I am passionate about STEAM, Science (Research), Education and Community Building. I am part of a great Community and family, the CSTEP Community and family at SUNY Schenectady Co Community College, and I follow our mission statement that states that we support historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged groups from New York State who are pursuing professional licensure and careers in mathematics, science, engineering, technology, health-related STEM fields. CSTEP and LSAMP  provides professional development opportunities and many types of support services to participants, allowing for greater academic success.

I had the great opportunity to study and share with amazing lab mates (2004-2008) at BGSU/OH (my alma mater) where I learned to enjoy learning and sharing research experiences on campus and beyond. I was at USF Schmidt Lab / NIH postdoctoral Fellow and I cherished working together with students, mentoring  and sharing with the community. This portfolio will allow me to share my passion for Educational Development; Diversity and Teaching at SUNY Schenectady, including but not limited to my goals to make myself a more inclusive educator that use innovative strategies to redesign education from sharing and learning together tips and trick to succeed in the academic path, by applying learning and being passionate about your goals and next step in life!

From 2022

Hi Lorena, I was a student at SCCC back in 2018 and I was in your CSTEP program. Just wanted to reach out and thank you and the college for giving me the opportunity to get the internship with Schenectady County IT dept that eventually led to me being hired full time. I learned so much  from my internship here and I have a lot to learn with a long road ahead of me. The program really helped getting my foot in the door for my future, and I hope that the program helps all the other students who participate as much as it for me. I greatly appreciate everything you did for me. I cannot thank you enough and will never forget what you done for me. Thanks again and  I hope you have a great year in 2022 😊

Michael Artis

Information Technology |  Network Administrator

County of Schenectady | 620 State St. | Schenectady, NY 1230

Hi Dr. Harris,

 I will be graduating from Union this Spring with a degree in Economics. I was a math major but then I decided to switch because Union did not have an applied math track. Last academic year was tough, as I am sure it was for almost everyone, considering how we all had to adjust to the "new normal." However, as a CSTEP Alum, I feel like my experiences at SUNY Schenectady and through CSTEP have ingrained in me a resiliency, which has helped me so much during my time at Union. Thank you so much for being an advocate for me and my CSTEP peers!

Hopefully we can chat soon!!

Best,

Michele-Lane 

From  2020

I loved getting to know Dr. Harris and my fellow classmates better in our last meeting! This class has definitely helped me come out of my shell a lot seeing as I am a generally quiet person. I always look forward to seminar because it helps me to feel part of the science community at SUNY Schenectady. I love this class and I feel like activities help students like me feel a part of something. Keep up the great work everyone!!-Lavinia😊  

Quoting Rise High Founder and Director: "We are grateful for the opportunity extended to our students. Rise High Inc. values our standing partnership with SUNY Schenectady, sharing the common goal of providing meaningful and unique learning experiences to youth in our community, while sparking their interest and curiosity in the exciting world of science. In the midst of what has been a challenging year, we have proven that we are a resilient community and are stronger together. On behalf of Rise High Inc. and our students, thank you”.

I do wanna thank you for everything and being very helpful this semester, this year was definitely a challenge for everyone but this class was a great challenge, you made this class easier to understand and you were very willing to help everyone and I want to thank you for this semester! 

I do want to say I really enjoyed your class and learned so much. =) 

Only to you Professor, you really have made this class fun and also very informative, honesty I have learned so much from this class my family is annoyed with me changing their diets and I am closely paying more attention to what the children eat for snacks. Thank you also for being so patient! from Alicia B 

I have appreciated what I have learned in this class. It has changed how I eat. I will use this textbook for a long time as a reference point I can trust. I have also appreciated your knowledge and input. From Renee A

I appreciate the little comments to keep us motivated to push foward this semester! I saw it in emails, videos, and little things like this. Instead of being super strict because we are college students, we are also humans and have other pieces in our lives. Understanding and encouraging words help! Both of my teachers were like this during the semester. I also feel like i still really learned alot! but im glad i had the balance of both things..learning and encouragement. THANK YOU!  Jackeline C

I enjoyed this class a lot I really gained a lot of knowledge from this class. Thank You so much Dr.Harris for everything this semester. From Sonia R

Congratulations Darin and Dr. Harris on succeeding in NASA Astrophoto Challenge if you did not know already! Links here, from Nkeiru U