November 2022 Newsletter
November 1, 2022
In addition to looking forward to the Nov. 12 Virginia Tech Science Festival and three more Hokie for a Day fifth grade field trips this semester, CENI has lots to celebrate! Congratulations to Lauren Melton for being selected as a Campus internEXP intern of the month and Phyllis Newbill on being named to the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation's STEM Advisory Board! Be sure to check out our Liaison Corner to view highlights from a few of the field trips to Virginia Tech and educational outreach with Virginia Tech faculty and students facilitated with the help of CENI's Educator Liaison Network.
Chelsea Haines, Associate Director of Broader Impacts
Call for 2022 Virginia Tech Science Festival Volunteers!
CENI invites faculty, students, student organizations, community members, and community organizations to be part of the Virginia Tech Science Festival. The Virginia Tech Science Festival is Saturday, November 12, and we need you!
Please sign up to volunteer at the Virginia Tech Science Festival, which happens on Saturday, November 12. Check out the list of available volunteer opportunities to find a job that suits your schedule. Note that there are a few opportunities on Friday, November 11 and Monday, November 13, so be sure to sign up on the day you are available to help.
Questions? Email us at ceni@vt.edu.
Lauren Melton Named InternEXP Student of the Month
Congratulations to Lauren Melton as she was named internEXP September Intern of the Month! She has been recognized for the wonderful job that she has done as a Marketing and Outreach intern at CENI.
Meet the Campus Engagement Network
This month’s featured member is Dr. Daniel Frank, the Director of Virginia Tech’s Pesticide Programs (VTPP).
Daniel is an accomplished Extension educator in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech. As Virginia Tech’s Director of Pesticide Programs, he coordinates statewide pesticide applicator training programs, including development and dissemination of training media, educational materials, and other resources for Extension agents, pesticide applicators, pesticide businesses, and consumers. Daniel also serves as the integrated pest management (IPM) coordinator for Virginia Tech, where he secures federal funding to support IPM Extension programs throughout the state. Daniel enjoys sharing is knowledge with Virginia Tech’s undergraduate and graduate students in his Pesticide Usage course. Additionally, he takes great pleasure in sharing his passion for entomology with others. In his role, Daniel coordinates two ongoing outreach events for the Department of Entomology, Hokie BugCamp and Hokie BugFest. The goal of both programs is to inspire the next generation of scientists and foster a greater appreciation of insects.
Daniel obtained his Ph.D in Entomology from Virginia Tech, an M.S. in Entomology from the University of Florida, and a B.S. in Biology (with a minor in Chemistry) from Utah State University. Before becoming director of VTPP, he was an Extension Specialist and Associate Professor of Entomology at West Virginia University. In 2019, he was named Outstanding Recent Graduate Alumnus of Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the annual Celebration of Ut Prosim hosted by the CALS Alumni Organization.
Daniel and his wife Jessica have two small children and two cats. In his free time he enjoys experiencing nature and the outdoors, playing games with his children, travel, and eating good food.
Congratulations Phyllis Newbill
Phyllis Newbill has been named to the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation's STEM Advisory Board.
CENI Educator Liaison Corner
Floyd County Schools
Kim Keith, VT-FCPS liaison, and Floyd County Assistant Superintendent, Jessica Cromer, participated in Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) Leading Ed Forum session Supporting Innovation: Advancing Computer Science Education panel discussion highlighting the ACSE grant received in 2019. CENI, University Libraries, and the Science Museum of Western Virginia were partners in the grant.
Montgomery County Public Schools
Robotics students from Auburn and Christiansburg Middle Schools enjoyed discovering robotic design, coding, and real-life applications for robot usage while on campus. Students toured the Terrestrial Robotics Engineering and Controls Lab as well as the Hybrid Dynamic Systems and Robot Locomotion Laboratory.
MCPS iLEAD students spent time on campus touring the Ware lab, engaging in the engineering design process, flying drones, and enjoying lunch at D2.
