Ginny works at Serviceminder, blending technical expertise with client-focused problem-solving to deliver exceptional service. She discusses her journey into the role, the importance of understanding client needs, and how technicians can thrive in positions that bridge technology and customer service.
Show Notes
Ginny works remotely for a company called Serviceminder. Ginny explains her journey from community college to working in the tech industry. Hear how both technical skills and interpersonal skills are important in Ginny’s work. Ginny also talks about her experience at community college and how it shaped her career.
The Talking Technicians podcast is produced by MNT-EC, the Micro Nano Technology Education Center, through financial support from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education grant program.
Opinions expressed on this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Science Foundation.
Join the conversation. If you are a working technician or know someone who is, reach out to us at info@talkingtechnicians.org.
Image 3 was taken with an optical microscope. (Steven Wood, Painter Lab, Kavli Nanoscience Institute, Caltech)
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Images 1, 2 and 3: Images of the same quantum transducer device. Fabricated using eight layers of electron beam lithography and five different material platforms. Images 1 and 2 were taken with the Zeiss Orion helium ion microscope.Images 1, 2 and 3: Images of the same quantum transducer device (Closeup). Fabricated using eight layers of electron beam lithography and five different material platforms. Images 1 and 2 were taken with the Zeiss Orion helium ion microscope.
Thanks for reading our monthly email update, if that’s how you found this post. If you found us by digging into our website and the Think Small news and blog section, we are so glad you found us. “Random Small” is a monthly catch-all post for the latest happenings here at the Micro Nano Technology Education Center and in our wider, bigger community of scientists of all types.
You probably noticed two distinct images — one of an astronaut (just above), and another of a website logo for Skype a Scientist.
First, in the monthly MNT Update, I mentioned how NASA technology often gets transferred outside of NASA into commercial enterprises that license it for new products. This article, Feeling Hot, Staying Cool, is a powerful example of how that works. It highlights the work of a new company, London-based Fifty One Ltd, which is “using a temperature-controlling material developed in part under an SBIR from Johnson Space Center for spacesuit gloves, Fifty One of London is making clothes to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.”
Since women make up half the world’s population, there is a lot of need and opportunity (as in billions of people) for materials scientists to work on these phase change materials to find solutions.
In fact, NASA has an entire microsite dedicated to technology transfer calledSpinoff and it includes an annual report, of sorts, that highlights the many advances that power our world.
By the way, if you are not yet subscribed to our email community, please visit this signup page. We would love to have you join us, contribute to our efforts, and connect.
Let’s jump to Skype A Scientist because it is so fun and energetic and something you can use in your classrooms or perhaps sign up to help out. From their website: “The mission of Skype a Scientist is simple, yet impactful: to make science accessible and fun through personal connections with scientists. We are an educational entity with a focus on connecting the general public with scientific disciplines in fun and meaningful ways, making science education available and engaging for everyone…”
The Skype A Scientist Instagram page is worth a follow, too. Here’s a sample YouTube videos of a wonderful talk with a brain scientist at the University of Washington. Love Sydney’s enthusiasm. Plus, we’re hoping to interview Dr. Sarah McAnulty, Squid Biologist, and Executive Director of Skype A Scientist.
Sydney Floryanzia is a first-year Ph.D. student in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Washington (UW). Her research involves investigating the blood-brain barrier, drug delivery to the brain, and therapies for degenerative brain diseases.
There are two new scholarship opportunities for STEM-oriented students. These will be added to our Micro Nano Scholarship page later this week, but to give you the absolute latest, cutting edge, head start information we’re putting them here and on our MNT LinkedIn Page (which you seriously might want to follow, but no pressure, of course. Not much pressure…).
The DOD Historically Black Colleges and Universities & Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) Summer Research Internship Program is an annual summer research program offered to current students and recent graduates who studied STEM disciplines at HBCU/MI.
Heather combined her technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to start her own company. She shares the challenges and rewards of building a business, how technical skills gave her a foundation for innovation, and her advice for technicians interested in creating opportunities for themselves.
