FOUNDATION NEWS SUMMER 2026
CBC’S COMMITMENT TO EQUITY IN EDUCATION
Breaking down barriers, Columbia Basin College's School of Math, Science, and Engineering is committed to seeing students thrive. Through interactive learning, hands-on support, and equity-driven resources, CBC creates an environment where all students can succeed and belong.
ENCE & ENGINEERING • MATH, SCIENCE & ENGINEERING • MATH, SCIENCE & ENGINEERING • MATH, SCIENCE & ENGINEER
CBC FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CBC NEWS
Kyle Simmons, Chair CG Public House Jaime Shimek, Vice Chair & Finance Chair Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Michelle Loera, Fund Development Chair Kadlec Regional Medical Center Leanna Nighswonger, Secretary Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure Douglas Christensen, Board Development Chair HMIS Rebekah Dobbs, Gift, Estate & Planned Giving Chair Numerica Lynn Tegeler, Scholarship Chair Central Plateau Cleanup Company Rebekah Woods Columbia Basin College President Matt Backlund HAPO David Billetdeaux Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Maggie Esquivel Gravis Law Marsha Halverson Educator, Retired Ann Harper Artist Jack Janezic Trios & Lourdes Health Mitch Peterson CompuNet Shawn Nyman CBC Faculty Representative Edgardo Quiroz-Moreno Coldwell Banker Tomlinson Michelle Smith Columbia Basin College Trustee Adan Tijerina Columbia Basin College Educator, Retired Melda Velasquez Kadlec Regional Medical Center Tayler Welch Monte Nail, CPA Paige Wyatt Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
STAFF Erin Fishburn Executive Director Devon Holze Sarah Murphy Timmy Song
CBC News
WHERE LEARNING COMES ALIVE: HOW CBC INSTRUCTORS SPARK ENGAGEMENT & STUDENT SUCCESS
Dr. Ted Lane, Professor of Physics & Engineering, exemplifies the dedication of CBC instructors who are committed to helping students thrive.
Students enjoy Dr. Su-Hyun Kim’s teaching style using everyday objects in lab work to make topics more accessible.
Students drift into Ted Lane’s Physics classroom already flipping through notes, already engaged. Lane wipes down the whiteboards like he’s setting a stage, and the moment he starts Lecture 21, Evaporation, the room snaps to attention. Lane teaches with his whole body. His voice rises and dips, his arms sweep through the air, and suddenly thermodynamics feels surprisingly human. Kinetic energy becomes a child gaining or losing a gift. Lose the gift, lose the energy. Ice in a warm drink becomes a doorway into phase change and equilibrium. His examples land because they’re simple, vivid, and delivered with genuine excitement. When he says, “Let’s do an example,” the shift is instant. Sixteen students lean over their notebooks, typing, sketching, and calculating. Lane moves around the room, filling the boards with step‑by‑step notes. Students compare answers, whisper through their reasoning, and the energy stays high. The highlight comes when he pulls out a calorimeter, taking it apart piece by piece so students can see exactly how next week’s lab will work. It’s hands‑on, concrete, and it clicks. By the time Lane ends with a cartoon on the screen, no one rushes out. They linger, still talking, still thinking. Because in this CBC classroom, physics doesn’t just make sense. It comes alive. Lane's classroom is just one example of how CBC's Math, Science, and Engineering instructors go above and beyond to engage students. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMS, SCAN THE QR CODE.
Fast Facts
S C H O O L O F M AT H , S C I E N C E & E N G I N E E R I N G
69
Faculty Members
11,622
Students served Anually
1,211
Class Offerings
COLUMBIABASIN.EDU/PATHWAYS
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SNACKS TO SCHOLARSHIPS: HOW CBC’S MESA & OER SHOW UP FOR STUDENTS
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
At Columbia Basin College, student support isn’t a tagline. It’s a daily practice. You feel it the moment you step into the MESA Center: home to CBC’s Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement program, which helps underrepresented STEM students stay on track academically and financially. The warmth, the bustle, the sense that someone is genuinely in your corner. It's all there. At the MESA Center, students find For MESA Director Ninfa Rodriguez, helping students isn’t just her role. It’s her the guidance and tools to keep purpose. She’s there for the small things, like snacks during long study sessions, them moving toward their goals. and the big things, like finding emergency funds so a student can say yes to their dream school. Most MESA students are first‑generation. 95%, in fact, so every application and scholarship form can feel like unfamiliar territory. Ninfa guides them through resumes, transfer steps, and recommendation letters with a steady message: You don’t have to do this alone. MESA also removes financial barriers with loanable laptops, calculators, textbooks, free printing, tutoring, and transfer support. When materials aren’t available, CBC continues that support through Open Educational Resources (OER): free, high‑quality digital textbooks that save students hundreds each quarter. One Running Start student nearly lost her spot at the University of Washington because of a $400 acceptance fee. When she told Ninfa, the answer was simple: "We can help." Through CBC Foundation funds, MESA covered it, and her dream stayed intact. At CBC, support shows up in real, practical ways. Sometimes it’s a snack. Sometimes it’s a scholarship. Always, it’s someone who believes students can get where they’re going.
Why I Give! "I’m motivated by the chance to help students build a future with financial stability and work they genuinely enjoy. I hope my support reminds them there are people who believe in them and are cheering for their success."
PAIGE WYATT
Manager of CAD Design for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
2600 N. 20th Ave. Pasco, WA 99301
F O U N DAT I O N
“CBC stopped feeling like just a campus and started feeling like a place where people were actually in my corner.”
MOAIAD ELJACK Electrical Engineering
NUMBERS STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT AS CBC HOSTS
REGIONAL MATH COMPETITION
Columbia Basin College buzzed with energy as hundreds of high school students from across Central Washington arrived for the 5th annual Math Is Cool Regional Championships. From rapid‑fire mental math to high‑pressure college‑bowl face‑offs, students pushed their skills, cheered each other on, and filled the campus with excitement. The day was packed with problem‑solving, teamwork, and school pride. CBC’s Student Ambassadors, Phi Theta Kappa members, and faculty kept everything running smoothly by welcoming teams, resetting rooms, and celebrating every victory.
MATH IS COOL RETURNS TO THE CBC CAMPUS ON OCTOBER 22, 2026!
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