News and Events
The Kookaburras have Arrived!
Welcome to the class of 2016 - the Kookaburras!
Kinkajous Graduate!
The 2014 Kinkajous have finished! Thanks for a great school year and best wishes as you take your next career steps!
Spring Semester
It was a busy semester for the Kinkajous and Oncillas! The Kinkajous finished up their program with a number of workshops and clinical rotation at Syracuse's Rosamond Gifford Zoo while the Oncillas started their zoo clinical training at Watertown's NYS Zoo. The Kinkajous were also on the road to visit Binghamton's Ross Park Zoo, and for their final year trip went to Boston to see the Stone Zoo, Franklin Park Zoo, the Boston Aquarium, and go on a whale watch.
Super Science Saturday 2014
Even 8+ inches of falling lake effect snow couldn't slow this year's Super Science Saturday! Despite the heavy snow, attendance was as high as last year with over 500 families attending. Math, biology, chemistry, engineering, paramedics, computer science, physics, geology, allied health, nursing, and of course zoo technology were all well represented. Many community exhibitors attended as well and the big colon made another appearance!
Zookeeping - The Textbook!
Zookeeping: An Introduction to the Science and Technology is now available for sale! The textbook developed by Dr. Irwin and colleagues John Stoner and Aaron Cobaugh has 66 chapters, 72 contributing experts, 7 contributing artists. It is published by the University of Chicago Press and has been formally endorsed by the International Congress of Zookeepers (ICZ), the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The book will be the primary textbook for SUNY Jefferson's Zoo Technology program.
New: Residence Halls are coming to Jefferson!!!
SUNY Jefferson is getting residence halls! It is a new frontier for Jefferson. Our small college has never had on-campus housing ... but it will be here for Fall 2014. It is a bold step forward and will be a tremendous benefit to Zoo Technology with so many of our student keepers coming from outside of the area. Construction is in the home stretch for the state of the art 98,000 sq. ft., 298-bed residence hall. It will feature a large, central common area and spacious suites (6-, 5-, 4-, and 3-person occupancy.)
Jefferson: Highest Graduation and Transfer Rates!
SUNY Jefferson has the highest graduation rate among all New York community colleges Center for an Urban Future, 2013
The new Zoo Tech class of 2015: The Oncillas!
Welcome to the new crew ... the 2015 Oncillas!
Flying Foxes Graduate!
Congratulations to the 2013 Flying Foxes! Way to go!
ZEW goes to Toronto!
Jefferson's Zoo, Exotics, and Wildlife club traveled to Toronto for their annual trip. We spent a full day at Toronto Zoo and also visited the Ontario Science Center and Reptilia. A special thank-you to Lee Parker of Reptilia for the reptile handling workshop!
Final Year Trip to Columbus - the Flying Foxes!
The Flying Foxes flew off (in vans) to Ohio for their final year field trip. It was a full itineray and we even stopped at Pittsburgh Zoo along way. Columbus Zoo was excellent! On the way home, we visited the Akron Zoo - a beautiful facility that most of us had not seen before.
Super Science Saturday - 2013
Once again, Super Science Saturday was a hit with over a thousand kids attending. The new attraction this year was a giant 20 ft colon that visitors could walk through while learning about polyps, Crohn's disease, and colo-rectal cancer (see link below). The exhibit was dedicated to long term biology professor Peter Gaskin (who was a founder of the AMG program and taught aquarium science until recently). The Flying Foxes did a great job of animal interpretation and cautioning visitors about the challenges of exotic pets. The Kinkajous were dispersed throughout the event helping exhibitors and visitors. Great job everyone!
Watertown Daily Times Article
ZOO crew on Rotation
The Kinkajous have started clinical training rotation at the New York State Zoo and are quickly learning the ropes. Meanwhile, the Flying Foxes are continuing their rotation training at Syracuse's Rosamond Gifford Zoo. It's been a snowy semester so far!
National Zoo Keeper Conference - AAZK 2012!!
The American Association of Zoo Keepers held its 2012 national conference in Syracuse. Thanks to the support of JCC and Rosamond Gifford Zoo's AAZK chapter, all students and faculty were able to attend for at least part of the time. Graduates (Fossa) Elena & Maggie presented the results of a national zoo keeper survey and Dr. Irwin gave a presentation about his upcoming zookeeping textbook. On the Monday, representatives from other zoo-focused college programs traveled to Watertown for tour of the NYS Zoo and a first-time collaborative meeting. Overall the conference was a great chance to catch up with mentors, colleagues and graduates while learning more about animal care!
Welcome AMG class of 2014 ... the Kinkajous!
It's official. The Kinkajous are here and are ready to leave their mark on JCC and the zookeeping world! Welcome Kinkajous!
Name Change!!!
The name of the JCC Animal Management program has officially changed to Zoo Technology. We feel that the change will better reflect the unique, zoo-focused curriculum that remains unchanged. (The prefix "AMG" will continue to be used, at least for now).
New Admissions Process
As of Fall 2012, the Animal Management (soon to be Zoo Technology) has a competitive admission process. Applicants to the program will need to submit a supplemental Zoo Technology application. Applications will be reviewed by an admissions committee and assessed based on experience (animal work, public speaking), academics, and supplemental material including an essay.