Apply now for TCC’s STEM Promise Program

High school seniors, adult learners and military-related students who want to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can apply to Tidewater Community College for a scholarship that pays four semesters of tuition and fees in full.

The TCC Women’s Center STEM Promise Program will award 20 scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year. Recipients will graduate ready to enter a career or to transfer to a four-year college to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

“Demand for workers with skills in higher-paying STEM fields is expected to continue to outpace demand for non-STEM workers over the next decade,” said program coordinator Jaedda Hall. “This program is designed to create a larger and more diverse STEM workforce pipeline for our local area and beyond.”

STEM Promise Program scholars benefit from TCC’s smaller class sizes, specialized support from advisors and STEM career exploration and mentoring from the college’s Women’s Center.

You may qualify if you:

have a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher (or GED equivalent);
are eligible for in-state tuition;
place into College Composition (English 111) and PreCalculus (Math 161) or higher;
have earned no more than 24 TCC credits at the time of application submission.

Scholarship recipients must enroll as full-time students in one of the following TCC programs:

These associate degrees transfer to bachelor’s programs at four-year institutions. Graduates may be eligible for a Two-Year Transfer Grant from Virginia’s Community Colleges, which provides up to $3,000 annually for STEM students who complete their final two years at select universities in the Commonwealth.

Although the scholarship is aimed at women and minorities, anyone can apply. The deadline is April 1, 2021.

Interested students must first apply for admission to TCC. From there, they can apply for the scholarship by visiting www.tcc.edu/stempromise.

For more information, contact the Virtual Student Support Team at 757-822-1111 or email info@tcc.edu.

Live! Inside a Civil Engineering Technology surveying lab

In this series, we provide a closer look at hands-on learning during COVID-19.While COVID-19 means online learning for most Tidewater Community College students, some are in the classroom for hands-on training. In fact, more than 400 sections of classes in interior design, automotive, health professions, welding, veterinary technology, culinary arts, visual arts, electronics technology and other programs have on-campus components.

A closer look at a geomatics lab

Geomatics requires working with Earth-based data or spatial data and is a requirement for the associate degree in Civil Engineering Technology and certificates in Construction Project Management and Land Surveying. Surveyors work with spatial data regularly. TCC’s geomatics lab (CIV 175) offers a hands-on opportunity to practice with instrumentation tools, which includes automatic levels and total stations.

Geomatics lab is conducted in the great outdoors with all of the equipment set up prior to class time. Students work in groups of two separated by a distance of 100 feet or more. They practice gathering field data with both traditional and modern instruments.

Zachary Tounge
Mary Otterbourg

“Surveying is a fundamental course and the foundation for any kind of construction,” said Chris Cartwright, head of TCC’s Civil Engineering Technology program.

Students use the same equipment that engineers and surveyors work with every day to make measurements.

“We are fortunate to keep our group size to only two students per group maximizing the time each student has to practice the techniques necessary to operate the equipment,” Cartwright said.

Student voices

“Being outdoors and the hands-on practice of what we’d be doing in the real world is the best part about being back on campus,” said Mary Otterbourg.

“I enjoy the hands on work. It’s hard to do everything online, so doing this in person makes it much better,” said Marcus Rolle. “My favorite part about this class is enhancing my skills. I do this in the Navy, so taking this class will help me use this skill in the civilian world.”

“I love the surveying, getting to learn and use the instruments,” said Kellie Burchfield.

About the professor

Cartwright started as an adjunct faculty member at TCC in the spring 1999 and transitioned to full time position in August 2002. The TCC alumnus transferred to Virginia Tech to earn his bachelor’s in civil engineering. He holds a master’s from Arkansas University in environmental engineering.

Good to Know

If students can’t make it to campus for lab, they can pursue another option in the fall that allows them to work with a licensed land surveyor as a mentor to compete all requirements.

More information

To learn more about TCC’s Civil Engineering Technology program, email Cartwright at ccartwright@tcc.edu or enroll@tcc.edu or call 757-822-1111.

Apply now for TCC’s STEM Promise Program

The TCC Women’s Center STEM Promise Program will award 20 scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year. Recipients will graduate ready to enter a career or to transfer to a four-year college to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

STEM Promise Program scholars benefit from TCC’s smaller class sizes, specialized support from advisors and STEM career exploration and mentoring from the college’s Women’s Center.

To be eligible a student must:

qualify for in-state tuition;
have a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher;
place into College Composition (English 111) and Precalculus (Math 161) or higher;
have no more than 24 TCC credits;

Scholarship recipients must enroll as full-time students in one of the following TCC programs:

Although the scholarship is aimed at women and minorities, anyone can apply. The deadline is March 1, 2020.

Interested students must first apply for admission to TCC. From there, they can apply for the scholarship by visiting www.tcc.edu/stempromise.

