COE'S SciTEC, NICERC, and CenturyLink host Inaugural NELA RARC

On Saturday, October 22, 2016, at CenturyLink Headquarters in Monroe, LA, SciTEC in the College of Education along with NICERC and CenturyLink hosted the inaugural North East Louisiana (NELA) Regional Autonomous Robotics Circuit (RARC).  There were over 20 teams onsite competing at the middle, elementary, and highschool levels.  The students competed trying to accomplish various tasks in a limited amount of time utilizing their programmed robots. Our own AE Phillips Bullpups placed during the event also, going home with two third place trophies for their outstanding efforts!

In addition to the outstanding teams, volunteers, coaches, and parents, there were also COE partners including Louisiana Tech University Admissions representative Collin Bailey, BASH Booth's Sarah Jeffords, and AXI Education Solutions, Lisa Dick who brought exciting STEM educational tools including Promethean panels, Spheros, and Little Bit circuitry kits. This is the first of three competitions planned for the 2016-2017 academic year. The event was only possible with the help of CenturyLink Vice President Bill Bradley, Mr. Alex Bohl, Mrs. Kristy LaCroix, Ms. Jaicee Choate, Ms. Jo Ann Marshall, and numerous volunteers, coaches, parents, and teams.  To learn more about NELA RARC and how to participate in future competitions, please contact NELA RARC Competition Coordinator, Ms. Jaicee Choate at 3182572866 / jchoate@latech.edu or Lindsey Keith-Vincent at lbkv@latech.edu.

 

 

A Peachy Weekend for our COE!

This weekend was just Peachy for our COE students, faculty, and staff!

Over the weekend, five young women from Louisiana Tech University participated in the 2016 Miss Louisiana Scholarship Competition. Of those, we are happy to report that one of our COE's own, Miss Anna Blake, a junior kinesiology major also competed and did quite well.  She is pictured to the right in the News Star at check in. Check out the link to learn more. http://www.thenewsstar.com/picture-gallery/news/2016/06/19/miss-louisiana-contestant-move-in-day/86120768/
Anna even made it to the Top Ten! Congratulations, Anna! Your COE family is quite proud of you!

Our College clocked over 50 hours of community service for the Peach Festival this year! Pictured is PDRIB's Sheena Manuel that helped contribute to our COE volunteer time. Thanks, Sheena! We are still waiting to hear back about the total hours for all organizations and see if we won; however, win or lose, It is pretty impressive to have that kind of support from a single College within Louisiana Tech University. Thanks to all who found a way to contribute and be part of the Peach Fest experience!

AROS, a branch of the Department of Psychology had an incredibly important job this weekend, too. They began data collection related to the economic impact of the Peach Festival on our community. AROS is a supporting partner of the Ruston/Lincoln Chamber and CVB and a sponsor of the 66th Annual Peach Festival.

In addition, SciTEC in our COE helped host multiple events at the Annual Louisiana Peach Festival including the Fishing Tournament at Lincoln Parish Park and the Entertainment Tent for Kids near RailRoad Park! Check out the pictures of all of the fun!

....and this week may even be better!

Co-Directors, Drs. Carrice Cummins, Libby Manning, and Kim Kimbell-Lopez of the Literacy Center in CIL in our COE will be hosting the first annual Powerful Instruction Literacy Conference in Shreveport/ Bossier and welcoming teachers from across the region for the three day professional development in-service Tuesday through Thursday of this week. The event will be held at the Tech Center.

Drs. Jordan Blazo and Braden Romer of Kinesiology and Lindsey Vincent of SciTEC will be hosting the first Project KINES Professional Development workshop funded by the Lincoln Health Foundation. The three day event will be a precursor to the year-long implementation in AE Phillips Lab School and RJHS and serve as an introductory class meeting series for the corresponding fall graduate course for participating Lincoln Parish educators.

