Middlesex CC Helps Students Understand the Value of STEM

At Middlesex Community College, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have influences on a variety of majors. From the college’s health programs to education courses, Middlesex wants to help students succeed in and understand the value of their STEM courses.

"STEM is relevant to everything going on in the world,” said Kathleen Sweeney, MCC’s Dean of STEM. “Having a solid background in STEM is beneficial to many of the majors Middlesex offers, and STEM knowledge and skills can be applied to several different subjects.”

Nicole Antonoff, from Bedford, came to Middlesex after graduating from Shawsheen Tech. An Elementary Education major expecting to graduate in Spring 2022, Antonoff had to take science courses as a requirement for her major, but she understands the value of STEM.

“Life can be very complicated but science provides answers,” she said. “It helps us rationalize and make sense of things. Science has always been a field that constantly evolves. I think it is rather humbling when you realize there is always something you don’t know.”

Antonoff looks forward to teaching her future students STEM skills because of the interactive nature of the lessons. She believes STEM-related activities inspire students to share and test their ideas – attributes she has taken from her own STEM classes, including Environmental Science this past summer.

“I think activities that inspire problem solving, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, a little patience and confidence are necessary to implement in the classroom,” she said. “It is important to build the foundations for these skills at a young age for strong development in the future.”

As secretary of MCC’s Sustainability Club, Antonoff helps the community understand the impact humans have on the environment. The club works on projects together and are planning virtual events. By participating in the club, students are engaging in STEM, working together to problem solve and interact with the world.

“We are here to inform but never to judge, and new or differing ideas are never silenced,” she said. “There is also diversity in our members – we all have different majors, jobs, interests, backgrounds – but in the end, we all have the same goal.”

After graduating from MCC, Antonoff hopes to transfer to a four-year school for her bachelor’s and continue on to receive her master’s degree. She wants to become a reading specialist, but also has an idea for a sustainable tutoring center that would include eco-friendly appliances and roof gardens. The curriculum would also teach ways people can help the environment.

MCC is her starting point. As she said, “The atmosphere at Middlesex is not about where you’ve come from, it’s about where you’re going.”

Maggie Yi, an MCC nursing major from China, is a member of MCC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, the international honor society of two-year colleges. For her, STEM is the foundation of technology and what she plans to do for her career.

“I didn’t know I can handle STEM before,” she said. “After two years at MCC, I am confident.”

Yi believes the transition to online learning has been smooth for her and she has many professors who have helped her on her journey. In the future, she is interested in getting into the biotechnology or bioinformation fields to use what she has learned to make a difference in the world. All of those processes start with gaining a solid foundation in STEM-related fields.

“MCC is a wonderful community college,” Yi said. “It helps me prepare step by step.”

MCC will host a Business, Public Service and STEM Pathway Open House at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10. Prospective students can learn about MCC’s STEM programs – diving into the specifics of applying and paying for college, and the support resources designed to help students succeed.

“At the virtual Pathway Open House, prospective students can learn about the different majors we offer that lead to jobs or provide a path to a bachelor’s degree,” Sweeney said. “From Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Math, Computer Science to IT Cybersecurity, our programs offer different ways to be successful in STEM and STEM-related fields."

Other fields that will be featured at the upcoming open house include Addictions Counseling, Aviation Maintenance, Computerized Accounting, Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Digital Forensics, Environmental Health, Fashion Merchandising, Fire Protection & Safety, Hospitality Management, Paralegal, and Travel Services Management.

For more information or to RSVP for MCC’s Pathways Open Houses on Zoom, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/openhouse or email admissions@middlesex.mass.edu.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!