The Library is excited to share details about upcoming cultural and civic happenings, both new and returning, with our campus community.

 

Wednesday, September 18 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Students, staff and faculty are invited to the Library for Poetry Corner Series. Future Poetry Corner Series readings to be announced soon.

Friday, September 27 | 2:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Banned Books Reading Celebration. Get started by selecting your favorite banned book! Banned Books events and activities will take place all week.

Tuesday, September 24 | 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

National Voter Registration Day as San Francisco Peninsula People Power returns to campus to sign up new voters.

WEEK of October 15-19.

Undocumented members of our community are the focus of campus-wide activities during the college’s Second Annual UndocuWeek. Help us to create a Wall of Support at the Library. Stay tuned for details.

Wednesday, October 23 | 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Skyline community is invited to return to The Human Library. For this popular event, please plan ahead by completing a Participation Interest Form. Additional sessions will take place November 21, March 10 and April 16.

WEEK of October 24 – 31.

Join us for Global Media and Information Literacy Week in the Library.

Thursday, November 7 | 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

The Library continues its deep focus on civil liberties with an opening event for traveling exhibition Wherever There’s a Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California. On display October 22 – December 13.

 

Stay tuned for additional event details. Questions? Contact Pia Walawalkar, Outreach and Equity Librarian at walawalkars@smccd.edu.

Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp

The West Coast Chapter of the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) held its 4th Annual Women in Life-Science event on August 22, 2019 on the Genentech campus in South San Francisco. Skyline College students were invited to be a part of it and worked on their networking skills in preparation. After the event, students stayed to network with sponsors and speakers. Skyline College student, Catherine Capitana (pictured right) is shown speaking with Sangita Ghosh, the Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing at Spruce Biosciences (pictured right). Catherine got some takeaways about working in biotechnology stating, “I got some good advice about having a can-do attitude during the interview, and that we should align ourselves with the business goals.  We should find a mentor who can coach and guide us through our career. I especially like the advice that you have ambition and you should follow your ambition, to not be the harsh voice in the room that can hold yourself back.” The biotechnology students also in attendance were Pricsilla Sanchez-Pena and Christine Ann Aquino.

During the event, the panel talked about their personal background, how they got their start in biotechnology, and their positions in their biopharmaceutical companies. The major topic they focused on was being a woman in biotechnology and being in charge of a biotechnology company.  While being a woman may have some disadvantages in the workforce, they all emphasized that women can do executive level work and that more women should be in leadership positions in biotechnology. Dr. Ghosh, a head of manufacturing herself, shared her stories of realizing how deserving she is as a woman to have a leadership role in the workforce.

Parenteral drugs are those that are administered elsewhere in the body than the mouth and alimentary canal. While the manufacture of drugs is an exacting science, drugs that go directly into the blood have stricter requirements in order to be safe. The PDA is a professional organization that connects people, science, and regulation of the manufacture and marketing of parenteral drugs. This group works directly with federal regulators and drug companies to ensure current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). Members of the PDA publish journals, monographs and hold training sessions in order to ensure that its members who work for pharmaceutical companies are producing safe and effective drugs.

Article by Christine Aquino | Photo by Nick Kapp

The International Student Program (ISP) hosted a welcome bonfire for all students at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on August 30, 2019. The event was attended by the Dean of Global Learning Programs and Services, Russell Waldon, ISP staff, and both domestic and international students.

As students gathered around the firepit, Wissem Bennani, the Program Manager for ISP, kicked off the event by lighting the bonfire. Students were then introduced to the ultimate bonfire snack, s’mores! It proved to be a hit as students kept coming back for more of the sweet treat. Students bonded over playing soccer, taking photos, and music. Despite the initial grey skies, it became the perfect weather for a bonfire. Soon, the sun began to set, and students gathered one last time to watch it go down, taking numerous photos of the beautiful sunset.

The next ISP event will be our signature Fall event, International Education Week, from November 18-21, 2019. Our ever-popular International Food Festival will be held during that week as well! Hope to see you there!

