Radiologic Technology Students Graduate

After spending 25 months learning radiographic positioning, how to manage quality control in imaging equipment, and assisting and performing radiographic examinations as part of their clinicals, a class of 18 students graduated from Cañada's Radiologic Technology program on Saturday, July 27.

"On Saturday, they received their radiologic technologist certificate, fluoroscopy certificate, venipuncture certificate and the women in the program received a certificate in mammography," said Rafael Rivera, Professor of Radiologic Technology.

Over the next three weeks, the graduates will begin taking their American Registry of Radiologic Technologists examination and prepare for the workforce.

"The job market is improving," Rivera said "I will conduct a job placement survey over the next six months and that will give us a better idea of where our students received jobs.

 

Attila Elteto Hired to Teach Astronomy, Physics

Attila Elteto has been hired as a new full-time faculty member in the Science & Technology Division. He will teach astronomy and physics.

Most recently, Elteto has been teaching astronomy at the University of Connecticut and Naugatuck Valley Community College. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Astronomy at Cornell University and earned a PhD in Astrophysical and Planetary Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. After deciding his real passion was in education, Elteto returned to school and earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of New Haven.

Elteto said he’s been passionate about teaching astronomy for over a decade, much of it in public outreach, but in recent years has also started teaching formal astronomy classes at the collegiate level.

“I am especially excited when I have some powerful tools I can use, because most of the public gets very excited and awed when they look through a telescope, even just a small one, or see the ‘sky’ rotate in a planetarium,” he said.

Elteto said he was attracted to the job at Cañada because it emphasized the need for teaching astronomy labs. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to teach astronomy hands-on,” he said. “In addition, (Cañada College) President (Larry) Buckley assured me that the college is looking to expand its STEM disciplines in coming years, and he was excited to learn my interest in expanding on the astronomy curriculum, and possibly conducting astronomy outreach at the college.”

Buckley said Elteto’s approach to teaching will make him an asset to Cañada’s faculty. “Attila went back to school to earn a master’s degree to become a better teacher,” Buckley said. “He understands that students today learn differently than they did even 10 years ago. They are going to enjoy his classes.”

Elteto said that even at the 101 level, astronomy is an exciting way to draw students towards science. “Many students enter my classes thinking it may just be straight lectures with lots of pretty pictures,” he said. “Instead, my mission is to use the context of astronomy to teach student the skills and tools of science in general. I expect active participation from my students, and encourage peer-to-peer learning. By the end of the semester, I expect students to be able to formulate their own questions, use the tools they’ve learned to seek the answers for themselves, and present what they have learned in a thorough, professional manner.”

Outside of teaching, Elteto said he enjoys singing and is usually a member of a choir. He also enjoys hiking.

Mike Reynoso Named Head Basketball Coach at Cañada College

Mike Reynoso has been named the new head coach of the Cañada College men’s basketball team. Reynoso, who has served the past two seasons as the team’s associate head coach, takes over for Matt Stanley, who was recently named head coach at Foothill College.

“We are very excited about what Mike Reynoso stands for and feel the program will continue to be filled with ‘high character’ student-athletes that represent Cañada College so well,” said Cañada College Athletic Director Mike Garcia.

Reynoso, 29, is well known for developing skills in his players and his ability to scout and assess player talent. He has been a scout for the Santa Cruz Warriors (NBA D-League for the Golden State Warriors) for the past season. “I pride myself on constantly learning more about the game and teaching it to others,” he said.

Reynoso has also been part of the coaching staff for a United States team comprised of some of the top 17-and-under high school athletes in the nation. On this team, Reynoso has coached Jared Sullinger (Boston Celtics), Aaron Craft (Ohio State), Travis Trice Jr., (Michigan State), Stevie Taylor (Ohio State), and J.D. Weatherspoon (Toledo).  In addition, Reynoso is well known for his skill development of players, working with Anthony Goods (Stanford, Pro-overseas), Mike Rolle (UCLA, Pro-overseas), Reed McConnell (UC Irvine), and Cole McConnell (Michigan).

Prior to arriving at Cañada, Reynoso spent four years as the head coach at Woodside High School where he built the program into an annual league championship contender. Under his leadership, the Wildcats had a pair of 15-win seasons in his final two years and they made the Central Coast Section playoffs both years. His experience at Woodside High School led him to develop a philosophy of physical basketball, which he’ll bring to Cañada.

“That’s part of who I am,” he said. “I’m going to bring that style to our program.”

His local experience will also help Reynoso on the recruiting trail. “I have feelers out to a lot of guys,” he said. “I want guys who fit the culture. It doesn’t matter what they did last year. If they fit the mold, we want to have them.”

