Get to know CELT better! This week we find out more about Dini Diskin-Zimmerman, TV Producer/Director. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

Teaching and Directing television, seeing students’ lights go on!

What did you do prior to working in CELT?

Directed television for ABC News, CNN, the Food Network and others.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee

Where would you like to visit (real or fictional)?

Prague

What was the last book you read? 

My cookbooks….in particular, “I Love NY” by Daniel Humm and Will Guidara – such fun!

Get to know CELT better! This week we find out more about Jennifer Jaiswal, Instructional Designer and Senior Instructional Technologist 

What is your favorite part of your job?

What I love the most about my job is getting to learn from the faculty that I work with. Each meeting gives me the opportunity to learn about their discipline as we talk through teaching and learning practices. I love that I can move from a conversation on medical ethics to the Mahabharata, the longest epic poem ever written, to designing assessments for how we can adapt the human body to extreme climate. There is always more to learn.

What did you do prior to working in CELT?

Prior to working in CELT or its predecessor, TLT, I worked in instructional technology support at Hunter College.

Coffee or tea?

Tea! I love going out with friends for a traditional high tea service with scones and clotted cream. They give you a moment of calm and companionship with no rush to return to work or other responsibilities

Where would you like to visit (real or fictional)?

Bali, temples, history, local culture and beaches.

What was the last book you read? 

For  work: On Teaching Science by Jeffrey Bennett. Good common sense approaches to science education.

For myself: Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America’s Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky. One of the best books I’ve read on the history of medicine and combining it with the history of New York City and the United States.

Get to know CELT better! This week we find out more about Marla Gorman, Testing Center Coordinator. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

I thoroughly enjoy my interactions with the students. I am, most times, the first instructor/professional they meet because I proctor the mandatory Math Placement Exams throughout Orientation Week(s). I feel it’s my obligation to answer questions or address concerns they may have and I strongly encourage them to be their best advocate. I remind them that we (SBU Faculty and Staff) are here to make their higher education successful and should be accountable for any shortcomings. 

What did you do prior to working in CELT?

I worked 20+ years in Corporate America as a Production/Project Manager for a Point-of-Purchase Display Company. I negotiated pricing and oversaw production and delivery of goods with firm delivery dates. I definitely had to soften my tactics when it came to accepting contracted prices and lax delivery times. 15 years later and I’m still adjusting!

Coffee or tea?

I prefer tea unless I need a caffeine boost. Tea is soothing for mind, body and soul. Sharing a cup of tea is how I spend lots of my quality time with my family and friends. No flavored teas… just a nice, smooth black leaf blend. 

Where would you like to visit (real or fictional)?

I would love to visit Iceland and see the Northern Lights. They seem so mystical to me and I’m convinced if I made a wish on those cosmic lights, my dreams would come true.

What was the last book you read? 

Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Alright

Get to know CELT better! This week we find out more about Kristin Hall, Instructional Designer. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

I enjoy creating learning content and building courses so they are engaging, easy to navigate, and based on research in the learning sciences.

What did you do prior to working in CELT?

I was an Academic Advisor for 8 years and also worked in the Library as a Learning Outcomes and Assessment Specialist for 2 year before joining CELT. 

Coffee or tea?

Coffee!

Where would you like to visit (real or fictional)?

I would love to visit New Zealand and Australia one day. 

What was the last book you read? 

Uncommon Sense Teaching by Barbara Oakley

Get to know CELT better! This week we find out more about Neill Clenaghan, ExamSoft Administrator.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Getting students on board with the ExamSoft exam system with the least number of problems to them, and teaching faculty to use the ExamSoft system for authoring their own exam content.

What did you do prior to working in CELT?

Lets see it’s a long list – Server administration, Videoconferencing administration, Assistant Registrar, Case Management in a Sheltered Workshop, Shoe Salesman, Hotline Administrator….and numerous part-time experiments.

Coffee or tea?

Oh most definitely COFFEE!

Where would you like to visit (real or fictional)?

New Zealand, Paris again (in the Spring), Denmark, Chile, Seattle, and Portland (OR)….the list goes on.

What was the last book you read? 

Modern Death by Haider Warraich

Get to know CELT better! This week we find out more about Kimberly Bell, Teaching Assistant Development Specialist. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

Teaching our enthusiastic and passionate postdocs, graduate, and undergraduate students.

What did you do prior to working in CELT?

Prior to my current position, I was a postdoc in CELT for 4 years, and before that I was a lecturer in Undergraduate Biology (2016-17), Workshop Supervisor for the Alda Center (2015-16), and PhD student in Genetics (2010-2015) at SBU.

Coffee or tea?

Both, but not at the same time 🙂 

Where would you like to visit (real or fictional)?

Oh, so many places, but my top two right now are Puerto Rico and Wales/England/Northern France (my COVID-postponed 10-year wedding anniversary trip).

What was the last book you read? 

I am currently reading “Teaching to Transgress” by bell hooks, and recently finished  “The Address” by Fiona Davis.  

Get to know CELT better! We will begin our series by finding out more about Catherine Scott, Assistant Director for Faculty Development – Testing, Assessment & Evaluation.

Congratulations to Catherine, who will be the new Director for Educational Effectiveness starting March 1st. We will miss her in CELT, but look forward to working with Catherine in her new role.

What is your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of is helping faculty and staff collect the data they need to showcase all of the great things happening in and out of the classroom.

What did you do prior to working in CELT?

Prior to working in CELT, I worked at Suffolk County Community College as a student assistant. It was my job to manually enter course feedback from surveys into spreadsheets.

Coffee or tea?

Honestly, I could be happy with either. I like to tell myself that coffee wakes me up in the morning, while tea just makes me feel better throughout the day.

Where would you like to visit (real or fictional)?

No doubt Bora Bora! I can’t wait to be in a hut on the beach. I love the water and I need the sun.

What was the last book you read? 

Feeding the Soul by Tabitha Brown

Note: Updated 2/13/22