As we settle into the fall semester, with the usual controlled chaos . . . OK, a little more than the usual controlled chaos . . . of the first weeks behind us, we are turning our attention to some long-term goals. With the encouragement of AP Blake, there are several initiatives underway to celebrate and make visible the full range of our colleagues’ accomplishments and activities, not only to encourage us in our work, but to build our sense of intellectual community and facilitate collaborations. This issue of the Faculty Commons Monthly inaugurates a “News & Kudos” section. Watch the Faculty Commons website for a new “ticker” on the homepage and for a separate hub for “News & Kudos” (both coming very soon. Look for a preview at the bottom of this email). And finally, please contribute to the efforts and submit your news!
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The University Office of Recruitment and Diversity is pleased to announce the Call for Proposals for the Faculty Fellowship Publication Program (FFPP) 2021-2022. Alumni of this program have found it extremely valuable. If you are eligible, I strongly urge you to consider applying.
All full-time and part-time faculty are encouraged to consider participation in the Living Lab General Education Seminar to be held in six on-line sessions this January. See below and September 20 email.
Student support interventions early in the semester are more likely to be successful than after a series of failures have left the student feeling that they are incapable of succeeding. Please diplomatically let students know what they need to do to succeed and encourage them to take advantage of the resources available at the college:
- Your Student Hours – some faculty have found that students are more likely to come to a “problem-solving session” or “review session” than to an “office hour”
- Tutoring – resources found in the comprehensive tutoring schedule
- CircleIn – an app that allows students to join study sessions and ask questions of classmates
- Counseling Services – provides short-term counseling and workshops on topics such as test anxiety, motivation, managing college online, time management, and more
- Bizarre or unusual behavior – can be reported to the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) via email BIT@citytech.cuny.edu or on their web Incident Form
SURVEY REQUEST – what else is needed? How can we better utilize the Early Alert/Early Intervention System, how can it be improved, which intervention strategies have you have found most successful, and what additional supports you would like to see? It would be very much appreciated if you could take a few minutes to complete this survey.
Observations of Teaching – The university provided additional guidance on peer observation of teaching during the pandemic. Based on this guidance, the following summarizes which of the governance-approved observation forms to use:
- For synchronous online courses the in-person form is used
- For asynchronous online courses the online/hybrid form is used
- For mixed synchronous/asynchronous courses the in-person form is used, unless the online/ hybrid form is specifically asked for by the instructor and approved by the department chair.
- For hybrid course the in-person form is used, unless the online/ hybrid form is specifically asked for by the instructor and approved by the department chair.
From Associate Provost Blake
The fall 2021 Grant-Writing series includes workshops on the PSC-CUNY Award Program, the National Endowment for the Arts, Private Foundation Funding opportunities, and an update on CUNY opportunities and initiatives. See below, the Office of Sponsored Programs Workshop Schedule page, the Faculty Commons Calendar, and watch your emails for more details.
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Living Lab General Education Seminar
The Provost’s email of September 20 invited all faculty to consider applying for the General Education Winter Seminar, to be held in six online sessions this January. Since its introduction in 2016, the Living Lab General Education Seminar has become an essential part of City Tech’s faculty development programming, introducing full- and part-time faculty from all disciplines to the foundations of general education. The seminar focuses on general education student learning outcomes and the ways to achieve them – such as high-impact educational practices, open digital pedagogies, and place-based learning, and strategies to assess general education outcomes.
For PT faculty, this work will be compensated based on 18 hours at their non-teaching rate. Full-time participants will be credited for the progressive refinement of their teaching and an important addition to their professional development.
Inclusive STEM Teaching Project
The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, a National Science Foundation grant-funded program, is designed to advance the awareness, self-efficacy, and ability of STEM faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and staff to cultivate inclusive learning environments for all of their students. Our massive open online course (MOOC) features pedagogy that centers identity through asynchronous content and local learning communities.
The next online course is offered from October 13th - November 24th
Registration is now open on edX
To learn more, visit www.inclusivestemteaching.org
Student Mental Wellness – How You Can Help
Are you worried about a student? CUNY has partnered with Kognito, a training opportunity that lets you practice challenging conversations at your own pace through role-play with virtual students. The Kognito simulation is designed to enhance the mental health literacy by teaching users how to recognize the signs of emotional distress, initiate a conversation leveraging evidence-based communication strategies, and make a referral to support services. Professor Justine Pawlukewicz is the campus liaison for Kognito, and speaks very highly of the training, which includes a completion certificate:
iTEC
The Online Learning Advisory Council (OLAC) Monthly Express Series on Teaching Hybrid Courses continues with: Transitioning to Hybrid Courses 3
Professor Sue Brandt and Dr. Karen Lundstrem will share ideas and suggestions on how to design your hybrid course, with examples from effective courses and time for you to ask questions about your own courses for this semester or the spring.
