Archive for the ‘Applied Math’ Category

Manufacturing Day events in October

Thursday, August 7th, 2014

Manu Day Rocklin HS students tour RobbJack DSC02004Sierra College and SME Sacramento Valley have partnered to connect schools and businesses for National Manufacturing Day and events throughout the month of October. The goal is to make students aware of STEM education paths that lead to advanced manufacturing careers. There are many opportunities for students to become designers, engineers and fabricators with companies in Placer and Nevada counties.

Students enrolled in Career Technical Education courses in high school can further their education at Sierra College earning certificates and degrees. With technical skills, students can secure internships and part-time work with employers to gain practical skills and earn money to pay for their education.

By attending tours, students learn more about what local manufacturing firms produce and determine if they can envision themselves working in the environment. They can also gain insight into the hiring process and make connections. Students find it especially interesting to talk directly with employees about their work and see how they use advanced manufacturing techniques on the job.  The students often discover that the tools and software they are using in the classroom are directly applicable to the workplace.

Businesses can work with faculty members to customize the tour. For example, RobbJack, a high-end cutting tool manufacturer located in Lincoln CA, offered a tour to trigonometry students at Colfax High School. Throughout the tour, employees explained how trigonometry was used on the job. The company also developed sample math problems based on real life situations in designing and fabricating tools.

To learn more about the 2014 activities in October for National Manufacturing Day, check out the flyer (SME No CA Manufacturing Day Oct 2014 emailweb) developed to invite companies to participate. Teachers can contact Carol Pepper-Kittredge, CACT Director, Sierra College and manager of the Sierra College STEM Collaborative.


College Math & Welding Faculty Create Curriculumn

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Sierra College faculty members worked together to infuse math activities and worksheets into welding classes. The project was originally funded by NSF. As a result students math scores were higher in the welding class with infused math than in the control group.

Watch the 30 minute webinar - Ignite CTE Students’ Math Skills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kryZRdulhGE

IGNITE flyer

IGNITE Math in Welding Materials

Press Release on Ignite math in welding project


Free Math in Welding Webinar – May 22, 2014

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Bill & Katie prepare for math in welding On May 22 at 4 PM, PST you can learn how to “Ignite Your CTE Students’ Math Skills.” Sierra College instructors, Bill Wenzel, Welding and Katie Lucero, Mathematics will present a free webinar on infusing welding assignments with essential math skills.

Register for this free “Ignite Your CTE Students’ Math Skills”webinar.

Read more about the May 22 Math in Welding event.

Flyer on May 22 Ignite Your CTE Students’ Math Skills 

Link to IGNITE Math in Welding Report and 8 Lessons

After the event, the Sierra College Ignite Welding infused with Math webinar will be posted on YouTube: http://goo.gl/41MrUO

Sierra College instructors will present eight turnkey activities and worksheets that they developed and used successfully in multiple welding classes to raise students’ math scores. The materials were created for the 2011-12 National Science Foundation (NSF) IGNITE (Infusing GeNed Into Technical Education) project, funded through a sub-grant from the University of West Virginia at Parkersburg.

 


Sacramento Common Core Math Workshops

Wednesday, February 26th, 2014

Teachers at Hands-on Math Workshop Sierra College STEM DSC01627The Sierra College Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Collaborative is offering a series of three workshops on implementing the Common Core standards of mathematical practice. To prepare teachers to meet the new Common Core mathematics requirements, participants will learn how to use hands-on activities to engage students and facilitate critical thinking.

Implementing the Standards of Mathematical Practice on Fridays March 14, April 4 and May 9, 2014 in Roseville CA. Sierra STEM Hands on Math Common Core March May 2014 Workshops Flyer

 


Talking Directly to Advanced Manufacturing Employees Inspires Students

Wednesday, November 6th, 2013
Del Oro High School Students Tour Progressive Technology

Del Oro High School Students Tour Progressive Technology

Students participating in tours of Sacramento manufacturers repeatedly reported that the direct interaction with technicians, engineers and staff had the most impact of them. Many said that it solidified their education and career plans. The tours were part of the National Manufacturing Day and organized by Sierra College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) and the Sierra Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Collaborative.

An Oakmont High School student said, “It definitely made me more sure of my plans to pursue higher education for engineering and gave me a more clear idea what a future job might look like.”

Dan Frank, who teaches Engineering Support Technology at Rocklin High School, toured RobbJack in Lincoln, CA with his students. “As a result of the tour, my students seemed more committed to the program and can see themselves becoming technicians and engineers,” said Frank. “Students really connected to individual employees who talked to them about welding, organizing the shop using 7S or programming CNC machines to create prototypes.”

Teachers also say that the experiences are enriching their curriculum with applied academics and 21st Century Skills.

Learn more about the impact of high school STEM students touring local businesses as part of the National Manufacturers Day and how teachers are using the experience to help students refine their interest in Advanced Manufacturing careers as well as bringing real world applications into their classrooms by reading:  STEM Teachers See Impact of Manufacturing Day Tours Organized by Sierra College.


Hands-on Algebra Workshops

Monday, September 16th, 2013

Sierra College STEM with the Placer County Office of Education are offering a hands-on Algebra Professional Development. The training will prepare teachers to meet the new Common Core education requirements. Learn more at Hands-on Algebra.