For more information, contact the TCC Enrollment Team at 757-822-1111 or enroll@tcc.edu.

TCC awarded National Science Foundation grant for STEM

Tidewater Community College is part of a new coalition to diversify the nation’s workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by increasing the number of degrees awarded in those disciplines.

The National Science Foundation recently announced grants for six Louis Stokes regional centers of excellence in support of that effort. Minority populations, including African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska natives, natives of Hawaii and native Pacific Islanders, continue to be underrepresented in the STEM fields. Student working in chemistry lab.

TCC’s award was for $197,000 over a three-year period.

TCC’s partner institutions in the Southeastern Coalition for Engagement and Exchange in Nanotechnology Education are Norfolk State University, Penn State University, NASA Langley Research Center, Jefferson National Laboratory Applied Research Center and Eastern Virginia Medical School.

“Demand for workers with skills in the higher paying STEM fields is expected to continue to outpace demand for non-STEM workers over the next decade,” said Thomas Stout, TCC’s dean of STEM. “We want to prepare our workforce to meet immediate and future needs.”

This partnership provides opportunities for TCC students to train in the semi-conductor fabrication labs at Norfolk State University. In doing so, they will gain valuable hands-on experience and prepare for work in the industry.

TCC offers an Associate of Science in Science transfer degree and multiple associate degrees in the health sciences, engineering and technology fields.

Knowing this code can get you a job – fast. Meet the TCC instructor who teaches it

If learning building codes sounds dry, you’ve never taken Christina Jackson’s class at Tidewater Community College.

The code team leader for the City of Norfolk uses real-world examples to make the International Residential Code come alive to a classroom of contractors, veterans, future engineers and recent high school graduates. Better yet, her class prepares students for a certification exam that, upon passage, makes them eligible to be a building code inspector or plan reviewer of I and II family homes. Salaries start in the $40,000 range.

“One certification and you can have a job,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot of opportunity out there. It can become a career. It’s easy to be cherry picked if you’re good.”

Complete TCC’s Career Studies Certificate in Construction Project Management or Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering Technology, and you could go even further.

“TCC’s programs are a doorway to get people to where they’re going to be needed in the future,” Jackson said.

The Dayton, Ohio, native fell into the field after starting as an accountant. She began her code inspection career with a national corporation that did building code enforcement for different localities in the greater Cincinnati and Dayton areas. Jackson transitioned into an inspection role and found a career path that appealed to her “community first” attitude.

“If you’ve ever seen the show ‘Hoarders,’ I was the one from the city telling you to clean up your house,” she said with a laugh.

The 30-chapter textbook for the BLD 115 class on the Virginia Beach Campus rivals the thickness of the dictionary, but it’s a good investment for anyone planning to make a career in the field. “I cover the first 10 chapters in my class,” she said. “Once you buy the book, you’ll refer to it for all the codes for building a house inside and out – electrical, mechanical, plumbing. It’s all in there.”

Most of us don’t think about codes until disaster strikes, she said. When a tsunami or hurricane impacts a home, an investigation can reveal that a structure wasn’t up to code leading to liability issues. “By knowing the code before you build, you’re thinking about it on the front end, not the back and you can prevent problems,” she said. “If you’re in construction or drawing up plans, you have to know the code.”

The most tedious detail is relevant.

“Let’s say you’re building a roof,” she said. “There’s even a code for the type of fasteners to use.”

Jackson incorporates a virtual inspection into the class so students can decide if a building passes or fails.

Learning building code is a portable skill; Jackson is the wife of a Navy chief stationed at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. She was able to easily transition to an inspection job in Newport News after working in Ohio and ultimately landed at the City of Norfolk in 2011. It’s not unusual for her to manage 20 inspections in one day.

As one of the region chairs for the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association, she has an eye out for jobs for qualified students. Jackson is also a founding board member of Women in Code Enforcement and Development; she currently serves as the vice president of the Virginia chapter. She aspires to be a chief building official and enjoys introducing the field to self-motivated students.

“There’s a need for code inspectors right here,” she said. “One of the best parts of being an inspector is seeing the transformation of your neighborhood, your corner of the city. It’s just an awesome job.”

Reach out to Jackson with questions at cjackson@tcc.edu.

“TCC got me where I wanted to be”

On Dec. 15, 2005, Chad Oxton was not qualified for an engineering technician opening with the City of Suffolk.

That changed on Dec. 16, 2005, the day he graduated from Tidewater Community College.

“TCC got me where I wanted to be,” said Oxton, distinguished by hair that reaches far below his shoulders, which is often covered by a helmet given his penchant for his Harley Davidson. “The day I graduated I was qualified. The day before, I wasn’t.”