Check the Fall 2021 workshop schedule for the full listing of OLAC and iTEC workshops, including ePARSE, Blackboard, YuJa, Snagit, and Camtasia.
OpenLab
The OpenLab continues to evolve in response to your questions and feedback. Stay up-to-date on OpenLab news via The Open Road and make use of our many opportunities for support!
What’s New in the Library
While library spaces and labs remained closed, book lending is back and we have an expanded slate of virtual workshops for all audiences, an eReserves pilot program, more virtual tutorials for students including bi-lingual tutorials! Both books and e-resources are available through Interlibrary Loan. We continue to provide information literacy instruction in both synchronous and asynchronous formats and offer 24X7 chat reference services. Check out our OER workshops and fellowship and scholarly publishing through consultations and workshops. Reach out to the subject liaison for your department. Subscribe to the Library Buzz blog to get the latest in your inbox or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @citytechlibrary.
City Tech Library can help with Scholarly Publishing
Do you need help with any aspect of scholarly publishing? Our Scholarly Publishing Clinic is available for virtual consultations. Learn how to pick the best journal or publisher for your article or book, retain rights as an author, create a Google Scholar profile or search alert, use Academic Works and citation managers, and more. Email Prof. Monica Berger with questions or to schedule your consultation. Don’t forget that you can also reach out to your subject liaison in the library.
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CUNY Funding Fridays
Celebrate Open Access Week! An Introduction Open Access and Open Access Publishing: The theme of the 2021 Open Access Week, “It Matters How We Open Knowledge: Building Structural Equity" is inspired by the UNESCO Recommendations on Open Science. This workshop will address the basics of open access publishing and provide attendees with practical tips for locating freely available research produced by others, as well as finding quality, no-cost venues to share their own. Presented by Megan Wacha, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Office of Library Services
Friday, October 29: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
(watch for the registration link at Funding Fridays)
PSC-CUNY Award Program
You are encouraged to begin thinking about submitting a proposal for PSC-CUNY 53 cycle. Unlike most external funding, the PSC-CUNY Award Program has a relatively simple application process and funds a large proportion of the applications received. Many City Tech faculty receive awards each year and many have received awards in multiple years. The application system is open and program guidelines are here.
Procedure and Deadline: The application deadline is Wednesday, December 15th but the City Tech internal deadline is Friday, December 3. Please submit your application online by December 3rd and email completed internal form to SponsoredPrograms@citytech.cuny.edu OSP has an earlier deadline because we review each application and provide feedback, if needed. It allows us to unsubmit your application for revision and you can resubmit by the December 15th deadline.
City Tech OSP Workshops
RSVP to SponsoredPrograms@citytech.cuny.edu and zoom link will be sent for workshop
- Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 10am
- Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 10am
RFCUNY Workshops
Go To Meeting links will be posted on OSP website two weeks before meeting date
- Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at 2pm
- Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 2pm
- Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 2pm
RF CUNY Brown Bag Research Webinars
October offerings in this grant development workshop series:
- NIH Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) and SuRE First Grants on October 6th
- NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Grants on October 20th
. . . READ MORE
CUNY Office of Research
The Planning Grant Program: This program seeks to catalyze collaborative grant-seeking and encourage a culture of multidisciplinary, convergent, team-based science with the potential to transform the University. This program will support multi-college research teams in preparing and submitting complex, large-scale, center-type proposals to external funding agencies and organizations. Funds will support efforts to tackle complex, multi-faced research questions that are better addressed by teams than individuals. Partnerships across departments, colleges, and disciplines are required. Each team is eligible to request up to $20,000 for an award period of up to one year. Up to 5 awards will be made. Letter of Intent due – November 15, 2021
Interdisciplinary Research Grant: This grant program will support collaborative research in the following significant areas: Climate science, Data science/artificial intelligence, and Public health. We invite interdisciplinary proposals that address urgent scientific and societal challenges through convergent research (transdisciplinary research with societal impact). The program will fund projects that join expertise across disciplines and stipulate a clear path to new external funding. A minimum of two investigators are required: one PI and one Co-PI, ideally from another CUNY college, school, and/or center. Multi-PI teams are encouraged. The program will fund up to eight (8) collaborative research projects with budgets not exceeding $40,000. Application Deadline – December 6, 2021
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Opening of the DNA Learning Center
Press Coverage from the September 24 opening!
