edoardo cerani - supporting documentation for faculty award 2015

Supporting documentation for Faculty Award 2015

Edoardo Cerani (nominee in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) MRI Program Director and Assistant Professor

Please also see the attachments in the following 26 pages.

1. I am always available for students even after hours, during weekends and during the holiday closuresof the College. I strive to keep an open and timely communication with them.

2. The Evaluations of Instructor that I receive from my students have always been very positive andreflect my commitment to them in terms of time, energy, communication, fairness and teaching skills.

3. This is the 5th time and the 4rd year in a row that I am receiving the nomination for the FacultyPerformance Award. The number of nominations received this year, is a consequence of and proves all the above.

4. I have created a Radiology group with Facebook where students, ex-students, technologists andhospitals managers can exchange information, network and post jobs openings. Currently about more than 200 people are part of it.

5. I am serving as Chair of the Employee Relations and Wellness Committee and I create a NutritionNewsletter published on the Beacon edition of the last week of every month for GC employees andstudents benefit. In the past I have been always an active member of the LRC (Learning Resource Center) Committee. 6. Having created the first Online MRI Program in the US, I succeeded to almost quadruplicate thenumber of students enrolled in the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) program compared to previous years enrollment. This definitely helped and is helping the financial health of Galveston College.

7. I have succeeded to have my program recognized by ARRT (American Registry of RadiologicalTechnologists) thus attracting more students. Currently, in Texas, only another MRI school is accredited with ARRT.

8. Since our RHS Advisor left GC and has not been replaced, besides being the MRI Program Director,Coordinator, and Instructor, I successfully covered also the role of Advisor and I have been actively involved in students advising, selection, registration and recruiting.

9. I have constantly increased the number of Clinical Affiliated all over Texas and even out of State, thusallowing online students to complete their clinical training far away from our area.

Thank you for your kind attention and consideration.

Sincerely

My teaching philosophy

Edoardo Cerani

MRI Program Director and Assistant Professor

Students are undoubtedly the life of the College.

I am always completely aware of the fact that our College and our profession

would be meaningless without them.

Students are actually our customers as we are paid by them.

They want/need to learn and we provide them with our teaching service.

As such, it is of utmost importance to strive to provide them with an excellent

service and to maintain and improve their satisfaction.

Students satisfaction derives from the quality of service, care and attention we

guarantee them.

As a matter of fact, probably the most powerful retention and recruiting tool

has been their positive word of mouth about their experience here at

Galveston College in my Program.

We, as Faculty, provide the teaching service the students need to succeed and

improve their lives.

What is teaching?

Even experienced teachers may experience some perplexity when trying to

describe their definition of teaching and consequently their teaching philosophy.

The first thing that I would like to underline is that teaching isnt restricted to

informing.

The mere fact of informing doesnt guarantee that the information provided is

understood and that, consequently, can be retained and used, applying it to real

life and work situations and environments.

Teaching and learning are completely intertwined and inseparable when the

teaching comes from another human being (instructor) rather than by life

experience itself.

To teach is actually to give a meaning to learning; it's getting students to work

independently and as a team, to learn how to learn, to establish a multiple-

senses connection between teacher and students. It is bringing them to acquire

an information processing methodology, to be more responsible and aware of

their learning.

eceraniTypewritten TextPlease see all the following pages as well

Real knowledge is not received passively but actively constructed and perfected

by conscious intellectual operations.

First answer that arises spontaneously: to teach is to make socially capable

men and women, to teach is to learn how to teach and it is a never ending

process; to teach is to create dynamic and proactive adults. These are perfectly

legitimate responses but constitute an axiology rather than a precise answer.

Another type of common response is that: "Teaching is to pass on knowledge or

a message". Teaching is of course a transmission but especially now with the

extensive use of electronic media, one can wonder if it is not reducing the act of

teaching. Thus, from a modern perspective, teaching is defined as the process of

communication to bring about learning. In this perspective, teaching becomes a

much more extensive concept, teaching is not only transmitting information but

mainly to cause, organize, facilitate and manage learning.

