Sunday, February 27, 2011

"Half of Silicon Valley has something you'd call Asperger's": Interview with Temple Grandin | Artery

"Half of Silicon Valley has something you'd call Asperger's": Interview with Temple Grandin | Artery

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Monday, February 21, 2011

"Half of Silicon Valley has something you'd call Asperger's": Interview with Temple Grandin

Posted by Zack Smith on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 10:02 AM
2.21_Temple1.jpg
  • Photo by Angus Bremner

Diagnosed with autism early in her childhood, Temple Grandin’s seemingly improbable success as an animal behavior scientist and designer of livestock-handling equipment has made her a bestselling author and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2010. Later today, the 63-year-old author, scientist and advocate will speak at Duke University for the talk “My Experience with Animals.”

Grandin, who received an honorary doctorate from Duke last year, spoke with us by telephone recently.

“I talk a lot about visual thinking, and animal behavior, and trying to combining those things together, and how being a visual thinker helped me in my animal behavior work,” says Grandin.

“And it’s Duke’s Women’s Studies group, so I’ll talk about getting started in the 1970s in a man’s world, which was real, real difficult.”

Grandin’s work came into the spotlight last year when HBO aired a TV-movie, Temple Grandin, which went on to win seven Emmy awards, including one for Claire Danes for her portrayal of Grandin.

“Oh man, I’ve gotten so much busier!” says Grandin of the film’s success. “All I do now is travel, giving talks.”

Indeed, our conversation takes place during a layover between flights to different appearances. After appearing at Duke, she’ll hop a plane to Washington, D.C., for a meeting with the American Meat Institute.

She describes herself as “sort of like Google for pictures,” and is impressed by how more defined the autism spectrum has become since she was growing up.

“Half of Silicon Valley has something you’d call Asperger’s—I’m sure Mark Zuckerberg has something like that,” Grandin says. “You’d almost have to have a touch of Asperger’s to be that good a programmer. Social circuits take up a pile of processor space in the brain, and then you don’t have the processor space to make stuff like Facebook.”

In some ways, she feels that the advancements in technology and social media have helped humans develop a more fractured type of visual thinking closer to animals, though in some ways this worries her.

“To create something like Google, people had to sit still for hundreds of hours to learn how to program,” Grandin says. “We’re getting a lot of people today texting all the time, fragmenting their attention. It’s ironic that the thing that they text on has to be made by someone who is not distracted and is looking at information in whole bits for long periods of time.”

Grandin says that while she stays focused on her work, she appreciates the effect that her story has on people. “I get students, young kids on the spectrum, telling me, ‘Your movie’s motivating me to study harder in school,’ or someone will e-mail me saying, ‘My kid’s an Eagle Scout now because of your book.’”

“That’s the sort of stuff that motivates me—it’s sort of like I’ve got a new job now.”

Grandin appears at the Baldwin Auditorium on Duke’s East Campus at 4:30 p.m.; the talk is free and open to the public, but the event is now full; tickets are no longer available

Monday, February 21, 2011

College Job Interview Questions

College Job Interview Questions

College Job Interview Questions

Thursday February 17, 2011
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When you are a college student or recent graduate, it's important to be prepared for interviews for jobs, internships, and volunteer experiences.

Employers won't cut you much, if any, slack just because you don't have a lot of interviewing experience. The college job market is competitive and it's important to be in a good position to ace the interview.

Here's advice on how to prepare for a job interview. Also review these college job interview questions you may be asked during a college job interview along with sample answers. That way, you can think about how you'll respond ahead of time.

Do take the time to personalize your responses and connect them to what you've accomplished in college, the courses you have taken, and your skills and attributes as they related to the job you're interviewing for.

Related: College Resumes and Letters | College Job Interview Questions and Answers | Internship Interview Tips

Connect With Alison: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn


Saturday, February 19, 2011

Open House - Pennsylvania College of Technology

Open House - Pennsylvania College of Technology

Open House

Saturday, March 26, 2011· 9 a.m.-3 p.m. · 570-327-4761 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              570-327-4761      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or 800-367-9222 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              800-367-9222      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Upcoming Events

Saturday, March 26, 2011
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Register for Open House and receive a personalized guide to help you make the most of your day.
Details, including the activity guide, will be posted in early March.
Sunday, October 23, 2011

Don't miss this great opportunity to visit Penn College during the weekend.

Open House provides you the opportunity to:
  • Meet faculty to learn more about our majors, which represent more than 100 different career areas.
  • Tour our labs and classrooms to see for yourself how our state-of-the-art facilities and equipment can enhance your educational experience.
  • Tour campus with a student ambassador and hear a student’s perspective on Penn College.
  • Attend a Choosing Your Major session to find out what career areas are a match to your interests and abilities.
  • Tour on-campus housing and hear from students about what it’s like to live on campus.
  • Interact with current students at the Campus LIfe Involvement Fair and learn more about student clubs and organizations, athletics, dining services, and campus life!

