Western Nevada College News & Notes: CTE job fair, open house & ribbon cutting planned

What a great opportunity for current students and prospective ones to cultivate a career in Career and Technical Education on Thursday, Oct. 5 at Western Nevada College.

WNC will hold a job fair from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Reynolds Building Construction Lab.

Later that same day is a chance for future students of WNC to see what programs are available to them in Career and Technical Education. The CTE Open House runs from 4 to 7 p.m.

The public is invited to learn about the CTE programs WNC has to offer to prepare them for careers in the “New Nevada.”

In addition, a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for 5 p.m. to celebrate the opening of WNC’s NV Energy Manufacturing Lab. Renovation of the lab was made possible through generous donations from the E.L. Cord Foundation, NV Energy and the Reynolds Foundation.

Mech Tech-Accelerated Mechatronic Systems Training Starts Oct. 2

Technicians already working in Nevada’s high-tech manufacturing and distribution industries can take their skills and knowledge to the next level with an innovative

training program only offered at Western Nevada College.

WNC will prepare a small group to earn their prestigious internationally recognized Siemens Mechatronic Systems Assistant Certification through a custom series of courses covering electrical, mechanical, fluid power and automated technology topics. The Mechatronic Systems Certification training program with Siemens Automation is offered for two weeks of intense study and hands-on practice, starting on Oct. 2. The class meets daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 2-6 and again Oct. 30-Nov. 3. Students will attend a class recap on Nov. 17, including the certification exam.

This is an opportunity for local companies to develop their production and maintenance expertise internally, and to invest in their teams through a world-class Nevada-focused training provider.

Participants will elevate their knowledge and skills for advanced manufacturing and automated systems, troubleshooting and root cause analysis, preventive and predictive maintenance, adaptable expertise for control and support of electromechanical systems and an introduction to Industry 4.0. perspectives.

For more information or permission to enroll, contact Emily Howarth at emily.howarth@wnc.edu or 775-445-3300.

WNC to Celebrate Constitution Day with Films, Panel Discussion

Associated Students of Western Nevada will celebrate the birthday of the United States government with several activities on Constitution Day on Monday.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Western Nevada College’s Marlette Hall, planned events include educational films and a student panel discussion.

To launch the celebration at 10 a.m., a series of educational films will be shown about the history of the Constitution, including interviews with former Supreme Court justices, and constitutional case law. The films were created by the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.

Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 honorable men on Sept. 17, 1787, recognizing all who are born in the U.S., or by naturalization have become citizens. Two hundred-and-thirty years later, the Constitution still shapes our world views, daily conversations and even campus environments.

Later in the day at Marlette Hall, there will be an opportunity for current WNC students and graduates to participate in a panel discussion focusing on what it really means that:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Light refreshments will be served during the panel discussion.

Former NASA Scientist to Lecture about Cassini Probe

Former NASA scientist Dr. Marla Moore will lecture about “The Cassini Probe at Saturn: Its Journey and Legacy” on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Western Nevada College’s Jack C. Davis Observatory.

The free lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. in the observatory, which is located at 2699 Van Patten Drive in Carson City.

In Moore’s timely talk about the Cassini Probe at Saturn, the WNC astronomy instructor will impart what Cassini has done since it arrived in orbit around Saturn in 2004.

“This will be very timely as the Cassini probe will have just crashed into Saturn’s atmosphere (Sept. 15), sending as much data as possible before the ringed giant burns up the probe in a meteoric flash,” said Thomas Herring, the observatory’s director.

On Saturday nights when lectures aren’t scheduled, the observatory is open to the public from sundown to 11 p.m. Star Parties brings together people with an interest in astronomy.

Soccer Club to Share Turf with Reno FC 1868

Two soccer teams founded at nearly the same time will square off in a friendly exhibition match. Western Nevada College’s Soccer Club will have the opportunity to play professional team Reno FC 1868 at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at Greater Nevada Field in Reno.

Gates will open at 9:30 a.m. Tickets for general seating cost $10 — $1 of which will be donated to the WNC Soccer Club.

The match is presented by Greater Nevada Credit Union.

WNC Gallery Director Exhibits His ‘Painting Wall’

One gift changed the painting career of Western Nevada College Art Gallery Director Gil Martin.

While studying painting years ago, a friend presented Martin with a box of art supplies and some tools. Inside the box were directions on how to make paint from earth pigment. Martin eventually followed those directions and there was no turning back. For more than two decades Martin has made his own paint from natural earth pigments that he unearths from various locations around the West. A starch paste made from corn meal works as a binder and Martin adds water to create a thick paint.

One of the products of his natural style of painting is “Gil Martin: Painting Wall,” an exhibit on display through Oct. 6 in the Main Gallery and Atrium on the WNC campus in Carson City.

“I like to work my pieces outside, both on the ground and tacked to a wall,” Martin said earlier this year. “The paint pools up in the small depressions and flows over uneven surfaces of canvas and paper laid on the ground or drips down in furrows on the pinned pieces. There is always an element of chance to the painting process. The material speaks and I then react to the needs of the painting.”

The gallery is open during school hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is located in the Bristlecone Building, 2201 W. College Parkway.