Ecology students at Auburn High School had the opportunity to hear about Chronic Wasting Disease and its impacts on local deer populations when Dr. Kathleen Black from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources visited their class. This learning experience was facilitated by Dr. James Parkhurst, Associate Professor of Wildlife Science; Dr. Phyllis Leary Newbill, Associate Director of CENI; and Amy Guerin, Montgomery County Public Schools University Liaison.
Radford City Public Schools
Daniel Frank and students from the Department of Entomology, pictured below, visited Belle Heth Elementary School in Radford for a day of fun, learning, and up-close encounters with bugs of all sorts!
Science Museum of Western Virginia
On October 19, 2022, the Science Museum of Western Virginia celebrated its 52 years of service to the region with a party on the roof at Center in the Square. Congratulations to the museum for decades of great outreach. Pictured left to right: Mary Roberts Baako, SMWV Executive director; Phyllis Newbill; Jon Newbill; Ashley Sloan; and Sally McQuinn.
The LAB Jr. is relaunching this academic year with eight weeks of progressive lessons for preschool age students to learn about the basics of coding and robotics with Bee Bots. Registration is now open to early childhood education centers looking to participate! Visit The LAB Jr. page on our website for more information and to register.
A weekly LAB Jr. on-site in museum class will be open to all preschoolers in the community aged 3-5 beginning after the start of the new year.
The Lending Library at SMWV launches November 16, 2022 with its inaugural kits, including: “Animal Tracks & Facts,” “Fetch a Fossil,” “Lab-in-a-Box,” and “Code-to-Go!” Please contact Visitors Services at frontdesk@smwv.org or the Lending Library at lendinglibrary@smwv.org for more information.
Hokie BugFest
On Saturday, October 8, Hokie BugFest held its 12th annual event, bringing the exciting science of entomology to the community. Thank you to the dedicated and creative team of exhibitors, volunteers, and sponsors that assisted in creating a successful event of about 7000 participants!
Wonder Universe
Wonder Universe will celebrate its third birthday as a regional children’s museum on November 6, 2022! Join us to celebrate our mission and impact through playful learning in the New River Valley.
Throughout November, December, and beyond, Wonder Universe hosts weekly Toddler Time on Wednesdays, bi-weekly Story Time events, and monthly Tiny Explorers sensory art programming. Check our Facebook page for all the latest information on upcoming programming.
Wonder Universe continues to seek STEM Saturday volunteers for the Fall and beyond. Please email hello@wonderuniverse.org if interested in volunteering to host a Saturday morning STEM exploration activity at the museum.
Kids' Tech University
Spread the word and get excited: The Virginia Tech Kids' Tech University program's registration is now open!
Kids' Tech University (KTU) is a spring program developed by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech and Virginia 4-H, that puts scientists and engineers in front of children to encourage the exploration of intriguing topics in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
This year we are offering 2 concurrent programs on Jan. 28, Feb. 18, March 18 and April 1, 2023. The In-Person Program will be held at the Virginia Tech campus (Blacksburg, VA) and will include up to 250 kids (ages 9-12 by Sept. 30, 2022) and their parents. Kids and parents will watch interactive sessions presented by renowned research scientists and participate in hands-on activities led Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and undergraduate students. Each day's events will center on common themes related to everyday life. The Virtual Program will be offered on the same dates as the In-Person program. The interactive sessions will be live-streamed via zoom and materials for hands-on activities will be mailed home to each Virtual participant.
Registration is open! Please register for either the In-Person Program (Registration fee of $75) OR the Virtual Program ($50). Scholarships are available. Register now.
If you, your club, your lab, or your department are interested in hosting a hands-on activity for the kids/parents to explore/do please fill out this survey.
Virginia Tech Learn Lab: Research Study Connecting Math and Reading
Children in grades 3-6 and their parents are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Virginia Tech's Learning and Development Lab connecting math and reading. For more information and to schedule a visit.
Upcoming Deadlines and Events
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