Consequently, I would define a good teacher as an "organizer and facilitator of

learning situations". In fact, a teacher is someone who manages and who

coordinates the activities of students in order to achieve properly defined

objectives.

The teacher is therefore a manager and not just a mere provider of information.

Teaching and learning are two inseparable concepts. Learning is an extensive

concept that cant be reduced to academic achievement.

The learning concept and process is actually extraordinarily extensive.

It must be noted that a big part of the learning that marked our lives is often

existential and situational learning rather than academic learning.

Learning is an adaptive modification of behavior consequent to the interaction

of the individual with his/her environment. Moreover, learning should be

sustainable and, when and where possible, it should be used. The purpose of

learning is not just knowledge but action. In other words, the purpose of learning

is to increase the quality of life of the single individual for him/herself and for

the society in which he/she lives.

We often face an unsustainable society. Young people should learn the

dynamics of the system. This is the opposite of disciplinary and compartmental

training. Our societies can be considered as bio-socio-technical systems: they

combine the dynamics of ecosystems, the dynamics of social systems and the

dynamics of technical systems, each system having its own autonomy.

This requires that our students (and so our teaching) can combine these different

dimensions and understand how our societies are determined by the combined

changes in these three dimensions. Finally, we must learn the interdependence

both at a technical and ethical level. Teaching, like any education worth of the

name is a teaching of knowledge and a teaching of being able to be, to do and

to exist through that knowledge.

eceraniTypewritten TextPlease see all the following pages as well.

Faculty Award Nominations 2014

Click here to view the supporting documentation from this nominee.

1. The instructor, Edoardo Cerani, has demonstrated he is an outstanding facultymember by evidence of the following criteria:

Good Very Good Excellent Superior

Helps students/others grow personally and intellectually by assisting and encouraging them to achieve goals (provides attentive direction in the classroom and available outside of the classroom

Nomination comments:taking online classes, always sending us email on how to help us make it easier to learn.

great teacher. Very helpful, Passionate about teaching and student

I am not a very technical person. Therefore, online courses are very overwhelming for me. Mr. Cerani is very encouraging and patient compare to all the professors that I had in the past.

Mr. Cerani has provided attentive direction with me so far with the online MRI course and has promptly gotten back with me when I had a question.

Page 1 of 6Faculty Award Nominations 2014 Survey

2/24/2014https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Uz3oWO5CiZ71VZcxpopVIg%3d%3d

Im a distance education student and he does his best to let us know through email to know that he is there for us if we need anything. He is constantly communicating with us to ensure we know what is expected from us.

A very positive thinker, he has an uplifting can do way of thinking.

Mr. Cerani, is a wonderful instructor. He always responds to questions/emails in a very timely manner. Also always willing to help with any questions and concerns that I have had throughout this school year.

Mr. Cerani sent out an email to his MRI students and it made me feel a little better. I was feeling overwhelmed by all to new material we were learning and he said in summary that it's ok ay to feel a little overwhelmed in the beginning because MRI is very complex. I think he is a great teacher.

I am online out of state student. I asked my professor to be honest with me as to whether or not I should take his course even though I would not be taking clinical internship and how difficult it would be for me. He told me it would be difficult but not impossible. He also told me what path I shouldn't take that will possibly put me in a path I did not want to be in. He was refreshingly honest with me and now I am in my second semester of the MRI online program and I thank him for his sincerity and approach in regards to my future.

Mr. Cerani seems to make himself available and willing to provide students with the information needed to send them the correct direction in order to achieve and be successful.

Mr. Cerani keeps all students updated through email. He answers all questions quickly.

communication, follow up with students, put effort to find clinical sites for students, ....

Very professional and always available even when out on vacation.

Mr Cerani has done a very good job in clinical placement, registration, dedicating his time and explaining very well the goals and how to achieve them

He has been very helpful and explains things when I have questions.





The instructor is knowledgeable in their discipline and able to clearly communicate their knowledge to others (Follows through on assigned tasks, gives feedback and assistance when needed, and performs thorough/complete work)

Nomination comments:e-mai ls back within the same day for me, as far as taking online classes.