Camps through SciTEC's IDEA Place and Bricks4Kidz will continue this week with Worlds of Amusement and Mining and Crafting. Students will design, create, and build. A few spaces are still available if there is interest in participating!

Notre Dame's D'Agistino Visits our COE for STEM Partnership

The Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB) is privileged to welcome Notre Dame of Maryland University Chemistry Professor Alfred D'Agostino, Ph.D. to Ruston. Dr. D'Agostino is spending a week in Ruston working with blind high school students enrolled in the Center's Summer Training and Employment Project (STEP) Program. LCB is working in partnership with Louisiana Tech University through the College of Education's SciTEC outreach initiatives, as well as the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness (PDRIB) to provide high-quality, fully-accessible STEM initiatives for blind and visually impaired students in kindergarten-21 programs.

As a blind person himself, Dr. D'Agostino understands how critically important it is for all students to experience hands-on, meaningful interactions with STEM-related subject matter, and we are grateful for his expertise and leadership. The Center is appreciative of Dr. Donald Schillinger, Lindsey Vincent, Dr. Edward Bell, and all of the faculty and staff at Louisiana Tech who work collaboratively to ensure greater access to fun and interesting activities designed to strengthen student skill sets in a variety of areas and through completely accessible means.

Thanks to Mr. Guillory for the blog submission above, our friends Drs. Eddy and Deese in Chemistry for use of some of their Chemistry equipment, and Dr. D'Agostino for the  visit!  We in the COE are hopeful that it is the first of many!

COE Volunteers Help Out with the Annual Louisiana Peach Festival!

In just three short weeks, the Annual Louisiana Peach Festival will be taking place in our very own Ruston, LA! We are happy to report that as of Friday, June 3, the Louisiana Tech University College of Education was 4th place in the race for the most volunteers helping with the event! In addition to those from SciTEC helping host special events including the Kid's Fishing Tournament, the Family Tent, AROS in the Department of Psychology will actually be doing evaluations of the economic impact of the event on our community! There is still time to register and lend a hand with the volunteer effort. Events for which you can volunteer your time include pre-festival preparations; clean up; FREE Kid's Fishing Tournament; multiple art and craft shows, booths, and competitions; the annual Peach Hunt and Passport Challenge; Peach Cookery Contest; Baby Photo Contest; concerts; parades; 5K Walk/Run; Tennis Tournament; Peach Cobbler Eating Contest; Rodeo, Bass Tournament;  Antique Car Show; Pageants; Family Kids Tent;  BMX & Skateboard Show; and even a new Dinosaur exhibit! If you have any free time in the next three weeks, please check out the link below and select times and events of which you would like to be a part. The winning organization will receive a  recognition at the festival and a cookout for those who volunteered from the organization sponsored by Super 1....PLUS: You get free passes to the festival and a volunteer shirt!


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uzcVBJ1VcH76U1FZIIQ8RhXcSJ8ResPmG1xUXRJdiZo/viewform?c=0&w=1

http://www.louisianapeachfestival.org/

Summer STEM Opportunities through SciTEC in the COE

We have some exciting things planned! If you've not already laid out your plans for you and your kiddos this summer, there are a few spots still left in our summer camps being offered at SciTEC'S IDEA Place in the College of Education. We would love to have you and yours as our guests! Please see below, and let us (scitec@latech.edu / 3182572866) know if you have any questions regarding registration.
June 6-10 - Bricks4Kidz Superhero Academy
June 6-10 - Bricks4Kidz  Jurassic Brick Land
June 6-10- Bricks4Kidz Work Vehicles (PreK)
June 6-10- Bricks4Kidz Garden Girls (PreK)
June 13-17- Bricks4Kidz Island Adventures (PreK)
June 13-18- Bricks4Kidz Character Craze
June 13-18- Bricks4Kidz Galaxy Far Away
June 20-24- Bricks4Kidz Brick Critters
June 20-24- Bricks4Kidz B4K EV3 Robotics
June 24- SciTEC's IDEA Place FREE Peach Fest Fishing Tournament at Lincoln Parish Park
June 25- SciTEC's IDEA Place will be at Peach Festival at the Kid's Tent
June 27-July 1- Bricks4Kidz Worlds of Amusement
June 27-July 1- Bricks4Kidz Mining and Crafting
July 5-9- Bricks4Kidz Interesting Insects (PreK)
July 5-9 Bricks4Kids In the Jungle (PreK)
July 11-15- Engineering By Design
July 13- Bricks4Kidz Pre-K STEM Day
July 25-29 Red Stick Robotics VEX IQ
July 25-29 Red Stick Robotics Jedi Mind Tricks
Don't forget; you can always schedule a private planetarium show or IDEA Place tour for a birthday party, family visit, or just a day out on the town, too!

