News Article

FSW Critical Thinking Lecture Series Hosts National STEM Day Panel

Oct 15, 2018

OCTOBER 15, 2018 – FORT MYERS, FLA. – In recognition of National STEM Day, Florida SouthWestern State College’s (FSW) Critical Thinking Lecture Series presents a STEM Panel at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8, at the FSW Thomas Edison Campus, Building AA-177, Fort Myers. Additionally, the presentation can be viewed digitally at the FSW Charlotte Campus, Building O, Room 117; the FSW Collier Campus, Building M, Room 201; and the FSW Hendry/Glades Curtis Center, Building A, Room 114.

The STEM Panel will feature three southwest Florida women who have built their careers in STEM fields.

Reema Bhatia is the founder and managing partner of Stickboy Creative, co-founder and managing partner of Vectra Digital, and former CTO of Jet’s Pizza. She specializes in Blockchain, AI, digital transformation and emergent technology convergence, and she consults companies on transitioning to technology with a focus on artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning. Bhatia is an active member of the Forbes Technology Council and believes her contributions will empower companies, communities and the next generation to embrace the use of technology as a force for good. She hopes to affect lasting and purpose-driven change through emergent technologies and encourage women and minorities to aspire to take on a STEM/STEAM career.

Pricilla Doyle is a forensic death investigator with the District 21 Medical Examiner’s Office. One of her greatest passions is teaching, and she serves as an adjunct instructor in the School of Business and Technology at FSW. She is a board certified fellow with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators and a member of professional organizations including the American Academy of Forensic Science and the Florida Association of Medical Examiners. Doyle has served as the keynote speaker for the Lee County Department of Public Safety Annual Educational Conference and has been a contributing lecturer at Rasmussen College of Nursing, Hodges University, Keiser University, Fort Myers Police Department, Sanibel Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Glades County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Florida Criminal Justice Academy and the International Association of Homicide Investigators. She is very active in the community, volunteering with the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools STEM-At-Work program, sharing her love of forensics with high school students across Lee County.

Kelly Sloan is coordinator of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Sea Turtle Program. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in biology, she worked as a research technician in a Virginia Tech lab, investigating how animals use the magnetic field to orient and navigate. Her strong interest in international conservation took her to South Africa to study baboons at Wildcliff Nature Reserve and then to Costa Rica to volunteer with a sea turtle nesting program. Sloan started working for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Marine Turtle Conservation Program in 2007 where she helped manage all aspects of sea turtle conservation in South Carolina. One of the main components of the program involved coordinating over 30 projects (1,000+ volunteers) in the statewide sea turtle nest protection and stranding network. While working at the SCDNR, she completed her master’s degree in environmental science and policy. Her thesis focused on using barnacle growth as an indicator of the onset and duration of debilitated turtle syndrome in loggerhead sea turtles. In the spring of 2013, Kelly joined a team of scientists on Long Island to characterize the response of endangered piping plovers to habitats created by Hurricane Sandy.

Free and open to the public, the Critical Thinking Lecture Series features college and community leaders who discuss how they use critical thinking skills in their profession or focus on critical topics from their area of career or academic interest. Presentations take place weekly, and the fall series runs September through November. The full schedule can be viewed at www.fsw.edu/ctls. Presentations can be viewed live on the Thomas Edison Campus or digitally at all other FSW locations.

For more information on the FSW Critical Thinking Lecture Series, contact Whitney Rhyne, director, Strategic Initiatives, at (239) 433-6943 or Whitney.Rhyne@fsw.edu.

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Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida’s largest and one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Annually serving nearly 22,000 students globally, FSW offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees, and professional certifications. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. FSW debuted its intercollegiate athletics program in January 2016. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.

Last Updated: October 15, 2018