Computer Science professor honored with teaching excellence award

June 2, 2022, Blue Bell/Pottstown, Pa.— For above two a long time, Dr. Kendall Martin has been introducing her learners at Montgomery County Neighborhood School to a new superpower you will not locate inside of the webpages of a comedian e-book. The Computer Science professor has assisted them find the whole probable of technological know-how that surrounds them and study to use it strategies they never ever dreamed achievable, changing their life permanently.

In a common case in point, just one previous university student informed Dr. Martin she considered she was destined to commit her existence working as a beautician in a hair salon prior to getting a Laptop or computer Science class.

“Everybody in her loved ones stated ‘You’re no excellent at technological know-how. That’s for your brother. Why do not you go find out to do hair?’” mentioned Dr. Martin of Lansdale. “And now she’s at Lockheed Martin, doing work as a computer programmer. So, you can start to see you in a unique gentle and see a distinct future for oneself. As soon as you see you can be taught how to do these points, then you very own it. It is your superpower and you can use it nonetheless you want. That can be a life-changing moment.”

Dr. Martin’s endeavours to transform the life of her pupils for the improved is now being celebrated. At this year’s Graduation ceremonies, she was named the receiver of the 2022 Gladys and Raymond Pearlstine Award for Training Excellence.

The award acknowledges a entire-time school member whose teaching is intellectually stimulating, obtainable for all learners, and demonstrates a motivation to the properly-being of pupils the two inside and outside of the classroom.

Finding out she’d been named the recipient of the award was “thrilling,” she claimed and felt like she was “walking on air.”

“The explanation the award indicates so considerably to me is that the legacy of names on that record of earlier recipients is unbelievable,” mentioned Dr. Martin. “It’s these an honor to be ready to see that group of individuals and to know how many men and women have focused all of their occupations to supporting the learners in Montgomery County and creating the adventure of studying be aspect of someone’s everyday living. It’s a wonderful point to have a part in that legacy.”

Martin’s legacy began 23 decades back when she acknowledged a place at MCCC, next past educating stints at Ursinus Faculty and Villanova University. She also labored formerly at Texas Instruments and Bell Laboratories.

“I begun acquiring into educating when my youngsters were being born,” she stated.

Dr. Martin, who holds a doctoral diploma in Engineering, from the University of Pennsylvania, fell in like with Computer system Science, not only for its intellectual challenges, but also the assortment of occupation pathways it opens for learners and its geographic overall flexibility.  

“It’s just this kind of a terrific stepping-stone for students coming into the community higher education to variety of move their lifestyle in a course that presents them a good deal of control and challenge,” she said. “A good deal of our students appear in less than resourced in publicity to technologies, in experience and self-confidence in arithmetic, and so they shy absent from Computer system Science. So, I’ve definitely labored hard to try out and draft people today and get them into the pipeline. If they get a supported knowledge, a ton of them discover it is a wonderful match for their interests.”

Over the decades, Dr. Martin has arrive up with special and innovative methods to expose various teams of pupils to Personal computer Science outdoors the classroom, starting at an early age.

In 2018, she and Seem Recording and New music Technology ( SRT) Teacher Jen Mitlas, introduced a Pennsylvania chapter of Beats by Girlz for pupils in the Centre for Culture, Art, Schooling and Schooling ( CCATE) in Norristown. The plan is a non-common, innovative way of understanding music that was began at the Berklee College of Audio by Affiliate Professor Erin Barra-Jean. She wrote a audio curriculum in reaction to the small numbers of girls getting into the subject and employed the Abelton Force, a new digital instrument, to encourage girls’ interest in music.

Following the success of their program, Dr. Martin and Mitlas then effectively launched Beats by Girlz systems at The Pathway Faculty, a university for pupils predominantly on the autism spectrum The Lakeside Women Academy, which presents educated training for women who’ve experienced traumatic ordeals The Crefeld University, a non-public high college in Chestnut Hill and a summer program for girls at the North Wales Space Library and at Abington Senior High University. Dr. Martin and Mitlas then transitioned from training the plan right to education faculty and team at each faculty to run it them selves.

In 2021, Dr. Martin and Mitlas launched a new study course at the Higher education named “The Language of Electronic Media,” which teaches pupils to use state-of-the-art tools in electronic audio and video manufacturing. Then as the pandemic continued to rage, the two women began hosting “ Montco@Home,” a virtual job interview collection on digital audio manufacturing, that includes artists from all around the earth. Dr. Martin and Mitlas ended up awarded an MCCC 2020-2021 Year of Finding out Innovation Grant for their endeavours.