Suffolk’s Public Works Department hired Oxton for the position he wanted thanks to his Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering Technology. Three promotions later, Oxton is an operations superintendent II who oversees six crews that do everything from digging ditches, patching potholes, plowing snow and cutting grass for Virginia’s largest city by land at 429 square miles.

The Navy veteran didn’t fancy himself much of a college student having grown up in a trailer park in Richmond, Maine. But his GI Bill© benefits presented options he didn’t want to squander.

TCC was a good fit for the construction worker, who initially settled on engineering, but struggled with the higher-level math required by the program. A civil engineering associate made a lot more sense.

“It was a natural fit,” he said. “Part of the program was soils with a soils lab, fluids with a fluids lab and concrete with a concrete lab. We were studying concepts that were pertinent to what I was doing for a living. It was stuff I could take to work with me the next day.”

Oxton, who also holds a Career Studies Certificate in Land Surveying and an Associate of Science in Business Administration, enjoyed learning under civil engineering technology program head Chris Cartwright. He shared with Cartwright his thoughts in the importance of adding a class in blueprint reading given the growing demands placed on construction managers.

Cartwright was all for it, and today Oxton teaches Blueprint Reading along with a Contract Documents and Construction Law class and a Planning and Scheduling class, all at the Virginia Beach Campus.

Each of the classes go well beyond theory. Oxton’s expertise in blueprint reading allows him to speak to it as it relates to framing, concrete work and site development plans. “I have experience in all of those industries so I can speak to those trades from residential all the way to heavy industrial,” he said.

The documents and law class is an eye opener that demonstrates how essential wording a contract is to avoid lawsuits. The scheduling class revolves around learning Microsoft Project; students receive a copy of the software program upon completion of the course.

“I like that I am teaching to my community,” Oxton said. “Every class I teach correlates to my community. I’ve seen students rise up in their careers or have opportunities presented to them from being a part of classes here.”

As chair of the Hampton Roads Public Works Academy, Oxton particularly enjoys introducing young people to a rewarding career path.

“Anybody in construction who is trying to make a career move is a good fit for civil engineering technology,” he said. “The TCC program gives you a chance to take your tool belt off and go to work in an office or behind the wheel of a pickup truck. At least there’s AC in the pickup truck!”

In Suffolk, Oxton likes that he has both a desk and a truck in addition to that Harley that is awaiting his next trek. He and wife Alyce are also passionate about animal rescue; both are on the board of directors for Giant Hearts Giant Dog Rescue, Inc. Though they recently lost their two Saint Bernards, they are regular fosters to Great Danes, English Wolfhounds and Mastiffs – as many as four at a time.

ASHRAE’s hot scholarship helps HVAC/R students land a cool degree

Over the last 30 years, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to nearly 500 students. These awards are designed to motivate students to pursue engineering or technology careers in the HVAC/R field.

In 2010, the Hampton Roads Chapter of ASHRAE announced the creation of a unique, chapter-specific scholarship: the Daniel C. Pettway Scholarship at Tidewater Community College.

Daniel C. Pettway started his career in HVAC/R as a youngster by helping his neighbor assemble catalogs. His passion for the field led to decades-long involvement with ASHRAE while his career advanced through the heating and air conditioning industry in both the residential and commercial marketplaces.

A TCC alum, Pettway transferred to Old Dominion University with his Associate of Science in General Studies, but was never able to obtain his bachelor’s due to financial constraints.

He returned to TCC later as an adult learner to set a good example for his son, Daniel C. Pettway II, when he realized “just how important a college degree is” for job advancement.

His plan worked. Pettway II earned an Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering Technology, graduated with a bachelor’s in civil engineering from ODU and is now a project manager for Akridge in Washington, DC.

The Daniel C. Pettway Scholarship at TCC recognizes Pettway’s long-standing commitment and contributions to ASHRAE at the local, regional and national levels. The award also strives to “serve humanity and promote a sustainable world” by helping to train students for careers focused on energy efficiency, air quality and industry sustainability.

RJ Hartman, the outgoing 2017 ASHRAE Hampton Roads Chapter President and LEED Green Associate Mechanical Engineer at Clark Nexsen, calls the scholarship a well-deserved honor for Pettway and an important part of ASHRAE’s mission.

“To say that Dan is involved is an understatement. Since the ’80s, he’s been working with the local chapter, at the regional level as director at large and has even served as vice president of the ASHRAE Society. He’s a huge supporter of our initiatives regarding research promotion and energy.”

The scholarship also has a personal meaning to Hartman, who was a recipient of an ASHRAE scholarship award when he was pursuing his mechanical engineering degree at ODU.

“There are tons of metrics people are using now to understand how to get to a ‘green’ construction,” said Hartman. “Insulation, window performance, HVAC systems, locally sourced materials, reusing construction materials. . . . Everyone wants to be in a 75-degree building in 100-degree weather, and we want you to be comfortable too – with the lowest environmental impact possible.”

