Ahmed poses in front of Schlumberger plant

Ahmed Elbarbary, a former Egyptian exchange student at Gadsden State Community College, is enjoying a successful career at Schlumberger thanks to his college education.  

Schlumberger is the world’s leading services and technology provider in the oil and gas industry. Elbarbary works as a field specialist in the Artificial Lift segment.  He is responsible for raising oil to the earth’s surface via electrical submersible pumps sending them 7,000 feet below the earth’s surface, powering them to lift the oil and assembling the pumps.

Elbarbary spends as much as three weeks at a time on site drilling in the Sahara desert.  He applied for a position at Schlumberger before enrolling at Gadsden State, but was unable to get a job with them. However, when he re-applied after obtaining his Associate in Applied Science degree in Industrial Automation Technology, he was given a position with the company because of the advanced training he had received.

While at Gadsden State, Elbarbary studied motor control, programmable logic control, hydraulic and pneumatic systems and pumps.  Knowledge in all of these skill areas is essential in his current job.  A particularly useful result of his academic achievements at Gadsden State was a certificate from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration he received in an industrial safety class, which helped secure his position at Schlumberger.

His career has benefitted from Gadsden State’s academics and from its community as well.  While living in the residence hall, he learned to speak English more fluently and with a variety of accents by interacting with his fellow students. This skill has been valuable to him in communicating with people from various backgrounds on the job. His communication skills also improved while he worked as an intern in the U.S.

Elbarbary takes pride in his work with Schlumberger and enjoys it. He realizes that his hard work and determination helped him to achieve success and satisfaction in his field.  “I was lucky to get a scholarship to study in the USA through Fulbright.  My internship allowed me to work in an organized company where I learned to understand and explain technical information in English.  This has been very helpful to me at Schlumberger,” he said.

Schlumberger employs over 83,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries.

Licensed Practical Nursing Program (Cherokee)

Cedar Bluff:         Sasha Baty, Kyle Breen

Centre:                  Tameka Gooden, Laura Harmon, Shantera Kirby, Darcy Snell, Jessica Wickham

Collinsville:          Shannon Rogers

Gaylesville:          Mary Chesnut, Amy Williams

Hokes Bluff:         Joy Faulkner

Piedmont:            Jennifer Fordham

Program awards were presented during the pinning ceremony to Tameka Gooden and Shannon Rogers (Florence Nightingale Award); and Jessica Wickham received the Lamplighter Award for the student with the highest GPA.  

Licensed Practical Nursing Program (McClellan & Valley Street)

Anniston:              Stephanie Waites

Ashville:               Amelia Bertch

Attalla:                   Katherine Page

Gadsden:                Michael Glenn, Stephanie Lawder, Rosalyn Nail, Rachel Roe, Melissa Saylor,  Jessica Scott

Glencoe:                 Brittney Chapman

Jacksonville:        Jennifer Hill, Jessie Newman

Ohatchee:              Susan Collett, Mellie Copeland, Kristie Walker, Connie Williamson

Oxford:                  Keisa Rhinehart

Piedmont:             Tonya Carr

Rainbow City:      Brittney Stevens

Springville:           Jacqualine Rhodes

Walnut Grove:     Betina Beasley

Weaver:                 Katherine Lovell

Therapeutic Massage Program

Albertville:           Holly Sallas

Anniston:              Lindsey Maydole

Ashville:               Angela Kiker

Attalla:                 Sherrie Castillo

Fyffe:                    Olivia Landstreet

Leesburg:             Donna Clanton

Pell City:              Sandra Brewer

Ragland:              Brittany McKinney

                Precision production prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skill to create products using techniques of precision or technical illustration, and trains students for fields such as product design, manufacturing, precision metalworking, woodworking, machine shop technology, welding technology, and many others. Gadsden State was the only college, two-year or four-year in Alabama, which ranked in the top 50 in this category. CCW also noted that the college has increased its number of degrees awarded in this field by 26% since its last ranking.

                In the sales, merchandising and related marketing operations category, Gadsden State was also the only college in Alabama listed in the top 50.  The data for the analysis was collected by the National Center for Educational Statistics. The rankings recognize the outstanding efforts of the Gadsden State faculty, staff, and administrators who dedicate themselves to educating their students.

A different topic and speaker will be presented on selected Tuesdays during the fall semester at the McClellan Center in Anniston.  The first session entitled “Second-Hand Smoke and You” with speaker Coretta Grant of the Alabama Department of Health (Tobacco Prevention and Control Program) is scheduled for September 14 at 12:45 p.m. in Room 1229.  For more information contact Cindy Greer at cgreer@gadsdenstate.edu or 256-238-9348.

Nursing students check a patient

During a recent meeting of the Nursing Advisory Committee held at Gadsden State Community College, Donna Nicholson, chief nursing officer at Gadsden Regional Medical Center (GRMC), discovered a need for electronic beds to be utilized by health science students during their classes. Her passion to help Gadsden State students resulted in the donation of 15 beds to be used in Helderman Hall on the Wallace Drive Campus.  “We are happy to have Gadsden State in our area.  Our facility and community benefit from the outstanding nursing graduates,” said Nicholson.