COE Partners with Jacksonville State University to Validate the Collaborative Regional Education Model: Technology in Rural Classrooms

In 2013, the highly competitive U.S. Department of Education, Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant Program, funded Jacksonville State University’s Validating the Collaborative Regional Education (CORE) Initiative. Jacksonville State University is partnering with eight regional universities, including Louisiana Tech University to participate in a national study to expand the CORE model and implement a rigorous study of approximately 40 control and treatment classrooms in 8th-12th grades across the nation. The initial grant awarded by the USDOE was 12.5 million. 

On Thursday, April 14, 2016, Louisiana public school partners (grades 8-12) and participating teachers met to have their project roles “revealed” as part of the national study, Validating the Collaborative Regional Education Model: Technology in Rural Classrooms (CORE), a project conducted by Jacksonville State University in collaboration with Louisiana Tech University's SciTEC Center in the College of Education.

The mission of CORE is “To fuel transformation in K-12 and higher education classrooms through professional development, project-/challenge-based learning, technology, classroom support, change management and partnership building, evaluation and research, dual enrollment, and innovative teacher preparation.”

The goals of CORE are:

1. To prepare students for college and career through increases in 21st Century skills.
2. To expand methodologies and technologies in the classroom.
3. To create sustainable support for system-wide change management.

 

Arkansas STEM Education Schools Connect to LA Tech

Last Friday was a very enjoyable and personally fulfilling day due to having the privilege of visiting two innovative STEM-focused schools, eSTEM Middle Charter (enrollment, 900 students) and eSTEM High School Charter (enrollment, 600 students) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Coming from a rural environment, it is a bit different to visit schools located in the midst of the business and busyness of a city. This aspect made the visit educational while the teachers and students I met made it extremely enjoyable and very fulfilling.

If you are wondering about the reason for this visit, it begins with the COE’s connection to Ms. Danni Stuckey, COE alumnus and former teacher at Dubach Elementary School. During her association with the COE, Ms. Stuckey also participated in the SciTEC Scholars program where she learned of innovative methods to integrate STEM concepts, demos, and experiments into a reading curriculum to heighten student engagement. Prompted by this professional development, she developed a series of STEM/literacy lessons including activities such as how design and use pinhole cameras to discuss light and color, concepts while connecting directly to texts such as Lois Lowery's 1994 Newberry Medal recipient, The Giver. While the book was available on the students' Kindles and iPADs, they were unable to take them home, annotate, or otherwise physically engage with the text, and they seems to especially enjoy interacting with one that has a hard cover. Ms. Stuckey submitted a request outlining her vision and her need (40 hard cover texts), which the COE was able to meet due to the generosity of funding made available through the Pipes Foundation. 

Ms. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Director of Outreach and External for the COE, who played a primary role in this collaborative event, joined me in “welcoming” the eSTEM students to the Tech traditions of excellence and in distributing copies of The Giver.  We had the pleasure of speaking with some engaging students from two high school classes who asked many insightful and interesting questions about Tech, Ruston, and University life in general. I am very thankful to the wonderful students of Ms. Craig’s AP English class and Mr. Pursley’s AP Chemistry class who asked thoughtful questions and who seemed genuinely engaged and interested in the process of learning and achieving. To Ms. Craig and Mr. Pursley, thank you for your kindness and consideration in allowing us to use some of your valuable instructional time to meet and chat with your exceptional students.

