Associate Professor Michael Sellmeyer has a solo exhibition in the Sarah Silberman Gallery on the MC Rockville Campus from February 2 to 27, 2009. Professor Sellmeyer is exhibiting his recent mixed-media drawings, which experiment with improvised themes. Professor Ed Ahlstrom hosted James Gurney, illustrator of the book Dinotopia, for a class presentation to students in his Art and Illustration course. Mr. Gurney's illustrated talk focused on the practical skills and knowledge required in his profession. Adjunct Professor Jean Hirons has been invited to participate in a show at the South Street Gallery in Easton, Pennsylvania, during the month of March. Adjunct Professor Dave Daniels has been invited by the Jacksonville, Florida, Watercolor Society to jury their annual exhibit. He will also conduct a five-day workshop for the organization. In addition, Professor Daniels has an article published in the most recent issue of Watercolor Magic. This publication is a well-respected national magazine dedicated to the medium of watercolor. Anne Nicholson, a longtime sculpture student, is exhibiting in a three-person show at the Glenview Mansion Art Gallery in Rockville from February1 to 24, 2009.

Adjunct Professor Jay Zawatsky from the Business Department led a highly successful, day-long workshop on financial literacy for MCPS secondary teachers who teach similar courses in their schools. Funded by the Perkins Grant, Rockville and MCPS jointly planned the workshop and 22 teachers were in attendance.

Montgomery Blair High School took top honors at the Maryland Science Bowl Competition on Saturday, January 17, 2009. Montgomery College Rockville Campus hosted the event for the third consecutive year on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. To start the day-long competition, Science, Engineering and Math Dean Dr. Sanjay Rai welcomed the teams and other visitors to campus. He reminded everyone that students competing in the Science Bowl will play a significant role in our nation's success. Vice President and Provost Dr. Judy Ackerman presented a trophy to the winning team and a plaque to runner-ups. Twelve high school teams began the event with each team competing in three preliminary matches to determine the six teams that advanced to the second round in the afternoon. Montgomery Blair High School will advance to the 19th annual National Science Bowl in Washington, DC, on April 30 to May 5, 2009.

The first SEM Exchange lecture of the spring semester featured Dr. Kristin Hensley, Biology Department, who focused on the topic “How Much the Eye Tells the Brain.” Dr. Hensley provided fascinating details on her research that addressed the question of how much information does the retina send and how is it apportioned among different cell types. The second lecture in the SEM Exchange series will feature Dr. German Mora, Department of Physics, Engineering & Geosciences, on Thursday, March 12, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Science West 122. He will explore the topic “Global Warming: Past, Present, and Future” from the perspective of whether the geologic past can help us understand our present planet and forecast what will possibly happen in the near future. SEM Exchange is sponsored by the Office of the SEM dean and all lectures are free and open to the public.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Kontos, a current participant in the MC/MCPS partnership Alternative Certification for Effective Teachers (ACET) program, has been nominated for the MCPS First-Year Teacher award sponsored by the Marian Greenblatt Fund. This prestigious award, given every year since 1997, recognizes a first-year teacher who is clearly on the way to being a Master Teacher, and the nomination alone is an indicator of high performance. Ms. Kontos teaches English at Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School as a resident teacher candidate in this alternative teacher preparation program coordinated through the School of Education at Montgomery College.

Two Rockville Theatre and Dance students performed with Marvin Hamlish at the Kennedy Center. They were tap dancers in a recent concert. The Speech, Dance and Theatre Department in collaboration with the Music Department are producing The Who's “Tommy,” a musical that will open for five performances on March 4th.