Show Notes
Heather worked in IT after community college then decided to start her own business using no-code / low-code tools. Hear what it’s like to run your own business after earning a community college degree. Heather talks about the technical and soft skills she uses to run her business and bring value to her clients. Heather’s journey is inspiring and shows how far you can go with a 2-year degree.
The Talking Technicians podcast is produced by MNT-EC, the Micro Nano Technology Education Center, through financial support from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education grant program.
Opinions expressed on this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Science Foundation.
Join the conversation. If you are a working technician or know someone who is, reach out to us at info@talkingtechnicians.org.
Heading into the weekend which for some is going to turn into vacation for the holiday week — here is a great podcast for you in those quiet days pre-post holiday meals. Our MNT Center Director, Dr. Jared Ashcroft, was rather quiet/humble about being interviewed by the well-known Temple Grandin for the first season of a new podcast out of the STEM Action Center in Utah.
Temple and Jared discussed the role community colleges can play in supplying a steady STEM workforce, where the education system falls short, and how it can improve outcomes for students. Definitely worth a listen! Way to go, Dr. Ashcroft.
Tiffany transitioned into technology after seeking a career with growth potential and impact. In this episode, she reflects on how retraining at a community college opened doors to a fulfilling role in tech. Tiffany shares her experiences solving complex problems and why she values her work in creating practical solutions.
Show Notes
Tiffany changed careers by enrolling in a community college technology program. Now Tiffany works at Nomadic, which specializes in digital marketing and software development. Tiffany highlights how “soft skills” are important in the technology industry and advises students to explore their career opportunities. Hear Tiffany’s story in this episode of Talking Technicians.
The Talking Technicians podcast is produced by MNT-EC, the Micro Nano Technology Education Center, through financial support from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education grant program.
Opinions expressed on this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Science Foundation.
Join the conversation. If you are a working technician or know someone who is, reach out to us at info@talkingtechnicians.org.
The Micro Nanotechnology Education Center at Pasadena City College was highlighted within the official broadcast at this year’s American Association for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference. The video was presented as a case study and documentary of what MNT-EC and its students are doing in various programs, internships, and research opportunities.
MNT Center Director, Dr. Jared Ashcroft closes out the video explaining how the MNT-EC is working toward pulling together the different institutions, community colleges, universities, industries, and nonprofits, to get them working together. “The goal is to have the Micro Nanotechnology Education Center working as the glue that pulls all of these institutions together,” he said.
Here is the full 5 minute video (5 min, 41 seconds to be precise).
And here is the 60-second-ish trailer if you need the quick version:
The National Institute for Innovation and Technology (NIIT) and the Micro Nanotechnology Education Center (MNT-EC) today announced a collaboration focused on workforce development for the semiconductor sector and nanotechnology-related industries.
With the agreement, MNT-EC colleges will have access to NIIT’s National Talent Hub, which connects employers, education providers, job seekers and individuals looking to improve related skills. Colleges will be able to use the Talent Hub free of charge to ensure courses align with industry requirements and give their students access to the service’s job portal.
Students enrolled in MNT-EC programs will be eligible for “learn-and-earn” opportunities through NIIT’s Growing Apprenticeships in Nanotechnology and Semiconductors (GAINS) Registered Apprenticeship Program. NIIT has the exclusive, 5-year contract to expand the use of Registered Apprenticeships in the strategic supply chains of semiconductors and nanotechnology, which includes biomanufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and clean energy, among others.
You can read the full national press release here.
#1: The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2023 conference will be held April 13-15, 2023 on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus in Eau Claire, WI. The conference abstract submission window runs from October 3 to November 30, 2022.
NCUR is seeking volunteers to review abstracts submitted to the NCUR 2023 conference. They expect this review work to occur during the December 2022 timeframe, following the November 30 abstract submission deadline.
Anyone interested to serve as a reviewer should visit the Abstract Reviewers Wanted page, from there you can go to the Reviewer Signup page. Reviewers will be required to create a new account within the conference submission system if they do not already have one.
