Dean College Announces New First-Year Program that Allows Students To Spend First Year Of College Abroad

Dean College is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) on an innovative new program: First Year Abroad (FYA). Launching in fall 2024, FYA offers recent high school graduates the opportunity to begin their undergraduate studies with a transformative study abroad experience during their first semester or academic year of college.

Unlike students in a gap year program, FYA participants are enrolled as first-year college students on track to complete their college degree within four years. Rather than waiting until junior year to study abroad, FYA students begin their undergraduate career with a life-changing international experience, developing the capacity to thrive on any campus, in any culture, or in any career.

New First-Year Program that Allows Students To Spend First Year Of College Abroad

With over 75 years of experience and educational hubs located in more than 28 countries around the world, CIEE has a proven track record of helping students explore new cultures, learn new skills, and achieve their academic goals. Dean College is pleased to partner with CIEE as the Academic Home and School of Record for First Year Abroad.

“It is clear that Dean College and CIEE share similar values – a focus on the student and their success, as well as high academic quality,” said Scott Sibley, vice president of academic affairs at Dean College. "This will be a wonderful opportunity for students to explore the world as they explore college.”

Students on CIEE’s First Year Abroad program earn college credit during a 12-week semester, taking intro-level classes offered in a wide range of subject areas – including arts, humanities, social sciences, STEM, business, and world languages. Students may study at one of CIEE’s 14 FYA locations for the duration of the 12-week program, or they may design their own program, studying in one location in the fall and another in the spring, or spending six-week academic blocks in multiple locations.

“The wide-ranging offerings will allow for a breadth of study that builds a solid general education framework for further exploration,” said Sibley. “First Year Abroad will allow students to see the world around them, and their place in it, in new ways.”

Semester programs are offered in Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Kyoto, Monteverde, Prague, Rabat, and Seville. Semester programs allow immersion in up to four courses at once, including those with labs or language classes.

Six-week academic block programs are offered in Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, London, Paris, Rome, and Sydney. In a 12-week semester, students can combine six-week academic blocks to study in two different locations or they can spend two six-week academic blocks in a single location. Block courses are 3 or 4 credits, contain requisite contact hours and content, and count for the same credit as if they were spread out over a traditional semester. This allows for more intense study of fewer subjects at once.

FYA students benefit from on-site support provided by international education professionals with best-in-class health, safety, and security training. The program also offers academic tutoring and First Year Workshops, which focus on valuable life skills such as time and money management, resilience and self-care, goal-setting, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication. Activities and excursions organized by CIEE immerse FYA participants in the local culture as they build friendships with college peers.

"CIEE First Year Abroad offers a unique opportunity for students to begin college with a well-supported global experience that fosters personal and academic growth and lays the groundwork for a successful undergraduate career," said James P. Pellow, president and CEO of CIEE. “This program is for any student who wants to see the world and enrich their global perspective right at the outset of their college journey.”

“CIEE works with more than 400 high schools and 1,000 university partners annually to engage students in global learning experiences. So, we know very well that the first year of college plays a crucial role in a student’s academic retention,” said Alexandra Wood, vice president of global ventures at CIEE. “We are enthusiastic about collaborating with high school guidance counselors, college advisors, global education offices, and college admissions offices, to establish First Year Abroad as a pathway to college success."

Learn more about CIEE's First Year Abroad program.

Shared from ->  https://t.co/loJBAqLVer

“Not only do masks protect you from the direct inhalation of viruses, but it’s also like wearing a sweater on your nose"

"A chill is in the air, and you all know what that means — it’s time for cold and flu season, when it seems everyone you know is suddenly sneezing, sniffling or worse. It’s almost as if those pesky cold and flu germs whirl in with the first blast of winter weather.

Yet germs are present year-round — just think back to your last summer cold. So why do people get more colds, flu and now Covid-19 when it’s chilly outside?

In what researchers are calling a scientific breakthrough, scientists behind a new study may have found the biological reason we get more respiratory illnesses in winter. It turns out the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose.

“This is the first time that we have a biologic, molecular explanation regarding one factor of our innate immune response that appears to be limited by colder temperatures,” said rhinologist Dr. Zara Patel, a professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. She was not involved in the new study."

Continue reading the article online ->

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/06/health/why-winter-colds-flu-wellness/index.html

Go directly to the Study -> https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(22)01423-3/fulltext

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/growingwisdom/status/1600153109312872448

Cold exposure impairs extracellular vesicle swarm–mediated nasal antiviral immunity

"Natural gas leaks in Boston are vastly underreported"

"Six times more natural gas is leaking into the skies of Boston than is officially reported, new research shows. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also suggests that gas could be escaping not only from distribution pipelines but from inside businesses and homes as well — a finding that some say may be overstated.

Natural gas is made up primarily of methane, which — when released directly into the atmosphere instead of being burned first — has more than 80 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

The study monitored natural gas methane emissions in the Boston area between 2012 and 2020. It found that an average of 49,000 tons of methane leaked into the air each year. That amounts to an estimated 2.5 percent of all gas delivered to the metro area and is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions of roughly a quarter-million cars operating for a year."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required) 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/10/25/methane-leaks-natural-gas-boston/

And the Boston Globe coverage (Subscription maybe required)  ->   https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/25/science/state-vastly-underestimates-emissions-natural-gas-study-finds/

Crews replaced old underground gas pipes along Summit Avenue. The pipes were leaking and killing trees, adversely affecting health, and contributing to climate change.MARK LORENZ FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/FILE

WHO on Long COVID in children - "A better comprehension of Long COVID is urgently needed"