Most recently, Dr. Martin served start Java Bootcamp, a 4-week, free of charge on line system in coding and laptop or computer programming taught by students throughout summer and wintertime breaks to give Personal computer Science learners a refresh in substance they’d quickly be finding out in the impending semester. The system is operate as a result of the Gals In Science and Technology ( WIST) application, of which Dr. Martin is a member, and funded by the WIST/STEM department. At its start out in summer 2021, the method experienced 10 students in attendance. When it was offered once more through winter split, attendance for the class quadrupled.

Exterior of her function to encourage the Laptop or computer Science system, Dr. Martin was also recognized for encouraging endorse other campus wellness center means that help students, which include free on line remedy with TimelyMD and on-line tutoring offered 24 hrs a working day, seven days a week for pupils.

Dr. Martin saluted the College’s administration for supporting these types of plans and helping carry them to fruition. For yrs, she stated, faculty members would be on the entrance lines helplessly watching learners struggle. Now they can provide hope.

“I’m grateful to the administration for all the operate they’ve completed to make this set of resources,” she mentioned. “Now we can stroll up to learners who are battling and give them some selections. If you give them an alternative, they’ll run with it. I’m content to see the total photo of a student is found and supported.”

During Commencement, Dr. Gloria Oikelome, Vice President of Tutorial Affairs, study quotations from some of Dr. Martin’s pupils, who praised her tremendous heroic ability to get them as excited as she is about Laptop Science and for her by no means-ending fight to see them all do well.

“She is so passionate about pc science and instructing to pupils!” wrote 1 pupil. “She wishes to see her college students be successful. I adore it when she will get energized with us when we determine out how to do anything.”

“She consistently informed us about all of the various sources learners at Montco have,” claimed a different student. “Even while it was not instantly relevant to coding, she still manufactured confident absolutely everyone realized about the mental health and fitness sources accessible, and it assisted me considerably.”

“Dr. Martin has labored more than the past summertime and winter breaks to organize and run an on line Java Bootcamp that is open up to all programming pupils,” stated just one student.

Another pupil shared that “Dr. Martin is an extraordinary professor and mentor. She is generally pushing me to do better and acknowledging my challenging operate.”

With the Pearlstine award now in hand, Dr. Martin said she’s preparing a sabbatical to broaden on the relationships she’s designed in Norristown and continuing to boost the electronic new music program at the College. She’s also energized for the launch of the Challenger Mastering Centre at Pottstown Campus this fall and currently has strategies for her pupils to make interactive museum pieces for the space. Finally, she designs to proceed tutoring learners on the autistic spectrum in electronic music to grow their capabilities in technological know-how and unlock their creativeness.

“I’m thrilled about how quite a few matters could transpire above the upcoming 10 many years,” she said. “I’m looking ahead to the subsequent ten years.”

Penned by Eric Devlin

Photograph 1 caption:  Montgomery County Community School Vice President of Educational Affairs Dr. Gloria Oikelome presents the Gladys and Raymond Pearlstine Training Excellence Award to Professor of Laptop Science Dr. Kendall Martin throughout MCCC’s 55^th Graduation ceremonies. Photograph by David DeBalko

About Montgomery County Neighborhood University 
For much more than 57 yrs, Montgomery County Neighborhood College or university has developed with the local community to meet up with the evolving instructional requirements of Montgomery County. The College’s comprehensive curriculum includes additional than 100 affiliate diploma and certificate programs, as perfectly as custom made workforce education and certifications. Students get pleasure from the versatility of mastering at the College’s thriving campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown, at the Culinary Arts Institute in Lansdale, and on the net.  

As an Reaching the Dream Leader College of Difference, the establishment is positioned at the vanguard of national initiatives to get rid of obstacles to accessibility, enhance studying outcomes, and boost completion for all college students. The School also is acknowledged regionally and nationally for its sustainability management, perform with army veterans, group company and services-studying possibilities, and use of classroom know-how. For 6 consecutive a long time, MCCC has been named one of the Most Promising Spots to Work in Neighborhood Schools in the nation by the Countrywide Institute for Staff and Organizational Advancement for its commitment to range through inclusive discovering and do the job environments, student and employees recruitment and retention tactics, and significant group support and engagement opportunities. For far more information and facts, pay a visit to https://www.mc3.edu.

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