2001.

Naming ceremony and reception

A dedication and reception celebrating the naming of the lab was held May 20 in the lab itself.

BMCC President Antonio Pérez said a few words as faculty, staff and friends of the college gathered in the hallway just outside the lab entrance, which had been ribboned off.

“I had the opportunity to meet Leila on a number of occasions,” the president shared with the group, and passed around a photograph showing the late Mrs. Peskoff, Fred Peskoff and others. “She was always so gracious and caring about our students.”

The president remarked that Professor Peskoff began his math teaching career working with Beth Israel Hospital nursing students from 1991 to 1995, and that he has a master’s degree in psychology, “which gives him better insight into our students and their needs … We all know Fred; he’s got a big heart and cares dearly for our students. I asked the students, ‘What do you think of Professor Peskoff?’ and they gave him two thumbs up.”

The president invited Peskoff to cut the blue ribbon across the door of the lab, and welcomed guests into the lab for a small reception in which Senior VP and Provost Karrin Wilks and nursing department Chair Jacqueline Nichols spoke, commemorating the occasion. The guests watched a demonstration by BMCC nursing students checking the vital signs of one of the lab’s human patient simulators.

Helping students reach their goals

“I am honored to have this lab named in memory of my parents, Leila and Simon, both of whom were strong believers in education,” said Professor Peskoff, as he delivered a few remarks to the gathering.

He shared that when he was a college student, he took a part-time job on campus, “and my father was actually a little concerned. He said, ‘Your job is to study and my job is to pay the tuition’. We made a deal; that I would keep my job, provided my grades remained high—and they did.”

Most BMCC students, he added, “are hardly in the same situation. Many work at full-time jobs, attend college full time, and support family members—not the other way around. They are nonetheless hardworking and determined to succeed.”

He mentioned that the pre-clinical nurses in his Math 104 class not only work full time, are scheduled for overnight shifts at their jobs.

“It is truly a pleasure to teach such dedicated students,” Peskoff said, “but it is also obvious that they need financial assistance to help them make their goals become reality. It is for this very reason that in 2001, I established the Peskoff Family Endowment—which gives annual scholarships, graduation awards and research stipends to BMCC students.”

Today, he said, “I am naming this lab for two special people who truly cherished higher education and made it possible for me to do the work I love. I know my parents feel gratified that the Peskoff endowment will permanently make higher education a reality for a large number of BMCC students. Finally, I also know that they would want me to thank everyone in this room for their friendship and support.”

Nine Borough of Manhattan Community College   (BMCC/CUNY) students—the largest number from any CUNY school—were selected to receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad during the Summer 2015 term. BMCC also had more Gilman award winners for this summer than any other community college in the nation.

Gilman scholars receive up to $5,000 towards their participation in Study Abroad. The program aims to diversify the students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go. Students receiving a Federal Pell Grant from two- and four-year institutions who will be studying abroad or participating in a career-oriented international internship for academic credit are eligible to apply for the funds.

BMCC has five study abroad programs including: Hispanic Heritage; Field Experience in Italy; Latin American Heritage; Chinese Civilization and Language; French Heritage and Social Entrepreneurship in India.

Including the Gilman Award winners, BMCC has a total of 62 students who will study abroad this summer.

“Traditionally, you don’t think of community colleges when you think of study abroad programs,” said Deborah Stengle, manager of the Academic Study Abroad Programs at BMCC.

Students hope to gain new insight

Business major Rebekah Christie said her ASAP advisor Jennifer Hernandez encouraged her to apply for the scholarship.

“I feel that I’ve been mentally and spiritually preparing for this trip all year. I hope to apply all the lessons from 2014 and 2015,” said Christie, who will be studying in India in June.

Early Childhood Education major Maria Bonilla, who is heading for Spain in July, said she applied to the scholarship because it was the only way she could afford to travel overseas.

“By studying abroad I will gain the opportunity to explore and learn about a new culture, gain new ideas, the possibility to grow and to have access to international opportunities,” said Bonilla.

Social Entrepreneurs in India

Business Administration major Gabriel San Emerterio said he had always wanted to participate in a study abroad program despite the fact that the classes are typically focused on language or culture.

“The class in India, Social Entrepreneurship in India, actually focuses in on local social ventures,” said San Emerterio.

He said he hopes the trip helps him bring a new perspective to his life here in the U.S.

“I hope to experience India for its magic and economic disparity,” said San Emerterio. “My understanding is that in the class we will learn about specific social welfare problems, as well as the creative solutions devised and implemented to solve them.”

BMCC Gilman winners and the country they will visit include:

• Liberal Arts major Ramsi Harrison is visiting India;
• Business Administration major Gabriel San Emeterio is visiting India

• Liberal Arts major Cynthia Morales is visiting India
• Liberal Arts major Rebekah Christie is visiting India
• Liberal Arts major Maria Bonilla is visiting Spain
• Liberal Arts major Sandeela Coonjbeharry is visiting China
• Math major Pawel Rosanki is visiting China
• Writing and Literature major Sara-Meagan Phillips is visiting China
• Liberal Arts major Barbara Gise is visiting  Ecuador