Reynoso, who holds a master's degree in education, has been instrumental in helping rebuild the basketball program at Cañada. In his first year as an assistant for the Colts, the team won just two games, but last year, they improved to 10-16. Reynoso is excited about the upcoming season. The program in bringing in key recruits (Rodrigo Puliceno, David Hobbs, Kenny Hatch, and Israel Hakim) who will be instant impact guys in addition to some returning players who have something to prove.  

 

“It is an exciting time, the program is in its foundation stages and we are determined to build that foundation with cement, meaning high-character student-athletes,” Reynoso added.

Po Tong Hired to Teach Mathematics at Cañada College

Po Tong, a veteran of the electronics industry, has been hired to teach mathematics at Cañada College. He will join the Science & Technology Division as a full-time faculty member in August.

Tong worked in the electronics industry for 25 years, developing mathematical algorithms and integrated circuits for broadband communications. He was elected Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1997 for his contribution to the development and commercialization of the technology.

 
Tong received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Hong Kong and his PhD in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley.

Four years ago, Tong made a career change and began teaching. He was working at Cañada as an adjunct professor prior to being hired full-time.

 
“Being a first generation immigrant and the first generation in my family to attend college, I share the same background as many community college students,” he said. “During the past four years, I have enjoyed the small college atmosphere at Cañada. I appreciate the opportunity for personal interaction with the diverse population of the college. I want to use my passion in mathematics and my extensive engineering experience to mentor and motivate our STEM students.”
 
Cañada student Rita Melgar can vouch for Tong’s understanding of students from diverse backgrounds. She moved to the United States from El Salvador in 2007 and began studying computer science and mathematics at Cañada in 2010. “I’ve had many incredible professors at Cañada, but the one I respect and admire the most is Professor Tong. He was my Math 120 teacher and he recommended that I visit the Learning Center to begin tutoring other students in math. He is the reason I found my passion, not just for math but also for teaching, and why I am pursuing a double major.”
 
Tong and his family have lived in Los Altos since 1996. “My wife and I are strong supporters of public education,” he said. “My wife has been an active volunteer for years, and is currently serving on the board of the Los Altos-Mountain View PTA Council.”
 
Their daughter recently graduated from UC Berkeley and is now working in San Francisco while Tong’s son is entering Los Altos High School this fall as a freshman.
 
Outside of the classroom, Tong enjoys swimming, tracking hurricanes, and investigating the interplay between mathematics and the art of origami.

Cañada Professor Earns Best Paper Award at Engineering Conference

The presentation outlined a successful summer research internship at the school

In 2011, Professor Enriquez (fourth from left) was honored
 by President Obama for his mentoring activities.

Cañada College Professor Amelito Enriquez was honored last month at the American Society for Engineering Education Conference for his presentation detailing a partnership between the college, San Francisco State University, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center that provides internship opportunities for Cañada students.

 

The paper, titled “Promoting Academic Excellence Among Underrepresented Community College Engineering Students through a Summer Research Internship Program,” received the Best Paper Award from the ASEE Two-Year College Division. The annual conference was held June 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The partnership between the two schools and NASA was developed through a three-year grant funded by the NASA Curriculum Improvements Partnership Award for the Integration of Research (CIPAIR) program. The 10-week summer internship provides opportunities for freshmen and sophomore students at Cañada to participate in engineering research under the supervision of SFSU faculty and a graduate student mentor.

 

Research topics include performance-based earthquake engineering, circuit design for biomedical applications, embedded system design, and transistor reliability issues in nano-scale circuits.

Enriquez said the program was developed to help improve student retention. “A recent report prepared by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, indicates that the United States needs to produce one million additional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professionals in the next decade to retain its historical preeminence in science and technology,” Enriquez said. “The report indicated that retaining students in the first two years of college is the most promising and cost-effective strategy to address this need.”

John Paulino, a former Aragon High School graduate, spent two summers in the internship program while studying at Cañada. He is now studying mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley and has been named a NASA Student Ambassador mentoring other engineering students.

“Being a NASA Student Ambassador connects me with a network of great professionals," he said. In addition, Paulino credits the ambassador program with connecting him to peers, preparing him to enter the STEM workforce, and allowing him to represent NASA toinsprie and engage future scientists and engineers. Paulino said it was all made possible through the 10-week internship program at Cañada.

Jesus Garcia  spent his summer internship at SFSU learning how to conduct research and work with groups of researchers. "These are two very important skills for engineers," he said. "The internship also helped me become a better analyst, critical thinker, and problem solver. It's a perfect opportunity for students who have no previous experience to gain real-world knowledge in the field of engineering."

Garcia studied under SFSU Professor Cheng Chen, investigating a phenomenon called Soft Oxide Breakdown in the performance of integrated circuits. He later presented his findings at a regional ASEE conference.