Adam Forshey, Treasurer, Hampton Roads ASHRAE Chapter, and Ramon Veal, 2017 scholarship recipient.

Eligible students need to demonstrate interest in an HVAC/R career and be enrolled in one of TCC’s engineering, HVAC/R or computer-aided drafting and design programs.

Ramon Veal, this year’s award recipient, is a mechanical engineering technology student with a blueprint for success and a passion for evolving technology.

A talented musician on the clarinet and drums, Veal originally came to TCC to study music, but after experimenting with engineering classes, he fell in love with the subject: “I still love music, but I’ve definitely found a passion for engineering here.”

Veal enjoys the opportunities available to learn beyond the classroom – and recently placed fourth with his classmates in the American Society for Engineering Education Two-Year College Division Model Design Competition in Salt Lake City.

“The scholarship has made a difference,” Veal said.

“This funding has helped fill the gaps from my grant money and allowed me to buy my supplies and books,” he said. “It’s been a boost for my self-esteem. Knowing someone notices that I’m doing something good and wants to help me go even further? That’s cool!”

Veal will finish his associate degree next year and hopes to transfer to Virginia Commonwealth University to pursue a bachelor’s.

“I want to enjoy what I do for a living,” Veal said. “TCC is preparing me for a career that will allow me to do just that.”

For Hartman and local ASHRAE members, the outcome couldn’t be better; “We want to educate our young people to be more responsible to the Earth,” he said. “But, ultimately, our goal is to continue the legacy of our chapter by creating more engineers who can better serve our community.”

For more information about available scholarships at TCC, visit www.tcc.edu/scholarships. To learn more about establishing a scholarship at TCC, contact the TCC Educational Foundation at foundation@tcc.edu or 757-822-1080.

“A civil engineering degree is a game changer,” says TCC alumna from VDOT’s Richmond Division

Karen Kee had a slate of marketable skills. She just needed the college degree to go with them.

So she turned to Tidewater Community College, earning her Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering Technology.

Today the construction program analyst for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in Richmond teleworks from home one to three days a week.

“A civil engineering degree is a game changer,” she said.

After graduating from Greenville County High, the Emporia native skipped from job to job, including a stint in consumer collections. She signed on with VDOT Hampton Roads initially as a fiscal assistant, where her duties ranged from processing financial transactions to monitoring budgets to coordinating emergency response teams when appropriate.

After more than four years, she longed for another challenge and applied for a contract administration position at VDOT. She got rejected three times.

Kee moved into a fiscal technician position but wasn’t satisfied.

“I was stuck,” she said. “I felt like I had bottomed out.”

For Kee to advance, she realized she needed the credibility a degree offered.

Husband Jerry encouraged her to attend TCC, pushing its business program. But he had earned the civil engineering associate, and given her background with VDOT, Kee considered that associate a better fit.

“It’s not going to be easy,” warned Jerry, an assistant residency administrator, who will mark his 40th year with VDOT this year.

I don’t expect it to be,” Kee said, who continued to work full time while taking evening classes. That meant driving twice a week from her Franklin home to the Virginia Beach Campus for her civil engineering coursework.

The 64-credit associate, taught by civil engineering professionals who incorporate real-world experience into instruction, teaches the fundamentals of surveying, construction materials and testing and computer-aided drafting and design.

Kee had never taken calculus, but given her aptitude for math, she enjoyed the challenge, using apps and books from Barnes & Noble to help with formulas.

The hydraulics component of the program was her favorite. “It’s amazing, the power of water,” she said. “I probably would have pursued that part of civil engineering more in depth had I been younger.”

She chipped away at the degree, graduating in 2012. Kee, 51, intended to transfer into the bachelor’s program at Old Dominion University, but raising two children and managing a multitude of projects consumed the bulk of her time.

With her degree and numerous certifications, Kee became a more attractive job candidate and left VDOT to work in consulting as a management analyst in construction services, a position that doubled her salary. She also was given a vehicle to help with the commute from Franklin to Richmond.

“The degree was the icing on the cake to help with the skill set I had,” Kee said. “It made me a lot more valuable.”

She returned to VDOT four years ago, this time working in the Richmond District Construction office, though she only makes the long drive a few times a week given how computerized her work has become.

Kee, who is president of the board of directors of Cypress Cove Country Club in Franklin, is an avid crafter, passionate golfer, wife and mother of two daughters. She encourages others to consider the civil engineering field given its versatility.

“There are so many different avenues,” she said. “You can go survey; you can go geotechnical. You can do drafting or hydraulics engineering. There aren’t many women in the civil engineering field because it’s been deemed a man’s world. I had to fight to earn the respect from co-workers and peers.”

“Now I can sit around the table and be part of the conversation with engineers alike.”