                GRMC has partnered with Gadsden State for over 40 years providing clinical locations for student training.  Gadsden Regional CEO Stephen Pennington commented, “We are fortunate to have Gadsden State in our community, not only do they have a great nursing program that allows GRMC to improve care for our community, but they also have some of the most professional and upbeat staff.”

                Students began Fall Semester classes in the newly remodeled Helderman Hall.  Major renovations were done to accommodate the growing health sciences student population.  The building is utilized by nursing students as well as others in the Health Sciences Department.  The 4,400 square-feet expansion includes a large nursing laboratory, two state-of-the-art simulation laboratories with observation room, hospital simulation rooms, faculty offices and a new storage facility.

                “We are very proud of our new labs and equipment which will greatly benefit our students.  We appreciate all the support our Advisory Committee provides.  Health care is progressing rapidly and we take pride in the success of our students,” said Connie Meloun, assistant dean of health sciences.

Students check patient's vital signs

Dr. Martha Lavender

Dr. Martha Lavender, RN, MSN, DSN, has been chosen as one of the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing’s 60 Visionary Leaders.

She was nominated by her peers for this honor for her distinctive service in nursing and health care on the local, state, and national levels. 

                This title represents an acknowledgment of Lavender’s outstanding achievement, innovation and leadership in her field by her colleague’s, and celebrates the impression she has made on her profession.  Nominations were accepted from people who have been inspired or influenced by her life and work.

                Lavender received her basic nursing degree from Gadsden State Community College, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Jacksonville State University, and both her master’s and doctorate degrees in nursing from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, specializing in maternal/child health. She is currently a member of the Alabama Board of Nursing and serves on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s Advanced Practice Committee.   Lavender will be honored at the Visionary Leader Awards Breakfast on October 22 at UAB.

Susan Sewell

Susan Sewell, a biology instructor at Gadsden State Community College, recently attended the 14^th International Meiofauna Conference hosted by the International Association of Meiobenthologists held in Ghent, Belgium. 

The conference was a world-wide gathering of over 180 scientists from 28 countries. Sewell was selected as one of sixty-five presenters for the conference.  Her presentation entitled “Metabolic rates of an aquatic tardigrade, Dactlylobiotus cf. parthenogeneticus” explained the variation of oxygen consumption among active animals, encysted animals and individual eggs at different temperatures. Tardigrades, also referred to as Water Bears, are microscopic invertebrates that must be surrounded by water to be active. “There have been very few studies on metabolic rates of aquatic tardigrades,” she said. “As far as I know, mine is the first to ever measure the metabolic rate of a single tardigrade egg.”

            The Cherokee County native said that being able to travel world-wide to explain her research has been a humbling experience, and being able to learn from seasoned scientists across the globe allows her to bring the best techniques and her experiences back to her students at Gadsden State.  For Sewell, presenting her research at an international conference shows her students that they are not limited by what they may perceive as regional or cultural obstacles.

            “I grew up in Cherokee County, attended what most consider a local university, and still reside and work locally,” said Sewell.  “I may be what most people would consider a ‘small-town girl’ but I still manage to contribute on an international level. Through this example my students will learn to strive to contribute, as well.”

            Sewell began her research of tardigrades in May 2007 while studying for her master’s degree in science at Jacksonville State University. She previously presented her findings on a population survey at the 11th International Tardigrade Symposium in Tubingen, Germany, last year and is currently awaiting publication on two articles based on her extensive tardigrade research. 

Tardigrade

Dr. Martha Lavender, assistant to the President for Cherokee County Operations and Health Sciences, accepted the donation and said, “We are most grateful for NHC and their support. Our partnership provides a winning combination for the community. This donation makes it possible to provide state-of-the-art training tools for our students.” 

A VitalSim mannequin is an extremely valuable instructional tool. Instructors and students will be able to teach and interact with the mannequin by using preprogrammed scenarios. The mannequin can be treated as an actual patient and it will respond to drugs, procedures and stimuli that the student provides.  A complete patient assessment and treatment can be accomplished between the student and the patient without an instructor present in the classroom.

National HealthCare Corporation is recognized nationwide as an innovator in the delivery of quality long-term care. “Our goal is to provide a full range of extended care services designed to maximize the well-being and independence of patients of all ages,” said Becky Helton, administrator.  “Our interest in helping Gadsden State provide proper training tools proves that we are dedicated to meeting patient needs through an interdisciplinary approach combining compassionate care with cost-effective health care services.  We are pleased to partner with Gadsden State to benefit our community.”

Since 2007, health science programs at Gadsden State have produced more than 1,200 registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants, clinical laboratory technicians, emergency medical service providers, radiology technicians and surgical operating room technicians.  Currently there are more than 400 students studying in various health science programs.