UpTech names semi-finalists for second class

Northern Kentucky business accelerator UpTech named 22 semi-finalists for its second class of participants.

Applications for UpTech II were up 35 percent over last year, and 14 percent of them came from the Cincinnati region.

“We broadened our reach and our capacity to market the Northern Kentucky region as a great place to start a business, work, and raise a family,” Amanda Greenwell, UpTech program manager, said in a statement.

UpTech II participants will receive an equity investment of $50,000, six months of free office space, an executive mentor, a team of business professionals providing financial, law, accounting, sales and marketing support services, one year Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce membership, one year Greater Cincinnati Venture Association membership, and access to resources at Northern Kentucky University’s Center for Applied Informatics and student interns.

The 22 semi-finalists were chosen by a panel of 40 judges that included entrepreneurs, investors and regional startup experts. The final selection for UpTech II will be announced in July.

Sean Thomas & Steve Oldfield

The semi-finalists include two of our Masters in Public History students, Sean Thomas and Steve Oldfield who launched a business (Touritz- Bringing Walking Tours to your Phone) providing technology solutions for historical sites. Among their first projects was the Battle of Augusta, an internet “walking” tour of Augusta, KY and the famous Civil War battle that took place there. (www.battleofaugusta.com.)

Both Sean and Steve had professional broadcast and journalism experience prior to joining the MAPH program. They are using these professional talents to build digital access to historical areas.

Other semi-finalists include:

• 3DLT.com, the “iStockphoto” for 3D printable designs

• Liquid Innovation LLC, which builds mobile software to collect, store, analyze and organize data

• Tixers, which guarantees the value of tickets traded in and allows users to earn points almost immediately that can be used for other tickets on the site

• Happy Fit-Company Health Program, a comprehensive biometric driven health program designed to improve the helath of employees in small and mediun sized companies

• Hire Speaker, an online social media website where anyone can find a public speaker for an event

• Bearhug Technologies LLC, a web-based connected care platform for behavioral health providers

• Kandid.ly, a community and marketplace that compares and books local photographer

• Zooted Delivery, a service that provides delivery from restaurants that don’t currently provide the service.

ELOC in Japan!

Due to a few hectic days before leaving Japan and after returning to the US, our story became a little delayed. Here is the final leg of our trip, JAPAN!

Day 1 in Japan – We arrived in Nagoya very late and went straight to the hotel. Early the next morning we went to Gifu University. Here we were able to sit in on an English class and watch 4 presentations in English and give the students feedback. They were all very impressive – not only was their English very good, but their presentations were humorous and they had great visual aids which they made and/or drew themselves. When class ended, each of the Japanese students matched themselves with one of us and hosted us through lunch in the school cafeteria. Some of those students continued on with us to Gifu City Hall where the Vice Mayor came and talked to us about the city (with a translator – making this the only translated presentation of our trip) and answered some of our questions. On we went.

Next Stop: Gifu Museum where we learned about the history of the city and the Samurai who made Gifu his capital in 1567, with hopes of unifying the nation.  From there we went to the Cormorant Museum to learn about the ancient style of cormorant fishing.  To fish in this manner, cormorants are captured and tamed and trained to be on a rope, which is tied around their necks leaving them enough room to swallow small fish, but not big fish.  The cormorant handler might have control of 10 birds at a time and when he sees they have caught a big fish, he reels it in and squeezes it out of its throat and into a bucket.  This style of fishing is only done certain times of the year and is now a protected fishing style.  It also draws tourism to Gifu city and there are tour boats that go out with the cormorant fishing boats just to watch them fish. It was a beautiful museum and a truly unique experience.

Day two in Japan started with a trip to Mazak Corporation. This is a very impressive facility, and a company with much Japanese history.  We had all heard of Mazak because a member of our cohort works there (Zack, who was unable to go to Asia), but there were many comments later regarding how surprised many of us were to learn more about the machines they build and how many different types they build for so many different industries.

The machines they build make parts for any number of things- ranging from toy robots to engines, to bicycles, to Aircraft engines!  We even saw a machine being built for GE Aviation in Evendale, Ohio!

