Daily Archives: January 15, 2014

GRCC In the News, 1-15-14

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Universal Forest Products Engineer John Kozal Mentors GRPS Students

Jan. 15, 2014; schoolnewsnetwork.org (KISD newsletter)

Grand Rapids Public Schools, MI — When people who know John Kozal consider the touchstones of his life so far, these are the elements that rise to the surface: Driven by faith, loving father, dedicated dad, conscientious worker, long-time relationship with the Boy Scouts of America.

… As a young teen, he’d already figured out that he wanted to become an engineer, and enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College, where he qualified for some partial scholarships.

A Dip with the Big Guy: Santa Swims with Children at Kentwood Pool

Jan. 13, 2014; schoolnewsnetwork.org (KISD newsletter)

Kentwood Public Schools, MI — Kentwood Public Schools Aquatic Director Joey Sutherlin knows a surprising secret about Santa Claus.

… Suthelrin said he first thought of inviting Santa to swim while he was aquatics director for Grand Rapids Community College, where he worked for 15 years. When he started at Kentwood in 2011, he decided the Kentwood pool was the perfect venue.

IT project requests due January 24

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Annual IT Project Requests are now being accepted.

If you have a project for the next fiscal year, NOW is the time to submit it. The due date for these requests is January 24. If you have projects that will need IT resources, take this opportunity to submit your requests.

Visit the Project Management Office web-page, www.grcc.edu/pmo, to submit your project.

All projects will be reviewed and prioritized by the Project Prioritization Team.

Next request period will be in Fall for the Mid-Year request cycle.

GRCC to host transfer forums

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As part of our initiative to further the Completion Agenda at GRCC, and specifically to improve our students’ transfer rates, we are offering several Transfer Forums for faculty and staff at the College.

These interactive sessions are designed to provide information to faculty and staff about:

  • how to create and align curricula that improve students’ transfer opportunities.
  • how to use advising resources and strategies to improve students’ transition to four-year schools.

The sessions are also designed to gather ideas about how we can improve transfer at GRCC.

The second forum is Friday, January 17 from 1:00 to 4:00 in the Multipurpose Room of the Student Center (Rm 234).

Refreshments will be served. You do not have to rsvp, but it would be appreciated. Just email Amy Kirkbride at akirkbride@grcc.edu.

If full-time faculty attendees wish, they may receive 3 hours of College Service for their participation in a forum.

Mathematics seminar to look at Mersenne primes, perfect numbers

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The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department will host its first Mathematics Seminar of the Winter 2014 semester at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 22 in 103 Cook.  Our presenter, GRCC Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Dan Garbowitz, will discuss Mersenne primes and perfect numbers.

Prime numbers and perfect numbers have fascinated professional and amateur mathematicians for centuries, and much about them remains unknown.  This talk will provide a glimpse of the beauty and mysterious nature of these numbers and the relationships between them.  Knowledge of mathematics at or above the level of College Algebra would be helpful, but, as always, everyone is welcome to attend.

Pop and cookies will be served at 3:15 PM.

Mersenne Primes and Perfect Numbers: A Love Story

Perfect numbers were known to the Greeks and have been studied since at least the 3rd century B.C.  Marin Mersenne, a 17th century theologian and mathematician, developed a list of prime numbers, all with the same interesting form.  Sometime later, Leonard Euler proved a fascinating statement that related the perfect numbers to the Mersenne Primes.  During this seminar we will investigate this theorem in particular, and other number theory topics relating perfect numbers and Mersenne Primes.