CWI Compass Connect - Sept. 5, 2017
Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) welcomed a group of eight visitors from South and Central Asia to campus Aug. 25. The group, sponsored by the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, toured CWI’s Career and Technical Education programs at the Nampa Campus Micron Center. “The visitors were interested in how CWI engages with the business community through various partnerships and opportunities for students,” commented Courtney Santillan, Dean of Social Sciences and Public Affairs.
News Highlights
CollegeTREK a Huge Success!
As College of Western Idaho (CWI) freshman, Francois Garcia, walked across a beam, 25-feet- above the ground, she yelled, “Don’t stop singing!”, while CollegeTREK campers on the ground sang “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.
With a focus on team building, networking, college preparedness, and, of course, having fun, close to 20 students participated in College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) first-ever CollegeTREK program Aug. 25-27, at Paradise Point Camp in McCall, Idaho. Clear water from Payette Lake rolling onto the beach and Ponderosa pines towering over the cabins, created a beautiful setting for camp.
The three-day, interactive camp was a great opportunity for students to make new friends, learn about college life, become familiar with CWI’s network of resources, and interact with staff, faculty, and peer advisors.
Following a hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausage, students hit the ropes course on Saturday morning. As groups made their way from station to station they encountered walls, tight ropes, and a 28-foot-high pole called the “Leap of Faith”, which they jumped off of — relying on a harness to break their fall and fellow team members to give them the encouragement to leap.
Later in the day, camp goers descended on the water to swim or kayak, while others negotiated a Wibit water obstacle course and played beach volleyball.
Each day came to a close with a large bonfire next to the lake, giving participants a chance to make s’mores and reflect on the adventures experienced at camp.
Navigating college can be an awesome and challenging journey. CollegeTREK is designed to help students start their successful passage through college by building a strong foundation with faculty connections, personal assistance from advising, and a one-on-one introduction to Student Life.
Thanks to funding from Wells Fargo and hard work from CWI Student Life to organize this event, CollegeTREK provided a solid launching pad for student participants, like Francois Garcia.
Microbiology: Coming to Life with Mosquitoes
Microbiology teaches us about bacteria, viruses, vectors, environments, etc. Seeing them in a textbook is one thing but seeing the theory of microbiology come to life in a real situation is another. Recently, a company called Verily has come up with a plan to introduce bacteria into male mosquitoes to eliminate the type of mosquitoes that can carry the Zika virus. Zika is a virus that is spread from a mosquito bite and spreads from mother to her fetus, through blood contact and sex. It is most dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause birth defects, stillborns and even miscarriages.
Why male mosquitoes? Male mosquitoes do not bite humans. So when the population is increased you don’t have an increase in those pesky biting, itch-causing bugs. Mosquitoes that are capable of carrying the Zika virus have made their way north to as far as Fresno California. The concern is that these mosquitoes will encounter a person that has the Zika virus from either traveling or contracting from someone that has traveled and gotten the virus. The mosquitoes will then be able to pass the virus to another person. To get ahead of this potential epidemic, Verily has hatched a plan to kill off these mosquitoes by releasing other mosquitoes with a bacteria called Wolbachia bacteria. This bacteria is harmless to humans but when passed from mosquito to mosquito, this bacteria makes the eggs of the infected mosquitoes soft and unable to hatch. This will kill off the mosquitoes that can carry the Zika virus.
This is a perfect case of microbiology coming to life in a real-world situation. Mosquitoes are the vector and carry the bacteria to other mosquitoes making them unable to reproduce. Wolbachia is a bacteria that affects mosquitoes and is not harmful to humans. A great example of what is wanted when looking for a drug or vaccine. Next time you feel that annoying itch or see mosquitoes flying around, think of how they are being used to offset an epidemic.
References
https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/14/googles-life-sciences-unit-is-releasing-20-million-bacteria-infected-mosquitoes-in-fresno/
https://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/overview.html
BY CARLEY PICKETT
CWI STUDENT
CWI Partners with CSU-Global to Facilitate Bachelors Degree Completion for Student Success
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Colorado State University-Global Campus (CSU-Global). This agreement affords CWI graduates an additional, guaranteed, seamless transfer pathway at the junior level into any online bachelor’s degree at CSU-Global.
