TCNJ

11 PRAIRIE | WINTER 2021 200 Number of kids from seven different states who participated in a STEM-focused virtual summer camp hosted by TCNJ's Center for Excellence in STEM Education. Seriously sustainable The American Association for Environmental Education accredited TCNJ's minor in environmental sustainability education in the fall, making us the only college in New Jersey with that designation. 9 ILLUSTRATIONS BY PETER ARKLE. FACING PAGE: PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE ANDERSON; THIS PAGE, MAZDA USA. 10 million The total number of CPU hours run by the college's Electronic Laboratory for Science and Analysis computer. Wishes granted The National Science Foundation awarded research grants to physics professors Shannon Graham and David McGee. Their colleague, Nathan Magee, received a grant from the Department of Energy. They will, respectively, study geologic events linked to large earth- quakes, microstructural fabri- cation systems, and properties of mid-latitude cold clouds. 5 6 Lions talk shop TCNJ's Alumni Association funded a $12,500 proposal for the campus food pantry, The Shop@TCNJ. The donation includes the purchase of a refrigerator to safely store pre-packaged, pre-cooked meals from the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and quarantine care packages for students in isolation because of COVID-19. 8 A 6-foot perspective We all know the term social distance by now, but leave it to English professor Felicia Steele to determine when it was first used as a verb in public discourse. According to her research, it was on March 24, when Deborah Birx, then coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said it in a briefing. "Biggest bang for your buck" Forbes.com listed TCNJ as one of just 20 schools to offer a quality education at an affordable cost, based on a study from BrokeScholar. 10 Alumnus Jason Erdreich He says … " If we could create a sense of community for even one person, then we did our job." — Patrick Merklee '22, president of TCNJ's game design club, on the virtual events student organizations held to connect students socially during remote learning. 7

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