Friday’s Bots event at IU shapes up as a sweet treat
Bowser
Hixson
Parsons
Observer-Reporter
A student repairs the engine on a robot during a California University competition in 2016.
October is more than just pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts, witches and candy. It also is Manufacturing Month across the country.
Halloween may reign this time of year, but staff at BotsIQ have organized an event that promises to provide scary fun for teenage participants.
BotsIQ, which strives to enlighten youths about career options in manufacturing, is a workforce development program of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Foundation.
Organizers have scheduled a non-competitive event for middle school students from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday at the McMurray campus of Intermediate Unit 1 (625 E. McMurray Road).
Students from Washington, Greene and Fayette counties – which are served by the IU- are eligible to participate. More than 120 had signed up as of Wednesday.
BotsIQ and the IU are collaborating on this “MFG Day.” Support is provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
“This is an event for middle school students to learn about manufacturing in a fun way,” said Maria Campieri, workforce development manager for the Bellevue-Avalon based program.
BotsIQ, part of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Foundation, oversees high school competitions across the region. This, according to Campieri, will be its “first large event for middle schoolers.”
Students will participate in hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities.
BotsIQ says on its website, botsiqpa.org, it has “three overarching goals: to advance STEM education; to provide resources to local schools to develop hands-on technical learning; and to link students with industry mentors and promote an understanding of manufacturing and STEM career pathways.”
BotsIQ is partnering with area manufacturing companies, some of which will be providing volunteers for the event.
BotsIQ also coordinates in-person facility tours and other career-related activities that educate students.
Waynesburg ranks high
Waynesburg University continues to receive academic acclaim.
Two months after being named a College of Distinction by the online guidance service, Colleges of Distinction, for the eighth year in a row, the university received high rankings for two of its programs.
Brooklyn-based allnurses.com listed Waynesburg’s RN to BSN program as No. 5 among the among the best 19 RN to BSN Programs in Pennsylvania for 2024.
Dr. Sherry Parsons, the university’s chairperson for the Nursing Department, director of the Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Program and assistant professor of nursing and director of Health Services at Waynesburg University, said in a statement: “The RN-BSN program is designed to deliver a comprehensive, flexible educational experience that takes into consideration the unique needs of the adult professional learner.”
“Under the direction of Dr. Lina Hixson, students earn a quality degree that prepares them to advance their nursing career while learning from expert nurse leaders. Students surveyed identified the length of our program, curriculum and cost as three of the top reasons for choosing Waynesburg University’s RN-BSN program.”
For their rankings, allnurses surveyed readers to determine what they value most in an RN to BSN program, and found affordability, duration and flexibility to be among the main factors.
Waynesburg’s program is available 100% online and can be completed in 12 to 16 months. For more information, visit allnurses.com/programs/best-rn-bsn-programs-pennsylvania-r137/.
Another program, the university’s online Master’s of Education (MEd) in Instructional Technology, has been ranked a Best Online Educational Technology Master’s Degree of 2023 by Forbes Advisor Education. This is one of 10 programs Forbes Advisor Education recommended for educators seeking a master’s in educational technology.
Dr. Devon Bowser, dean of Graduate and Professional Studies at Waynesburg, said in a statement: “We are pleased to receive this recognition of the value of our Master of Education in Instructional Technology program. This program responds to the education profession’s need for continued learning and advancement in principles of instructional technology by allowing students to quickly gain practical knowledge and skills through student-centered courses led by experienced educators.”
Forbes Advisor Education’s methodology in developing the rankings focused on 16 data points based on credibility, affordability, student outcomes, student experience and the application process. For this ranking, 119 accredited, nonprofit colleges were scored on accurate data as of January 2023.
Waynesburg’s MEd in Instructional Technology is a 36-credit program that can be completed 100% online in as little as one year. Students have the option to pursue a Specialist Certificate within this program if they have a current Pennsylvania teaching certification.