Submittal photo
Forsyth Tech's team of nanotech students placed first in the National Science Foundation's 2016 Community College Innovation Challenge. Team members
include (left to right) Jack Landgra, Philip York, Shannon Coalson, Adam Afifi and nanotechnology instructor Dr. Mehrdad Tajkarimi.
Forsyth Tech team takes first place
in national innovation competition
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
The National Science
Foundation (NSF) has
announced that a panel of
expert judges selected
Forsyth Technical
Community College's team
of nanotechnology students
as first place winners in the
2016 Community College
Innovation Challenge
(CCIC).
The students' innova
tive approach to applying
nanotechnology to maxi
mize the efficiency of
greenhouses through solar
energy elevated them to the
national championship.
Normandale
Community College in
Minnesota and Virginia
v, Western ?* .* Community,
College in Virginia tied for
second place.
Forsyth Tech's team
included Shannon Coalson,
Adam Afifi, Jack Landgra
and Philip York. They were
selected from among 10
finalist teams across the
country that participated in
a rigorous multi-month
process requiring them to
develop innovative,
research-based solutions to
challenges at the nexus of
food, energy and water sys
tems.
The 10 teams spent a
week in late June attending
a four-day innovation
"boot camp" in Arlington,
Virginia, during which they
received feedback on their
presentations and met with
experts on subjects includ
ing team-based design,
communicating the value
of innovation and transi
tioning research to com
mercialization.
The boot camp includ
ed a visit to the U.S.
Capitol, where teams had
the chance to present their
projects to members of
Congress and legislative
staff.
The Forsyth Tech
team's innovation
addressed modernizing
today's greenhouses to fit
individual customer needs
by incorporating the use of
renewable, cost-efficient
energy sources through the
use of nanotechnology.
"This national distinc
tion places a tremendous
shining star on our nan
otech students' rdsum6s,"
says ? Michael Ayer?*dea??
of Math, Science, &
Technologies. "It validates
the type of innovative pro
gramming that Forsyth
Tech offers, which few
other colleges across the
country can match.
"This experience places
our students on the bleed
ing edge of science by
encouraging research and
innovation that is usually
associated with four-year
universities. We are so
proud of them!"
"The national attention
we have received from par
ticipation in this Innovation
Challenge will open doors
to our students and Forsyth
Tech," says Dr. Mehrdad
Tajkarimi, the students'
nanotechnology instructor.
"It will make it easier for
our students to obtain jobs
and for the college to gain
partners who could poten
tially help bring this and
other innovations to mar
ket."
The NSF, in partnership
with the American
Association of Community
Colleges (AACC), devel
oped the CCIC competition
as a way to foster develop
ment of crucial innovation
skills among students in
one of the nation's most
significant academic sec
tors. Community colleges
play an important role in
developing America's tech
nical workforce, in part by
involving groups tradition
ally underrepresented in
science, technology, engi
neering and mathematics
(STEM) education and
careers.
"The Community
College Innovation
Challenge presented these
students with real-world
questions that the scientific
community is working to
answer," said Joan Ferrini
Mundy, NSF assistant
director for Education and
Human Resources. "It has
been gratifying to see how
enthusiastically all of this
year's participants have
responded to that chal
lenge. These winning
teams are emblematic of
the kinds of quality entries
we received."
WSSU ranked No. 4 in
North Carolina for ROI
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
According to an analysis by PayScale Inc., creator of
the largest database of individual compensation profiles in
the world, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) ranks
fourth in North Carolina for providing the largest percent
return on investment for its in-state students.
WSSU students who pay in-state tuition can expect an
annual 9 percent return on their educational investment if
they do not receive grants or scholarships and an annual
12.5 percent return if they do receive aid.
"No matter how you look at it, college is an invest
ment - both of time and money," according to a release
from PayScale. "The benefit to this particular investment
is that there are returns far beyond the obvious monetary
ones. However, the financial aspects of evaluating college
return on investment cannot be ignored. And, some
schools are simply doing a better job of setting their alum
ni up for success in the job market."
The ranking is one of many that demonstrates the
value of a degree from WSSU. According to a study by the
North Carolina Department of Commerce released in
2014, WSSU ranks No. 1 in the UNC System for gradu
ates receiving jobs in North Carolina after graduation and
No. 1 in the Triad for highest salary after receiving an
undergraduate degree. The university recently was named
a Washington Monthly's "Best Bang for the Buck" univer
sity and is No. 12 on EdSmart's 'Top 20 HBCUs by
Alumni Starting Average Salary."
. *
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