Monmouth County News Briefs, Aug. 3

The Ashley Lauren Foundation will hold its inaugural Touch A Truck fundraiser on Aug. 20  from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bucks Mill Park, 125 Bucks Mill Road, Colts Neck. There will be a $5 admission fee. Children under 2 are free. The rain date is Aug. 27.

Monica Vermeulen, founder/CEO, said, “There is much enthusiasm surrounding this type of event. It is truly family friendly with many additional activities children will love in addition to the many trucks that will be on display. We will also have food trucks, a New Jersey State Police helicopter, a hot air balloon, a replica Batmobile (with Batman and Robin), classic cars and motorcycles.”

The goal of the Ashley Lauren Foundation is to ease the journey when pediatric cancer
is diagnosed by providing direct financial assistance, material assistance, emotional
support and more, according to a press release.

For additional information and sponsorship information, contact the Ashley Lauren
Foundation at 732-414-1625 or visit www.ashleylaurenfoundation.org

 

The New Jersey School Boards Association is encouraging students to submit entries to the Garden State Film Festival’s student submission category “New Jersey Hometown Documentary Short.”

This category, which was created by the Garden State Film Festival, NJSBA, the Artists Alike Film Festival and the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, is reserved for works that are written, directed and shot by New Jersey students, according to an NJSBA newsletter.

Films must focus on some aspect of the student’s hometown, including topics like profiles of interesting persons, places, time periods or subjects related to the arts. This film submission category has been created to encourage young filmmakers’ creativity while instilling a sense of pride in their hometowns and state.

Films must be five minutes or less.

Students are encouraged to submit entries either on their own or through their school by Jan. 8 for the 2023 Garden State Film Festival, which will be held March 23-26. The festival’s professional jury will select winning films in various categories. For more information, visit GSFF.org

 

The Guild of Creative Art presents the August 2022 annual “Exhibiting Members’ Only, All-Media, No-Theme” gallery exhibit from Aug. 6-31, with an opening reception from 3-5 p.m. Aug. 7.

On display will be works in a mélange of media including acrylic, colored pencil, mixed media, oil, pastel and watercolor, according to a press release.

Exhibiting artists will include Marilyn Baldi of Tinton Falls, Debora Bruno of Atlantic Highlands, Mozelle Forman of Long Branch, Jane Gavaghen of Freehold, Anne Goldberg of Fair Haven, MaryAnn Goodwin of Neptune, Barbara Grena of Jackson, Laura Mandile of Middletown, Annette Margulies of Long Branch, Tom Nulton of Little Egg Harbor, Barbara Russo of Holmdel, Adrienne Scoppettuolo of Farmingdale, Peter Smejkal of Berkeley Heights and Judy Stach of Oceanport.

The Guild is at 620 Broad St., Shrewsbury. Admission and on-site parking are free; donations are appreciated. For more information, visity guildofcreativeart.org

 

The STEM Institute and the Automotive Technology Department (AUTO) at Brookdale Community College are responding to state and industry demand for automotive professionals trained in the maintenance and repair of electric vehicles (EV).

The institute and the department will be infusing EV technology into their curricula so all AUTO graduates are versed in EV technology. They are also creating a stackable industry credential in EV technology for incumbent automotive professionals, according to a press release from the college.

“With the help of federal Perkins funding, AUTO recently purchased a Chevy Spark that will be used in AUTO laboratories to demonstrate and teach EV fundamentals and practices,” STEM Dean James Crowder said.

Crowder and AUTO Department Chair Ivan Anderson are seeking a $600,000 National Science Foundation – Advanced Technological Education grant to support AUTO’s EV endeavors, which include outreach to populations historically underrepresented in the automotive field, according to the press release.

For more information, visit https://www.brookdalecc.edu/stem-institute/automotive-technology/

 

Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), whose Congressional district includes a portion of Monmouth County, has announced that the James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory at Sandy Hook in norther Monmouth County will receive $480,000 to support research on the effects of environmental change on marine habitats and fisheries surrounding Sandy Hook.

Pallone secured the funding in a federal spending bill President Joe Biden signed into law, according to a press release.

Pallone was joined by Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, who serves as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator. They also toured the facility, which is part of NOAA’s Northeastern Fisheries Science Center.

The funding will be used to hire additional researchers who will address the impacts of environmental change on marine habitats and fisheries in the area. The funding will also provide lab space for students from nearby underserved communities and help promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the scientific community, according to the press release.