The AAAS Community College Forum:
International Collaborations that Promote Workforce Development
that Address Global Concerns
AAAS Education and Human Resources
8:00am to 4:00pm
February 11, 2016
Washington, DC
The AAAS Community College Forum on educational programs will highlight international
collaborations that are moving beyond national boundaries to share knowledge and address
pressing global concerns. Focus of this forum is on the preparation of a local workforce and
sharing of strategies that further education for technical and scientific careers. Community
college based programs and educators play a vital role in preparing post-secondary students for
entry into the workforce in the scientific emerging technology industries including research and
development, diagnostics, regulatory affairs, homeland security, and sustainable energy
production and management.
Organizers
 Yolanda S. George, AAAS, Deputy Director for Education & Human Resources
Programs
 Elaine Johnson, Executive Director and PI, Bio-Link National ATE Center, City College
of San Francisco (CCSF), http://www.bio-link.org
Forum Moderator
Yolanda George, AAAS, Education & Human Resources Programs
Coffee & pastries
8:00 am to 8:30 am
Opening Session
 Yolanda George, AAAS
 Elaine Johnson, Bio-Link National Center, City College of San Francisco (CCSF)
 V. Celeste Carter, Program Director, National Science Foundation, Division of
Undergraduate Education
8:30 am to 9:45 am
Community College International Collaborations:
Recent international work of community colleges has involved renewable energy. CREATE has
been engaged in faculty professional development international projects with Australia and
Germany. This panel will be a discussion on sustainability and international work led by
CREATE, paired with examples from three faculty participants that describe how the lessons
learned have impacted their own international education programs.
Moderator and Speaker: Mary Slowinski, Bellevue College
Panelists – International Learning Exchange Faculty Participants:
Kenneth Walz, Madison College
Roger Ebbage, Lane Community College
Troy Wanek, Red Rocks Community College
9:45 am to 10:00 am Break
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10:00 am to 11:00 am
Community Colleges have been developing collaborative initiatives across the world. This
session provides a few examples of projects that are in varying stages of development. There
will be opportunities for participant engagement and sharing of additional examples. The panel
will provide examples of Sanitation and Water Monitoring in Haiti, International Entrepreneurship
in Poland, and Student Research in Costa Rica.
Moderator and Speaker: James DeKloe, Biotechnology Program Director, Solano
Community College, CA
Panelists – International Experiences
 Ilio Durandis, Ecole Superieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti (ESIH), Haiti
 Mary Nelson, Director of Innovabio, Salt Lake Community College
 Gisele Giorgi, Merritt College, CA
11:00 am – 11:30 am
Keynote: Challenges to Global Collaborations
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Lunch & poster session
Innovative Specialty Concentrations and the voices of students
1:00pm – 2:00 pm
Community Colleges for International Development:
This panel will include presentations from several colleges engaged in energy related
international development projects and study abroad courses. Speakers will explore common
themes including program and curriculum design, establishment of host country partnerships,
health and safety, travel and logistics, student experiences, and program funding.
Moderator and Speaker: Ken Walz, Madison Area Technical College, Costa Rica Program &
Community Colleges for Sustainable Development Network
Panelists – Study Abroad Faculty Leaders
 Roger Ebbage, Lane Community College, South Africa Program
 Troy Wanek, Red Rocks Community College, Jamaica Program
 Marilyn Barger, Hillsborough Community College, Spanish Program
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Examples of international collaboration in the fields of nanotechnology, geotechnology,
biotechnology, manufacturing, and photonics.
Speakers:
 Vince DiNoto, PI, GeoTech
 Dan Hull, PI, OPTEC
 Deb Newberry, PI, Nano-Link
 Sulatha Dawarakanath, Austin Community College Biotechnology Program
 Geetha Bali, National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India
3:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Vision and Change Update
 Yolanda George, AAAS
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