|
The Messenger
November 14, 2003
MCC plays host to annual student research conference
Madisonville Community College is preparing to play host today to its second
annual Conference for Student Research.
“Our conference is a one-day celebration of work that has been sustained
by our students at this school over a period of time,” said Dr. Mary Janssen,
psychologist.
Janssen and Dean of Students Scott Reynolds are serving as co-directors of
the conference.
The number of participants has increased from last year, and students from
other Kentucky Community and Technical College System sites are also presenting
posters detailing their research. Students and faculty from Madisonville, Paducah,
Owensboro and Henderson Community colleges plan to attend.
Here is a look at the research to be presented by MCC students:
Physical therapy assistant program students LaDonna Powell and Josh Willis
will show differences in triceps muscle strengthening using free weights vs.
theraband. Jonathan Adamson observed unexpected results that showed children
in an asthma camp displayed more symptoms after quiet activities than after
physical exertion.
Engineering and technology students will demonstrate how advances in technology
may be used to solve everyday problems. Phillip Hill will show how auto body
paint shops can be enhanced and made safer by the development of a fume-purifying
and exhaust system. Thomas Bard will demonstrate a computer database for diagnosing
ignition system problems. Steve Payne will demonstrate an artificial neural
network that models learning by adjusting numerical weights based on inputs
to the system, and produces new outputs corresponding to behavior changes in
animals.
In the area of cognitive-perceptual psychology, Brown Badgett Jr. and Vickie
Reding measured observers’ views of the rising moon.
WKU Herald
November 18, 2003
Western, BGTC create partnership
Two schools plan to share resources
At a table, there were three cakes.
One was in Western's colors topped with a Big Red and the Cherry Hall cupola.
The other cake was decorated with blue and yellow colors and the Kentucky sun
logo of Bowling Green Technical College.
In the center was a cake in blue and red frosting - a visual representation
of their partnership.
Officials from Western and the BGTC signed an agreement Monday to form the
Training Alliance of Southern Kentucky.
Through this partnership, TASK will pool resources from both schools to provide
professional and technical training for companies in the area.
Jack Thomas, president and chief executive officer of BCTS, said TASK will
introduce a one-stop source for companies' training needs.
"If you look at the global business pressures, we have to do things more
efficiently and more effectively if we are going to remain competitive,"
he said.
Companies currently go to Western for professional development training, and
to BGTC for technical training.
Through TASK, companies can create customized training programs from a broader
selection of specialized areas, Thomas said. Those areas include industrial
and engineering technology, team building, welding, tool and die training, information
technology and quality assurance.
Audrey Anderson, interim dean for the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach
at Western, said TASK will enable both institutions to make the process of getting
training from either school easier.
It also shows the importance of continuous training to help the area's economic
and workforce development, she said.
"You can't remain complacent if you want to be competitive," she
said. "In today's world, with changes happening so continually and so quickly,
one can't question the need of training."
Larry Hollon, president of Holistic Outlook Inc., a management consulting company,
said the partnership has a potential to get more customers interested in professional
and technical training.
He said he hopes it produces more consulting opportunities for him.
"The more you can offer your customer, the more often they will buy something
from you," he said.
Provost Barbara Burch said TASK may have some potential opportunities for students
to have hands-on experience by participating in a team that is facilitating
training sessions for different companies.
"Students will have the opportunity to be on a team that will address
real problems that are important to business and industry," she said.
| 
