Curtis P. Rodgers (C.P.R.) is back in the Simulation Lab, so our nursing students were immersed in a code blue  simulation. A “code blue” is defined as any patient with an unexpected cardiac or respiratory arrest requiring resuscitation and activation of a hospital-wide alert. A pause in the scenario allowed faculty to go in-depth in the scenario and allowed the students to work on their CPR skills; given immediate feedback from both the mannikin patient, and external devices. Our Nursing Simulation Laboratory assists nursing students in learning critical thinking and clinical judgment skills in preparation for their healthcare careers. The “manikins” act as lifelike patient simulators, wherein instructors provide real-time feedback via a control center, giving students as close to real-life simulation as possible. Fellow students acted as support staff and assisted the team through the simulation once the code blue alarm was initiated. All students and faculty debrief after the scenario.

From sword play to hand-to-hand combat, Students in Kelly Morgan's Stage Movement: Combat course learned how to safely act out various forms of hand-to-hand combat. Stage movement: Combat is a workshop-oriented course that utilizes the basic techniques of movement that emphasize developing the  student's potential for effective physicalization of a character on stage. Learn more about our Theater Concentration here.

Fitchburg State University hosted a dozen Fitchburg High School juniors during their February vacation for a writing retreat on campus.

The students included members of the Fitchburg High Honors Academy, through which they gain special access to their hometown university and its resources.

Education Professor Dr. Danette Day led the Young Falcons in yoga routines in the Recreation Center this morning. The Young Falcons Academy Week is where students from Fitchburg and Leominster public middle schools partake in a week full of activities on campus.

Award-winning filmmaker, Communications Media/Film/Video Concentration student, Tonia Magras presented the premiere of her latest documentary, “More than Our Skin,” at Fitchburg State University on Thursday, Feb. 22.

The film, focusing on five women living with the autoimmune disease vitiligo, was shown at 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall. Admission was free and open to the public, and guests included cast members and state and local leaders. The film has also been entered into competition at several film festivals. Learn more about Tonia and her film here.

Fitchburg State University Police Program  Interim Police Academy Director Alexandra Wysocki and four of our Police Program students entertained the Young Falcons in the Wallace Gym at the McKay Elementary School. The students got a chance to learn a bit about how important physical fitness, stamina, and cooperation is in the effort to become a police officer. The session ended with Interim Police Director Wysocki inviting the Young Falcons to share what qualities they would appreciate in these soon-to-be officers.

Human Services Professor Kori Ryan recently invited Assistant Director of Study Abroad Nicole Salerno to speak with the Behavioral Sciences students who will be traveling to Croatia with Professor Ryan in March. Students learned about the flights/luggage, passport precautions, money, what to expect, and more.

English Studies Professor Katharine Covino's Literature for Young Adults course, who are reading Fitchburg State University alumni Robert Cormier’s canonical novel The Chocolate War. dug deeper into the story and investigate their questions by working collaboratively with their classmates in the Robert E. Cormier Archive. After an introduction to, and a tour of the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library Archives by University Archivist Asher Jackson, students began reviewing the abundance of archives related to the novel. 

Students in Dr. Robert Carr's Writings in Aesthetics course work on their group and independent projects. Located at the interface between theory and production, this course is a writing intensive Communication Studies course that capitalizes on this vantage point to critically examine the professional arts comprising our curriculum, namely film, video, graphic design, photography, interactive media, and professional communication. Through weekly readings and writings, seminar discussions, presentations, and a term length qualitative research project, this writing intensive course bridges the theory/production dichotomy. 

This morning, our ever vigilant  Capital Planning and Maintenance (CPM) department, in an effort to complete work on our Antonucci Science Complex, needed to close the portion of North St. that runs through campus. Seth O'Hearn, a Criminal Justice/Fitchburg State University Police Programstudent, through a cooperative program with the Fitchburg Police Department, directs traffic in an official capacity.