Mazak was truly generous with our class- we spent 5 hours there and they even made us a fantastic 4-course lunch with western style sandwiches (much appreciated at this stage of our trip!)

From Mazak we went to the bullet train and headed to Tokyo.  For two years I looked forward to comparing the Chinese and Japanese bullet train experiences.  In the end I think the two were too similar to differentiate.  The train attendants were no more or less friendly and the cars were very similar in comfort and amenities.  The main difference was the view – from Nagoya to Tokyo we passed through a great number of tunnels, so the views were not as enjoyable as they were on the Chinese train.

When we arrived in Tokyo we were able to walk from the station to our hotel which was a very nice change compared to the 1 -2 hour bus ride we’ve had to endure between each point in our journey.  We were excited to be in our final location and able to enjoy this city while still looking forward to returning to our families.  Our hotel was in a great area of the city although not in the center.

Day 4 in Japan started with a visit to All Nippon Airways, which we learned means “All Japan Airways.”  Apparently since Japan Airlines already existed, they had to use the Japanese word for Japan, “Nippon.”   We heard a brief presentation about the airline history and their current status and fleet size, and then we were able to walk into the hangar and see a number of aircraft including the 787 Dreamliner that was being prepared for flight.

After leaving All Nippon, we headed to our FINAL company visit: DHL, for a company overview and facilities tour.  We were very impressed with our host for this visit for a number of reasons, but most importantly because he spoke to a great number of things we have learned in class regarding employee development, retention, culture change, process change, etc.  He had also spent time in the states working for Coca-Cola and in the Healthcare industry.

Day 5 in Japan (FINAL DAY) was a free day and most of us went off to explore in small groups with varying agendas.

I can only really speak to what my group did, which was to head to Hamarikyu Gardens. This is a beautiful garden with a large pond – in the middle of which rests a beautiful tea house.

I will tell a funny, although quite embarrassing story about our arrival to this garden.

When we walked into the gate, there was an attractive Japanese lady dressed in a beautiful silken, floral robe, standing with a man in a black and white robe, right next to a sign about the gardens.  We asked if we could take a photo with them, and the woman who seemed to be their handler (much like Mickey Mouse has a handler at Disney who guides him around and talks for him) obliged and took all of our cameras and shot photos of us with each.  Afterward when I was talking to the woman setting up our audio tours, I asked about the woman dressed in the geisha-style robe, taking photos with tourists. The woman quickly corrected me and said, “No, No!!!  She is not a geisha…she is a bride!!”  She explained that many couples request to use the gardens for wedding pictures and they often allow it. The woman with them was not so much a ‘handler’ as a photographer’s assistant.  We were so embarrassed!!!  We spent a good hour or two walking around the park and taking in the beautiful scenery, while learning all about the garden’s history on our audio tour contraptions (complete with videos on an iTouch type of device).

From there we took a boat ride to Asakusa to shop and see the Buddhist temple (Senso-Ji).  It was a beautiful boat ride.  The architecture of all the buildings as well as the bridges was FANTASTIC!  I am so in love with the architecture and urban planning in Tokyo.

Upon arrival to Asakusa, we found a place to eat and were surprised to find Tsvety sitting in one of the two tables upstairs at the restaurant we chose.  She was there with her Japanese friends who had studied at NKU.  We couldn’t believe that as big as Tokyo is and having no idea about each other’s plans, we could end up in the same place.

We explored the market, checked out the temple (still used as a religious temple for many practicing Buddhists), and did a great deal of shopping.  Carman bought the Samurai sword she’d been searching for and had it shipped home, I bought a ring designed by a local artist, and most of us bought t-shirts and/or robes.  It was a very successful shopping day, and a perfect sightseeing day. From there we got back on the subway and headed to the hotel.

This concludes our 15 days in Asia, and after about 15 hours of travel back (much better than the 25 hours of travel on Day 1), we were SO Excited to see our loved ones (and our beds!).

