Aquaponics Technician, Entrepreneurship and SPSS courses offered!

Aquaponics Technician Certification Program

This certificate program offers participants the opportunity to build a state of the art aquaponics system that uses the unique patented aeration device, FloVex. This highly efficient aerator makes it possible to build a system that uses only water as a working fluid that minimizes energy use, and is both aesthetic and efficient. Participants will engage in the hands-on assembly and installation of a full scale aquaponics system to gain a deep understanding of the technology and its applications. A mandatory overview of the aquaponics technology will precede the practical course component, and will be held at the UDC Research Farm, Beltsville, Maryland, on January 16, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Participants will then have a choice between 4 training schedules, which will be held in early 2016 at the UDC Research Farm, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.:  

Overview I:  Jan. 16  –  12:30 - 5:00 p.m. 

Overview II: Feb. 20 -  10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Training I:    January 19, 20, 21, 22        12:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Training II:  February 11 and 12             12:30 - 5:00 p.m. AND Feb. 13, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Training III: March 3 and 4                     12:30 - 5:00 p.m. AND March 5, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Training IV: March 24 and 25                 12:30 - 5:00 p.m. AND March 26, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The cost of the program is $195. The selection process for the program includes a brief written statement of interest. Registration and additional information is available here or contact Marshelle Hailstock at mhailstock@udc.edu or (202) 274-7135. Photos of the first Overview are available on our Facebook page.

Introduction to Proactive Entrepreneurship: Leading, Planning, Activating and Executing a Successful Startup Company

Entrepreneurship requires a complete commitment to mastering complex business, leadership, and life skills. Proactive entrepreneurship requires these skills, and in addition, a thorough understanding of the leadership capacity required of the startup's founders, key management and support team. Facilitated by  Washington DC ArchAngels President Dan Loague, the course will be divided into five 90-minute sessions. Students will be required to draft and edit a business plan for a proposed company, and to make a presentation requesting funding, strategic partnering or other critical resources from experienced finance professionals and local angels. Classes will be held on the following Saturdays: February 6, 13, 20 and March 5 and 12, 2015, from 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. The cost of the program is $165. Registration is available here or contact Marshelle Hailstock at mhailstock@udc.edu or (202) 274-7135 for more information.

Introduction to SPSS

SPSS, which stands for Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, is one of the most commonly used statistical software for data management, description and analysis. This one-day postgraduate module workshop begins with a brief introduction of the questionnaire, and introduces students to the basics of SPSS using a real survey data example, including entering and coding data, descriptive statistics, variable recoding, graphing, running chi-square test, t-test, and correlation. Both first-time and new users of SPSS are welcomed. Prior knowledge of basic statistics (such as mean, median and normal distribution), as well as basic Microsoft Excel are required. The class will be held Feb. 25, at the University of the District of Columbia from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The cost of the class is $150. Click here for more information or contact Dr. Xiaochu Hu at xiaochu.hu@udc.edu or (202) 274-7126.