“In the first two years, the program has generated high quality research from participating students,” Enriquez said. He said post-program surveys indicate participating students strengthen their identity as engineers, increase their interest in research, and become more motivated to transfer to a four-year university, complete their bachelor's degree in engineering, a pursue a graduate degree.

Cañada College Student Studies Labor Rights in UAE

Matet Malit, a Filipino immigrant, spent the past six months studying Filipino domestic workers

 

Matet (R) with Philippine Ambassador Grace Princesa

Cañada College student Matet Malit recently finished a six-month study of Filipino domestic workers in the United Arab Emirates that included an internship with Migrante International in Dubai, a Filipino labor rights group.

 

It is estimated that thousands of domestic workers from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Ethiopia are hired each year by families in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and paid substandard wages. Recently, the Philippines and UAE began discussing a new agreement outlining the rights of domestic workers.

 

Malit said the internship was an eye-opening experience. “I had the opportunity to interview several key grassroots actors, including the president of Migrante International in UAE as well as the group's members.” Malit said she conducted policy studies on runaway domestic workers and other cases involving low-skilled workers. She reviewed the legal, economic, and political challenges and constraints in providing labor and employment assistance to Filipino workers.

 

“At the policy level, I had the opportunity to assist the Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, Grace Princesa, on identifying legal and policy challenges in securing labor protection for household workers in the UAE,” she said.

 

Last December, Malit spent a month working for Kanlungan (Shelter), a Philippine organization in London. There, she assisted domestic workers applying for citizenship and other labor-related cases. “All of these experiences have not only deepened my understanding of labor but they’ve also inspired me to pursue a career in public policy.”

 

Migrante International holds a rally in the UAE

Malit’s interest in the issue was sparked by Cañada College History Professor Mike Noonan. “I took Professor Noonan’s Middle East History class and he instructed us to analyze a current event in the Middle East. I selected the issue of labor and migration issues of Filipino workers in the UAE. I focused on the coping mechanisms and experiences of workers.”

 

“Cañada has certainly provided me with excellent training and tools to become an insightful researcher,” she said. “I want to thank professors Chuck Carlson, Lezlee Ware, and Elizabeth Terzakis for helping shape my understanding of labor and its relevance in the global economy. I also want to thank the TRIO program and Melissa Alforja for helping to facilitate the internship.”

 

Malit plans to finish her studies at Cañada and earn an associate’s degree in political science and then apply to UC Berkeley where she will study public policy.

Gregory Anderson Joins Cañada as the New Vice President of Instruction

Anderson comes to Cañada from De Anza College where he served as a dean

Dr. Gregory Anderson, formerly the Dean of Learning Resources at De Anza College in the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, has been hired as the new Vice President of Instruction at Cañada College.

“We are all simply thrilled that he has joined our team and I’m certain he will be a key player in Cañada’s continuing growth and development as one of the state’s premier academic and career training institutions,” said Cañada College President Larry Buckley.

Prior to becoming a dean at De Anza, Anderson served for five years as director of the college’s academic support programs. He also taught English as a Second Language courses, directed the campus Basic Skills Initiative, led grants, and served as immediate past president of the Academic Senate.

Before arriving in the Bay Area, Anderson held several positions at the University of Southern California, including the director of testing and assessment and senior lecturer at the university’s American Language Institute.

“I’m very excited to join Cañada,” Anderson said. “I’m eager to begin working with our faculty and staff to develop academic programs that serve the needs of our community.”

Anderson is multilingual and has lived around the world. While teaching in Lesotho as a Peace Corp. volunteer, he co-founded a night school for women. In Venezuela he worked in the petroleum industry and in Guatemala, he studied the history and cultures of indigenous people. He facilitated seminars on human rights while teaching English and training teachers at colleges and universities in Japan.

Anderson holds a master’s degree in teaching from the School for International Training and a doctorate in higher education from USC.

“My primary role is to support the mission of the college through our academic offerings,” Anderson said. “In doing so, I want to increase our ability to reach those who can most benefit from a community college education.”

Cañada College Robotics Team Finishes Sixth at National Competition

The Colts entered the competition as underdogs, but performed well



Cañada team members prepare Roush for competition

The Cañada Robotics Team traveled to Atlanta, Georgia in late June and proceeded to “pick some Georgia peaches” at a national robotics competition.

Cañada sent a team of four women and three men to the American Society of Engineering Education Model Design Competition on June 26. The ASEE Model Design Competition is a design/build robotics competition open to all freshmen and sophomore engineering and engineering technology students at both 2-year and 4-year colleges. The competition is held each year as part of the ASEE Annual Conference. The goal of the competition is to give student teams an opportunity to use the engineering design process to build an autonomous vehicle to complete a specified task or to complete a specified track.