Very knowledgeable. Assist student like anything. Help with notes , encourage to improve.

All of Mr. Cerani's lessons are easy to understand. Is response to my questions are always prompt and clear.

I believe the communication has been clear and thorough by making sure I understand what is expected of me as far as my assigned homework and course requirements.

He is very much knowledgeable with the courses and the MRI profession. Provides a great amount of detail on the material.

He has taken the time to break down complex subject matter to more easily understood concepts.

The material Mr.Cerani has on whitecaps is very self-explanatory and easy to understand. Which can be difficult since this is an online program. I Feel I am learning just as well as if I was in a class room face to face with a professor.



He provides us with great teaching lessons that the textbooks don't offer. He puts it in words I can understand.

I have noticed that his lessons and assigned work is very clear and concise and easy to understand. He tends to trim some of the fat that is imposed in text book explanations by the Physicist who write them making it much easier to learn the material assigned. He has always been very timely on his email communications and I have always received responses within 24 hours of my questions and submissions no matter how silly my questions might be.

Mr. Cerani clearly explains what he expects and requires to be done by his students. He is willing to assist when needed and to help me reach my goals!

Mr. Cerani is well educated in the MRI field. He is available to answer any questions we may have and explains it in simplified terms through modules online.

Mr.Cerani provided some material for his students that has been hand written by him. It means a lot!!Have not seen a instructor these days who put effort and time and collect info and get it ready for students!!

The instructor has been very helpful throughout the processes I've underwent when trying to be admitted into the college. Even now as a student, he is very up to date, diligent and always available to assist when needed. He's simply great!

Very good instruction , specially by his own created graphics

He communicates with his students so we don't fall behind on our work.



Approachable, available, and helpful (Always presents a pleasant demeanor, open



Good Very Good Excellent Superiorminded, creates an atmosphere of caring, and positive problem solving)

Nomination comments:very open minded, can ask any questions and help me derive a way to get an answer.

Approachable very caring. Can come to student's shoe.

I've never meet Mr. Cerani in person. But his communication to the students via emails are very respectful, pleasant and understanding.

I believe Mr. Cerani has been helpful in directing me and is definitely available when I've needed assistance with any question I have had so far.

Very easy to communicate with and responds quickly to any emails or calls. Tons of information is given in order to help us understand the material.

Very responsive via email to needs and concerns.

Always has a great attitude and eager to help students. I feel Mr.Cerani truly cares about the future of his students and is willing to do whatever he can to help them succeed in this course.

He always replies very quickly to my emails.

Mr. Cerani, has been a great guide through my experience at Galveston College Online MRI Program. I have had many issues concerning the curriculum resolved without hesitation from his behalf. He has been proactive in my clinical affiliation with Galveston College and my hospital in California. I hope when I complete my goals I can have the opportunity to meet him in person because if he is that comprehensive and courteous online then he must be a pleasure in person.

Mr. Cerani has been more than helpful even during the application process to the MRI program. He replies in a timely manner and made himself available even while out of the country during winter break in order to help and guides his students and potential



students.

He is polite and helpful and very detailed in instruction.

Struggling to find clinical site for every one of us and make us happy!!

Very positive guy and very pleasant to work with.

timely responses, extra-hours availability

He always returns my emails promptly and answers my questions.

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Nutrition and Wellness

Monthly Newsletter

By Edoardo Cerani

Chair of the Employee Relations and Wellness Committee

Introduction:

They say that You are what you eat.

That is only partially true as what we are is defined by many more components of our life: social,

genetic, psychological, pathologic, educational, behavioral, physical activity etc.

What you eat, the kind and quantity of food that you ingest daily, and the way it is processed, prepared

and/or cooked has however a pretty big impact on what you are and feel, and on your overall wellness.

Through this monthly newsletter on Nutrition, we will face and explore some basic concepts and

misconceptions about the food and beverages we consume both as a survival necessity and as a

pleasure.

