Briefs: Solar Sprint, TC3 alumni, bike racks & youth market

Ithaca holds Junior Solar Sprint race

On June 12, the Ithaca High School Technology and Engineering Department held its Junior Solar Sprint race at Ithaca High School (IHS). Elementary and middle school students from across the district raced homemade solar cars in the event, which ran from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. These solar cars are made of wood and cardboard, with a solar panel attached to an electric motor that drives the car. At this year’s Junior Solar Sprint race, a cloudy sky meant many had to race with battery packs rather than solar panels, but it was a fun event nonetheless. The cars were fully assembled and designed by the students, many at two previous pop-up events with help from IHS students. The purpose of these events is to get students interested in STEM from a young age, said Andrew McCracken, senior at IHS and president of Code Red Robotics. “There are so many opportunities to get involved in advanced technology and engineering once they enter high school, and we aim to cultivate that interest in middle school so that students are excited for STEM when they move up to high school,” he said. Solar sprints have a long history around the world, and Ithaca’s was created 22 years ago by Dewitt Middle School teachers David Buchner and Bop Walters. Buchner said it’s taken a couple decades to get the race to where it is now, and he hopes to expand it in the coming years. “We’re really trying to concentrate on getting this activity across the school district, not just Dewitt but other elementary schools, and really make it a diverse activity so that people from all walks of life can do this rather than just my kids in my classroom,” Buchner said. “And we’re doing that by working with Code Red and getting the word out for everyone.” In this photo, members of the Junior Solar Sprint winning team, #TheAwesomeGirls, pose with their awards.

 

TC3 recognizes distinguished alumni

The Distinguished Alumni Award of Tompkins Cortland Community College recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves in their career and service to the community. This year, the committee selected three worthy recipients to honor: Jason Sidle (left), Crystal Lyon (center) and Marci Calabretta Canico-Bello. The award winners are traditionally recognized during the college’s commencement ceremony. This year, the trio was featured in a panel discussion as part of the virtual commencement. Calabretta Canico-Bello is a 2009 graduate with two degrees: creative writing, and liberal arts and sciences: general studies. She was nominated for her community involvement, starting with her time at TC3 when she was a leader of the Writers’ Guild and a member of Phi Theta Kappa and continuing in Florida, where she has managed a program that brings authors to public school classrooms and a program that distributes 150,000 free books to children in the Miami community. Lyon is a 2005 graduate of the graphic design program. She has taught art and art history at SUNY Cortland and continues to teach and serve as a tutor for art and communications classes at TC3. In her nomination, several supporters noted the extensive work she has done to help the Cortland community and students at TC3. Sidle graduated in December 1994 with a hotel technology degree. After several years in the industry, working for a variety of companies from international hotel chains to local restaurants, he was one of the original employees of Coltivare, TC3’s farm-to-bistro restaurant in Ithaca, where he currently serves as general manager. Sidle was nominated for his dedication to Coltivare, the college and the community. Under his leadership, the restaurant has become a valuable community partner, hosting community cooking classes and a variety of charity events.

 

Ithaca installs 12 new art bike racks in downtown, Collegetown

Locating bike parking around Ithaca just became easier. The city of Ithaca now has 12 more new art bike racks for cyclists to use in the downtown and Collegetown business districts. These new racks were installed in May following the Art Bike Racks II Design Competition where community members submitted bike rack designs. Bike rack designs from local creators Carly Snell, Marie Gilbert, David Todd, Donna Kuhar, Heather Williams, Ivy Stevens-Gupta, Francis Oliver Eliot, Kathie Beale and an anonymous individual were selected among the dozens of contest entrees. Then, they were fabricated by Teo Aceto, a skilled local artist and blacksmith. These latest racks are in addition to 12 stands that were installed downtown following a 2017 contest. Led by Thomas Knipe, deputy director for economic development for the city of Ithaca and a cycling enthusiast, this project was completed in partnership among the city of Ithaca, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance and Bike Walk Tompkins, with financial support provided by an anonymous donor. “With the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, Black Diamond Trail, Bike Boulevard Network and other bike infrastructure, Ithaca is an extraordinary biking city. We’re also a crafty and creative community, so it made sense for us to pair the two,” Knipe said. An event to recognize the artists and organizers is currently being planned and will be announced soon. You can also see a complete listing of the stands at ithacabikerackproject.wordpress.com, and a self-guided walking tour is available on the free Pocketsights app for smartphone users. In this photo: Dog/Cat, a new art bike rack recently installed in downtown Ithaca, was inspired by Ivy Stevens-Gupta’s maltese poodle named Jadoo who regularly goes on walks around Ithaca with Stevens-Gupta.

 

Ithaca’s Youth Entrepreneurship Market returns to Commons

Two years removed from the last youth markets in Ithaca, student vendors will be returning to the Ithaca Commons and Ithaca Farmers Market after a series of training sessions with area entrepreneurs. Ithaca’s Youth Entrepreneurship Market (YEM) is a training program that offers students in fourth to 12th grade an opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of a business startup process. Students complete a series of workshops on everything from idea generation to business plan development, budgeting, marketing and financial literacy. At completion of the program, the students bring their ideas to several community celebration events on the Ithaca Commons and Ithaca Farmers Market, where they can share their business story, sell their products and engage with the community. The program is the brainchild of Michael Mazza and Ethan Ash and is supported by entrepreneurs across the community. Speakers and coaches from 2021 included Chris Kirby of Ithaca Hummus, Amanda David of Bramble, Dan Smalls of DSP Shows, Heather and Bruce Lane of Purity, Jason Goodman of Grabanzos, Elaan Greenfield of Metal Smithery, Gladys Brangman of Business Leaders of Colors, David Streib of New Roots Charter School, Dan Mazza of CarEase and Samantha Abrams of Emmy’s Organics. The students also heard from other young entrepreneurs in the community such as Aubryn Neubert of Prime Jewelry Co., Gavin Hoffman of GA Studios, and Isabella and Amila Mazza of Peach Me I’m Dreaming. The program culminates with a series of outdoor vendor markets for the students to sell their products, which begins June 26 on The Commons and then moves to the Ithaca Farmers Market at Steamboat Landing on the last Thursday of July, August and September. The markets are inclusive to all area youth regardless of their participation in the program. Youth entrepreneurs can reserve a vendor space for any of the four summer markets at www.yemithaca.com/youth-markets. In this photo, Wylie Smalls, Dan Smalls’ son, poses with his booth at 2018’s youth market. His business is Smallstones, which uses locally sourced stones, collected around Cayuga and Seneca Lake, as medallions on jewelry. His jewelry is now sold in several local stores, including Sunny Days on The Commons. He’s also been a speaker at YEM, helping to inspire other aspiring local youth entrepreneurs.