Today was another beautiful day for our second Fall Open House. Open House is an ideal way for perspective students to find out everything they want to know about Fitchburg State University. Attendees toured the campus, view presentations, and had the opportunity to meet with faculty, coaches, and staff. Did you miss our Open Hoses? You can set up a campus visit here.

Dr. Katharine Covino (English Studies) and Dr. Erin MacNeal Rehrig (Biology and Chemistry) have teamed up to teach a unique STEAM (Science, Technology, English, Art, and Math) where science and literature collide, using the book, Bloom by Kenneth Oppel for inspiration.  Yesterday, they, and their students, met the author via zoom and were able to ask questions and discuss his writing process, inspirations, and other works.

Students in Professor Nancy Green's nursing lab took turns as the patient this morning as they performed a medical assessment and respiratory exams on each other. Learn more about our Nursing Programs here.

This morning, Assistant Professor Eileen Kirk and Assistant Professor Lilian Bobea hosted three Boston Municipal Court judges at a guest lecture on criminal justice in room 133 of the Antonucci Science Center. Associate Justice David J. Breen, Associate Justice Lisa Ann Grant and Associate Justice Myong J. Joun (who was recently nominated to the federal bench by the Biden Administration) discussed their wide-ranging criminal justice experiences including civil rights cases, their work in the district attorney's office and in public defense.

Dr. Katharine Covino (English Studies) and Dr. Erin MacNeal Rehrig (Biology and Chemistry) have teamed up to teach this unique STEAM (Science, Technology, English, Art, and Math) FYE which supports students’ academic skills development through learning new and interesting concepts related to plant science, specifically, photosynthesis, pollination, seed dispersal, carnivory, and responses to the environment, while reading and reviewing the YA Lit book, Bloom by Kenneth Oppel. The goal of the course is to draw inspiration and resources from diverse content areas to help students become engaged, curious, and caring members of the university community. In this activity, students are investigating the characteristics of plants that make them successful at seed dispersal while working in teams, solving problems, and applying metacognitive strategies to complete the activity successfully. Here, students perform a seed dispersal experiment wherein seeds are weighed, measured, and reopped from a specific height. The distance of the seed from the drop location data was then recorded.

This afternoon, Dean of Health and Natural Sciences Dr. Jennifer Hanselman introduced the panelists for today a discussion entitled, Waste Reduction: Solutions for You, Your Community, Your World, as part of Fitchburg State University's  Massachusetts STEM Week 2022celebration. Panelists were, Rodney Clara of Tough Stuff Recycling, Leah Fernandes of Environmental Health Safety and Risk Management, Fitchburg State University, John Fischer of Mass. Department of Environmental Protection, and Abbie Webb of Casella Waste. Akua Serebou ’23 (Biology major/Health Science concentration and Chemistry minor) served as Moderator.

Today, students in Professor Michael S. McCutcheon's Criminal Investigation course got to try their hands at fingerprint collecting. After leaving their own fingerprints on various surface types, the students dusted, and lifted the prints using situation/surface specific methodologies. The course will enables the student to understand the fundamentals of the criminal investigation process. They will explore investigative techniques in crime scene search, collection and use of evidence and information. Learn more about our Criminal Justice Program here.

The Theater Department's Ellen (Cap) Corduan, and her students, worked on the stage set for the upcoming presentation of A Raisin in the Sun this afternoon in Conlon Fine Arts. The Theater Department will be presenting the play November 15-20, check back for details.

The Center For Faculty Scholarship held a faculty research poster session and lightning talks in Hammond Main Hall yesterday afternoon. Some faculty featured were; Kiernan Riley (Nursing), William Sisk (Economics, History, and Political Science), Patricia Kio (Engineering Technology), Katharine Covino (English), Eric Budd (Economics, History, and Political Science), and J.J. Sylvia IV (Communications Media). Congratulations to all!

Students in Professor M. Zachary Lee's Intermediate Digital Cinema Production course got their hands on the equipment they will be working with. The course covers professional production techniques used in modern narrative production environments. In addition to achieving competency in lighting, exposure, composition and framing with video cameras, students master the basics of audio production both on location and in studio environments and the editing of the dramatic narrative. Creative narrative skills such as scriptwriting, storyboarding, direction and management are explored in the practical setting of a modern digital cinema environment.