According to what we choose to eat, food can prevent some diseases, can cure some diseases, but can

also make you sick when your diet is unbalanced either in quality or quantity of what we eat.

Through a better understanding of the properties of food and how it can affect our daily life we can for

sure eat our way to a healthier and happier life.

Antioxidants

Nutrition Newsletter by Edoardo Cerani November 2014

Employees Relation and Wellness Committee

Antioxidants are molecules able to counteract the oxidation caused by free radicals.

An apple turning brown is an example of the chemical process called oxidation.

Oxidation is the interaction between oxygen and different substances they may interact with,

from metal to living tissue. Scientifically, oxidation is defined as the loss of at least one electron

when two or more substances interact. Those substances may or may not include oxygen.

Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can

be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Once formed these highly reactive

radicals can start a chain reaction leading to oxidative stress/damage at cellular level with

consequent possible tissues inflammation and degeneration.

Oxidative stress has been linked to serious diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, aging,

diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia, Parkinsons Disease, Alzheimers, autoimmune diseases,

cognitive decline, and eye conditions like macular degeneration.

The following have antioxidants properties:

Vitamin A, C, E, Beta-carotene, Selenium, Flavonoids, Lignans.

The great majority of foods containing antioxidants molecules has vegetal origin.

As a rule of thumb, the darkest the vegetable or fruit, and the strongest will be its antioxidant

properties.

From the list below it is interesting to notice that very common spices show the most powerful

antioxidant characteristics. Therefore, just sprinkling even just a small amount of spices on your

food, will add a very beneficial effect.

USDA has developed units for measuring an antioxidant food or supplement's ability to

neutralize free radicals, called ORAC score (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). The higher

a food's ORAC score, the more powerful it is in counteracting oxidation from free radicals.

Here is a list of some of the most common and powerful natural ones:

Spices, cloves, ground 290,283

Spices, oregano, dried 175,295

Spices, rosemary, dried 165,280

Spices, thyme, dried 157,380

Spices, cinnamon, ground 131,420

Spices, turmeric, ground 127,068

Spices, sage, ground 119,929

Acai, fruit pulp/skin, powder 102,700

Rosehip 96,150

Spices, parsley, dried 73,670

Spices, basil, dried 61,063

Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened 55,653

Spices, cumin seed 50,372

Baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares 49,944

Spices, pepper, black 34,053

Candies, chocolate, dark 20,816

Nuts, pecans 17,940

Blackberries, raw 5,905

Garlic, raw 5,708

Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw 5,141

Blueberries, raw 4,669

Alcoholic Beverage, wine, table, red, Cabernet Sauvignon

4,523

Pomegranates, raw 4,479

Nuts, almonds 4,454

Juice, Concord grape 2,389


Monthly Newsletter January 2015

By Edoardo Cerani


PROTEINS

Proteins can be found in food of both animal and vegetal origin.

Proteins are made of amino acids:

non-essential amino acids that our body can synthesize

essential amino acids that our body is unable to synthesize (and have to be provided by food)

Proteins have many different important functions:

Part of your DNA: Proteins combine with nucleic acids to form nucleoproteins, in the nucleus of every

cell in your body.

Enzymes: These are special proteins necessary to facilitate biochemical processes such as to break

down food for absorption, to regulate the passage of nutrients through cell walls, and the removal of

waste-products, to grow, develop, move, reproduce.

Hemoglobin: the protein that together with iron carries oxygen at the cellular level of your body.

Myoglobin and elastin: the two main proteins in muscle fiber.

Bones: are mainly made of proteins, with calcium, magnesium and phosphate.

Hormones: send chemical messages between nerve cells and regulate metabolism.

Antibodies: which circulate in your blood to protect you against viruses and other pathogens.

Keratin: forms your hair and nails

Animal Proteins:

Are found in meat (beef, chicken, pork etc.), eggs, fish, milk and dairy products.

They have the advantage of containing all the essential amino acids.

They have however the disadvantage of containing high amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats that

may increase the risk of cardio-vascular diseases.

