The championship tournament of the First Lego League goes down at Acadia University on Saturday, Feb 4. Teams of 4 to 10 competitors’ from ages 9-14 are taking Lego to a whole new level by harnessing the power of robotics and engineering. The teams fought to qualify at tournaments over five NSCC campuses and are hungry for the Champions Award.

See pictures from the First Lego League tournament at NSCC Burridge Campus in Yarmouth here:http://robotics.nsccwebpros.com/?page_id=11

More info and news on the First Lego League:http://www.nscc.ca/news_events/events/lego.asp

Hi again!

At NSCC every classroom is different and it can be a big change from what you see in high school. We want to show you just how unique some of our classrooms are, so stay tuned for some cool examples.

For Ben Davis and Shayne Harvey, their classroom at the NSCC Aviation Institute is a hanger loaded with airplanes, helicopters and flight simulators. They’re studying Avionics where they learn how to maintain all the electronics in an aircraft.

Ben was the kind of person in high school who loved to operate the audio and lighting gear at his school’s theatre. Assembling and maintaining the electronic components of the theatre equipment allowed him to see the possibilities of working hands-on in Avionics. The challenge for him now is to learn a whole new set of components. “There’s so many parts on a plane,” Ben says, adding that having instructors with nearly 25 years of experience, they’re in good hands.

Program details for Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics)

Get a closer look at the Aviation Institute on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ESokeV1-MZQ#!

What classrooms would you like to see next? Tell us your ideas in the comment section below!

I often get this question from students applying to applied arts programs such as Graphic Design, Photography or Recording Arts. Submitting an Entrance Portfolio is an essential part of applying to most of our applied arts programs.

"But what is a portfolio, anyway?"

Basically, a portfolio is a way for you to package and showcase your skills and achievments. If you're an animator, maybe it's 20 of your best drawings or paintings for, example. If you're interested in recording, maybe it's five samples of music you've recorded.

"Why do you require I sumbit my portfolio?"

We want to ensure students are up for the challenge of entering the program before they’re accepted, so we ask for previous work samples (among other items) to be included with your application. Every arts program has a different set of portfolio requirements. If you’re applying to Digital Animation, there are specific instructions for submitting drawing samples listed here. If Photography catches your eye, then you’re required to submit a letter of intent and up to 20 photos that showcase your originality, artistic vision and technical skills. Photography portfolio requirements.

Remember: each program’s portfolio requirements are different so it’s important that you read through the instructions carefully. Above all, it’s important you’re sincere about the program you’re applying to and have some prior experience or at least a plan for what you want to do after graduation. Research the program and related careers before you apply.

Check out the program details to find the individual links to portfolio requirements here: Applied Arts Programs

The link to the portfolio details can be found in the Admissions Requirements section on each program page:

In our first challenge, we asked you to describe who you are and some of your interests. We got a lot of great responses about ‘What makes you, you’.

We learned that some of you have a fairly strong idea of what you want to do after high school. And many identified specific interests that they know influence what they ultimately choose. For example, a need to work with people, teamwork, getting things done right, pursuing a passion like singing, drawing, music, and video games.

But where things got really interesting were your suggestions for best all-time high school movie. “Mean Girls” and “Grease” received the top votes. Which begs the questions – How would Grease’s good girl, Sandy, cope with the Mean Girls clique? Would she bond with Cady? Where would Danny Zuko fit in? And what do you think Sandy and Danny are doing now?
 
· Mean Girls trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBAYiBoy43M
· Grease “Summer Nights” in Lego stop motion animation (Lego + Grease…I couldn’t resist) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_whyjdt5Qso
 
If you haven’t already taken Challenge #1, tell us a little bit about you and vote for your fave high school movie. Take Challenge #1 now…