#2: Learn about the new NSF workforce development program TODAY, Nov 1 at 12PM Pacific time.
The U.S. National Science Foundation launched a new $30 million workforce development program, Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies, or ExLENT earlier this month.
Learn more about the program by joining the Introduction to ExLENT webinar on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. E.T.
Click the link above left to register for this webinar.
ExLENT offers workforce development opportunities to help individuals gain valuable work experience in emerging technology areas such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, and semiconductors and microelectronics. With awards of up to $1 million over three years, the program will promote partnerships between organizations in emerging technology fields and those with expertise in workforce development.
#3: Sometimes the Think Small team is drinking from a firehose and cannot keep up… You can check out THREE New Scholarship and Internship opportunities linked below. BUT they will also be added to the Scholarship page in the Students & Families section by November 2, in case you want to share that page with students and faculty you know. Hint, hint.
The news section you are in right now is called Think Small. It is where we publish various news-oriented content; something that demands a longer article usually. But we have not had a way to collect and curate the many cool things that you – MNT partners, members, educators and students, and others, occasionally want to share.
Welcome to the new series I’m tentatively calling “Random Small” to provide us with a bucket, and I mean that in the most positive way, in which to put these important, but shorter tips, job or internship postings, upcoming events that we didn’t have a chance to get on the calendar (yet), and other, well, random items that need a home. You get the idea and here’s a few for this first post.
Normandale Community College is considering offering an 8-week section of its “Foundations of Vacuum Science” online course (VACT 1010). This course is designed for individuals who are interested in pursuing a career as a technician whose role it will be to support maintenance and troubleshooting of vacuum systems. The start date for this class would be Monday, October 17th, and the class would conclude by mid-December.
If you have a prospective student or others in your networks, especially organizational contacts. They can contact Kim Klein (Kimberly.Klein@normandale.edu) if interested in this class. Kim will be able to help them with the registration process.
Every year the NNCI has the “Plenty of Room at the Bottom” photo contest. Lots of great entries and if you receive our email newsletter, then you saw the hedgehog photo, which was a Most Whimsical winner from last year, which is from:Artist: Evgeniya Moiseeva, Huson Lab, University of Louisville. Tool: Thermo Scientific Apreo C SEM. Description: Solidified droplets of Gold on the side of the E-Beam evaporation ceramic crucible.
On our MNT LinkedIn page, you will find updates on colleagues, job listings, internship and apprenticeship opportunities, and more. Plus, as you’ve read above, we’re trying to include many of those items here on Random Small. The linked post takes you to a recent University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering job for a Nanofabrication Lab Technician.
Note: We are considering a jobs/internship/career-oriented email on a 2 to 4 times per month basis. If you are interested, drop TJ an email. Again, we do post some of these on LinkedIn.
The MNT Calendar has the latest workshops and professional development webinars that you may find informative or worth sharing with your students and colleagues.
more tk
Thanks,
TJ McCue, Editor
P.S. Feel free to drop me an email note if there’s something you think we should know about.
Andrew and Miko are biotechnology technicians whose work contributes to advancements in healthcare and environmental science. They discuss their educational paths, the innovative projects they’re involved in, and the impact of their work on solving real-world challenges. Their stories highlight the transformative potential of biotechnology careers.
Show Notes
Talking Technicians goes to a hackathon! In this special episode of Talking Technicians, we’ve collaborated with the 2022 Antibody Engineers Hackathon which is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program (DUE 2055036). The episode was recorded as part of the Hackathon. You’ll hear from two biotechnology practitioners, Andrew and Miko. They explain their work and how they found and benefited from a community college technician education program .
The Talking Technicians podcast is produced by MNT-EC, the Micro Nano Technology Education Center, through financial support from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education grant program.
Opinions expressed on this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Science Foundation.
Join the conversation. If you are a working technician or know someone who is, reach out to us at info@talkingtechnicians.org.
