Faculty

College of the Canyons (COC) took its Advanced Manufacturing and Processing Training (AMPT) project on the road when it brought live welding processes and a virtual reality welding trainer to Arroyo Seco Junior High School Friday. “We want to get them interested at a junior high school level,” said Tim Baber, a COC professor and chair of the AMPT department.  “This is real world training that goes back to STEM.” The goal of the roadshow is to introduce students to career and educational opportunities within welding and manufacturing. “This is a great opportunity to expose kids to welding and manufacturing,” [...]

College of the Canyons students listen to Congressman Steve Knight answer their questions during a forum on Monday, March 13, 2017. Katharine Lotze/The Signal Congressman Steve Knight visited College of the Canyons Monday afternoon to respond to political science students’ questions and concerns about the state and federal government. About 30 students gathered to get answers from the representative, many of which were about healthcare, education, immigration and President Trump. Among many topics, Knight shared his experiences in the military, his high school math class and the novel he is currently writing. Moderated by COC Political Science Department [...]

One day, you may be watching a film directed by one of these aspiring media students. Media professionals advised over 300 students about career paths, goals and the do’s and dont’s of the industry at Media Day at College of the Canyons on Saturday. “We’ve got everyone from animators to broadcast reporters,” said Jennifer Overdevest, the Hart District teacher who was responsible for the creation of Media Day eight years ago. While the event was originally started by Overdevest, she later partnered with COC and Dave Brill, a broadcast journalism professor at the college. “It highlights how good our synergy can be when [...]

“Fake News,” one of the latest buzzwords in the U.S. political sphere, was deliberated and evaluated by professors and students at College of the Canyons (COC) Wednesday. The Fake News Forum, presented by COC’s Institute of Ethics, Law and Public Policy, consisted of four speakers and a Q&A session to tackle various topics surrounding truth seeking, the freedom of the press, news consumption and political culture. “This is an issue about democracy and freedom of speech, and we want to look at fake news and how that works with our political system without really taking partisan views,” said forum moderator [...]

Patti Sulpizio, president of a Democratic Party club in Santa Clarita called the Democratic Alliance for Action, says membership has exploded in recent months. Diana Shaw, also a member of the DAA, says that, in January, she formed a local chapter of “Indivisible,” a progressive-leaning group that has published an organizing and protest manual – “and 130 immediately signed up.” Phillip Germain, a College of the Canyons political science major and founder of a new progressive group called Santa Clarita Valley United for Progress (SCVUP), says his organization’s Facebook page now has about 500 members and continues to grow. Read [...]

United States Geological Survey (USGS) scientists estimate that half of Americans, or 143 million people nationwide, live and work in areas that are exposed to potentially damaging earthquakes. This risk is well-known to Southern California residents who live along the unpredictable San Andreas Fault. So, what is the risk of a magnitude 8-earthquake, better known as “The Big One,” hitting the Santa Clarita Valley? “It will happen for sure over the next 30 to 50 years, but there’s some change it will happen sooner,” said Dr. Vincent Devlahovich, geologist and professor of geology in the earth, space and environmental department [...]

Full-time faculty members at College of the Canyons will receive a 5 percent salary increase after a new collective bargaining agreement was approved Wednesday by the Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees. Members of the College of the Canyons Faculty Association voted in favor of the agreement May 13. read more here...

Edel Alonso, longtime counselor at College of the Canyons who also counseled students at Valencia and Hart high schools, announced Monday she is seeking a seat on the Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees in November. read more here...

David Andrus, political science department chair and one of Jack Allen’s professors at College of the Canyons, is teaching his students to think critically about this year’s elections. He said he’s learning a lot from students, too — some of whom are gravitating toward candidates who are political outsiders. He thinks he understands why. read more here..