Putting Innovation in our Educational DNA – Daily News
DNA Center unveiled at City Tech for middle, high school students – bronx.news12.com
Flagship DNA Learning Center NYC at CUNY’s NYC College of Technology opens for all New Yorkers – CUNY Newswire: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and the City University of New York (CUNY) announce the opening of the DNA Learning Center NYC (DNALC NYC) at the New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn, New York. The 18,000 square-foot facility expands CSHL's lab-based STEM learning program in biology and genetics to 30,000 New York City middle and high school students annually, with a focus on engaging underrepresented communities.
City Tech Writer – Call for Submissions
Professor Lucas Kwong, Editor of City Tech Writer requests submissions of excellent student writing (from any discipline) for City Tech Writer, Vol. The deadline for submissions is November 15, 2021. STEM disciplines are especially encouraged to submit! Please see the Openlab site, last year's issue, and this video for more information!
Sixth Annual Science Fiction Symposium - Call for Papers
The sixth annual City Tech Science Fiction Symposium is scheduled to take place on Thursday, December 9 with the theme of "Access and Science Fiction." Please read the call for papers, consider submitting a proposal by Friday, October 15, and share the CFP through your professional networks. Watch Science Fiction at City Tech for final program information.
19th Annual Poster Session
The Nineteenth Annual Poster Session of Faculty and Student Research will be held on Thursday, November 18, 2021, from 12:30 to 3 pm. This event will showcase the results of the research of our faculty and students and will be open to the public. The 19th Annual Poster Session will be held online. Posters will be hosted on the web and one-minute oral presentations of selected posters will be delivered via ZOOM. For submission instructions and details visit Annual Poster Session
- Deadline for abstract submission: Saturday, October 30, 2021.
- Deadline for Poster submission: Monday, November 1, 2021.
Request for Library Exhibit Proposals
The Ursula C. Schwerin Library is currently planning for future exhibits, either for the showcases inside the Library or for virtual exhibits. Faculty and student art and design work, as well as unique personal collections, are especially welcome.
- Find the Library Exhibits Policy and Exhibit Application Form HERE
- Previous Library displays may be viewed HERE
All requests for exhibition space will be reviewed by the Library Exhibitions Committee. For additional information please contact Prof. Morris Hounion at MHounion@citytech.cuny.edu
CUNY Institute for Health Equity (CIHE)
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the CIHE Speaker Series will highlight scientists, scholars, and leaders from a Hispanic or Latino background at the forefront of research, practice, and key organizations in the US:
Día de la Raza, “Latinx Scholars and Research”
Tuesday, Oct. 12 | 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Panel Chaired by President Fernando Delgado and Dr. Juan DelaCruz
Register here
News & Kudos
Dr. Effinger-Crichlow, Professor in African American Studies, is a 2021 Cucalorus Works-in-Progress Lab Recipient, which is a residency that allows her to continue work on her documentary film, Little Sallie Walker.
Renata Ferdinand, Ph.D., Acting Chair, Department of African American Studies, shares the news that her book, An Autoethnography of African American Motherhood: Things I Tell My Daughter, is available for pre-order and is scheduled to be released in November.
Costas Panayotakis, Professor of Sociology, recently published The Capitalist Mode of Destruction: Austerity, Ecological Crisis and the Hollowing out of Democracy, with Manchester University Press.
Professor Benjamin Shepard, of Human Services, read from his latest book, Sustainable Urbanism and Direct Action: Case Studies in Dialectical Activism, on September 25 at Grace Exhibition Space, 182 Avenue C, NYC. A second reading takes place tomorrow, Saturday, October 2 at at 3:30 pm, El Jardin del Paraiso, 10 E 5th St, New York, NY 10009. More information on the book launch here.
Those are hard acts to follow, but we welcome any news related to your scholarly and creative life – local talks and awards, interviews, exhibited work, competition entries, conference presentations, work or proposals submitted for review, service on a panel, travel, press coverage, performance, events facilitated or organized, creative or professional projects completed . . .
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Preview of the new Faculty Commons News & Kudos ticker.
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