Academic Competitions at Queensborough Community College present many opportunities for student engagement via undergraduate research presentations, annual competitions and more, spreading across virtually all five of the Queensborough Academies.
Benefits to student participation and achievement in intellectually stimulating programs and activities are numerous: In addition to increasing self-confidence and developing leadership skills, there are opportunities for collaboration with peers and faculty as well as networking and enrichment of academic program studies. These experiences may also further strengthen student resumes, transfer applications, letters of recommendation, scholarship eligibilities and internship opportunities.
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Institute of Management Accounting (IMA)
Queensborough students in the Accounting Case Competition have the opportunity to research real-world accounting topics, then provide advice and solutions related to the issues in the case study. For example, last year’s topic was Personal Finance Planning and the students worked together to complete a personal financial plan for a fictitious recent college graduate. The AICPA will release the upcoming topic early in the fall 2014 semester.
Finalists present their cases at the Institute of Management Accounting (IMA) Annual Conference and Exposition. The four final teams win a monetary award, and the first place team will receive an additional award.
Professors Shele Bannon and Kelly Ford of the Business Academy are the faculty adviser/mentors for the Accounting Case Competition.
Qualifications:
Interested students should be Accounting or Business majors who have successfully completed Principles of Accounting. Also preferred are students with strong communication, research and teamwork skills.
Referral Information:
Timely referrals from colleagues should take place in the early part of the fall semester.
Additional Requirements:
Once participants are selected, the general schedule of rehearsals require meeting for one to two hours per week during the fall semester. As the deadline approaches, participants will need to meet twice every week. Potential travel costs will be incurred only by finalists.
For more information please call the Business Department at 718-631-6245
The central theme of the Business Bowl competition is entrepreneurship. Sixteen teams of four students each are asked questions related to owning and operating a business. The subjects include accounting, business law and computer information systems, among others. Prizes are awarded to the teams finishing first, second and third.
To prepare for the competition, students study a collection of reference articles compiled from the Small Business Administration (SBA) website.
Business Bowl competitions are usually held in the month of November and again in April.
Faculty advisers are Professors Suzanne D’Agnes, Kelly Ford, Marilyn Katz, Linda Meltzer and Kathleen Villani; Drs. Wendy Ford, Leslie Francis, and Stephen Hammel; and Mahendra (Ken) Mohan, Senior College Lab Technician.
Qualifications:
Strong academic and interpersonal skills preferred, and a strong interest in one or more of the various subjects taught in the Business Department.
Referral Information:
Students may be referred by faculty during the first month of the fall and spring semesters. The competition is open to full-time and part-time students as well as day or evening students.
Additional Requirements:
Participants must attend three meetings: registration, team building and an information session. Additional time is required to read and study material that includes questions that will help them prepare to compete.
For more information please contact the Business Department at 718-631-6245.
As members of The Fed Challenge Team, students act as Federal Reserve Governors, discussing monetary policy as a strategy to stimulate the economy. The goal is for students to understand the complexities of the monetary process while honing their skills as presenters and team players.
Moreover, the competition brings together teams of undergraduate students to analyze economic and financial conditions and formulate monetary policy recommendations, modeling the Federal Open Market Committee.
A strong incentive for students to be part of The Fed Challenge Team is to earn honors credits for business courses.
The approximate dates of this academic year’s competition are November 2014 and May 2015.
Fellow faculty advisers/coaches for The Fed Challenge team are Dr. Stephen Hammel and Professors Edward Hanssen, Linda Meltzer and S. Benjamin Murolo, CPA MBA CMB
Qualifications:
Interest in gaining knowledge about economics, monetary policy and public speaking.
Referral Informations:
Referrals from faculty are welcome.
Additional Requirements:
Preparation requires many hours of practice, including evenings and weekends. There is out-of-town travel, including overnight stays in the spring semester competition. There is no cost to team members.
For more information please contact the Business Department at 718-631-6245
Each fall students from community colleges across New York State submit essays to the David A. Garfinkel Essay Contest on topics related to New York’s legal history.
