Where serious conversations take place.
Good Afternoon Faculty, Staff and Students,
Please join us tomorrow, October 19 at 2:30pm as we host Andrew Webber, founder of Digital Power Optimization, a Crypto Mining as a Service firm.
Andrew will join us to do an introduction on blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the future of space.
To register, please click here on the image below.
There is no cost to participating. Opportunity is available to current students and graduates of CUNY. Sessions are 30 minutes to 1 hour, and students schedule at their own pace, and commit session by session.
To use the service, fill out this intake form: https://tinyurl.com/rbtrawm. City Tutors will send you an email to confirm.
For more information, learn about the program at https://www.thecitytutors.org/receive-mentorship
By Caryl Watkins
The College of Staten Island’s Executive Director and Principal Investigator for the Staten Island Breast Cancer Research Initiative, Donna Gerstle, and fellow Director of the Center for Environmental Science, Dr. Alfred Levine, were recently featured on CUNY TV’s latest episode of Simply Science, devoted this month to the exploration of breast cancer as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Pioneers behind the Staten Island Breast Cancer Research Initiative, Gerstle and Dr. Levine commented on the research they are doing specifically on the CSI campus. Simply Science’s Andrew Falzon caught up with the SIBCRI to discuss the uniqueness of Staten Island as New York City and New York State’s highest breast cancer zone, linking the abnormality to environmental factors and the origins of breast cancer during certain stages of female maturity.
To get broadcast information and to view this month’s episode visit the Simply Science Webpage. Access to the video is also available via YouTube.
Welcome to the third week of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This week we focus on “Explore. Experience. Share.” which emphasizes Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week. This is a week-long campaign that inspires and promotes the exploration of cybersecurity careers. Whether it’s students or those seeking a career change, the dynamic field of cybersecurity is rapidly growing and has something for everyone.
Helpful Tips:
You can find a Cyber Careers Profile tip sheet with information on the following topics on the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Publications site:
Facts and Figures:
Our weekly emails and supporting information are available from the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month page on the CUNY web site. We also provide a growing security resources list on the CUNY Information Security pages. You may also want to subscribe to OUCH! — the world’s leading, free security awareness newsletter designed for technology users.
If you have any questions about any of this information, please contact your college’s Information Security Manager.
By Patricia Kahn
The Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD), Division of Student Affairs is excited to be named a grant recipient of the Here-to-Here Braided Pathways Fund Project – forging an innovative partnership with the Computer Science Department and designed to attract and support Black, Latinx, First Gen, Women, and LGBTQ students with work-based learning experiences that will increase their marketability and competitiveness in the field of Technology.
Known as the “Tech Team Project” – it serves as a model for bringing together academic and career resources on campus with the goal of continuing to establish a “culture of career readiness” for CSI students through classroom learning and the world of work opportunities. CSI was one of two CUNY schools awarded this grant. More information will be coming soon!
You hear the term “antiracism” all the time — do you wonder what it has to do with your life? Come and discuss with colleagues in a constructive and supportive environment as we explore what antiracism means for the CSI community.
Event Details:
2:30-4:00 Tuesday October 19 via Zoom
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/CSIantiracism
To support everyone’s involvement, whatever their starting point on this topic, here are some materials for viewing and reading.
From the University of Dayton, on antiracism in higher education:
From the Smithsonian
Being Antiracist | National Museum of African American History and Culture (https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist)
For a deeper dive, please see Professor Wilma Jones’ resources page at the CSI Library:
Anti-Racism Resources – On Race Matters and Social Justice <https://library.csi.cuny.edu/racematters>
CSI Library at CUNY College of Staten Island Library
Students in the College of Staten Island’s Verrazzano Honors Program are no strangers to community service, and the school recently added to their list of community partners by lending their efforts to Habitat for Humanity, aiding in the non-profit’s efforts to build homes, community, and hope to those less fortunate.
