OCS Highlights

Juneteenth 2023

The Director of OCS  Dr. Woodroffe was one of two guest speakers for Juneteenth at Joint Andrews AirForce Base on June 16, 2023. The well-received presentation focused on the history of Juneteenth, its significance and impact for African Americans.

ADR Volunteering with the Baltimore City District Court of Maryland

Dr. Annette Woodroffe, Director of Office of Community Services at Morgan State University has longstanding community service relationship as one of the lead mediators with the Baltimore City District Court of Maryland's Alternative Dispute Resolution Office. 

AMERICAN RED CROSS CRYSTAL DRIP AWARD 

In 2021, Morgan State University (MSU), through the Office of Community Services won the 16 Day HBCU Challenge, organized by the National American Red Cross, the Central MD Chapter, and as the Regional Diversity Account Manager of the Sickle Cell Program. MSU received the Crystal Blood Drop Award because it “led the country’s HBCUs in raising awareness around the need for Black and African American blood donors to close the sickle cell gap. This included securing more Black and African American blood donor commitments than any other participating HBCU.”

“The competition began on June 3rd honoring the legacy of Dr. Charles R. Drew and continued through [June 19, 2021] to celebrate Juneteenth and acknowledge World Sickle Cell Awareness Day. There were 16 participating HBCU’s, including Howard University, Fisk University, Tennessee State, Morehouse School of Medicine, AUC-Spelman, North Carolina A&T State University and Alabama A&M University” (American Red Cross).

AEROSPACE ROCKET RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: DESIGNING, BUILDING, AND LAUNCHING OF ROCKETS

High school students in OCS’s College Discovery Next Generation Scholars Program participated in 9-hour five-week rocketry exploration facilitated by the Defense and Space Program, School of Engineering at Morgan State during the summer of 2022. This theoretical and hands-on exploration was done on site in Morgan’s Rocketry Laboratory. The history and the different components of a model rocket, its respective roles, launching a model rocket, how a rocket works, the safety aspect of model rocketry and simulating flights were taught and experienced. The goal was to have each student simulate “his” own rocket and then compare the theoretical apogee with the actual one recorded after the flight of the rocket. The hands-on part of the project consisted of safely assembling, launching,and recovering the model rocket. This exploration culminated with the students traveling to the Central Sod Farm in Centerville, MD to launch the rockets they built. The launch height in the air was 2000 feet.

VISIT TO THE NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE (NRO) IN CHANTILLY, VA 

In 2022, high school students in OCS’s College Discovery Next Generation Scholars Program invited students from the Baltimore Division STEM Wrestling Camp Beat the Streets-Baltimore to participate in a one-day internship program at The National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, VA. This trip was sponsored by the Defense and Space Program in the School of Engineering. (Beat the Streets is a national organization that works with students to empower and transform their lives through wrestling as a sport). Students learned about building car testing sensors, 3d printing of shields and how to create team names on them. They participated in interactive videos demonstrating satellite orbits. One student shared “we experienced first-hand what a job in the STEM field looks like.” A mentor added,“Getting an experience like this is important exposure for the kids, because kidsfrom Baltimore city need more encouragement, and opportunities are not presented to them like this normally. I took advantage of being at this event, gained new knowledge and asked about internship and job opportunities in the NRO or around the area.”