You don't want to wait until Open House to visit campus?

Schedule a campus tour online...or by calling the Admissions Office at 800-367-9222 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              800-367-9222      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

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One College Avenue
Williamsport, PA 17701
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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Thought for today

"The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark."

--Barbara Hall

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Find an Internship - How to Find an Internship

Find an Internship - How to Find an Internship

Identifying Internship Opportunities

By , About.com Guide to Internships
Here are a multitude of online resources that are just loaded with internship opportunities. Learn more about the the types of internships and how to make your internship count. Conducting informational interviews, networking, and attending careers fairs are also ways of finding internships. Exploring careers and checking out corporate internships and internships abroad will also yield added results.
  1. Types of Internships
  2. Finding an Internship & Making it Count
  3. Informational Interview
  4. Networking
  5. Career Exploration
  1. Exploring Career Fields
  2. Internship Resources
  3. Internships Abroad
  4. Corporate Internships

Types of Internships

Learn more about the types of experiential education, internships for credit, paid internships versus unpaid, transcript notations, and the overall importance of completing at least one internship experience.
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Finding an Internship & Making it Count

How to find an internship, top tips for interns, frequently asked questions about internships, making the most of your internship, developing internship goals, the value of doing an internship.

Informational Interview

How to conduct an informational interview, informational interviewing tips, sample informational interviews. Informational interviews provide additional information on careers of interest once the intitial research has been done. Finding out what people like and dislike about their jobs can be very helpful when assessing career options.

Networking

How to network, tips for successful networking, the importance of establishing professional connections. Networking is about building personal relationships over time. Networking is not to be started when looking for an internship or a job; but networking is cultivating personal and professional relationships that can be helpful when in the process of seeking future career change or growth.

Career Exploration

Career exploration is a major aspect of the career planning process which includes researching companies and organizations and doing research on career options. Career exploration can be accomplished by researching the internet, informational interviewing, job shadowing, service-learning, co-ops, and internships.

Exploring Career Fields

Exploring careers based on personal interests, gaining relevant experience in career field of interest, identifying viable career options are all an important part of exploring career fields based on personal values, interests, and abilities.

Internship Resources

Online internship search engines, top internship sites, books on internships.

Internships Abroad

The value of doing an internship abroad, overseas opportunities, college students share their experiences abroad. Internships abroad provide students with first hand experiences working in a different culture. In today's global economy, students who complete one or more internships abroad are looked upon highly by many corporations.

Corporate Internships

Developing an internship program, employer best internship practices, internship study reveals important facts on internships. Many corporations use their internship programs as a training ground for selecting potential future employees for the company.

Newsletters

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Friday, February 11, 2011

SAVE THE DATE _Tuesday February 15th-7PM Barnes and Noble- PLY Meeting

Come out and hear representatives of Temple University and Montgomery County Community College address your questions about college. Rachele Gionta from Temple and Sheri Mearhoff from Montco can help you plan for your college success.

Barnes and Noble- Chemical Road- Plymouth Meeting Metroplex. 7PM Temple speaker; 7:30 Montco speaker

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Can Social Networking Keep Students In School? : NPR | LinkedIn

Can Social Networking Keep Students In School? : NPR | LinkedIn

Can Social Networking Keep Students In School?

Phil Miatkowski, a student at Lake Forest College in 2008, created a Facebook group to keep his friends informed about legislation in Illinois. Colleges and universities are trying to enhance social networking opportunities for students to help reduce dropout rates.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Phil Miatkowski, a student at Lake Forest College in 2008, created a Facebook group to keep his friends informed about legislation in Illinois. Colleges and universities are trying to enhance social networking opportunities for students to help reduce dropout rates.

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February 9, 2011

Last fall, students were psyched to be starting school at Coppin State University in Baltimore.

But if history is any guide, 40 percent of them will disappear before next year — victims of this school's low retention rate.

This is the time of year when students are wondering whether they will get accepted to the college of their choice. But many colleges and universities are asking themselves another question: How can we hold onto students once they're enrolled?

Some schools see half their freshmen disappear because so many drop out. To address this problem, some schools build physical spaces — new dorms with themes and clubs to make sure new students get involved. Those strategies can help.

But schools are now trying to keep students coming back with a new twist on a familiar tool — social networking.

A School-Based Facebook

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has also been looking for new approaches to keep students coming back.

The foundation is announcing Wednesday that it will invest $2 million in Inigral — a company that is trying to build virtual college communities by creating school-based Facebook sites. It's the first time that the Gates nonprofit foundation has bought an actual equity stake in a for-profit company.