The experience helps students gain critical thinking skills and boosts self-motivation for expanding their knowledge base. There is also potential for past essay contest students to act as mentors to new student participants.
CUNY and SUNY community college prizes are $1,000.00 each. Winners are honored on Law Day at the highest New York court, the New York Court of Appeals in Albany.
Faculty members of the Business Department who serve as mentors are Drs. Leslie Francis and Stephen Hammel, and Professors Linda Meltzer,
Christine Mooney and Ted Rosen.
Qualifications:
Participants should demonstrate an interest in law, history, social sciences and general research writing. Participants should also demonstrate strong analytical and persuasive writing skills.
Referral Information:
Since the contest topic is announced in the fall semester, referrals from colleagues begin in the fall semester with student submissions beginning in early spring.
Additional Requirements:
Students participating in the contest devote at least three hours per week during the semester, conducting research and developing essays before submission in early April. There is potential cost to winners for the trip to Albany.
For more information please contact the Business Department at 718-631-6245
Students who enjoy solving challenging, brain-teaser math problems are invited to participate in the Math Club. Towards the beginning of each semester—after several practice sessions— students compete in two math contests. One is organized by the New York State Math Association of Two-Year Colleges (NYSMATYC), and another is organized by the American Math Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC).
The Math Club experience enriches academic program studies across the board. It also helps build student self-confidence by nurturing problem solving abilities, as well as improving skills in tackling advanced mathematical concepts. Math Club participants also benefit from the guidance and quality assistance they receive from faculty beyond the classroom.
Drs. Howard Sporn, Robert Holt and Daniel Garbin of the Mathematics Department are the faculty advisers/coaches for the Math Club.
Qualifications:
Students who enjoy solving mathematics problems should be encouraged to participate. Although no knowledge of advanced mathematics is necessary, a strong desire to learn and improve in mathematics is expected.
Additional Requirements:
None.
For more information please contact the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at 718-631-6361
Each year, Queensborough students present business plans that encourage venture creation and innovation with other participating New York State colleges and universities at the intercollegiate New York State Business Plan Competition (NYSBPC). The plans are drafted on various topics under the collaborative efforts of students across an array of academic disciplines.
Students meet each week during the fall semester and increase their practice time during the months of January, February and March. The first round of the competition closes in February and the semi-final round is held in late March. The winning teams are then invited in April to the finals in Albany.
Among the many benefits of participating in the NYSBPC are access to potential investors and external business contacts.
Professor Christine Mooney is the Coordinator of the program, and Professor Ted Rosen and Dr. Julita Haber serve as additional faculty mentors/advisers.
Qualifications:
Strong academic standing and enthusiasm for challenging, intellectually stimulating experiences.
Referral Information:
Recruitment for interested students begins in the fall semester, but students can also be referred by faculty to participate in the program during the early portion of the spring semester.
Additional Requirements:
There are out-of-town travel and business attire costs.
For more information please contact the Business Department at 718-631-6245
The Department of Communication, Theatre, & Media Production Competition takes place annually and determines who will represent the College at the CUNY-wide League of Active Speech Professors (CLASP) competition.
Student contestants present their speeches before Queensborough faculty judges who select finalists in each of two categories: Informative and Persuasive. The judges then select a winner to advance to compete in the CUNY-wide competition.
The name of the first-place winning students in each category, along with the name of their CUNY schools, is engraved on a CLASP trophy for display at the winning school for the championship year.
CLASP winners and participants receive certificates of merit for competing.
Communication, Theatre, & Media Production faculty serve as judges, depending on availability.
Qualifications:
Nominees are selected based on student speech presentations given in class.
Instructors nominate one student per category to participate in the contest.
For more information, please contact the Communication, Theatre, & Media Production Department at 718-631-6284
The Queensborough Mock Trial Team offers students opportunities to participate as lawyers and/or as witnesses conducting mock courtroom trials of a case prepared and issued by the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). More than 600 teams from 400 colleges and universities (of which Queensborough is believed to be one of only four two-year colleges) participate in this national, intercollegiate event.
