Indian Hills students involved in mock mass casualty drill
Indian Hills Emergency Medical Services (EMS) students and public service units from Wapello and Mahaska counties recently participated in a mock mass casualty drill at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont High School. The scenario was a shooting in which two gunmen opened fire in the school. Law enforcement and medical personnel responded to neutralize the gunmen and evacuate the wounded to be treated and transported to nearby hospitals.
This was the first large-scale exercise of its kind in this area in more than 10 years, and students and faculty from IHCC’s EMS program had a huge role in its success. Several Indian Hills students, along with students from Job Corps, played victims during the event.
Wapello County Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Richmond, who also serves as an adjunct instructor for the EMS program, directed the student/victim component of the event. He said afterwards that “the event wouldn’t have been such a resounding success if not for IHCC EMS and Job Corps students.”
Richmond also gave kudos to Ronda Lamb, IHCC EMS instructor, for her work on moulage and preparation with the students. This is the first time our students have participated in such an event and all those who did said it was a great learning opportunity.
Upward bound funded for Indian Hills Community College
The U.S. Department of Education has approved funding for the TRIO Upward Bound program at Indian Hills Community College that will begin this fall.
Staff working with the Upward Bound program will identify 60 students per year from Centerville High School and Ottumwa High School and will assist them with graduating from high school and enrolling in college. The focus is on assisting first-generation college students and those with economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dr. Nancy Nelson, Director of Pre-College TRIO Programs at IHCC, will coordinate the program that will offer services throughout the calendar year. During the school year, participants will be able to attend sessions targeting educational success, after-school tutoring and personal advising. In the summer, students will attend a six-week, residential summer program on the IHCC campus that simulates a real college experience.
Indian Hills will receive $257,500 per year for the next five years to support the program. IHCC is one of 10 colleges in Iowa to receive Upward Bound funding and is one of only two new programs in the state.
Enrollment in the program is based on qualifying criteria such as household income and the level of education obtained by a student’s parents. For more information, contact Nelson at [email protected] or (641) 683-5130.
IHCC Auto Technology program awarded grant
The Iowa Automobile Dealers Foundation for Education has awarded a $12,000 grant to the Indian Hills Auto Technology program.
Andy Summers, auto technology instructor, said the college has purchased six Snap-on Ethos scan tools and a tool cart to secure them with the funding. He said the new equipment is allowing instructors to thoroughly teach scan tool usage during the program’s engine performance and testing classes.
Summers said the purchase is also allowing students to achieve an Ethos Certification from Snap-on which will increase their employability after graduation.
The organization awarded four grants to community college programs this year.
“Our mission is to support automotive programs on the community college and high school level,” said Mary Cason, executive vice-president of the Iowa Automobile Dealers Foundation for Education. “Providing grants helps train our future dealership employees to use the latest equipment and to enhance their educational experience.”
To learn more about IHCC’s Auto Technology program, contact Summers at [email protected] or (641) 683-5111, ext. 1745.
Campers build quadcopters and learn about manufacturing
Fourteen campers, ranging in age from 12-16, learned about the engineering design cycle as they designed and built their very own mini indoor quadcopter during Indian Hills’ Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Summer Manufacturing Camp last month.
Using digital fabrication tools and CAD software, campers designed a chassis and operated a laser cutting system to cut it out. They then assembled their quadcopters using a soldering iron.
During the four-day camp, students also toured all seven of the college’s advanced manufacturing programs and participated in various hands-on activities, including: robotic welding, virtual welding, designing and CNC machining fidget spinners, building circuits, programming robots, building hoses for hydraulic pumps, bending and cutting conduit and experimenting in various laser and optics labs. Campers also had the opportunity to tour Agri-Industrial Plastics Co. a plastic blow molding manufacturer in Fairfield, where they learned about the manufacturing process.
The camp was made possible by a grant from the Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association and by partnerships with the Midwest Photonics Education Center (MPEC), Indian Hills Community College and Agri-Industrial Plastics Co.
The “Bystander Effect”
Imagine a young girl lying on the ground next to a tipped wheelchair in the grass by the Bennett Student Services Center on the Indian Hills campus? Would anyone stop to help? Or would they go about their business? Stay tuned!
This is part of a Summer term assignment for students enrolled in Indian Hills’ Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program. Denise Kluever, OTA Program Director, said students spend a few hours in wheelchairs on campus to gain an understanding of the physical and psychological effects of being disabled. Students examine the environment around campus looking for both problem areas and solutions exhibited on campus like ramps, handicap-accessible bathrooms, electronic opening doors and placement of the buttons pushed to open the doors and the location of items in common areas like the library and Warrior Café.
Students take measurements of door widths and heights of counters and table tops. They get very hot and sweaty, and their arms and hands ache from pushing up and down the rolling hills on campus.
The students record reactions of others who see a person in a wheelchair struggling with a situation. These reactions range from being over solicitous, impatient or not knowing whether to offer help--all true reactions to what individuals with need experience every day.
Now back to our story about the student lying on the ground after falling off her wheelchair. A passing motorist saw the girl down on the ground, stopped, backed up, got out of their vehicle and offered assistance--all within the first minute of the “accident”.
Kluever said this assignment has proven to be a great, reflective exercise for students and hopefully for all who read this.
For more information about the Occupational Therapy Assistant program, contact Kluever at [email protected] or (641) 683-4243.
Winners from the Indian Hills Foundation Scholarship Golf Tournament
The foursome of Jamie Thomas, Mick Lawson, Scott Maas and Jeff Collect combined to shoot a 17-under par 55 in winning the 39th Annual Indian Hills Community College Foundation Scholarship Golf Tournament. The group won the four-person, best shot tourney by one stroke over the team of Tom Keck, Brian Keck, Steve Wetrich and Steven Wetrich.
In a scorecard playoff, the group of Jack Reed, Greg Loder, Scott Reed and Tanner Reed won the first flight. Jeff Van Baale, Jon Graves, Mark Johnson and Roger Bartleson joined forces to take the second flight.
Proceeds from the event, played at Cedar Creek Golf Course in Ottumwa, provide scholarships for IHCC students.
Golf Tournament to benefit the IHCC Booster Club
The First Annual Indian Hills Booster Club Golf Tournament is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 8, at the Preserve on Rathbun Lake. The four-person, best shot event will begin with a 10:00 a.m. shotgun start.
The entry fee of $100 per person ($400 per team) will include cart and green fees; tee gifts; food and beverages; tee prizes for longest drive, closest to the pin and longest putt; and cash prizes for the winners.
All proceeds from the tourney will assist with IHCC student-athlete scholarships and will support athletic department special projects.
Individuals and Teams can register online at www.indianhills.edu/bcgolfouting.
For more information, contact Athletic Director Brett Monaghan at [email protected] or (641) 683-5207. The registration deadline is Thursday, Aug. 24.