As one student commented, “this trip was definitely the best trip of my life and an experience I’ll be talking about throughout all of my remaining days.  If I had to summarize my overall learning about Asian culture in one sentence, I would say that I learned that there is no such thing as “Asian culture!”  We are so quick to lump all Asians into one category and assume they have the same values, traditions and cultural nuances, but that is absolutely not the case.  Each of these three countries has a very unique history and culture, and each is moving forward at their own pace, in their own way.  All three countries are rich with traditions and history, but each are growing at such a rapid pace, they are finding unique ways to adjust and move forward.  I’ve learned a much better appreciation for all three countries.

Thank you, Dr. Rhee!  Thank you ELOC!!  I will volunteer to be a ‘chaperone’ on any future trip!!  “

Cabins, Trains, and Museums!

Students enrolled in a public history summer course at NKU will begin restoring a log cabin schoolhouse located on campus as their class project. Dr. Brian Hackett, director of the NKU public history program, said the project will give students some first-hand experience in historic restoration.

“The idea is that since most of our students end up working in historic sites or museums they should know some historic building basics,” Hackett said.

According to a Kentucky Historic Society marker, the cabin once stood adjacent to Gosney School in Grant’s Lick and typifies the first schoolhouses built in Campbell County during the 1800s. The students in Hackett’s class plan to clean out the inside of the cabin and remove any loose chinking material between the logs. Hackett said “cabin experts” hired by the university will then make necessary repairs to the weathered structure. The next step will be to restore the cabin to look more like it did when it was originally built.

“We will find sources for the right windows, hardware and chinking material,” Hackett said. “As for the inside, we would probably put in benches and some sort of primitive blackboard.”

When the class project is completed, Hackett would like to have electricity in the cabin so it can be used for historic programs.

One current student and a recent graduate of the NKU Public History Masters Program are involved in two off-campus projects this summer.

Brandon Stephens, who received a Master of Arts in Public History last month, is redesigning the Disabled American Veterans Museum in Cold Spring, KY and Steve Hicks, who enrolled in the master’s program last fall, is helping the Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati acquire a space to store, organize and exhibit small railroad historical artifacts.

Stephens said improving the Disabled American Veterans Museum and managing its collection of historical objects will help visitors learn more about the local organization that was started in 1920.

“Presently the collection has a massive number of impressive objects,” Stephens said. “My job is to ensure that they are more accessibly presented to the public and that they are properly cared for and preserved for future generations.”

Stephens started working on the DAV project as a student intern and was offered a job with the organization in May. He hopes to reopen the museum in the late summer or early fall of 2013.

“Getting to work for an organization that actively helps our veterans is incredibly rewarding,” he said. “I get to work with amazing items every day, including paintings by famous artists and presidential documents. I feel actively involved in the field of history and educating the public outside of an academic setting.”

Hicks is working with the Railway Museum for his master’s degree capstone project. He wasn’t interested in the assignment at first, but that changed when he talked with Tim Hyde, director of the museum located in Covington.

“After doing some research on the railroads I realized they influenced every aspect of America’s growth from 1828 until the present day,” Hicks said. “I feel fortunate that I have the opportunity to help Tim and the Railway Museum.”

The long-term goal of the project is raising funds to build a museum resembling a train terminal. Hicks plans to do everything he can to see that happen.

“At first, I really didn’t know why I decided to enter the public history program other than my love of history,” he said. “I am starting to realize an opportunity like the Railway Museum presents is exactly why I joined the program.”

English As A Second Language (ESL) Endorsement Offered Online

In Kentucky and nationally, English as a Second Language is frequently identified as one of the greatest areas of teacher shortage.  U.S. Department of Education consistently reports that it is the most difficult teaching position in the United States to fill.  Nationally, school-age children who speak a language other than English at home are one of the fastest-growing populations. Their numbers doubled between 1980 and 2009, and they now make up 21 percent of school-age kids. There were 4.7 million students classified as “English language learners” – those who have not yet achieved proficiency in English – in the 2009-10 school year, or about 10 percent of children enrolled, according to the most recent figures available from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky has identified ESL as a major shortage area. The degree of need becomes clear when one realizes that between 1994 and 2005 there was a 417% increase in the number of English Language Learners in Kentucky. This was the second highest rate of increase in the entire nation.

