Meet the CCCOnline Science Team

This week, please enjoy getting to know your Science team!

Norma Hollebeke, Associate Dean of Science
(Norma's introduction also appeared at this blog on 8/3/11)
CCCOnline extends a warm welcome to Norma Hollebeke, our new Associate Dean of Science. Norma is new to the Colorado Community College System; she most recently served as Associate Professor of Biology at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio.

Norma’s accomplishments include developing innovative curriculum to pave the way to student success in both face-to-face and online environments. She has an extensive Biology teaching background, having taught at El Paso Community College, University of Texas-El Paso, University of Toronto, and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

In addition, Norma has served as Director of the Dayton Urban STEM Teacher Academy (funded by the National Science Foundation) and past-Affiliate Director of Biomedical Science for Project Lead the Way, Ohio (an organization dedicated to improving programs and supporting future graduates in science and technology).

Norma earned her Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and Master’s degree in Biology from the University of Texas-El Paso; her post-graduate research was at the University of Toronto. She enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, gardening, photography, bird watching, entomology, and “herping” (searching for reptiles and amphibians).

Paul E. Vorndam, Physical Sciences Program Chair
Paul has been indispensable to CCCOnline’s Science program. In addition to his current position, he has served as CCCOnline’s Science Chair, and has taught for us since 1998. He also has held the academic posts of Deputy Chemistry Department Head in the U.S. Air Force Academy and Chemistry Department Chair at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Paul’s industry experience includes working as Quality Control Supervisor at a 14Carbon Synthesis Lab and Group Leader at a Pesticide Residue Analysis Lab. He holds a BS in Chemistry from Millikin University, an MS in Chemistry from Illinois State University, and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Paul enjoys bridge, chess, table tennis, and trail running.

Alison Jacobs, Health Sciences Program Chair
Alison is an experienced member of CCCOnline’s Science team. She began teaching for CCCOnline in 2003, and has served as our Health Sciences Program Chair since 2006. Additionally, she has been Nursing Chair for CCCOnline and Community College of Denver’s LPN to RN online program since 2004, and she serves as a clinical nursing instructor of Maternal Child Health at Community College of Denver.

Alison’s professional experience also includes working as a community health nurse in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Tennessee for a Child Development Project; serving as a nurse practitioner in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Florida; and living for 10 years in Japan with her husband and three children, where she learned the language and culture, developed children’s educational programs, and taught English to preschool Japanese children.

Alison earned a BS in Nursing from Vanderbilt University and an MS in Nursing from University of Florida, specializing in Pediatrics. Alison shares her interests are “vegetable gardening, cycling, hiking in the beautiful Rockies, hanging out with the family, and getting back to the beach whenever possible.”

Dan Branan, Life Sciences Program Chair
Dan Branan is another familiar face at CCCOnline; he has been teaching for us since 2006. In addition to serving as our Program Chair, Dan is the North American Network of Science Labs Online (NANSLO) Project Manager for the Colorado Community College System. He provides leadership and coordination for the CCCS discipline teams that work on this international project funded by the Gates Foundation.

Dan’s experience also includes having held a variety of posts at the US Air Force Academy. There, he has served as Assistant Professor of Chemistry (1996 – 99, 2004 – 2011), Co-Director of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (2005 – 2007), and Research Director for the Institute for Information Technology Applications (2005 – 2007). He retired from the Air Force this past June. Dan’s awards include CCCOnline Faculty Gold (2006), Outstanding Academy Educator Award (2005-2006), and Carol M. Goldman Distinguished Service Award from USAFA Department of Chemistry (2011).

Dan earned a BS in chemistry from the University of South Alabama, an MS in inorganic chemistry from the Ohio State University, and a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Denver. He says, “I love helping people understand how the universe works! I truly believe that a well-educated public is the last, best hope for a free society. This is why I love teaching for the Community College System, because it affords educational opportunities for nearly everyone.”