In summary, the visit to the eSTEM Charter Schools saw the establishment of a new competitive grant program offered through the Office of Outreach and External Funding for the College of Education, the initiation of a new relationship with some exceptional students and teachers from a stellar school, and a view of the P-12 education thriving in city environment.

- A BIG thank you goes out to Ms. Debra, Mr. Sarper, and Ms. Stuckey for a great visit and a wonderful start to what we hope is a long-term partnership

*Enrollment numbers are approximations provided by eSTEM Charter School faculty.

Visit https://www.estemlr.net/ for more information about the eSTEM Charter Schools.

New Adventures with the New Frontiers Series!

On Monday, April 4, 2016, Dr. Joseph Bass of Northwestern University, delivered a community lecture at 5:30 in the COE's Memorial Gymnasium. The event was funded by the Lincoln Health Foundation.  Kinesiology, SciTEC, the Department of Nursing, the Department of Human Ecology, LSUAg Center, Gibson's Natural Grocer, the Boys and Girls Club, the Lincoln Health Foundation, as well as COE, CANS, and COES  collaborated to host this extension event of the already wildly successful New Frontiers Seminars hosted by Drs. Jamie Newman and Mary Colderera-Moore.

Before the lecture, The Boys and Girls Club enjoyed interactive activities, lessons, door prizes, and refreshments all led by team members Dr. Tammy Schilling, Dr. Jean Chen, Ms. Dewanna Blake, Ms. Patti McFadden, Dr. Braden Roemer, Ms. Dawn Erickson, Ms. Cathy Judd, Ms. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, and their excellent students and colleagues. About 100 students from the Boys and Girls Club from grades 1-12 took part in making this community extension of the New Frontiers Series a great success.

There was standing room only for Dr. Joseph Bass's presentation that followed the activities with the Boys and Girls Club.  We wish to extend great thanks to Gibson's Natural Grocer and Ruston's Farmer's Market for the awesome smoothie supplies and door prizes. Journalist, Derek Amaya, from the Ruston Daily Leader, also joined in the festivities to capture the great event!

Strong Evidence of COE and Lincoln Parish Schools Partnerships this Week

Only one day into a four day work week and only two weeks into 2016, our College of Education faculty at Louisiana Tech University are partnering with almost every elementary school in Lincoln Parish ! On Tuesday, January 19 the Department of Kinesiology, the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership, and the new UTeachTech Program served more than 50 teachers and 60 University students through four separate professional development training sessions for staff and a STEM Day where UTeachTech candidates taught 30 fourth graders Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for 8 hours! Literacy-focused professional development sessions were held at Glenview Elementary, Cypress Springs, and Dubach. Professional development sessions for physical education educators was held at Memorial Gym. UTeachTech STEM Day was held at AE Phillips Laboratory School. Faculty and staff involved in the events included Dr. Tammy Schilling, Dr. Jordan Blazo, Dr. Jean Chen, Dr. David Szymanski, Mr. Chris Campbell, Dr. Bill Deese, Mrs. Diane Madden, Mrs. Erika Jones, Mr. Glenn Larson, Dr. Kim Kimbell-Lopez, Dr. Carrice Cummins, Dr. Libby Manning, Dr. Jordan Glenn, Dr. Braden Romer, Dean Don Schillinger and Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent. We also want to send a special thanks to Mrs. Cathi Cox-Boniol for her support of the UTT iniative through purchasing lunch through Project ACHIEVE, Joanne Hood at AE Phillips for the STEM day space and SciTEC in the COE for materials and support! Pictured are students from the Kinesiology training and the UTeachTech STEM Day.

