Los Angeles Mission College
Department of Life Sciences
Minutes
Tuesday, July 28, 2015 @ 2:30 00 PM (CMS 104)
Present: Steve Brown, Par Mohammadian, Mike Reynolds, Nadine Cano, Pong Nimnual
Old Business
1. Update –Status of CNA/HHO/HO courses, Certificates in Life Sciences. (Mike)
Mike has been occupied hiring faculty to teach health occupation faculty. The courses will be offered in the fall 2015 semester. He will start working on the Life Science Certificates in the fall semester.
2. Update - Life Science program review. (Mike)
Mike has not received any feedback from EPC. He will follow up with D’Art Phares.
3. Status - Env Sci course. (Mike)
VP Mike Allen will consider offering an ENV SCI course in the spring 2016 semester.
4. Update - Biotech Sylmar HS collaboration (Angela)
Angela to collaborate with the new CTE Dean in the fall semester to follow up wit the Biotech Sylmar HS.
5. Update - Reading Apprenticeship. (Par)
Mike and Steve will take the online RA 101 in the fall semester. Angela will be attending the RA workshop in Oakland this week. Additional STEM RA workshops are offered on 8/17-8/18.
6. *Update - SLO assessments. (Par)
Par requested from Mike to email the link to the SLO calendar to the faculty now in case they wish to add extra assignments in their syllabus. Par has revised the calendar to include the Health Occupation courses. http://www.lamission.edu/lifesciences/SLO-PLO.aspx
7. Update - Department policy on storing student course materials. (Steve, Par)
Par reported that Pong has labeled the drawers in the A & P labs. He has requested keys to those drawers from the facilities. Steve reported that the drawers in the #221 suite are available and will work with Pong/facilities to install locks. Steve will send an email to the BIO3 faculty and offer those drawers to be used as storage.
8. Update - Items to procure: platform for floor shaker. (Steve)
Steve to follow up with Mike Fenton in the fall semester.
9. *Update - Moving of models in anatomy lab. (Par)
Par reported that Pong has already designed the form. Patricia has ordered clipboards; once arrived Pong will install them in the labs. Mike will send an email to inform the faculty about the sign-in and out form.
10. Update -Donation of equipment to West LA College. (Steve) – Task completed
11. Progress - Microbiology cultures – alternatives to buying new cultures each semester. (Steve)
Pong has been preparing the cultures and will complete them before the beginning of the semester.
12. *Update - Budget required for copies. (Mike)
Mike will follow up with Dean Madelline to request for a higher budget for copies as the cost of the copies has increased since last semester.
13. *Department budget review (Mike)
Mike to contact VP Danny to request $6,000 for maintenance of Autoclave. The warranty has expired.
14. Update - Student workers for Pong, Nadine in the fall. (Mike) – Pong and Nadine
Two student workers have been hired and are in process of completing their paperwork. In the fall semester, two student workers will be requested from the financial aid office.
15. Progress - Offering Biology 40 vs Biology 110 to allow students to complete core biology courses. (Steve)
Minutes 6/30/15: Steve to develop a course outline for BIO110 by August 30th, 2015.
16. Progress - Bio 3 curriculum: examine COR in light of what is actually being taught, new Bio 5 course. (Steve)
By August 2nd Steve will inform all Bio 3 faculty that they should follow the current COR for the course with regard to the course content in Section II. Steve will work on revising the BIO3 COR in the fall semester. (see #20)
17. Update- Nadine to check how many digital BP equipment are needed and present the cost (Angela)
Pong will purchase additional BP equipment for a total of 8 functional digital monitors.
18. Progress - Bio 3 lab manual revisions. (Steve)
Steve reviewed and discussed the editions of the lab manuals. Minutes 6/30/15: Steve to update and send the BIO3 lab manual to Zoila (bookstore manager) by August 15th, 2015. Pong has agreed to post the individual labs on the Life Science website.
19. Update - Rearranging Bio 6 and Bio 7 curricula; Bio 6 as a prerequisite for Bio 7. (Steve, Diane)
No further discussion – minutes 6/30/15: -Steve and Diane to discuss BIO 6 & 7 related issues; review and revise the course outlines, addition of BIO6 as a prerequisite to BIO7, and receive approval for the fall 2016 semester and before the new catalog is published in 2016.
20. Update – BIO3 course outline review (Steve)
No further discussion – minutes 6/30/15: BIO3 course outline should be reviewed and revised by the fall 2016 semester as well.
21. Update on “Build PODER” collaboration with CSUN. (Par, Steve)
Only Par has submitted a proposal and is awaiting a response from the PI. Steve has chosen not to participate in the fall due to there being only 2 interns and his busier than usual schedule.
22. Update – NSF S-STEM grant application (Par)
Par received approval from VP Danny to work with Llanet Martin to complete the S-STEM NSF project.
23. PLO revision - General Studies and Liberal Arts in Natural Sciences (All)
The PLOs can be updated at the SLO summit in November.
24. Update - Vacant office in CMS 221 will be occupied by a computer science faculty (Mike)
Mike discussed this matter with VP Allen. According to him, the request was reviewed and approved by the WEC, though it appears no one in the Life Sciences department was consulted on this decision. If additional offices are required by the Life Sciences Dept. in the future, the decision will be reconsidered.
25. Update - Review of the AS program requirements in Biology and Health Sciences (in lieu of new UC transfer requirements); some required/elective courses archived (Mike)
Mike will review the program in the fall semester.
26. Examine the possibility of moving the Nutrition courses to Life Sciences (Mike)
Mike will follow up in the fall semester. He also stated that Janice Silver has requested to collaborate with our department to update the Gerontology course and identify a pathway to CSUN Gerontology program.
New Business
1. BIO3 Faculty Inquiry Group - FIG (Diane)
No further discussion since Diane was not present.
Next meeting: Flex day, August 27th, 2015
4
* Mike’s urgent reminders