The Natural Sciences Department, and other faculty and staff, helped highlight Hostos’ commitment to quality science education through a month-long series of
“Science Day” events, held from November 14-21.
Students and faculty research was presented, which explored everything from computer technology to scientific medical advancement. The events also included film screeenings and a “STEM Olympiad,” which tested students’ expertise and knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The keynote speaker was reknown Dr. Suhasini Joshi, a postdoctoral researcher at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Joshi engaged the Hostos community with a fascinating presentation in a packed Savoy Multipurpose Room on November 16 called “Cancer: An Unsolved Mystery, ” where she discussed how a cancer diagnosis is made and other topics, including DNA repair genes and tumor suppressor genes.
The Green Bronx Machine also rolled into Hostos in a big way on November 15 as part of Science Day, as South Bronx educator/administrator and fresh food guru Stephen Ritz visited campus. Among many other projects, Ritz, an impassioned speaker and Bronx advocate, shared his views on health and wellness and social change, along with the message that “students shouldn’t have to leave their community to live, learn, and earn in a better one.”
Ritz, who has met President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, while engaging the nation through a TED Talk, shared his unique story with the Hostos community about his own life-saving weight loss, which came through healthier eating and exercise. He also offered facts and statistics about health in the borough, and more importantly, ways to make it better.
The event was the perfect complement to Hostos’ growing Food Studies Program, which features innovative curriculum through four tracks of study: Food Policy, Social Issues in Food, Health & Nutrition, and Environment & Sustainability.
For more information you can follow the Green Bronx Machine on Facebook at @green.BX.machine
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique Student Success Coaching Unit provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
Hostos offers 29 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.