Moreover, meat from factory farmed animals can contain traces of antibiotics, steroids and growth

hormones (respectively given to animals to survive the often inhumane and filthy farming conditions

and the poor quality of feed given to them and to make them grow and gain weight more and faster and

produce more milk). The above supplements are banned in Europe and Canada, but are allowed in the

US.

Therefore, better to eat organic and/or grass fed produced meat, eggs and milk. About fish, it is better

to avoid farm raised fish and choose wild caught fish. Fish, compared to meat contains less saturated fat

and more omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Vegetal/Plant-based Proteins:

The majority of vegetal origin proteins has the disadvantage of containing only some of the essential

amino acids. However combining some vegetal origin foods, such as beans and rice, peanut butter and

whole wheat bread, will provide all of them.

In general, the protein content of vegetal foods is lower than that of animal foods.

The advantage however is that they contain much less saturated fats, much more healthy unsaturated

fats and basically no cholesterol. In fact the majority of people following mainly vegetarian diets has

lower body mass indexes, less risk of obesity and diabetes, lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood

pressure and less risk to develop cardio-vascular diseases.

Some plant-based foods like quinoa, buckwheat, hempseed, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and soy contain

all the essential amino acids.


Monthly Newsletter February 2015

By Edoardo Cerani


FATS/LIPIDS

Fats are organic molecules present in our body. They are important components of some cellular

structures, especially cell membranes (mainly made of phospholipids, cholesterol and glycolipids). The

main micro-function of fats at cellular level is to protect the cells and keep them healthy.

The main macro-function of fats is to provide and store energy, absorb certain nutrients (i.e. Vitamins A,

D, E and K, called fat-soluble vitamins) and help maintains your core body temperature.

Our body can synthesize most of the fats it needs, with the exception of two essential fatty acids,

linolenic and linoleic acid that must be obtained from food.

Fats in food can be divided into two main categories:

1. Saturated fats (mainly of non-marine animal origin: beef, pork, chicken, diary products)

2. Unsaturated fats (mainly of vegetal and marine animal origin: oils, nuts, seeds, fatty fish):

a. Monounsaturated (extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, salmon, sardines)

b. Polyunsaturated (coffee, safflower oil, grapeseed oil, flaxseed oil)

In general unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated fats as saturated fats can raise bad cholesterol

(low-density lipoprotein, or LDL) and triglycerides. LDL cholesterol can be harmful because it contributes

to plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog arteries and make them more rigid.

On the contrary, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol found in vegetal and marine animal origin

oils/fats is considered good cholesterol because it helps remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries.

Cholesterol has been demonized for decades, but lately recent studies and official nutritional guidelines

show that there is little correlation between the intake of cholesterol with food and blood-serum levels

of cholesterol: therefore now the limitations about the consumption of eggs and shrimp are less strict.

Among unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats are healthier than polyunsaturated fats:

monounsaturated fats are more stable to high temperature and resist oxidation (that makes them easily

rancid).

Polyunsaturated fats however contain essential omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3

fatty acids are healthier than omega-6 fatty acids as they may help prevent and even treat heart disease

and stroke.

Artificial Trans-fats:

The worst type of dietary fat is the kind known as trans-fat. It is a byproduct of a chemical process called

hydrogenation that is used to turn healthy vegetal oils into solids (margarine) and to prevent them from

becoming rancid. When vegetable oil is heated in the presence of hydrogen and a heavy-metal catalyst

such as palladium, hydrogen atoms are added to the carbon chain. This turns oils into solids. It also

makes healthy vegetable oils more like not-so-healthy saturated fats. On food label ingredient lists, this

manufactured substance is typically listed as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.

Supporting documentation for Faculty Award 2015Edoardo Cerani - Supporting documentation for Faculty Award 2015Edoardo Cerani - My teaching philosophyEdoardo Cerani - Supporting documentation for Faculty Award 20142010-14 Faculty Award NominationFaculty Award 20142010-13 Faculty Award Nomination

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edoardo cerani - supporting documentation for faculty award 2015

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