This year, teams were challenged to build a robot that could collect 12 orange colored golf balls representing ripe Georgia peaches and deposit them in a peach basket in the center of the track. Each team had 60 seconds to collect all the balls. In the first three trials, Cañada’s robot, named “Roush”, picked up 10 of the golf balls and on the fourth trial picked up nine. The winning robot was able to pick up all 12 golf balls and successfully deposited them in the peach basket.

“Most of the competition was from the East Coast,” said Ray Lapuz, professor of mathematics at Cañada and the advisor for the school’s robotics club. “There were only a couple of other teams that had any women on their team. We had four women and they were active participants. We certainly had the most diverse team in terms of both race and gender.”

Roush collected 10 of the 12 golf balls in the first three trials

Brigitte Rafnel, a Redwood City resident and team member who was homeschooled for high school, said Roush was consistently collecting 11 of the 12 golf balls in trial runs the night before the competition and occasionally had perfect runs. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get any perfect runs during the actual competition trials, but it was good to know the robot was capable,” she said. “It was also very interesting to see the different ways other teams approached the same task.”

Johana Atrizco, a Menlo Atherton High School graduate, said getting to know the strengths of each team member and discussing the process of building the robot will make the team stronger for next year. “I learned this is all about teamwork,” she said. “There’s a saying I learned a while ago, ‘alone, we might go faster, but together we can go further.’ That definitely hit home during the competition.”

Abby Davis, a Sequoia High School graduate, said the entire competition was a positive experience. “People were very generous with their ideas and input for other teams,” she said. “It was a great atmosphere, not what comes to mind when you think of a competition.”

Davis echoed Atrizco’s thoughts about the importance of communicating and working as a team. “We had many discussions about how to make Roush (the robot’s name) work more efficiently.”

For Vahram Antonyan, simply attending the competition was a dream come true. “I was born and raised in Armenia where opportunities like these are not seen,” he said. “Winning the competition is not everything. Just participating was a great experience. I learned the importance of teamwork and sharing your knowledge with others.”

 

Davis said her advice for future teams is simple. “Start early and be prepared to put a lot time towards the robot,” she said. “Surround yourself with hardworking, creative, and supportive teammates.”

Workshop Focuses on STEM Careers in Government and Non-Profits

Learn About Various Careers and Internship Opportunities



Cañada College and the United States Department of Agriculture Hispanic Serving Institutions National Program present the 2nd Annual STEM Professionals workshop on Wednesday, July 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Building 6, Room 101 on the Cañada College campus, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City.

Participants can learn about careers and internships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in government agencies and non-profits. Participants will also learn how STEM skills are applied by professionals.

Participating agencies and non-profits include:

• Ag Innovations
• Central Intelligence Agency
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Resource Conservation District for Santa Cruz County
• United States Department of Agriculture

Through workshops and hands-on activities, student will better understand the variety of career options in STEM fields within government agencies and non-profits. This will help students think more creatively about future career plans.

Additionally, the event will illustrate the type of careers available to majors in Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics, Cyber Security, Environmental Science, Nutrition, Public Health, Forestry, etc.

Students can RSVP by contacting Rosalina Mira at mirar@smccd.edu. Questions can be addressed to Juan Alvarez, USDA Regional Director, at (559) 278-8311 or at juan.alvarez@osec.usda.gov.

Registering for Fall Semester Classes

Fall semester begins Aug. 19 but classes are filling up fast

 

If you plan to attend Cañada College this fall, now is the time to register for classes. Fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 19 and classes are filling up fast.

To make it easy, we've developed these step-by-step instructions to make your college experience a success.

If you are a new student, you must participate in orientation and assessment to become eligible to register for classes. The orientation and assessment session provides you with information you need to be successful in college. After the session, you will set up an appointment to meet with an academic counselor. To find an orientation session that fits your schedule, click here.

It’s important to remember that all classes at Cañada are open to the public. Registration is open for:

·         Any person 18 years of age or older with or without a high school diploma.

·         Any high school graduate or recipient of the California Certificate of Proficiency of Equivalency or GED (regardless of age).

·         Students who have completed the 9th grade with written permission from the school principal and parent. See special admission process for high school students.

To apply to Cañada, fill out an online application for admission. Once the application for admission is processed, all students receive:

·         A student identification number which will begin with a "G." This number is required for the enrollment process and to maintain your student information.

·         A college email account will be assigned to you. Log into your WebSMART student account to find your email address and password. All college electronic communication will go to your my.smccd.edu email address.

On WebSMART you can view the schedule of classes for Cañada, Skyline, and the College of San Mateo.

If you have additional questions, please visit Admissions & Records on the first floor of Building 9. You can also call (650) 306-3226 or email miller@smccd.edu. Until Aug. 3, Admissions & Records is open Monday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The office is closed on Friday.