“We are pleased to finalize this articulation agreement with CSU-Global, which provides tremendous value for our students and employees,” said David Shellberg, CWI’s Executive Vice President of Instruction and Student Services. “We couldn’t be happier to provide transfer opportunities to CSU-Global and the high quality online bachelor’s degree programs they offer.”
CSU-Global Campus accepts up to 90 transfer credits, including up to 64 semester hours from junior, community, or career colleges, towards its bachelor’s degree programs. Students who have completed their associate’s degree from CWI are guaranteed admission.
Through this agreement, CSU-Global will establish additional program-specific articulation agreements with CWI. These articulations provide a clear transfer pathway for students who have career and education aspirations beyond the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees they have earned.
Additionally, graduates of CWI will be eligible for CSU-Global’s Affiliate Two-Year Discount through this agreement. This discount is awarded to any student from a two-year affiliate school who enrolls at CSU-Global within one year of graduating from their associate’s degree with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher. These students receive a 10% tuition discount, which is locked for the duration of their bachelor’s degree program through CSU-Global’s Tuition Guarantee.
“This relationship recognizes CSU-Global’s commitment to providing students with greater educational opportunities,” says Colorado State University-Global Campus Provost and Vice President, Dr. Jon Bellum. “As an online state university dedicated to student support, this MOU helps us become an active educational partner with CWI alumni who have completed a two-year degree and are looking to take their education to the next level by earning their bachelor’s degree.”
Food Truck Schedule—September 2017
Food trucks have proven to be quite popular with College of Western Idaho (CWI) students, staff, and faculty on campus! Thank you to those who have chosen to frequent the variety of food trucks visiting campus. Sales have been steady, and food truck partners are hopeful sales will continue to increase as the CWI community becomes more aware of this option.
Food trucks are on campus Monday-Thursday, from approximately 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Nampa Campus Academic Building and Ada County Campus Pintail Building. Community members are also welcome to enjoy the food truck service.
September’s schedule is now available! Follow @CollegeofWesternIdaho on Facebook for details and updates on when your favorite food truck will be here!
CWI to Host Public Job Fair on Sept. 22
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will help students and community members connect with job opportunities during a job fair on Friday, Sept. 22. The event is open to the public and will focus on seasonal employment and jobs ideal for students working their way through school. The fair, presented in partnership with the Idaho Department of Labor, will take place:
Friday, Sept. 22
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
CWI’s Nampa Campus Aspen Classroom Building
6002 Birch Lane, Nampa
Over 50 employers have registered for the job fair, including organizations in the following industries:
- Health care
- Caregiving
- Food Service
- Manufacturing
- Law Enforcement
Job seekers at the event will also have the opportunity to learn about resources such as resume writing, networking, educational opportunities and more from CWI and Idaho Department of Labor. Attendees are encouraged to take their resume and be prepared to interview with employers.
Fall 2017 Transfer Fair
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) invites you to the Fall 2017 Transfer Fair! College and university representatives will be on campus Tuesday, Oct. 3, to discuss programs, majors, and transfer requirements. Times and locations are listed below.
Tuesday, Oct. 3
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Ada County Campus Pintail Center (APIN)
Student Commons
1360 S. Eagle Flight Way
Boise, ID 83709
12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Nampa Campus Academic Building
1st floor lobby
5500 E. Opportunity Drive
Nampa, ID 83697
For questions, please contact Brittney Hernandez, brittneyhernandez@cwi.edu, or Erica Compton, ericacompton@cwi.edu, in Student Advising and Success.
Student Advising and Success
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has made some exciting changes over the summer with the new Student Advising and Success unit. This innovative team is designed to provide proactive advising in a streamline approach to assist students as they navigate through their academic career.
The team is an amalgamation of Advising and New Student Services, Career and Technical Education Learning Communities, and Career Services.
This new and improved model has been optimized to connect career exploration and holistic student development to academic planning. With this student-centered approach, CWI’s objective is to provide expert advice from those who specialize in the academic disciplines students are pursuing.