To prepare for the tournament, students study the affidavits, case and statutory law provided in the AMTA case materials, and rules of evidence. During the tournament, some of the participants become “lawyers” and make opening and closing remarks as well as cross-examinations and evidentiary objections. Theatre arts students often play the role of witnesses because it allows them to hone their acting skills.
Faculty advisers/coaches for the Mock Trial Team are Professors Ted Rosen and Elaine Thompson and Dr. Leslie Francis.
Qualifications:
Students interested in law, public speaking and debating, as well as acting and the theatre arts, are encouraged to participate.
Referral Information:
Recruitment begins at the start of the fall semester; however, faculty referrals of students are welcome at any time.
Additional Requirements:
There are weekly practice sessions from September through January. Additional practice scrimmages against teams from other colleges take place between late October and January. The next AMTA Regional Tournament will begin in February, 2015. Teams that qualify will proceed to the Opening Round Championships and then to the National Championships in March and April, 2015, respectively. Queensborough covers all expenses for out of town travel.
For more information please contact the Business Department at 718-631-6245
Chemistry students have opportunities to conduct complete undergraduate research projects with the guidance of Queensborough faculty mentors. Students present their scientific findings at professional conferences where they network with professors, scientists and students from other colleges and universities. They also have the option of presenting their work jointly in collaboration with Queensborough peers and faculty.
As participants in the American Chemical Society Conferences, students address a variety of topics, including the modernization of learning environments and hands-on laboratory activities. In addition, they can mentor new students who will join the research group the following year.
Qualifications:
Students must carry a minimum 3.0 G.P.A., have basic knowledge of chemistry and a faculty member recommendation.
Referral Information:
Timely referrals from faculty to Dr. Paris Svoronos or other faculty mentors/advisers are welcome.
Drs. Sasan Karimi, Paris Svoronos, David Sarno, Derek Bruzewicz, Jun H. Shin, Paul Sideris, Moni Chauhan, Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, Tirandai Hemraj-Benny as well as College Lab Technicians Pedro Irigoyen, Bruce Montalbano, Gobind Vaswani and Tian Chun (Andrew) Xu are the faculty adviser/mentors for the Chemistry Department.
Additional Requirements:
Students are required to meet a minimum of three hours per week during each semester and may be required to work in the labs during winter session and spring break, as requested by the faculty mentor. Costs for participation in conferences vary. The dates of the competitions are usually in the spring and sometimes involve an overnight stay.
For more information please contact the Chemistry Department at 718-631-6280
Students who participate in the Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists (MACUB) or Sigma Xi Northeast Regional Conferences present research findings based on STEM-related lab work conducted under the guidance of faculty mentors. Student presentations are judged and awards are presented at the end of the conference.
The competitions enrich the learning and research experience, and the skills acquired could open doors for competitive program admissions. There are also opportunities to meet faculty and students from senior colleges in the tri–state area, including Ivy League schools.
Both conferences are held at colleges within the tri-state area and take place in late October or early November as well as in April. No overnight stay is required.
Students who are looking for research experience in biology and who want to be considered for the competition must successfully complete their first biology course prior to joining labs in the fall or spring, to gain the experience necessary to compete. It is preferred, however, that students begin research at the start of summer so they can gain significant experience and continue the project the following academic year.
Referrals from faculty are welcome. Drs. Monica Trujillo and Nidhi Gadura are the faculty advisers who will refer students to excellent faculty mentors within the Biology department that conduct research in lab projects on and off campus.
The project requires students to commit substantial time during the summer months, and during the academic semester a student is expected to spend 10-12 hours per week on their project. Mentor(s) will usually be able to fund the conference fee through a research grant or help students find other sources of funding on campus.
For more information please contact the Biological Sciences and Geology Department at 718-631-6335.
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