COE Faculty Submit Research Proposal Requests Totaling More than 3 Million Dollars!

The College of Education has a history of submitting and being awarded millions of dollars in grant funding from a variety of sources to pursue unique research opportunities ranging from studies in biomechanics, curriculum development, informal learning, literacy, health, STEM, psychology, to studies of students with visual impairments and more. This past quarter has been particularly successful for our College of Education as a significant amount of funding has been awarded to COE faculty on a variety of proposals. Fourteen COE faculty were awarded or proposed research funding as leads or in collaboration with campus colleagues between July 2015 and December 2015 according to the OUR Breeze, a publication of Louisiana Tech University ( http://research.latech.edu/files/documents/winter_2015-16_breeze_newsletter.pdf) .
Some of the active COE researchers and PIs noted in the most recent Breeze included the following: Dr. Eddie Bell, Dr. Bryan McCoy, Dr. Braden Romer, Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Dr. Carolyn Talton, Dr. Frank Igou, Dr. Mitzi Apter-Desselles, Dr. Steven Toaddy, Dr. Jordan Glenn, Dr. David Szymanski, Dr. Tammy Schilling, Dr. Kimberly Kimbell - Lopez, Dr. Carrice Cummins, and Dr. Libby Manning.  The total amount of new grants awarded with COE involvement was just at $600,000.00 from July 2015- December 2015. The total amount of new funds requested or proposed by a COE principal investigator or collaborator during the same period totals just at  3,100,000.00. The 3.1 million total requested included a 1.25 million dollar proposal by Dr. Eddie Bell for scholarships for teachers of students who are blind. Plus, additional grant funds were provided to COE collaborators for existing awards from July 2015- December 2015 that totaled almost $200,000.00! Great work, and thanks for all you do. We are looking forward to hearing about the pending proposals and to see what other great ideas and explorations/experiments you devise!

COE Scholarship Deadline Extended

Don't forget that the COE deadline for scholarship application submission has been extended this year from December 31 to January 15 at 5 pm central.  We are very fortunate in our College of Education to have a large group of donors and supporters that want to help our students be successful! You have approximately one week left to complete and submit your applications. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Below are just a few of the many scholarships and endowments from our generous donors and friends in the COE that make these opportunities possible. A link to the webpage outlining the requirements for each scholarships follows: http://education.latech.edu/students/scholarships/list.php . Best of luck on your submissions!


Alex Laney Endowment
Ann Marilyn Melton Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Bessie Purdy Scholarship
Betty Edwards Owens Endowed Scholarship
Causey-Tanner Scholarship
Erma Flesher Memorial Scholarship
Elizabeth Morris Odom Endowed Scholarship
Emmons, Morelle and Trissielee Endowed Scholarship
Estelle Harris Memorial Scholarship
Evelyn Swihart Endowed Scholarship
F. Elizabeth Bethea Endowment
George Madden Lomax Scholarship
Gertie M. H.  & Eldrice H. Green Scholarship
Enid Gladden Butler Graduate Scholarship
James and Janis Pierce Endowed Scholarship
John Cawthon Scholarship
Knotts Memorial Scholarship
Lanette Southall Fisher Memorial Scholarship
Lu Iman Allen and Ann McCraw Stokes Scholarship in Education
Lucille Pierce Folk Endowed Scholarship
Mary Ann Smalling Scholarship (Kalil Scholarship)
Mary Ross Higginbotham Scholarship
Mary Wilson Scholarship
Miriam Davis Hogan Endowment
Pipes Memorial Scholarship
Ruston Sunrise Kiwanis Scholarship
Thomas Gaston and Hessie Gaston Watson Endowed Scholarship
Wilbur Bergeron Memorial Scholarship

 

