The Office of Continuing Education welcomes a new staff member. Charlee Zingraf is program coordinator - travel specialist and will focus on growing Continuing Education's travel programs. Charlee comes to UNLV from Illinois State University, where she was the study aboard coordinator in the Office of International Studies and Programs.
She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in college student personnel administration both from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.
Click here to learn more about upcoming exploring and travel opportunities.

Kyle Yahiro-Okino has been named assistant director of the Office of Continuing Education. Kyle previously served as senior program coordinator and program coordinator.
In his new capacity, Kyle will oversee program coordinators in all programming for the professional development and certificate program areas. He has broad experience in the computer technology field. 
Kyle has a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration and a professional certificate in web design both from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

35 hearty travelers from Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Michigan rendezvoused in Ushuaia, Argentina in early December to set out on a journey of a lifetime. Over ten days they explored the world’s southernmost waters and continent. For some, the trip checked the seventh and final continent off their travel wish-list. For others, it was an opportunity to see and photograph landscapes and wildlife they had only ever read about. For all, it was a chance to learn about this stunning but sometimes forbidding part of our planet.
The combination of adventure plus learning is what draws participants to select UNLV adventure travels over other organized trips. The programs differ from most organized tours in one essential, fundamental way: when you travel with UNLV, you are assured that your leaders are committed educators and experts in their fields.
Antarctic trip leaders Peg Rees and Sharon Shafer are both impressively familiar with the continent. Geologist and science educator Rees spent eight field seasons in Antarctica conducting scientific research, receiving the U.S. Congressional Polar Medal of Honor for her work. Artist and wildlife biologist Schafer has served as artist-in-residence on numerous trips to the sub-Antarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Her fine art images promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of the beauty and diversity of the natural world. Both women have led multiple UNLV adventure travel trips, returning each time because they love to share their expertise and enjoy interacting with fellow explorers.
Aboard the host vessel, the Akademik Ioffe, additional experts shared their specialties with the group from UNLV. Educational presentations were always well-attended and included programs on marine ecosystems, historical expeditions, birds, marine mammals, photography, climate change, and penguin science. The talks were a great way to place the landscapes, wildlife, and research within a greater context of understanding.
Of course, this trip was not about passive learning. It was about experiential learning—getting up close and personal with nature in one of the most isolated parts of the earth. And boy, did UNLV’s adventurers get up close and personal. Daily excursions by Zodiac (inflatable raft) or kayak brought the travelers into territories populated by a diverse array of animals.  Travelers saw four species of penguins, five types of albatrosses, and an abundance of petrels, gulls, terns, and other sea birds. Humpback, fin, sei, minke, and killer whale sightings inspired awe. One encounter brought three curious humpback whales just feet from the boat, bringing travelers to tears with joy and exhilaration. Crabeater seals, Weddell seals, leopard seals, southern elephant seals, and South American sea lion rounded out the wildlife list. Amidst all these encounters, UNLV and Akademik Ioffe experts were available to answer travelers’ questions and provide information and guidance.
A short article cannot properly capture this adventure. Trip leaders kept a travel blog of the voyage, available at http://exploreantarctica.blogspot.com. Included is an itinerary of the journey and notes from the trip.
Intrigued by these tales of travel adventure? UNLV Continuing Education has several trips in the planning stages, with more to be announced in the coming months. Next spring, April 26 to May 8, 2014, Rees and Schafer will lead a group on an active adventure to the Galapagos Islands and Quito, Ecuador. Continuing Education has also opened an interest list for a December 2013/January 2014 encore voyage to Antarctica. For details on either trip, contact Charlee Zingraf with UNLV Continuing Education, 702-895-5224 or email charlee.zingraf@unlv.edu.

UNLV’s Medical Assistant Certificate program hit an important milestone in November with the graduation of its first students. These students have been working diligently toward this goal since they enrolled last spring.

Are the Galapagos Islands on your must-see list? UNLV Continuing Education will visit the Galapagos Archipelago April 26-May 8, 2014. To learn more about the trip, join trip leaders Peg Rees and Sharon Schafer for an entertaining and educational multimedia program at 7 pm on February 27 or 7 pm on February 28.
Click here for more information.

