Sierra College’s Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum was invited to make a presentation at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Conference in Austin, Texas from May 28 – 31, 2006.  The presentation for the 2006 International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence was entitled “Joining Technology and Community:  Sierra College’s Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum.”  The presentation was made by Pam Johnson, Creative and Design Director of the Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum, and Gary Noy, Director of the Center for Sierra Nevada Studies. 

In March 2006, the Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum was invited to the international Museums and the Web Conference (sponsored by the Archives and Museum Informatics Association) in New Mexico to demonstrate the site.  Forty-two sites were chosen from around the world.  Sites from ten countries – Canada, Germany, France, Kenya, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, Norway, Finland, and the USA – were selected.  The sites chosen include major universities (e.g., University of Washington, Columbia, Wellesley, Rutgers, Hiroshima University, and Norway’s University of Bergen); important art museums (e.g., Boston Museum of Arts, the Guggenheim, and the Amon Carter Gallery in Texas); and important libraries, museums and government agencies (e.g., the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, the American Museum of Natural History, National Science Museum of Japan and England’s Victoria and Albert Museum).  And … Sierra College, the only community college on the list.  The site was demonstrated by Pam Johnson, Creative and Design Director of the Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum, and Mary Helen, Co-Coordinator of Design and Production.

Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum was named as a 2006 Finalist for the 9th annual “Dotties” Award.  This competition chooses the best websites in Northern California. The Dotties Awards program is designed to acknowledge the accomplishments and creativity of Northern California businesses, governmental agencies and organizations, which are providing information and resources online through the Internet. The awards program was conceived by Gilbert Associates, Inc. CPAs and Advisors, with the sponsorship of the University of Phoenix-Sacramento, and with the support from over twenty industry, community and government organizations.

Gary Noy, Director of Sierra College’s Center for Sierra Nevada Studies, won the prestigious “Outstanding Educator Award” for the post-secondary level from the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) for 2006. Noy was recognized for his outstanding contributions to western American history through his leadership of the Center for Sierra Nevada Studies, which has produced the award winning Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum.  Noy was acknowledged on August 9, 2006, by the OCTA at its annual convention in St. Joseph, Missouri.