Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) will receive a three-year, $748,218 grant from the National Science Foundation for the project “Water Intense: Interactive Technology Education.” The goal of the project is to develop a virtual reality curriculum for water, wastewater and agriculture technologies and conservation, and then share that curriculum with other two-year colleges. EICC will work with virtual reality company, EON Reality.
Using virtual reality for training in this area allows students to get the hands-on training they need repeatedly without having to use potentially expensive, and sometimes hazardous, options out in the field.
The project will be administered by EICC’s Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center.
Connecticut
Housatonic Community College received a $12,000 grant from the Near & Far Aid Association to help meet increased student requests for scholarships to continue and complete their education. Since 2000, the college has received nearly $119,000 in grants from Near & Far Aid.
Kentucky
Somerset Community College’s Joanne Story Emergency Fund can help more students in need thanks to donations from the board of directors of God’s Food Pantry. The gifts total more than $1,000.
The emergency fund was established at SCC in honor of professor Joanne Story, who, during her 47 years at the college, would discreetly assist students having financial trouble. After Story’s death this year, the SCC Humanities, Fine Arts and Social Sciences Division created the fund in her honor. SCC faculty, staff and students, as well as community members, have all given to the fund, raising more than $3,000 in Story’s name.
North Carolina
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will use a $560,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to develop a new mechatronics program. The college also will upgrade equipment for the welding program. This is the largest Golden LEAF award the college has ever received.
Tennessee
Pellissippi State Community College will expand its class offerings in English as a Second Language thanks to a $20,080 Tennessee Board of Regents Student Engagement, Retention and Success grant. The grant will fund an outreach initiative to non-native English speakers through civic and cultural organizations, places of worship, community gathering places and businesses.
Texas
Texarkana College STEM students will have access to equipment thanks to a partnership with the Arconic Foundation. The foundation presented the college with $20,000 to purchase two anatomy models, which will allow Texarkana to offer more sections of anatomy and physiology courses.
