Click on the arrow next to each header to see detailed information
Links are embedded in each section
As part of the Triton Community I strive to reach out to the broader Community at large to improve our programs, enage the community in these programs, advertise our programs, and to develop partnerships.
We maintain a Facebook page that shares information about our program, and relevant articles that are of interest to students and alumni.
High School Recruiting Events
I have participated in all of the Triton sponsored open houses. In addition, I have attended several High School Open houses; Riverside-Brookfield, D214, Oak Park River Forest HIgh School, Proviso West.
Riverside Brookfield Trades and Career Fair
I was also asked to be a panelist on D214 Sustainability Advisory meeting. The district is seeking to have a Sustainability Pathway, and they invited Industry Professionals, along with myself, to participate in panel discussions about what Sustainability means.
Dual Credit Partnerships
Dual Credit partnerships have been created for the Rough and Finish Carpentry programs (COT-106 and COT-206). The process was started pre-pandemic, and continued through the pandemic. The following schools are part of this program:
D214 associated High schools. D214 has a Dual Credit agreement for both COT-106 and COT-206. They purchase a house within their district that needs work on it, and have the students involved from early design concepts to demolition and then the construction. I was able to visit the house that they were working on in 2019.
Ridgewood has a Dual Credit agreement for COT-106. They approach the project in a different way, building a tiny home on a trailer bed, that is then auctioned off and hauled away with a semi to a location, usually a vacation resort.
Leyden has a Dual Credit agreement for COT-106. They have a lab approach similar to Triton's, where students build modules in the classsroom to learn the various stages and techniques used.
D211 associated High schools have a Dual Credit agreement for COT-106.
Since the implementation of Dual Credit, we have seen the numbers in the Carpentry Certificate and the COT AAS degree increase significantly. We have also attaracted numerous students who reside outside of our boundaries through Dual Credit, as they had no similar programs at their local Community College.
IDEA - Illinois Design Educators Association
In conjunction with the ENT program, we participate every year in the IDEA competition as a Regional host.
When students come to Triton for the Regional Competition, they are broken into groups to take the tests. Once the testing period is over, the students then move to another area for an activity. In the past, we have sent them to Cernan for a show related to Engineering or Design. In 2021, they were treated to a luncheon at Cafe 64 hosted by the Catering Class.
About IDEA
The Illinois Drafting Educators Association is an Illinois not-for-profit professional education organization with a mission of advancing the drafting occupation through better education.
Drafting is recognized as a growth field where job openings outpace qualified candidates to fill annual positions available. Currently, there are 216,000 drafters in the United States with about 12,000 drafters employed in Illinois. People entering drafting, after being properly educated, can look forward to starting salaries of $25,000, on average. In Illinois there are currently around 250 openings in this field. The CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code is 48.0105 for drafting and 15.0810 for CAD drafting.
There are many different kinds of designers in the United States. Those designers classified by the U.S. Department of Labor that relate to the IDEA are industrial designers, interior designers, landscape designers, automotive designers, tool and die designers and exhibit designers. These professionals number nearly 125,000 nationally and about 5,000 in Illinois. It is important to note that not all designers and drafters are readily detected in government studies and statistics as so many are self-employed. Designers may be titled by work experience or educational attainment. Those who carry the title by educational attainment usually have a bachelors degree.
This association, founded in 1957, is the only one of its kind in the nation. Faculty who run and participate in this organization do so without pay on a volunteer basis out of dedication to their students and a love for their occupational field.
Illinois is rich in manufacturing and construction concerns that employ drafters and designers specializing in a wide variety of areas of expertise such as architecture, civil, electrical, map making, mechanical, piping, and welding, to name some of the most common. Most of these drafters were educated in their occupation by one, or more, of the nearly 500 drafting educators employed throughout Illinois in secondary and post-secondary institutions of education, both public and private.
In 2018 Antigone Sharris and myself were awarded a "Friend of IDEA" for our work in accommodating schools to our campus.
CCCAP - Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs
CCCAP is a National Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs.
The CCCAP is a professional organization of educators dedicated to promoting the value of architecture programs in community colleges and to providing a pathway into the architectural profession.
The CCCAP empowers educators to enable students in pursuit of their academic and career goals in the field of architecture and the built environment.
Triton has been a charter member of this organization, and participates yearly in the CCCAP National Design Competition with our Design III students. This is a great experience for the students and gives them practice on submitting for a competition. Most competitions are open to anyone and the rigor is of a higher standard. By having this just be for 2nd year students it is on a more level playing field. They are able to look at the winning entries afterwards and learn from that experience also, seeing how others have interpreted the project. This is yet another way that we are able to give real world experience to the students in the program.
In 2021 I taught Design III and led students in the Competition:
Competition Program for 2021
Members of CCCAP also meet yearly at the AIA Annual Conference. I was able to meet with several members last Spring. We shared ideas, concerns, issues and solutions as they relate to Community Colleges and our student bodies.
During the beginning of the Pandemic, we had weekly meetings to help each other navigate the new territory of working remotely with students in a field where face-to-face interaction and student collaboration is so important. The group also hosts a Facebook page where more information is shared.
Family Fun Fest
The Architecture and Construction Technology Programs participated in the Family Fun Fest and were happy to return in 2022 after a 4 year hiatus for the fair.