The English as a Second Language Endorsement at Northern Kentucky University program will improve the ability of teachers to teach to ELL (English Language Learner) students in area schools by providing training based on national and state standards and best practices in teaching methodology. This training will support the efforts of teachers who are already engaged in English as a Second Language education and will develop the skills and knowledge base of teachers new to the field of English as a Second Language.

This 15 hour graduate endorsement is based on the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Standards for the Accreditation of Initial Programs in P-12 ESL Teacher Education. Teachers seeking the Master of Arts in Education: Teacher as Leader, Rank I in Education, or a non-degree graduate student (who holds initial teacher certification) may complete the English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement.  Other certified teachers and students in the M.A. in Education program are also eligible for this endorsement as an extended area of study.

Courses for English as a Second Language Endorsement are as follows:

• ESL 601 Advocacy & Leadership in TESOL
• ESL 605 Second Language Acquisition for Classroom Teachers
• ESL 602 Testing and Evaluation in Second Language Learning
• ESL 606 Methods/Materials for Teachers of TESOL
• ESL 608 Grammar & Linguistics for Teachers of TESOL

ESL 601 and 605 will be offered this fall (2013)

For more information please contact:

Denise Dallmer, Ph.D
Professor, Teacher Education
College of Education and Human Services
(859) 572-6935
dallmerd@nku.edu

6/6 Cincinnati VA Medical Center Education Fair

NKU Graduate Student Puts Classroom Lessons to Good Use

“Newport is a food desert,” states Monica Remmy, a graduate student in NKU’s Master of Public Administration program. “It is a thirty minute walk from the low income neighborhoods in Newport to the closest large grocery chain that accepts both WIC and SNAP, and carries a regular stock of fresh produce.”

Nutritional Poverty is a lack of:  awareness of, understanding of, or access to quality nutrition, specifically fresh fruits and vegetables.

Henry Hosea House, Newport, KY

Monica was determined to find a way to provide a resource for nutritional food to the poor people in that area. She found a strong partner and advocate in Karen Yates, executive director of the Hosea House. The Hosea House is the only soup kitchen in Northern Kentucky to serve a meal in the evenings seven days a week.  They serve around 150 to 300 every day.

Together Monica and Karen began to develop some ideas to address the issue.  Monica applied for a $35,000 grant from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati for a Nutritional Poverty research project including starting garden on a plot of land adjacent to the Hosea House in Newport.

With the funding in place, Monica set about building a coalition of agencies for the other resources needed for the project.  The Greater Cincinnati Civic Garden Center’s Community Garden Development Training program, community groups, and friends provided the labor through a series of volunteer days.

Monica also received monies from the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project.  Every semester selected courses at NKU are named Mayerson courses. They are given a sum of money, and are asked to evaluate nonprofits and then invest in those they think will make the most effective use of the funds. The Hosea House Garden was the only recipient of multiple awards in 2013 and received $4,000 of the total $18,000 awarded. The funds will go to build a fence and purchase additional supplies and tools.

“I came to NKU to study for Master of Public Administration because I had a plan, a rough plan to end Nutritional Poverty and I knew NKU could help me develop the tools I need,” Monica said. Courses in grant writing and managing volunteers that are part of the MPA curriculum gave Monica many of the skills she needed to start this project.  “This garden is the first of many I plan to start in Newport.”

In addition to her graduate studies at NKU and managing the Hosea House Garden, Monica is also the Volunteer Manager for Family Promise of Northern Kentucky.

MPA students bring expertise, passion to address regional challenges

When Jim Kaufman set about selecting a requisite capstone project for his Northern Kentucky University Master of Public Administration degree, he picked a topic close to home. He decided to work on creating a network to help local families experiencing childhood apraxia of speech, or CAS. This neurological motor speech disorder doesn’t allow messages to go from the brain to those parts of the body – jaw, lips and tongue – that are needed to produce intelligible speech. In most cases, the exact cause of CAS is unknown and, unlike common speech delays, children do not outgrow it.

