BCC to Participate in Berkshire STEM Week

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PITTSFIELD, Mass — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will offer a range of virtual and hands-on activities as part of the fourth annual Berkshire STEM Week, Monday–Saturday, October 18–23, 2021. 
 
Included in the activities are a series of panels, workshops, speakers, tours, a job fair and information about career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in the Berkshires and beyond. 
 
The event is presented by the Berkshire County STEM Network in partnership with the Executive Office of Education and the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council. The Berkshire STEM Network, one of nine regional STEM networks across the Commonwealth, connects regional schools and businesses to improve STEM education and workforce development within our community. The Berkshire County STEM Network is based in the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation. 
 
Berkshire STEM Week themes include food, farming and sustainability; careers in STEM; STEM in business; STEM in education; STEM in the world; and STEM at the Berkshire Museum.
 
The schedule of BCC events is as follows:
 
Tuesday, October 19:
12 pm: Instructional Design Technology (held on PCTV). Learn about this field with Tattiya Maruco, BCC Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Design/Adjunct Faculty, Communications.  
 
5–6 pm: General Dynamics Internship and Job Opportunities (via Zoom). BCC and MCLA students, alumni and faculty are invited to a panel discussion led by Charlotte Lotz, BCC Senior Special Programs Coordinator – Experiential Learning and Career Services. Lotz will outline how to access internship opportunities. Pre-registration required.
 
Thursday, October 21:
11:30 am – 1 pm: STEM Café (in-person, held in the Connector). BCC students, faculty and staff are invited to learn more about STEM opportunities at BCC. Join in hands-on activities, watch demos, and learn about career and transfer opportunities as well as details about the STEM Starter Academy. Food, fun and prizes included. 
 
1 pm: Virtual Tour of BCC’s Science and Engineering Labs (held on PCTV). Take a virtual tour of the labs and learn about state-of-the art equipment used in STEM research fields.
 
1 pm: What is the STEM Starter Academy at BCC? (held on PCTV). In this video session, learn about the STEM Starter Academy, an exciting statewide initiative funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. The Academy provides an amazing opportunity for students to explore cutting-edge careers, gain college classroom experience, and focus on important success skills in a supportive environment.
 
3 pm: College Students in STEM (held on PCTV). Join a panel discussion with STEM majors from BCC, MCLA and Williams College. Includes BCC STEM starter students Alessandra Carranza and Carlos Vizcardo- Benites.
 
Friday, October 22:
1 pm: STEM Education Panel: Teaching & Learning in the Field (live Zoom session at the Berkshire Innovation Center). STEM professors, students and professionals present a lively panel discussion on STEM teaching and learning. Panelists include BCC Environmental Professor Thomas Tyning; BCC Environmental Science student Alessandra Carranza; MCLA Education Department Chair Nick Stroud; and Experiential Education, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant Rachel Hailey.
 
For a full schedule and links to programming, including Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV) links, visit www.mcla.edu/stemweek.

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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