Launch of Exciting STEM Education Program

The UTeachTech STEP 1 courses began this quarter at Louisiana Tech in the Think Tank, the new technology-rich classroom located on the College of Education's Woodard Hall.  The project team is happy to report that 88 students have enrolled in the STEM education certification program! The figure is much higher than the 25 anticipated in the initial composition of the grant project proposal. Of the 88 students registered, there are 13 categories of STEM disciplines represented, including Biology, Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Cyber Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Environmental Science, and other. There are also a substantial number individuals typically underrepresented in STEM disciplines enrolled as part of the program with 57 of the 88 students in the UTeachTech STEP course being female. Students met with the UTeachTech Team and enjoyed snacks on their first day in the course.  Initial planned professional outreach activities with the UTeachTech students include collaborating with the SciTEC Center in the College of Education through its Adopt A School Partner, Cypress Springs Elementary School, to host a free STEM day in January as well as a job shadowing colleagues through another partnership with CenturyLink and redelivering STEM lessons to Ouachita Parish and Monroe City Schools.  Given the large number of female UTeach enrollees, relationships are also being forged and planning is taking place to integrate partnerships with the WiSTEM (Women Influencing STEM) group on campus, OWISE,  and other campus colleagues including Drs. Heath Tims, Allie DeLeo, Mary Colderera Moore, Jamie Newman, Marissa Orr, Bill Campbell, and Katie Evans.

As noted on the UTeachTech website, the program "pairs the University’s esteemed engineering and science programs with its outstanding teaching preparation programs, resulting in a single, interdisciplinary degree program that provides you with the knowledge needed to work in industry and the skill set to lead in the classroom."  The project is funded by a $1.45 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Math and Science Initiative.  The replication of the UTeach program at Louisiana Tech University of  the University of Texas at Austin is one of 44 funded in the nation and one of 5 funded in the last funding cycle. The collaborative endeavor spans each of the colleges at Louisiana Tech University and is led by as strong leadership team including, Co-Directors Dr. Bill Deese, Dean Don Schillinger, Associate Director, Diane Madden,  Master Teachers Mr. Chris Campbell and Mr. Glenn Larson,  Technical and Outreach Coordinator for the Project, Mr. Chris Coleman, and Co-PI and Program Lead Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent.

Polishing the COE Strategic Plan

December 1, 2015, was not only the first day of the new month, it was also the first day of the development of the new College of Education Strategic Plan.   Beginning in early 2015, a leadership team including Dr. Carrice Cummins, Dr. Lanie Dornier, and Dr. Mitzi Desselles consulted with Dr. Gil Reeve, Vice Provost at Louisiana State University and nationally recognized expert in strategic planning, to design  a strategic plan that reflects the vision and mission of each unit within the COE and aligns the subsequent goals and objectives to the Louisiana Tech University Tech2020 Plan. Dr. Reeve and the core planning team met with the entire COE faculty in the spring of 2015. Over the 2015 year, departments and units designed, reviewed, revised, and polished independent strategic plans. Tuesday of this week, division leaders, guided by faculty feedback,  reviewed each  unit plan; identified commonalities (themes) across the college; and began work on a comprehensive strategic plan that describes where we are, where we want to be (benchmarks),  and how we are going to get there (action steps) as a college. The beneficial day of reflection and planning on Dec. 1 and the initial meeting in the spring of 2015 provided a reminder of the unique, collaborative culture we enjoy at Louisiana Tech University and in our College of Education; yet another reason to be grateful during the season of thanks. Thanks to Drs. Cummins, Dornier, and Desselles! The time and effort they put in to this process has exceeded expectations and has set the stage for intentional action that matches the mission, vision, and goals of the College of Education, the units within it, and the University. Thanks to the Dean, Associate Dean and Unit Heads, Faculty, Staff, and Students for collaborating on this endeavor. Once complete, we look forward to sharing the work with our COE family and our Louisiana Tech University family.

