Spring 2013 Workshops

“APA Format:  Cracking the Code”—Mr. Tom Malchodi

This workshop concerns the APA format for research papers, especially the reference page and proper citations.
Length: 45 minutes       Audience:  Anyone using the APA documentation style for a class or professionally
Dates:  5-5:45 PM, March 28^th and 2-2:45 PM, April 9^nd  

“Argument and the Evidence to Support It”—Ms. Kaye McDonough

Do you find it difficult to formulate an argument? Once you have developed one, do you struggle to present evidence from the text to support it? Using templates and other means, we will explore some strategies you can use. We will consider integration of quoted material into your essay using correct MLA in-text citations and “unpacking” of keywords to strengthen and support your central argument.
Length: 60 minutes        Audience:  Everyone
Dates: 10-11 AM, March 12^th and 11:15 AM-12:15 PM, March 28^th

“Council of Science Editors (CSE) Documentation and Format”—Mrs. Linda Lubrano and Mr. Neal DeLuca

This workshop concerns the CSE format for research papers, especially the reference page and proper citations.
Length: 45 minutes       Audience:  Anyone using the CSE documentation style for a class or professionally; strongly recommended for students in the College of Engineering
Dates:  4-4:45 PM, March 4^th (DeLuca); 6-6:45 PM, March 13^th (Lubrano); 8-8:45 PM, March 27^th (DeLuca); 7-7:45 PM, April 4^th (Lubrano); and 10-10:45 AM, April 19^th (Lubrano)

“Dancing with Inferential Statistics”—Dr. Peter Intarapanich

This workshop will explore the concepts of hypotheses and statistical tests for one or more populations, including both the qualitative and quantitative variables.
Length: 45 minutes       Audience: All students who are currently taking statistics courses or planning to use statistical tests in their term papers or theses
Dates: 4-4:45 PM, March 10^th; 8-8:45 PM, March 13^th; and 2-2:45 PM, March 26^th

“Document Design for Engineering”—Ms. Michele Merlo

This workshop covers creating templates for engineering documents.  Do it once and save your valuable time.  The formatting is through advanced MS Word functions.
Length:   60 minutes      Audience:  College of Engineering students
Dates:   8-9 PM, March 3^th and 5-6 PM, April 2^nd

"Electron Flow in Organic Chemistry” —Dr. Kevin Lin

This workshop will prepare students for their upcoming final exam and allow them to better understand organic reactions.
Length:  60 minutes       Audience:  Organic Chemistry students
Dates: 1:45-2:45 PM, April 1^rd and 7-8 PM, April 10^th

“Getting It Done:  Planning, Writing, and Finishing Your Thesis Paper”—Dr. Leon Weinmann

This workshop will guide you through the process of creating your thesis proposal; choosing your committee; and researching, writing, and--most importantly--finishing your thesis on time.
Length:  60 minutes      Audience:  Students working on their undergraduate thesis or master’s dissertation
Dates:   5-6 PM, March 7^th; 7-8 PM, March 11^th; and 8-9 PM, April 16^th

“Graph by Hand:  Function Graphing Rules” —Jifeng Liu

This workshop is designed to help students with graphing rules (shifting, reflecting, shrinking, etc.) for basic functions.
Length: 45 minutes        Audience:  M 117/Calculus I students
Dates:  12-12:45 PM, March 12^th and 7-7:45 PM, April 18^th

“How to Conduct a Peer Review”—Ms. Kaye McDonough and Mrs. Pavelle Wesser-Mitra

Practice editing/commenting for TCoE students to achieve the goals of COPE: Clarity, Organization, Precision, and Economy, with attention to:  format, content, effective summarization, accurate and effective displays of data, thoughtful and persuasive conclusions/ recommendations, appropriate style, and correct usage.  NOTE: Please bring an assignment to the workshop so that we can peer review it.
Length: 60 minutes        Audience:  College of Engineering students
Dates:  11 AM-12 PM, March 7^th (McDonough); 11:30 AM-12:30 PM, March 26^th (McDonough); 12-1 PM, April 3^rd (Wesser-Mitra); 10-11 AM, April 10^th (Wesser-Mitra)

“‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’:  Winning Strategies for Oral Presentations”—Ms. Michele Merlo