Sierra College Arts & Innovation Day is Sept. 26, 2013

Thursday, September 12th, 2013

Sierra College hosts “Arts and Innovation” day on Thursday, September 26th, 2013. This new, all-day event is free, open to the public and features lectures, workshops and fun activities for all ages. Presentations will emphasize the critical link between the arts and science, technology, engineering and math. The organizers believe that the arts and innovation are critical to science and engineering, and that science and engineering are critical to artistic expression.

The event will offer a project based Creativity Fair from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at which a wide variety of student clubs, faculty, vendors and sponsors will provide hands on projects designed to promote creativity and innovation. Additional activities include musical performances and workshops, as well as a Creativity Salon, Art Installation Tour and Scavenger Hunt, Nature and Art Tour, welding demos, and much more.

Sculptor, Anthony Maki-Gill, Carr Wilkerson, System Administrator at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), Larry Ortiz, director of Nevada Placer Arts Council, The California Arts Project (TCAP) and guest Comedy Improv artist, Brian Crall, join an impressive roster of faculty and guest speakers. The series of thought provoking lectures planned throughout the day will explore the role arts education plays in developing creativity and fostering innovation across discipline, especially in math, science and engineering.

Keynote speakers are Maryanna Rogers Ph.D, Executive Education Workshop Facilitator for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) at Stanford University and Director of Innovation for The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA.; Kathleen Taylor, Ph.D, professor of psychology at Sierra College in Rocklin and a specialist in Social-Cultural psychology; and Angela Tahti, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Placer County DBA PlacerArts.

In the spirit of “Arts and Innovation” day, the Ridley Gallery will also be presenting “Kinetic Conveyance”, art invented, engineered, designed, fabricated and powered by humans. This photographic and video documentary-image driven exhibition makes visible the thinking, innovation, and collaboration between disciplines of Engineering, Art, Welding, Music, Drama and more. The Ridley Gallery show runs from September 9 through October 3, 2013.

This exhibition focuses on creations for entry into the Kinetic Grand Championship in Humboldt County, California, also called the “Triathlon of the Art World” because art and engineering are combined with physical endurance during a three day cross country race that includes sand, mud, pavement, a bay crossing, a river crossing and major hills. The Ridley Gallery will showcase images from the 2013 race, the prize winning entry from Colfax High School, and the planning stages of Sierra College entry for 2014!

A reception for this exhibition will be held on Tuesday, September 10 from 4-7pm. Ridley Galley is located on the first floor of the Library/LR 102, on the Rocklin campus, 5000 Rocklin Rd, Rocklin. Regular hours for Ridley Gallery are 11am -6:00 pm Monday through Thursday. Admission to Ridley Gallery is free and open to the public.

There is a $3 parking fee on campus. Parking permits are available at dispensers located on the campus parking lot. For more information, Call (916) 660-7242 or check out our website at www.sierracollege.edu . Click on events


Colfax MIT Inventeam videos document process

Thursday, August 1st, 2013

Colfax High School students, with a support of MIT, invented the Tri-Metric.

Colfax EurekaFest 015 (1)It is a tool that offers a brand new way to layout a house. The mechanical device sits in the middle of the building envelope and uses similar shapes to make sure the floor, walls and roof are all square to maximize support. This tool can be used by any home builder, but is especially designed for emergency relief housing constructed by Mercy Corps. It can be manufactured for under $20 and because all the complex math of trigonometry is built into this inventive tool, it can be used by the novice, expert or anyone in between.

Watch the amazing progress of these high school STEM students applying academics and using critical thinking throughout the design process. Twenty-three movies are available on the ColfaxMath channel under Colfax Inventeams Tri-Metric.

For example, watch the evolution from prototype to products on Twenty Little Bets to make the Tri-Metric. See how to Learn Trig the easy way with the Tri-Metric. Find out how to use the Tri Metric, Construction Layout Tool.


Colfax Student InventTeam takes invention to MIT EurekaFest

Friday, June 28th, 2013

Colfax EurekaFest 015 (1)Colfax High School students, lead by teacher Jonathan Schwartz demonstrated the construction tool they invented at the MIT EurekaFest in June 2013. Carol Pepper-Kittredge of Sierra College serves as a mentor to the team.

Read more about the event at Time – Kiddovation: 6 Cool Inventions from High-Schoolers at MIT’s EurekaFest

Colfax EurekaFest 012 (1)Colfax EurekaFest 024Colfax EurekaFest 023

 


Ski Resort Lifts Awareness of Applied Math for STEM Careers

Saturday, March 9th, 2013

Northstar California Resort gave college faculty a behind the scenes tour of the lift maintence operations so they could gain applied math examples to use in their classrooms. The one day externship was funded by the Sierra College Science,
Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Collaborative.

“Teachers can use simple geometry to demonstrate calculating the angle of the chair suspended from the cable carrying it up the hill,” said Katie Lucero, Math Department Chair, Sierra College. “We saw how data was collected and logged daily; basic math computations were used to confirm that the system is running within safety parameters. A much more complicated series of equations would be used by engineers in the design process to determine the weight per chair for the lift system, with and without people, when it is stopped and when it is moving at maximum speed.”

Learn more at Rocklin and Roseville Today Faculty tour Northstar to Apply Math to Jobs.