Today, Fitchburg State University's Upward Bound  Math and Science Summer Program students learned about the Earth Citizens Science Nest Box Project  from representatives from New England Flying Squirrel Network. Afterward, with the assistance of Director Nate Obin and Education Coordinator Maya McCabe, built flying squirrel boxes to be used in a region-wide study.

Fitchburg State University's  Upward Bound Summer Program Staff enjoyed getting to know each other this morning with some icebreaker activities conducted by  Vice President for Student Affairs Laura Bayless and Dean for Student Development Hank Parkinson.

LAST WEEK, Lourdes Ramirez, Coordinator of Field placements, Partnerships and Recruitment for Fitchburg State’s School of Education welcomed a cohort of local high school students enrolled in The Future Educator Academy program to campus for a day of programming. Sessions included Career planning, College 101, Financial Literacy, and Mental Wellness in the Classroom.

Spring fever has taken hold of the campus, Biology and Chemistry Professor Erin Rehrig took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to have her Life Science for Educators class work on their Timeline of Life on Earth on the quad. This course covers a broad array of life science topics including cellular, organismal, and human biology. It is designed to provide a foundation in the life sciences for education majors (K-8).

Today, Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega visited the Fitchburg State campus as part of his tour of the state's 29 public colleges and universities. During his visit, Commissioner Ortega had lunch with and listened to students, experienced an immersive classroom simulation with education students, spoke with game design students at the downtown game studio about their projects, experienced a virtual nursing simulation designed by students, and checked out facilities including the strength and conditioning laboratory at Landry Arena. 

The Fitchburg State University Young Falcons Academy Week kicked off today. Our Young Falcons Academy gives students from Fitchburg and Leominster public middle schools an opportunity to see what life as a college student is like. Today, after a tour of the campus, groups had various opportunities throughout the day. Some chose to learn about DNA mapping with Professor Erin Rehrig, others got to try their hands at making shadow puppets with Professors Sally Moore and Andrea Olmstead. These were just part of a busy day full of activities.

The Office of International Education hosted a Study Abroad Fair this afternoon in the Hammond Main Lounge. Students had the convenience of asking about the many study abroad opportunities available to them here at Fitchburg State University in one location. Programs available in 2024 include; Peace Studies in Ireland, Rhetoric in Greece - Communications Program, Nursing Program in Costa Rica, Arts and Game Design Program in Japan.

A new calendar year marks a new semester, and students are on campus ready to learn, explore, and experience as the spring semester starts today.

Jeff Coté, The Occidental Taoist, who teaches Tai Chi for our Adult Learning in the Fitchburg Area (ALFA),program, along with one student, braved the inclement weather last Friday to teach is last session of Beginning Tai Chi. ALFA, a lifelong learning institute that serves adult learners in Fitchburg and the surrounding communities registration is open for Spring 2023 classes.

Early this week, a small group of Education Majors were immersed in a Mursion virtual reality simulation training session at the McKay Campus School. In this particular scenario, students worked with virtual parents and grandparents, as if they were having a 1:1 session, discussing their student's success or lack thereof. The experience was quite realistic with one student saying "I'm sweating" after their session. This is just one of the many tools that Fitchburg State University  uses to aid their Education students in mastering instructional moves, and in fostering social emotional learning.