Are you ready for the SAT and ACT?
The date is circled on the calendar. You’ve been prepping on your own for weeks—maybe months. There is nothing else you can do to get ready for the SAT or ACT.
Or is there?
Thanks to a new alliance between UNLV Continuing Education and Catalyst, a SAT/ACT test prep company, Las Vegas now has an affordable weekend test prep boot camp strategically scheduled the week before you take your college entrance exams.
These momentum-boosting weekend seminars will arm students like you with go-to strategies for every question you face on the day of the test. You will learn to spot hidden clues that instantly reveal the main idea in long reading passages. You will also find out how to avoid the four sneakiest ways SAT and ACT grammar questions try to trick students. In addition, you will apply a proven formula for composing a perfect-score essay, no matter what question the test asks.
Catalyst’s programs are designed by instructors who have earned multiple perfect scores on the actual tests. Students will receive a test prep book, self-study materials, and diagnostic tests, as well as copies of essays that have earned perfect scores on actual SATs. To view additional information about the program as well as student testimonials, visit www.catalystprep.com.
Las Vegas sessions will be held in January, March, and April, each the weekend before a scheduled college entrance exam date. All sessions are held at UNLV’s Paradise Campus, on the southeast corner of Tropicana and Swenson immediately south of the main campus. Ample parking is available. Registration for SAT or ACT boot camp is $165. Pre-registration is required; walk-in students cannot be accommodated.
Upcoming sessions are as follows:
Session I: C131GI1103A / SATEnroll by Wednesday, Jan 16Sat & Sun 9am-1pm, Jan 19 & 20
Session II: C131GI1103B / SATEnroll by Wednesday, Feb 27Sat & Sun 9am-1pm, Mar 2 & 3
Session III: C131GI1153/ ACTEnroll by Wednesday, Apr 3Sat & Sun 9am-1pm, Apr 6 & 7
Session IV: C131GI1103C/ SATEnroll by Wednesday, Apr 24Sat & Sun 9am-1pm, Apr 27 & 28
 

The Division of Educational Outreach is pleased to announce the opening of two new computer teaching labs at our UNLV Paradise Campus this summer. These labs each contain 24 computer workstations, state-of-the-art audio and video technology features, as well as custom furniture and fixtures.
 
 The labs are located in PAR 123 and 125. PAR 123 is a Windows-based classroom and PAR 125 is a Mac-based classroom.
 
Classes will be held in these new labs starting later this semester. Look for new and exciting state-of-the-art computer classes to be offered through Continuing Education later this year, including classes for Mac enthusiasts and Mac professionals.

Join us for Continuing Education's fall exploring trips.

 
Architectural Tour to Los Angeles and Hollywood
Join architect Kevin Fahey on a three-day educational trip exploring architectural gems of Los Angeles and Hollywood, California.View complete trip details.
 

Durango & Silverton Railroad, Mesa Verde National Park & Canyon De Chelly National Monument/Six-Day Southwestern Adventure
Explore cultural, historical, and geological treasures in Arizona and Colorado during a six-day educational adventure led by geologists Fred Bachhuber and Cris Bosselman.View complete trip details.
 

It’s a Date! Exploring the China Ranch Date Farm
Explore China Ranch Date Farm near Death Valley. The land was originally farmed in the late 1800s by a Chinese immigrant. It changed hands several times before dates were planted in the early 1900s.
The ranch has produced a variety of agricultural products over the years, but dates have remained its mainstay. Plan to walk two to three miles over uneven ground exploring a working date farm, historical site, old mines, and a creek with hiking trails and wildlife.View complete trip details.

 
For more information, please contact:
Michelle Baker
michelle.baker@unlv.edu
(702) 895-3254

Continuing Education Director Emmanuel (Meni) Sarris shares what we offer to the community and businesses with the readers of Nevada Business Journal.
Read the Full Article.

The summer catalogs are hot off of the virtual presses and available at Summer 2012 Catalogs.