Over the summer, Student Success Advisors engaged students in a “Know Your Advisor” campaign. These advisors have been deployed throughout CWI to be closer to students and to provide better accessibility.
The goal of these modifications is to improve student success and retention with stellar advising delivered in an engaging and dynamic model.
CWI Psi Beta Chapter Wins Award
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Chapter of Psi Beta, a national honor society for students interested in psychology at two-year institutions, was winner of the Chapter of Excellence award for the 2016-2017 academic year. CWI’s chapter was one of only nine chapters across the nation to achieve this award. Achieving this prestigious award is secured by engaging in high impact experiences including a combination of community service, leadership, and undergraduate research.
2017 Summer Research Community Symposium
The mention of bed bugs causes most people to cringe, but College of Western Idaho (CWI) alumna Leticia Camacho, had a group of fellow scientists laughing as she played a YouTube video of bed bug grooming behavior.
Camacho was among a number of CWI students and alumni who presented their findings during a summer research symposium at Boise State University on Aug. 11.
The symposium was the culmination for CWI summer research participants who completed 12-week internships conducting original research under the mentorship of CWI faculty and community partners.
This was an important opportunity for students to celebrate their completion of a rigorous, yet rewarding summer. Students had the chance to give oral presentations about their research, its importance to the scientific community, and experiences as developing scientific researchers.
Student projects ranged from studying water quality in agriculturally adjacent wetlands at Lake Lowell, to monarch butterfly breeding ecology in the Treasure Valley, and understanding pathways to control breast cancer.
Over the summer, interns gained hands-on experience in the process of scientific research and learned an array of new skills and techniques in their respective fields. Each internship placed a student in a lab or research teams where they had the opportunity to work alongside other scientists.
“Many students who complete the programs make connections with other students, faculty and professionals that develop in to new opportunities for academic and professional engagement and growth,” said Dusty Perkins, Associate Professor of Biology at CWI.
Both the LSAMP and MURI programs are funded through state and site specific sub awards under the National Science Foundation. These programs focus on enhancing undergraduate science participation among underrepresented and underserved demographics. One key goal for the programs at CWI is to give students a chance to create bridges between their early academic and co-curricular experiences and future opportunities at four-year universities.
Among the presenters at the symposium, six were CWI alumni who are now undergraduate researchers in labs and research programs at Boise State University.
CWI students and projects:
Tyson Mann: Showy Milkweed (Asclepias Speciosa) Propagation and Transplant Survivorship
Dave Draper: Monarch Butterfly Habitat Suitability in Western Idaho
Kassandra Townsend and Talia Jolley: Breeding Ecology and Habitat Suitability of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) in Southern Idaho
Karina Gutierrez: Carbon and Nitrogen Characterization of Agriculturally Adjacent Lakeshore Wetland Soil
Austin Madsen: Investigation of Physical and Chemical Water Quality Parameters in Agriculturally Adjacent Lakeshore Wetlands
Hugo Napoles: A summer’s Insight to the Importance of Biological Water Renewal
CWI alumni now at Boise State University:
Sara Rostron: Inhibiting Inflammatory Cytokines to Prevent Metastasis in Breast Cancer
Sandra Ambriz: Mentoring Underrepresented Groups in Science, Technology’ Engineering and Mathematics: What Have We Learned?
Sylvia Perritte: Mapping Vegetation Using Advanced Field Survey Methods in a Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem
Laura McSherry: Mapping the Effects of Agriculture from Urban Sprawl in the Treasure Valley
Daniel Marquette: Identifying Peak Alfalfa Flowering to Optimize Pollination Using Remote Sensing Techniques
Leticia Camacho: Using Chemicals in Plants to Disrupt Antennal Grooming in Bedbugs
Continued funding may provide an opportunity for CWI to support additional positions in the fall. For more information please contact Dusty Perkins dustyperkins@cwi.edu or Rebecca Flock rebeccaflock@cwi.edu.
EPSCoR MURI is funded by Idaho EPSCor. LSAMP funding is provided by the University of Washington and the National Science Foundation.