Background

"The World Health Organization has recently recognized Long COVID, calling the
international medical community to strengthen research and comprehensive care of patients with this condition. However, if Long COVID pertains to children as well is not yet clear. "

Results

"510 children were included (56.3% females) infected between January 2020 and January 2021. At their initial COVID-19 infection, 22 (4.3%) children were hospitalized. Overall, children had persisting COVID-19 for a mean of 8.2 months (SD 3.9). Most frequent symptoms were: Tiredness and weakness (444 patients, 87.1% of sample), Fatigue (410, 80.4%), Headache (401, 78.6%), Abdominal pain (387, 75.9%), Muscle and joint pain (309, 60.6%), Post-exertional malaise (274, 53.7%), rash (267, 52.4%). 484 (94.9%) children had had at least four symptoms. 129 (25.3%) children have suffered constant COVID-19 infection symptoms, 252 (49.4%) have had periods of apparent recovery and then symptoms returning, and 97 (19.0%) had a prolonged period of wellness followed by symptoms. Only 51 (10.0%) children have returned to previous levels of physical activity. Parents reported a significant prevalence of Neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Conclusions 

Our study provides further evidence on Long COVID in children. Symptoms like fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, rashes and heart palpitations, and mental health issues like lack of concentration and short memory problems, were particularly frequent and confirm previous observations, suggesting that they may characterize this condition. A better comprehension of Long COVID is urgently needed."

Source: https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202103.0271/v1/download

The most important element of a good gathering

Hint: You're probably forgetting it

View this email in your browser Dear friends,   The single biggest mistake we make when trying to gather — whether physically or virtually — is assuming we already know its purpose.  Even in our physically-together-normal-circumstances-gatherings, we assume the purpose is obvious. In these Corona times, as physical gatherings are fumbling into virtual ones, purpose becomes even more crucial. We now have a unique opportunity to investigate why we are gathering. Let me give you an example. Over the past few months, millions of teachers have been scrambling to figure out how to teach their courses remotely. My mother-in-law, Nandini, is one of them.   She's a ceramics teacher at an all-girls school who now has to teach remotely. Without a kiln. Without clay. Without a way to squeeze a hand to show the right amount of pressure to apply when burnishing a vessel. It's hard to imagine a more physically-dependent gathering.   So without any of the tools she would normally have to teach, Nandini was forced to ask herself a set of questions: Why do I teach this course? How do I want my students to be different because of this experience? What is the purpose of my class? She realized she wanted her students to be confident problem-solvers, to be risk-takers, and to be able to create something from nothing. Ceramics was the medium but not the actual purpose.    Nandini wanted them to keep using their hands, and to limit screen time. She wanted to keep them working in 3-D. She wanted them to be resourceful and use only materials they already had in their homes.   My mother-in-law changes the class from ceramics to papermâché. She gave the project a new name: "Dinnerware with Paper". And she allowed for some creative freedom: they could make anything that could be put on a table. She also promised that she would still display their work at the school, once it reopened. She told me, "We will still honor their work."     One of the biggest mistakes we make when converting a physical gathering into a virtual one is assuming it will look the same, just online. As you are thinking about hosting virtual gatherings, don't confuse your assumed activity with the gathering's purpose. Your planning should always begin by asking first: What is the purpose now?  Here are some questions to help you get clear on your gathering's purpose: What is the desired outcome?  Who is this gathering for (primarily)? If all goes well, how might the guests be different because of this gathering? How do you want people to feel when they walk away?  If your virtual gathering is replacing an in-person one, has the purpose changed? Is it the same as we originally intended, or has the need changed?  What is the role of the host, and what is the role of guests? If this was helpful for you, I invite you to share this newsletter with a friend, one whom you feel always makes your gatherings a little bit brighter.  Warmest,  Priya  P.S. For a deeper dive, check out my book, The Art of Gathering.

In the News: "The results of the study are expected in four to six weeks"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Germany held a pop concert Saturday to see how those attending could spread coronavirus if they had it. 

German researchers studying COVID-19 packed part of a Leipzig arena with volunteers, collecting data in a “real life” simulation of a pop concert but one with strict health and safety controls. 

About 1,500 people took part in the experiment run by the University Hospital in Halle, each taking a coronavirus test ahead of time, testing negative, and having to wear protective masks throughout the day’s testing. 

Researchers equipped each volunteer with contact tracers to record their routes in the arena and track the path of the aerosols — the small particles that could carry the virus — they emitted as they mingled and talked. Fluorescent disinfectants were used to highlight which surfaces at the mock concert were touched most frequently."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20200822/how-does-coronavirus-spread-at-concert-germans-do-test/1?rssfeed=true

In the News: "The results of the study are expected in four to six weeks"

Economic Development Subcommittee - Agenda - July 30, 2020

Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting

July 30, 2020

6:00 PM

Remote Meeting - Held on “Zoom” Platform

Agenda:
1. Reopening Phase 3 Discussion
2. Market Analysis & Market Position Presentation Discussion



You can find the agenda and Market Analysis on the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/07-30-2020_edc_meeting_agenda.pdf

or the Google doc displayed here (same contents

Economic Development Subcommittee - Agenda - July 30, 2020

St Mary's Women's Faith Formation Group - Nov 17

All women are invited to join the St Mary's Women's Faith Formation Group on November 17 from 9 – 10 AM in the auditorium of the Benjamin Franklin Charter School. 

We will be viewing a segment of Bishop Barron's "Catholicism" series, with small group discussion to follow. Since segments are on independent topics, we encourage you to attend even if you missed a previous session. 

Light refreshments will be served. Feel free to bring a friend!

St Mary's Women's Faith Formation Group - Nov 17