Thankful for a Great Fall Quarter and a Record-Breaking Number of Students

Our COE is grateful for a wonderful fall quarter and a record-breaking enrollment for Louisiana Tech University for 2015! We are thankful that the COE was able to contribute significantly to both the graduate and undergraduate enrollment of Louisiana Tech University which totaled 12414 students. Our three departments, Kinesiology, Psychology, and CIL  had a total of  1345 undergraduate students enrolled for the fall, according to data from Mrs. Lori Theis. Of the 1345, more than 450 enrolled from our rapidly growing Department of Kinesiology alone. The total number of graduate students for the entire University totaled 1718. Of the 1718 students, 935 graduate students were enrolled in our College of Education. That is over 1/2 of the total university graduate enrollment for fall 2015!

Our graduate numbers for new students also soared with 513 new graduate students students being officially admitted and enrolled for the 2015 fall quarter by the ninth class day.  In fact, of the 695 total new graduate student enrollment for the University, according to data from the LATECH Graduate School, 74% were enrolled through the COE. Of the 513 new students admitted and enrolled in the college, 387 students were enrolled through the Office of Professional Education Outreach (OPEO) in the Science and Technology Education Center (SciTEC) .  The LLLE and LLL COE combined enrollment total for new and returning students for the University for the quarter equaled 446, just over 1/4 of total University graduate enrollment.
New collaborative extension efforts were critical to the success of our College of Education this  quarter and included projects in Caldwell, Morehouse, Livingston, Caddo, Ouachita and Bossier parishes, to name a few. Even teachers in Michigan engaged in the online opportunities through coursework on the MOODLE platform. Doctoral cohorts were also established  through the TLLI program, processed through the OPEO unit, and lead by the Department of Curriculum Instruction and Leadership. Leaders in the extension efforts for the 2015 included  Mr. Jody Purvis, Drs. Randy Parker, Mr. Randy Moore, Dr. David Gullatt, and Dr. Carolyn Talton, with each enrolling between 30-80 students each for the custom coursework. Interdisciplinary partnerships with faculty and staff in biomedical engineering as well as local and national agencies including the Department of Natural Resources also contributed to the figures and served as foundational partnerships for new large-scale efforts planned for the academic year.

The continued success of the COE is also a direct result of the outstanding caliber of students we have and currently served. Psychology boasts the highest number of graduate teaching students who continually deliver high quality instruction and research to supplement the efforts of the outstanding faculty. The competitive positions are sought nationally.  Innovative programs such as, orientation and mobility through PDRIB, and custom professional development courses through AE Phillips, one of the highest ranked K-8 schools in the state of Louisiana, also are integral factors in annual enrollment success. While all faculty, staff, students, administrators, and alums in our College of Education are responsible for the high quality programing, strong reputation, and numerous successes in our division; we wanted to highlight a few of the key contributors that lead the way in terms of program development, enrollment, and outreach for the 2015 quarter. During this season of thanks, we plan to share a few of their stories and successes! Thanks to you for your contribution to the success of the College of Education. We wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Adopt-A-School Partnership Leads to Science Stars Shinning

In addition to the two events this week through the Adopt-A-School partnership (See initial blog for 11/20), the SciTEC's IDEA Place team also  took students from the Science Club at Dubach School to do demonstrations on the morning show on NBC's KTVE in West Monroe, LA, last week. This is the second year that Dubach School has partnered with SciTEC for the STEM TV experiences. Mrs. Kimberly Franks and Mr. Matthew Vincent sponsor the Science Club group. The demonstrations will be aired on Friday's during the 2015 winter on both NBC'S KTVE and FOX 14.

The students toured the studio and offices of the station. Pictured is Justin sharing how the digital magic happens on live television!  The tour was followed by a tour of ULM where students were able to "Feed the Turtles" and earn a shirt describing the experience. SciTEC's IDEA Place also received a donation to provide lunch at a restaurant of the students' choice. They selected Willie's Duck Diner where some enjoyed alligator, duck, and other fixings. Pictured below are the students following their academic adventures, making a Bulldog with one hand and a Warhawk with the other, in front of the Louisiana Tech Bus. Thanks to Mr. John Price for providing transportation for the experience. Collaborating with ULM and encouraging students to find the best fit for them for post-secondary studies helps our kiddos as individuals and our larger community on the I-20 corridor. Thanks to Seth in ULM admissions for his time and willingness to show the students another great Louisiana university. Of course, students also received goodies from our SciTEC Center in the Louisiana Tech University College of Education for participating and being "Star Scientists" for the day.