This workshop focuses on the oral presentation for students.  We will cover tips for public speaking, delegating responsibility, and addressing an audience with "grace under pressure." We will address some of the technical challenges of PPT presentations.  NOTE:  Please come to this workshop prepared with your presentation and the specifics of your assignment.
Length:   60 minutes      Audience:  Anyone interested in public speaking skills, particularly TCoE students
Dates:  4-5 PM, March 24^th and 8-9 PM, April 9^th   

“Making Fractions Your Friends”—Dr. Sheela Kar and Mr. David Low

Come see how ridiculously easy it is to work with fractions and make your life more enjoyable.  We'll explore some simple ways to work with percentages, and, in just a few minutes, fractions will become your friends.  After 15 minutes, you will be able add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions in your head in a "fraction" of the time it used to take!
Length:  60 minutes      Audience:  M 103, M 109, and M 127 students
Dates:  2-3 PM, March 4^th (Kar); 5-6 PM, March 10^th (Low); 8-9 PM, March 26^th (Low); 10-11 AM, March 28^th (Kar)

“Mastering the Calculus I and II Mastery Tests”—Mr. Rob Harvey, Dr. Peter Intarapanich, and Mr. Nicolas Zoghb

This workshop will help students master the Calculus I and Calculus II Mastery tests.  NOTE:  Each workshop covers a different mastery test.
Length:  60 minutes      Audience:  Anyone taking the relevant math course
Dates:  Calculus I: 6-7 PM, April 14^th (Intarapanich); 10-11 AM, April 22^nd (Zoghb); 5-6 PM, April 23^rd (Harvey); Calculus II: 8-9 PM, April 24^th (Intarapanich); 1-2 PM, April 25^th (Zoghb); and 7:30-8:30, April 28^th (Harvey)  

 “Microsoft Excel 101: A Basic Introduction to Using Excel”—Charles Rangel

This workshop provides a basic overview of Excel to help students become more familiar with the program.
Length:  60 minutes      Audience:  Anyone interested in learning the basics of Excel, especially useful for QA 118 students
Dates: 4:45-5:45 PM, April 17^th and 10:00-11:00 AM, April 26^th

“MLA Documentation and Format”—Mr. Tom Malchodi and Mrs. Linda Lubrano

This workshop will provide a brief overview of the most important MLA documentation and formatting issues including in-text citations, works cited entries, and first page format for MLA essay assignments.
Length: 50 minutes        Audience:  Anyone using the MLA documentation style for a class or professionally        
Dates:  3-3:50 PM, March 12^th (Malchodi); 10-10:50 AM, April 5^th (Malchodi); 7:30-8:20 PM, April 14^th (Lubrano)

“Percentages for Nutrition Students” —Emily McCabe

This workshop will address the basics for finding percentages in reference to finding percent ideal body weight, percent weight loss/gain, edible yield, and percent yield.
Length: 45 minutes        Audience:  Nutrition majors/minors
Dates: 1:30-2:15 PM, March 25^th and 3-3:45 PM, April 16^th

“Preparing for Your Chemistry Final”—Mr. Rob Harvey, Tess Carroll, and Dr. Kevin Lin

This workshop will prepare students for upcoming chemistry finals and show students how to approach studying materials relevant to the course.  Sessions are class specific, so be sure to register for the course you’re taking.
Length:  50 minutes      Audience:  Anyone taking the relevant chemistry course(s)
Dates:  CH 103/105: 2-2:50 PM, May 2^nd (Carroll); 4-4:50 PM, May 5^th (Carroll); CH 115: 5-5:50 PM, April 30^th (Harvey); 8-8:50 PM, May 9^th (Harvey); CH 201/202: 5:30-6:20 PM, April 29^th (Lin); 10-10:50 AM, May 3^rd (Lin); 2-2:50 PM, May 6^th (Lin)

“Quick Calculations Without the Use of a Calculator”—Mr. Nicolas Zoghb

This workshop concerns executing multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction of numbers (including fractions) without a calculator.
Length: 60 minutes        Audience:  Anyone using mathematics, but particularly education, engineering, and math majors
Dates:  8:30-9:30 PM, March 11^th and 11 AM-12 PM, April 11^th