According to Associate Director Cheryl Craddock, the partnership is a new one, but one that the program is hoping to be a part of for the long haul. “It is a brand new partnership, but we’ve been in touch to start to think about helping other projects in the spring,” she said. “If we can build some momentum, perhaps we’ll look into forming a College Chapter at CSI with Habitat for Humanity. I know the students who participated had a great time. Many of them had never heard of the organization, and so that experience was great. There is something about seeing concrete progress on a project that’s really gratifying.”
A total of six Verrazzano students lent themselves to the effort, along with two recent alumni, and two staffers. The team started their work in Livingston, N.J., doing such projects as paint prep, back yard leveling, and the laying of weed-resistant cloth to the home’s exterior.
Students that are taking part in the effort are excited to lend themselves to a great cause, while also enjoying their time with peers outside of the classroom. “It has been an enriching experience working with Habitat for Humanity,” said CSI student Thomas McCullough. “We met a few wonderful people that frequent the program, including the homeowner, and it’s allowed me to make new friends. With the pandemic, it’s been very difficult to make new academic connections, so something like this is a perfect opportunity to create some new friendships. It’s the same with the staff of Verrazzano. It’s been close to two years since we had seen one another in person, so working with Habitat for Humanity was a great opportunity to reconnect.”
The Verrazzano team will be working alongside Habitat for Humanity all semester, and already has plans to work on another project soon in Newark. “Science tells us that volunteering is good for the volunteer, so we’re motivated by that,” Craddock said. “It’s great to try to help bright, motivated students to develop the habit of volunteering. Many of our students volunteer in areas relevant to their career goals, and with libraries, youth sports, food pantries, soup kitchens, or with vulnerable and neurodiverse populations. In addition to service, students really learn about their communities and the challenges that people face. We hope this helps build not only camaraderie but a connection to the community.”
Community service has become one of the hallmarks of the Verrazzano Honors Program. All Verrazzano students complete 40 hours of community service, according to Craddock, with a majority of students doing far more. Between 2015-2020, Verrazzano students logged over 20,000 hours of community service. Events in the past have ranged from working the NYC Marathon, Kayak Staten Island, Project Hospitality, Richmondtown events, and individual volunteer endeavors with local libraries, schools, hospitals, and senior centers.
“We’d like to develop more,” said Craddock enthusiastically. “Many of our relationships are built through the students themselves. For example, we’ve had a number of volunteers with the good people at Freshkills Parks. Our students are so enthusiastic and reliable, personnel from the park have met with us to make sure lines of communication remain open and that we know about their events. Likewise, we’re developing great connections with Historic Richmondtown because our students do such a great job, and turn out. Every time I meet someone who works in the non-profit sector, I let them know we have a group of students looking for opportunities to help. While the majority of service happens because students seek out individual opportunities, we’re always looking for ways to create connections as a program.”
In addition to the partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the Verrazzano Honors Program has volunteered with Pumpkin Picking at Decker Farms this semester, The Richmond County Fair, a Fresh Kills Park cleanup effort, and various efforts on the CSI campus as well.
“I became an Eagle Scout when I was younger so the world of volunteering has always been familiar to me,” commented McCullough. “It’s an easy and important way to help your community. It gives you another perspective on your community. Allowing you to help return the favor for all that has been given to you in your life.”
To find out more about the Verrazzano Honors Program, visit their Website, or follow them on Instagram.
By David Pizzuto
You hear the term “antiracism” all the time — do you wonder what it has to do with your life? Come and discuss with colleagues in a constructive and supportive environment as we explore what antiracism means for the CSI community.
Event Details:
2:30-4:00 Tuesday October 19 via Zoom
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/CSIantiracism
To support everyone’s involvement, whatever their starting point on this topic, here are some materials for viewing and reading.
From the University of Dayton, on antiracism in higher education:
From the Smithsonian
Being Antiracist | National Museum of African American History and Culture (https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist)
For a deeper dive, please see Professor Wilma Jones’ resources page at the CSI Library:
Anti-Racism Resources – On Race Matters and Social Justice – CSI Library at CUNY College of Staten Island Library
By Academic Affairs