"What we do is make sure that when students arrive they either already have assembled or [can] very quickly assemble that kind of peer support," says Michael Staton, the CEO of Inigral.

Peer support means a ready network of friends. Only students can gain entry to these sites, and they're invited in the moment they are accepted to a school. The feel is supposed to be small and intimate, unlike schools' fan sites on Facebook, which are open to everyone and don't inspire much networking.

Merging Social And Academic Lives

Columbia College, an arts and media school in Chicago, has been experimenting with the site. Samantha Saiyazonsa, a sophomore in journalism, says it helps her merge her social and academic lives.

School clubs can also use this technology to recruit and discuss campus issues. The sites are there for students, not for administrators.

Schools pay what they say is a nominal fee for Inigral to build the site. Colleges and universities hope they will get paid back through greater student engagement and higher retention rates. Ultimately, that saves schools money because they don't have to replace all of those dropouts.

"We have some indication that first-time freshmen who opted to participate in the application were highly more likely to be retained for the next semester," says Kari Barlow, an online administrator who spearheaded Arizona State University's experiment with Inigral's Schools App.

Hard To Measure The Impact

It will be tough to show whether these efforts played any direct role in students' decision to stay or go — that's a subject for future research. And, of course, many students are out of reach for this and other approaches.

Alexis Thompson, a sophomore who uses Columbia College's site, says it only works if kids work with it.

"That's something that they have to be proactive about," she says. "So, the Facebook app can be there. But unless you're being proactive and you want to go out and look for things like that — it's really on the student."

The Gates Foundation investment seems to show that the organization is casting a wide net to find new ideas that will improve outcomes in higher education.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Your Nonverbal Communication Can Wreck Your Interview

Your Nonverbal Communication Can Wreck Your Interview

y Selena Dehne, JIST Publishing

Giving a limp handshake, letting your eyes wander and fidgeting are just a few of the subtle blunders that can botch your success in a job interview. Although you may have been unaware you were doing these things, interviewers who pick up on negative nonverbal communication are likely to doubt your fit for the job.

Nonverbal communication can be judged just as much -- and sometimes even more harshly -- than the responses you give to questions you're asked during interviews. It can even be the single factor that helps hiring managers decide between you and another candidate when you're both equally qualified for the job. That's why it's so important to be mindful about your posture, facial expression and other behaviors.

"The most important idea is to project confidence and professionalism," says Heather Krasna, author of 'Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service.'

"If you find yourself becoming very nervous about interviewing, realize that this is normal. Practice interviewing in front of a mirror, on video or with a friend or career coach until you feel a bit more comfortable," she suggests.

In her book, Krasna offers the following tips for ensuring positive, appropriate and polite nonverbal communication:

  • Handshake: A firm handshake is considered a sign of confidence. Take the other person's hand in your right hand (don't use both hands), so that the space between your thumb and first finger touches theirs. Give a firm, but not crushing squeeze, and shake the person's hand up and down slightly, once. If you have sweaty hands, be sure to dry them before your interview.

  • Posture and physical distance: When sitting in a chair, sit up straight or lean forward slightly (don't slouch). If you will be crossing your legs, do it so that one knee is stacked on top of the other or cross your ankles. (Do not cross your legs so that one foot is on top of your other knee.) Alternatively, keep both feet on the floor. Do not stretch your legs out in front of you or sit with your legs spread far apart -- it looks too casual. When standing near someone, about 3 feet of distance is standard in most parts of the United States. Standing closer than this can be quite uncomfortable for others.

  • Arms and hands: You can "talk with your hands" to some extent, but do not do so to the point of distracting your interviewer. Sitting with your arms crossed in front of you can look defensive. Instead, try to have a more open posture. Don't fidget, play with your hair or pen, or bite your nails!


  • Eye contact: Look in the eyes of the person interviewing you. Looking down or away frequently gives a message of not being confident or being confused. Rolling your eyes up is considered a sign of disrespect. Don't stare intensely at the interviewer; just look him or her in the eye as much as possible.

  • Facial expression: Smiling is an important way of showing that you are a friendly individual and that you are enthusiastic about the position. Smile at the beginning and the end of the interview at a minimum. This can't be emphasized enough -- I know several people for whom lack of smiling was a major barrier to employment.

  • Mirroring: You can also take note of the posture and expressions of your interviewer, and adopt some of his or her tone. Be careful, though -- even if an interviewer is quite friendly and casual, that does not mean you should be too casual. It is still a professional job interview.

In addition to these tips, Krasna gives international job seekers a reminder: "Nonverbal communication is quite culturally defined," she says. "If you are interviewing across cultures, be sure to know what is expected of you."