“Strategies for Solving Word Problems”—Mr. Karlo Zvonarek

This workshop will present students with strategies for solving word problems in mathematics and science classes.
Length:  50 minutes      Audience:  Anyone taking courses in chemistry, math, QA, and/or physics
Dates:   7-7:50 PM, March 6^th; 8-8:50 PM, April 1^st; 1:30-2:20 PM, April 19^th

“Structuring Your Research Paper: Planning through Documenting”—Ms. Debbie Malewicki and Ms. Jodi Shydlo

We will explore how to structure, and stay organized while preparing, your research paper from brainstorming to the sweet end.
Length:  90 minutes (Please be sure to attend the entire presentation.)
Audience:  Students addressing longer (five pages+) research essays
Dates: 8-9:30 PM, March 6^th (Malewicki); 10-11:30 AM, March 8^th (Shydlo); 4-5:30 PM, April 10^th (Malewicki)

 “Think Before You Hit that ‘Send’ Key:  Email ‘Netiquette’ Explained”—Mrs. Pavelle Wesser-Mitra and Mr. Neal DeLuca 

This workshop provides strategies for writing effective emails by following the rules of Netiquette to help you communicate more effectively and efficiently with professors, prospective employers, and future clients. Learn how to avoid the most common errors that lead to misunderstandings.
Length: 60 minutes        Audience:  Everyone who uses e-mail  
Dates:  10-11 AM, March 6^th (Wesser-Mitra);  7-8 PM, March 10^th (DeLuca); 11 AM-12 PM, April 17^th (Wesser-Mitra)

“Unit Conversions and You”—Mr. George Lardas and Mr. Dave Low

The mishandling of quantities measured in units is a source of mistakes and misunderstanding for many students. This workshop presents a step-by-step approach to avoid common errors and ensure that calculations are dimensionally correct.
Length:  50 minutes      Audience:  Students of physics, chemistry, engineering, etc.
Dates:    10:30 AM-11:20 AM, March 4^th (Lardas); 3-3:50 PM, March 27^th (Lardas); 7-7:50 PM, April 7^th (Low)

“Using Excel Effectively in Your Business Program”—Raj Gahlot

This workshop will help students to understand the basics and mechanics of accounting, finance, and QA tools and effectively use Excel for reports and presentations.
Length:            60 minutes       Audience:  Business and science students
Dates: 7-8 PM, April 3^rd; 2:30-3:30 PM, April 11^th

“Victory Over Vectors”—Mr. George Lardas

Vectors are quantities with magnitude and direction and are fundamental to physics and engineering.  They are presented both geometrically (as arrows) and analytically (using components). We will review vector operations (dot and cross products).
Length:  60 minutes      Audience:  Students of physics and engineering
Dates:   7-8 PM, March 7^th; 11 AM-12 PM, April 8^th

“What Is Analysis?  How Do I Write It?”—Ms. Debbie Malewicki and Ms. Jodi Shydlo 

Are you frustrated each time that your professor asks you to include more analysis?  Are you confused by what she/he means and where you’re going wrong?  We will help you understand what your professor is seeking and why analysis is critical to academic and professional papers.  NOTE:  This workshop focuses on a literary analysis for discussion purposes.  Content may then be applied to other subjects.
Length: 60 minutes        Audience:  Everyone, but especially composition students       
Dates:  11 AM-12 PM, March 14^th (Shydlo); 1-2 PM, March 15^th (Malewicki); 6-7 PM, April 9^th (Shydlo)

“What Is Plagiarism?  How Do I Avoid It?”—Ms. Janet Wu York and Debbie Malewicki

Are you confused about when you need to cite?  Are you frightened by the prospect of accidentally plagiarizing?  Do you want to know how to cite in different circumstances, including for oral presentations?  Check out this workshop to learn the answers.
Length: 60 minutes        Audience:  Everyone
Dates:  12-1 PM, March 5^th (Wu York); 10:30-11:30 AM, April 12^th (Wu York); 8-9 PM, April 17^th (Malewicki)

“Writing Research Reports in the Biological Sciences—Michael Smircich

Each section of research reports will be covered.  Students who take this workshop will learn how to locate appropriate sources, organize their papers, and use CSE citations properly.
Length:  45 minutes      Audience:  Any students wishing to improve their lab and science research reports
Dates:     12:30-1:15 PM, March 28^th; 12:30-1:15 PM, April 9^th; 5-5:45 PM, April 24^th