Daily Archives: February 26, 2019

GRCC In The News, 02-26-19

Posted on by

West Michigan Lecture Series Tackles Social Issues

2/11/19 mibluesperspectives.com (Blue Cross Blue Shield newsletter)
For more than 20 years, a simple lecture series with lofty goals has attracted notable authors, philosophers, poets, media personalities and at least one former president to Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids Community College’s Diversity Lecture Series seeks to provide insight and understanding of multicultural issues to students and the broader West Michigan community. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is a sponsor of the series, which returns this Wednesday.

GRCC alumnus co-authors paper in Science Magazine

Posted on by

A former GRCC Biodiversity Student, Brian Maitner, has recently co-authored a paper in Science magazine, perhaps the most prestigious of all peer-reviewed science publications!
The title of Brian’s co-authored paper (he is the second author) is “Metabolic Asymmetry and the Global Diversity of Marine Predators.” Brian is finishing his PhD in Bioinformatics with Dr. John Grady at the University of Arizona.
If you know of any students interested in the biodiversity, evolution, and ecology of plants, fungi, or animals, please refer them to Matthew Douglas in the Calkins Science Center.

Emeritus Faculty nominations due Friday

Posted on by

Nominations for 2019 Emeritus Faculty are being accepted through Friday, March 1. This award was established in 1985 to honor those instructors/administrators whose dedication and creativity have left an indelible mark on the lives of students and colleagues at GRCC. During their tenure at GRCC and since their retirement, they have continued to promote GRCC’s “Commitment to Excellence.”

Webinar today: recording lectures with Lightboards

Posted on by
Lightboard example photo. A professor is shown demonstrating Lightboard usage in a studio.

A professor demonstrating the use of a Lightboard in an electronics design lecture. Photo credit: https://lightboard.info/.

Lightboards: Home-Grown to Smart Studio

  • Today, February 26, 2019, 2-3 p.m.
  • Presenters: Klaas Kwant and Garry Brand, Grand Rapids Community College
  • Link to register: Webinar Registration

A ‘lightboard’ (a.k.a. learning glass) is a glass chalkboard pumped full of light.  It is used to record video lecture topics.  You face toward your viewers, and your writing glows in front of you.

Lightboards tend to be home-grown devices at different higher education institutions. GRCC’s is no different. The baton of basic information was passed to us by GVSU, and various staff have helped to make ours functional and unique. In addition to its basic construction by Bill Faber, Chemistry Professor, we have built a smart, dedicated space that is accessible to all faculty, adding features like sound-deadening in the room, the ability to work along with pre-prepared slides, and even chroma-key options. We have maintained a philosophy of empowering faculty to independently record themselves once they are shown how the room works, knowing that technology staff are close by if they have any questions.

If you would like to be a presenter for an upcoming webinar, please contact flokken@tmcc.edu.

Lightboard example photo. The professor is shown as he would appear in the final recording, writing on what appears to be a glass wall.

An example of how professor and Lightboard will appear in the final recording. Photo credit: https://lightboard.info/.