Saturday, February 5, 2011

AHEADD - Mission and Philosophy- Community Based Support for students on the spectrum

AHEADD - Mission and Philosophy



AHEADD is community-based; providing private support for students attending any Philadelphia, PA
area college, including:
  • Arcadia University
  • Art Institute of Philadelphia
  • Chestnut Hill College
  • The Curtis Institute of Music
  • Drexel University
  • Holy Family University
  • La Salle University
  • Moore College of Art and Design
  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
  • Peirce College
  • Philadelphia University
  • Saint Joseph's University
  • Temple University
  • The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College
  • Thomas Jefferson University
  • University of the Arts
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
  • Villanova University

Friday, February 4, 2011

student turns disability into advantage-- Another college success story

9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Local recruit turns disability into advantage

LONGMONT - He's 6 feet 5 inches tall and nearly 300 pounds, but that's not what makes Justin Hansen such an impressive recruit for the CSU Rams' football team.
Advertisement
He earned All-State honors at Longmont High School and will be a local favorite when he starts at Colorado State University next fall.
What makes Justin impressive is that he has Asperger's syndrome. It is an extremely rare autism spectrum disorder. Only three out of every 10,000 people have it.
Justin was first diagnosed a decade ago as a second-grader. He wasn't sure how Asperger's would affect his athletic career, but he had it all backwards. It turns out his athletic career affected his Asperger's.
Playing sports helps him work through his difficulties. He is a solid student with a 3.2 grade point average. He plans to study business and information systems at CSU.
Justin was a dominant force during his high school career. Now he hopes to do the same at CSU. He picked Fort Collins over Washington, Utah and Kansas State.
You can see more of his story by watching the video segment attached to this story.
(KUSA-TV © 2011 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Success Story- an award winning student- former student in a special ed class becomes an award winning teacher

USI Special Education major receives international award » Evansville Courier & Press
A year from now, Michael Fuchs will walk into a special education classroom as a teacher, which will bring him back to where he started.
But before that happens, the USI senior will accept the Council for Exceptional Children's 2011 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Member of the Year Award. The award is given to one undergraduate student who has made outstanding contributions to the council and exceptional children.
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.
Michael Fuchs
Michael Fuchs
"When I first saw the award, I thought there was no way I would get it, because it is an international award," said Fuchs. "But one of my professors nominated me for it. And when I found out I had won, I cried like a little girl. It means a lot to me."
Fuchs says the award also shows how much good work the entire special education program at USI is doing.
"We have a lot of great students out here that have put a lot of time and effort into it," he said. "I like doing what I do, and it is really nice to finally bring some recognition the the special education program at USI."
The award has a bigger meaning for Fuchs than it might for others.
Fuchs could not talk until the age of 4. Doctors initially diagnosed him as autistic, then later with Attention Deficit Disorder. He was in special education classes, first at EARC preschool, then in kindergarten at Howard Roosa Elementary.
"I was in a secluded classroom, with all special education kids," said Fuchs. "From there, I went to West Terrace, and they finally allowed me into a general education classroom."
Fuchs then moved on to private schools at Corpus Christi and Mater Dei.
"As I got older, I was able to deal more with my disability," he said. "If it were not for my parents and the special education system, I would not be here now."
When he was at Mater Dei, Fuchs started working with the Special Olympics as a service project. He was hesitant at first — "I thought everyone with special needs was just plain dumb," he said — but quickly found he loved the work.
And that led him to USI, and a major in special education.
Fuchs is the president of the Best Buddy program at USI, which which provides opportunities for college students to interact with members of the community that have disabilities.
"The thing I like about the Best Buddies program is that for these kids, when they graduate from high school, there is just not that much out there for them for social interaction," said Fuchs. "This is a chance to get them out in the community and go do stuff. I am really proud to be a part of that program."
What happens next for Fuchs is less certain. He is on tract to graduate in December. He wants to teach in an elementary school, but could also wind up in a middle school. And he's deciding whether to stay home or move away.
If you'd like to volunteer for the USI best buddies program or find out more information, you can contact Michael Fuchs at mjfuchs@mail.usi.edu.
As the recipient of the CEC award, Fuchs will receive a plaque during the Awards Ceremony at the CEC Convention and Expo in National Harbor, Maryland. He also will receive an invitation to the CEC President's Reception and be recognized during the CEC Student Forum held at the convention, along with recognition at the CEC headquarters and on the CEC website.
Fuchs was nominated for the award by Dr. Julie Green, assistant professor in the Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services.
"Michael is extremely responsible and has devoted his life to working with students with disabilities," Green said. "He will be an exceptional special education teacher, and will make a difference in many students' lives."
- USI Media Relations Specialist Wendy Knipe Bredhold contributed to this report.
© 2011 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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