Anthropology Instructor Joylin Namie teaching a class, and wearing the enrollment mentor T-shirt that signifies her efforts in a volunteer committee at TMCC.
Joylin Namie’s Article is Published
Anthropology Instructor Joylin Namie possesses an obvious enthusiasm for the topics of human nutrition, health, gender, and athletic performance.
“I've done research on how women make choices about food for themselves and their families,” she said. “I've also published on the dangers of sports nutrition supplements for athletes, and on how images of successful athletes are used in advertising to promote the consumption of sports nutrition products by non-athletes, leading to public health issues like obesity and diabetes.”
Namie, a tenure-track faculty member, pours her excitement not only into research and writing, but also into teaching and participating in the Faculty for Radical Education and Enlightenment (FREE) interdisciplinary learning projects at Truckee Meadows Community College.
Her most recent article, “Representations of Female Athletes in Sports Nutrition Advertising,” has been accepted for publication by the national peer-reviewed resource The Sport Journal. The online Journal receives about 500,000 visits annually, Namie added.
The United States Sports Academy publishes The Sport Journal and the Editorial Board considers each submitted article for publication. Up to three peer-reviewers then rigorously evaluate the works.
"At present, only 3.2 percent of televised sports coverage focuses on women's sports,” Namie said. “When female athletes are featured, they are often presented in ways that focus on their appearance and their roles outside of sports. This article examines portrayals of female athletes in sports nutrition advertising, particularly commercials for products like Gatorade that are embedded in the very sports coverage from which female athletes are excluded. It shows that women are visible in these ads far more than they are in sports media coverage, and that they are portrayed in ways that emphasize their athletic competence and success in sport."
The online edition including Professor Namie’s work will be posted on Oct. 19.
Clinical Medical Assistant Course Achieves 90 Percent Pass Rate
Workforce Development and Community Education (WDCE), the career and noncredit division of TMCC, offers the Clinical Medical Assistant Certification course that prepares students to work as an assistant in a private medical practice, hospital or clinic.
The summer 2017 class graduates achieved a 90 percent pass rate on the standard test for this occupation; the National Healthcareer Association Certified Clinical Medical Assistant national examination.
“This is an amazing pass rate, considering the national average is about 60 percent,” said Amy Williams, Interim Dean of the Business Division.
Demand is currently growing for Clinical Medical Assistants.
“The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics predicts more than a 30 percent job growth rate in this field through 2024,” said Nicole McDowell, Program Director for WDCE. “Starting pay averages about $13 per hour, and many times benefits are included.”
The course is delivered with an accelerated format. Students learn to prepare patients for examination and treatment, perform routine laboratory and diagnostic tests, and measure vital signs. They also learn about professional conduct in the medical field, medical ethics, and basic legal regulations. The course comprises 170 hours of lecture, supplemented by hands-on lab work.
Students must complete the course successfully in order to be eligible to sit for the national examination.
For more information about the course, please contact WDCE at 775-829-9010.
Virginia Castleman’s Book Represents Nevada at Festival
Simon & Schuster published TMCC English Instructor Virginia Castleman’s novel “Sara Lost and Found,” in 2016.
The book—a fictional story written for middle-grade students—was inspired by true events that Castleman experienced in the foster care system.
This year, her novel was selected as “Nevada’s Pick” for the 17th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. that took place on Sept. 2.
Every state is represented at the Festival by one book. Nevada Humanities was tasked with choosing the book to represent Nevada, and they chose “Sara Lost in Found.”
“My book fit the theme of this year’s Library of Congress event, ‘Defining Family,’” Castleman said. “Nevada Humanities felt that foster care and adoption are such important and current topics. The novel is a story of survival, sibling love, courage, and hope as the two sisters struggle to stay together in a world that tears them apart.”
The National Book Festival is free to the public, and the next event is Sept. 1, 2018. For more information about the Festival, please contact Nevada Humanities.
Contributions to TMCC Good News are Welcome
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