While many have never heard of CAS, Kaufman and his family were already all too familiar. His son, Liam, was diagnosed with CAS in 2012. He wanted to help other families in the region by increasing awareness of CAS and improving access to information and recourses to help those families deal with the challenges and frustrations his has experienced firsthand.

“A major hurdle we encountered was a lack of clear and concise information regarding the various services that were available and the process parents must follow to get the best possible treatment for their child,” Kaufman said. “Adding to the complexity for many parents in this region is the fact that services are county-based and vary significantly from one jurisdiction to the next. There were no readily identifiable resources that brought all of the information together to help inform parents how to access services, assistance and support.”

Kaufman had discovered childhood apraxia networks or clearinghouses in other cities, such as Toledo. So for his capstone, he developed a business plan for the Childhood Apraxia Network (CAN) of Greater Cincinnati, which included a mission statement, market analysis, proposed services, potential board members, fundraising and volunteer management plans, and marketing and social media ideas. He has already begun recruiting board members for CAN and has created a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CANofGreaterCincinnati.

Students enrolled in the NKU MPA program must complete the capstone course prior to graduating. Under the guidance of Dr. Julie Olberding, these projects extend far beyond the classroom. Last spring, projects ranged from Kaufman’s CAS work to an examination of financing options for the Brent Spence Bridge.

Projects from last spring included:

• Elizabeth Fricke worked with the City of Covington to study financing options for the Brent Spence Bridge. Her paper identified different funding mechanisms – federal, state, local and private – that have been used to develop major infrastructure projects across the country. It also summarized literature on public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects and best practices in this area.
• John P. Scott evaluated the United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Request for Proposals (RFP) process, which is a key part of the organization’s efforts to mobilize partners and resources to create “sustained community change.” Scott’s project assessed participant satisfaction with the RFP process and identified potential continuous learning and improvement strategies for the United Way to implement during the next RFP cycle.
• Billie Jo Wood worked with Vision 2015 to conduct research that will help guide the organization in developing the next regional plan for northern Kentucky. She created a database of peer regions and their planning processes, developed questions to interview planning bodies in a sub-set of these peer regions and identified key indicators to measure demographic, educational and economic factors in northern Kentucky counties.
• In partnership with the Campbell County Drug Free Alliance (CCDFA), Jeremy Moore and Allyn Reinecke helped to develop a grant application to Drug Free Communities, a federal program that provides funding to community-based coalitions organized to prevent youth substance use. If selected, the CCDFA would be awarded a total of $625,000 – or $125,000 per year for five years – which would fund a full-time staff person.
• Victoria Vogelgesang and Beth Volpenhein partnered on a project to assess and build awareness of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Clermont County, Ohio. They conducted surveys of three stakeholder groups: NAMI program participants; NAMI “affiliates” including former participants, family members, donors, event attendees and others; and the general public, primarily those in the eastern parts of Clermont County.
• At the request of the Kentucky City/County Management Association (KCCMA), Michael Price examined the transfer of “know-how” from retired and current local government managers to the next generation.  Knowledge transfer in local government is a critical issue in light of the fact that a large number of managers will retire during the next 5-10 years, potentially leaving a “knowledge gap.” Price will present his findings at the KCCMA’s conference in October.
• Anthony Rees focused on the potential use of iPads as mobile data terminals for the Union Township (Ohio) Police Department as a strategy to become more effective and efficient due to staff reduction in recent years. He surveyed police officers in Union Township and three comparable departments to assess their attitudes and experiences regarding new technology. He also conducted a cost analysis, drafted policies to guide officers’ use of the equipment, developed a training program and designed an implementation plan.
• Jonathan Arthur and Gargi Sarkar assisted Anderson Township Transportation Advisory Committee with updating the Anderson Trails project, which is designed to enhance walkways and trails and improve non-vehicular access to schools, libraries, parks, retail areas, etc. The MPA students helped to gather data on proposed sidewalk improvement projects and develop a “benefit factor” for each project that was used in prioritizing them.

For more information about NKU’s Master of Public Administration, please click here.

Other useful information:

Office of Graduate Programs Homepage

Information for Prospective Students