Montgomery College looks for student trustee

The nominating committee for the Montgomery College Board of Trustees is accepting applications from Montgomery College students interested in serving a one-year term on the Board of Trustees starting July 1, 2010.

The Board of Trustees is the governing body for Montgomery College, a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Rockville, Germantown, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus Workforce Development and Continuing Education centers throughout Montgomery County. Montgomery College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through credit and noncredit programs, in more than 100 areas of study.

Montgomery College students who wish to be considered for the student trustee position must have successfully completed at least 18 credit hours at Montgomery College and possess a cumulative grade point average and a current semester grade point average of at least 2.0. At the time of appointment, and during the term of office, the student must be a Montgomery County resident enrolled in at least six credit hours of course work at Montgomery College. Employees of Montgomery College are not eligible to apply.

Student applicants must attend an orientation session at Montgomery College before being interviewed by the nominating committee. The student trustee position requires an extensive time commitment beyond the regular Board meetings and trustees receive no financial compensation. The student trustee is appointed by the Governor, upon recommendation of the five-person Nominating Committee.

Students interested in serving on the Montgomery College Board of Trustees must submit, via e-mail, a letter of intent and a resume, along with supporting references, to Fred S. Evans, chairman of the nominating committee, at fevans424@comcast.net. All applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. Feb. 26. Applications will not be accepted at Montgomery College. Interviews will be conducted by the end of March 2010.

Additional information about the nominating process is available by contacting Arlean Graham at the Montgomery College Board of Trustees office at 240-567-7120 or Mr. Evans at 301-424-5169.

On campus

Silver Spring resident Danielle Douglas was named to the Dean's List for the fall semester at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. Douglas is a sophomore majoring in applied psychology.

Blair student named finalist

in national science competition

Yifan Li, a 12th grade student in the Science, Mathematics, Computer Science Magnet at Montgomery Blair High Schoo in Silver Spring, has been named one of 40 finalists in the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search. Li, a resident of Rockville, was recognized for his research project, "Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells in Culture."

The national finalists in the talent search are high school seniors who entered papers on their independent research projects in science, engineering, mathematics, or computer science. The finalists will compete for college scholarships from the Intel Foundation totaling more than $600,000, with a top prize of a $100,000 scholarship.

Li is one of 15 semifinalists in MCPS this year — 12 of them from Montgomery Blair High School and one each from Thomas S. Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Walt Whitman high schools. Montgomery County Public Schools is tied with the New York City Department of Education for the school district having the largest number of semifinalists in the nation.

The finalists will participate in a judging process in Washington, D.C. from March 11-16. The top winners will be announced at a black-tie gala award ceremony at the National Building Museum in the District on March 16.

Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, has owned and administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942. This year marks Intel's 12th year sponsoring the program.

Youth art contest

accepting entries

Montgomery County students in grades six through 12 are invited to enter their artwork in the 2010 Youth Art Contest and Exhibition sponsored by the Montgomery County Federation of Women's Clubs. All forms of media, including oil, lead pencil, pastels, photography and computer art, will be accepted.

Judging will be held March 13 at Leisure World in Silver Spring. Nine cash prizes will be awarded to the top entries, and the winners' art will go on to a state competition.

For more information, contact Ruth Melson at 301-221-4469 or e-mailrockinruth@verizon.net.

Free financial aid workshop

for students, parents

The Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus will hold College Goal Sunday 2010 from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 14.

The free one-day program will offer assistance to parents and students in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — the form required by colleges, universities and private career schools to qualify for federal grants and loans, as well as many state and private scholarships.

Spanish interpreters will be available.

The event will be held in the Charlene R. Nunley Student Services Center on the school's campus at 7600 Takoma Ave. in Takoma Park. The snow date is Feb. 21.

At least one week before the event, parents and students should register for a PIN number at www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pin

index.jsp. Parents and students should bring the PIN numbers to the event, along with completed 2008 or 2009 IRS 1040 tax forms, a W-2 form and other 2009 income and benefits information.

For more information about College Goal Sunday, visit http://college

goalsundaymd.org/index.htm. The program is sponsored by the Delaware-D.C.–Maryland Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Items appropriate for this column should be sent to syarborough

@gazette.net. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday for consideration for the following week's paper. Items are used on a space-available basis.