If you would like to participate with SciTEC's IDEA Place in the College of Education and help out our local schools, or if you are at a local school and have a specific need with which we can help you; feel free to email lbkv@latech.edu. Thanks to Cathi Cox-Boniol and Ivana Flowers for their hard work organizing the initiative.To learn more about the Adopt-A-School program, you can visit the following link: http://www.rustonlincoln.org/pages/Adopt-A-School .  To learn more about SciTEC and our many outreach programs and branches, check out this link: http://education.latech.edu/departments/science_technology_education_center/ .

In the event you need something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, be thankful for the great kiddos in our parish. They are amazing and on their way to accomplishing great things!

SciTEC Partners with Lincoln Parish Schools through the Adopt-A-School Program

The Science and Technology Education Center's (SciTEC) IDEA Place at Louisiana Tech University is a proud partner with each of the Lincoln Parish public schools for the 2015-2016 school year through the Adopt-A-School Program. The program is directed by the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Project ACHIEVE. As described on the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce website, "The Adopt-A-School program aims to bring more community involvement to Lincoln Parish public and private schools through pairing schools with community partners – businesses, churches, civic groups, even individuals."  Through the Adopt -a-School program, the SciTEC IDEA Place team has had the opportunity to meet great young people and amazing educators at Ruston Junior High School and Choudrant Elementary School this week for the interviews for Student of the Year and the Annual Book Character Costume Competition and Parade. We had the opportunity to interview six stellar junior high candidates all deserving of the Student of the Year honor. Thanks to Assistant Principal, Mrs. Keisha Osborne, for the invitation to meet these awesome young people. The caliber of students at RJHS and in our district is absolutely amazing!  While the students and costumes were also absolutely amazing at Choudrant Elementary, it should be noted that the teachers also did a fabulous job dressing the part! Pictured is Mrs. Moore as Doc McStuffins! Thanks to Mrs. Johnnie Simone and Ms. Brenda Brister for the invitation to be a part of the day of fun and learning!

The TEEMS Team joins SciTEC in the COE for another Professional Development Session

The 3rd grade science teachers from Choudrant Elementary, Cypress Springs Elementary, Dubach, Ruston Elementary, and Simsboro Elementary schools are leading the way for a stronger focus on elementary STEM throughout the district.  These hard-working teachers are part of an ongoing professional development initiative that provides job-embedded workshops, classroom support, a graduate-level course through Louisiana Tech University's Office of Professional Education Outreach, and carefully prepared kits of materials and supplies designed to equip and empower them in facilitating rigorous and engaging hands-on, minds-on learning experiences.  Plus, the team is piloting the district's first implementation of the new TEEMS "Engineering by Design" Curriculum in order to really bring STEM to life in the classroom! The teachers met at Louisiana Tech University's SciTEC Center in the College of Education on October 2. We will meet again in late October for a third session. "We at SciTEC in the COE are thrilled to partner with Project ACHIEVE on this project and are looking forward to collaborate on the composition of an upcoming grant proposal to support additional professional development opportunities for  STEM educators in Lincoln Parish,"said SciTEC Director, Lindsey Keith-Vincent. It's an exciting time for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the Lincoln Parish public schools!!!

The article and accompanying images were submitted for the College of Education Blog at Louisiana Tech University by Mrs. Cathi Cox-Boniol, Director of Lincoln Parish Project ACHIEVE. If you or someone you know wants to share some exciting partnerships with the Louisiana Tech University College of Education family, please feel free to email lbkv@latech.edu.