As in the past, we had 2 tables set up. One table had Lincoln Logs for the kids to build with. Lincoln logs were designed by John Lloyd Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright's son), and based on the interlocking principles used in the Imperial Hotel floating foundation in Tokyo, Japan.
The other table was Halloween and Day of the Dead mask coloring using Artist grade Prismacolors.
Both activities were immensely popular, and we had several Triton students who assisted with the tables throughout the day.
SEDAC BEE Fundamentals
I was intially contacted in 2020 to participate in a project with SEDAC (Smart Energy Design Assistance Center) at U of I in Champaign. They were looking to create a series of learning modules to assist Colleges in teaching Energy Code content within their classes. They have produced a series of modules that Instructors and students can access.
From the SEDAC BEE Fundamentals website:
Community college and trade programs are responsible for training the next generation of building professionals to design, construct, repair, and operate the buildings of the future. There is growing demand for skilled laborers who know how to make buildings energy efficient to save energy and reduce operating costs. Today’s professionals need training on energy efficiency best practices and how to meet energy code requirements for new and existing buildings. Join us for an exciting opportunity to bring energy efficiency basics to your students!
At the initial Interview, it was clear that Triton is already implementing many of these ideas into the current classes. Sustainability and Energy Conservation, Efficiency and Awareness have been an integral, imbedded part of our curriculum.
Portions of the modules provided at the end of the development process have already been incorporated into presentations for some of the Curriculum, particuarly COT-107, ARC-108, ARC-110 and ARC-220.
BEE Fundamentals Interview Request
BEE Fundamentals Stakeholders meeting
BEE Fundamentals Video Interview Request
BEE Fundamentals Launch invite
IGEN Faculty Study Program
I was asked to participate in a Program of Study for Energy Efficiency in January 2022. Our facilitator was Debra Rowe. We met virtually every month through June and shared ideas, syllabus, curriculum and PPT's with other Community College Faculty in Illinois. The result was a list of resources that we shared with one another to use in our classrooms. It also gave us a network of individuals doing similar programs related to Energy Efficiency in the Illinois Community College System.
IGEN Faculty Study Program Correspondence
Architecture and Carpentry Summer Camp
After a long hiatus, the Architecture summer camp was brought back in June 2022. We had 12 students in the camp, and they worked in the Architecture studio on a project, learned about famous Chicago Architects, learned how to draw using the correct tools, built a model of their project, and took the Chicago Architecture river boat tour as a group. The week culminated with an open house for the parents and presentations of their projects.
We also hosted a Carpentry Camp in June 2022. The students enjoyed working on real projects and building.
We are already preparing for the Summer 2023 Architecture Camp and a new Renewable Energy Camp!
vvvvv
Boy Scout Merit Badge Day
The Architecture Department participated in all of the Boy Scout Merit badge days prior to Covid. We helped the students complete their Architecture Merit Badge. Hosting this badge in the Architecture Studio allowed the students to see what a College Architecture space looked like. We actually used the drafting tables as we measured a classroom, and they then used the drafting tables and equipment to draw it.
BSA Architecture Merit Badge Presentation
In 2022, as the program recommenced, we chose to help the students with the Sustainability Merit Badge. Since Sustainability is embedded in all of our Curriculum, this was a natural fit. We chose to have the Merit Badge day in T-160, the Renewable Energy Classroom, as we had great visuals there to address the issues surrounding Sustainability.
BSA Sustainability Merit Badge Presentation
CEJA
CEJA is the Clean Energy Jobs Act. The following Description is from their website:
The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA, P.A. 102-0662) was signed into law by Governor Pritzker on September 15, 2021. CEJA is comprehensive energy legislation that
Incentivizes renewable energy development;
Accelerates electric vehicle (EV) adoption and expands charging station infrastructure;
Creates statewide clean energy workforce training programs to ensure our workforce is prepared for the jobs of the future; and,
Supports communities facing energy transitions and much more.
I have been asked to participate in a listening session and to give feedback on the program.
AIA - American Institute of Architects
I have joined the AIA as an Associate Educator Member. In June 2022, I was able to attend the National Conference in Chicago. This allowed me to make connections with various vendors that can assist with demonstration examples for our programs. In addition, I was able to also attend seminars related to various topics in the built environemnt. As a member, I have access to local meetings and events.
AIA Membership
Chicago Women in Architecture
I have recently joined the Chicago Women in Architecture group. This will be a great venue to make connections professionally and for potential future Instructors in the programs.
Other Involvement
PNNL hosted a seminar to discuss the Internships available to STEM students. They are particularly interested in engaging minority students and Community College students.
PNNL Information Session on Internships for Community Colleges
The Frank Lloyd Trust is planning a new Visitor's Center. This was a presentation and community input event that I was asked to attend. The hope is that the Education Center portion will provide opportunities for Triton students as well.
Frank Lloyd Wright Trust meeting on New Visitors Center
I was on the Save the Hill Motor Building in 2019-2020, a historic site in Oak Park that has since been torn down for a new grocery store. This group was comprised of Architects, planners, concerned citizens. We met weekly to give the owner solutions to using adaptive reuse for the building.