Article and Photo by Clair Yeo-Sugajski

In order to celebrate Skyline College’s 50th Anniversary this year, the college will be hosting an Anniversary Gala Fundraiser on November 15, 2019.

At this event, we’d like to honor individuals who have helped to fundamentally shape and support Skyline College over the last 50 years by establishing the Skyline Stars award. Awardees will have been instrumental in helping the college succeed and can be faculty, staff or members of the community.

We invite you to submit nominations to honor deserving individuals! Just fill out the short ONLINE NOMINATION. The 50th Anniversary Committee will review the nominations and select five awardees to be recognized at the Anniversary Gala.

Article by Cherie Colin

Skyline College Administration of Justice student, Orlando Rodriguez, was awarded a $2,000 scholarship on July 29, 2019 at the 2019 DC-PAL fundraiser banquet held at the Pomeroy Center in San Francisco. Orlando was recognized by the Daly City Police Department’s Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) Organization for his educational and community achievements while pursuing his career aspirations in the fields of law enforcement and criminal justice. A second award was made to Rolando Barba who is attending San Jose State University (SJSU).

The Daly City PAL, a partnership involving community leaders and the Daly City Police Department, is a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting, inspiring, and helping young people to become healthy, social, and caring individuals through athletics since 1957. ADMJ Professor, Steve Aurilio, and member of the Daly City PAL board instituted the Daly City PAL Educational Foundation (PAL-Ed) in 2007 as an auxiliary component of the PAL organization to help provide financial assistance to career-minded students who are interested in the justice field. This year’s is the fourteenth scholarship to be awarded to a Skyline College Administration of Justice student.

To qualify, students must be interested in a criminal justice career and either be a graduating high school senior or enrolled in a college Administration of Justice Studies Program.  They must also have a qualifying GPA, have performed community service work, and undergo an interview.

Pictured from left to right: Lt. Ron Mussman, Orlando Rodriguez (Skyline College), Rolando Barba (SJSU), Professor Steve Aurilio, Chief Pat Hensley.

Article by Steve Aurilio

On September 4, 2019, the Skyline College Biotechnology 150 class attended a lecture at Carlmont High School given by Dr. Laurie Hill, the Vice President of Intellectural Property at Genentech. Carlmont High School and its Biotechnology Institute have been offering Dual enrollment classes for three years now. The Biotechnology Institute sponsors two scientific talks a semester.

Dr. Hill gave the first talk of the season in the Carlmtont Performing Arts center. Her talk was titled “Never Tell Her the Odds.” Dr. Hill is originally from Louisiana, but traveled all over the world with her family that worked in the oil industry. In high school, she was inspired by her teachers to study immunology. As a postdoc, she looked at the effects of apoptosis and cancer. While just starting her postdoc, she was in a bike and car accident, sustained many injuries and was told she had a slim chance of walking. While she was a postdoc, she was told that her ideas would never work. She continued with her experiments and published her results in Science, one of the premier scientific journals. Seeking more stimulation, she went back to school and studied law. One of the main topics of her talk was that she has fun every day, learning new things. She admitted that at Illumina, a DNA sequencing company, she did not know programming but she was willing to learn. That is what keeps her job fun and what propels her to do more each day.

In hearing about Dr. Hill’s background and training, it is no wonder that she says, “Never take no for an answer. Are you going to listen to what people will tell you or will you craft your destiny even if you cannot see the path on how to get there?” Dr Hill has a fantastic and inspiring view on life and professionalism, and the students felt it was worth their time to go and see her talk.

In our discussions about intellectual property after the lecture, we mentioned that a few of our students would like to try and get a patent on ideas that they are developing in the lab, but that it is way too expensive to get a patent. Dr. Hill suggested that we contact one of the many local law schools who have free clinics that are willing to help our students learn more about and apply for patents.

Pictured from left to right: Arlyne Grace Bautista, Christine Ann Aquino, Catherine Capitana, Jason Martin, Pricsilla Sanchez-Pena, Dr. Laurie Hill, Maricruz Hernandez.

Article by Catherine Capitana & Nick Kapp | Photo by Nick Kapp