BEST: Building Efficiency for a Sustainable Tomorrow

The Building Efficiency for a Sustainable Tomorrow (BEST) Annual Institute takes place January 5-7, 2022. This free, online event focuses on sustainability challenges and innovations and how institutions can support technician education to confront sustainability issues.

The event highlights legislative and international efforts, innovations in the field of energy efficiency and Building Automation Systems, and strategies and opportunities for educators and industry.

Members of the ATE community are encouraged to register for the institute, check out the program, or contact Larry Chang, BEST Center Director, for any questions. 

A man in a dark suit reads an article while sitting on a black leather couch.

The Journal of Advanced Technological Education (J ATE) is a new peer-reviewed technical journal focused on technician education at community colleges. J ATE is now welcoming submissions to be published in upcoming issues. For members of the ATE community, publishing in a peer-reviewed technical journal like J ATE will be an excellent way to disseminate work, promote technical education programs, and share research with like-minded educators and the wider technical education community.  

There is no cost to publish, access, and read the journal. In addition, there are no subscription or submission fees. J ATE authors are invited from ATE projects and centers, community college faculty, university education researchers, and industry personnel. Our target audience will include community and technical college faculty and staff, as well as K-12 educators, industry members, and those readers with interests in micro-nano technology and related fields, NSF ATE, and technician education. The journal is supported by the Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC) with participation from InnovATEBIO (The National Center for Bio Technologies), the National Center for Autonomous...

Two male and one female student laugh while studying on a lawn.

The state of California has the largest population of undergraduate students in the country and is often at the forefront of education trends. A recent report from the Campaign for College Opportunity suggests that for the state’s Latinx students, enrollment at community colleges and four-year institutions has increased in recent years, but that policymakers need to continue to support efforts to close achievement gaps.

The report highlights positive findings, such as the fact that the percentage of Latinx “community college students taking and passing college-level math in their first semester,” has increased from 8% to 33%. However, among the negative findings are that nearly one-third of Latinx community college students do not find the support they need to transfer to four-year institutions.

Read the full report, State of Higher Education for Latinx Californians, or an overview of the findings in an article from Inside Higher Ed.

Taking Action: COVID-19 Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Challenge: An ideas challenge for institutions of higher ed

The National Science Foundation wants to hear what higher education institutions, including community colleges, have done during the pandemic to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in STEM programs. Selected winners will receive cash prizes totaling $200,000.

Send a three page narrative to NSF describing the evidence-based systemic actions that your college has taken or will take to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic on the DEI of students and faculty in STEM higher education programs. The deadline is Jan. 30, 2022. Colleges do not need to have a grant from NSF to enter the challenge. Details can be found on the challenge information page. 

Winners will be announced in March and invited to present their ideas at an NSF-hosted virtual event that will be open to the public.

A man and a woman shake hands over a desk with a laptop on it.

Ransomware, hacking, and cyber attacks have been at the forefront of cybersecurity concerns recently for public and private institutions. The Biden administration recently announced a push to expand the nation’s cybersecurity workforce by some 600,000 individuals over the next few years. 

Among these efforts are a push for more partnerships between government, nonprofit, and private entities and community colleges to enhance cybersecurity curriculum and training, such as Microsoft’s recent offer of free cybersecurity course materials to community colleges.

Spectrum Innovates: Autistic Minds Change the World

Members of the ATE community are encouraged to attend a free webinar, “Introducing Spectrum Innovates Pathway Program (SIPP) - A new model of transition to higher education and the workforce for individuals on the autism spectrum.” This live webinar will be held on Monday, December 6, at 1 pm Eastern. 

SIPP is a gateway to higher education and the workforce for those whose passions include aviation, aeronautics, aerospace, engineering, and related fields. The program offers a 12-month experiential education to address the challenges students with autism face in transitioning to life after high school. SIPP is funded by an ATE research grant.

Interested readers can visit the registration page for more information and to register to attend.

A student manipulates a robot arm.

The Clemson University Center for Workforce Development has developed a four-track robotics digital learning package to deploy to partner institutions. Through Fall 2022, the center will be piloting robotics curricula for the high school, associate, bachelor, and master levels, including courseware in virtual reality simulations, video lectures, open text, and interactive assessments. 

The center is looking for instructors to participate in a free pilot program using the curricula, to provide feedback on the courseware in the form of instructor and student survey responses. The first 25 instructors to register for the pilot program with 10 students or more will receive an honorarium. 

There is no deadline to apply. Interested instructors should fill out the course access request form or contact the center for more information about the curricula.

A man in an orange safety vest and hardhat examines an advanced manufacturing process on a factory floor.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded more than $30 million in research grants and project seed grants as part of the Future Manufacturing program. These awards are intended to promote U.S. competitiveness in transformational manufacturing, including biomanufacturing, cyber manufacturing, and eco manufacturing. 

The research projects, which include four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, and corporations, will “investigate areas to transform the predictability, security, reliability and efficiency” of advanced manufacturing. 

Read more about the awards and the grantees in this announcement from NSF.

A man does online coursework on a tablet with a cup of coffee nearby.

Google announced recently that it would make its career certificates available for free to community colleges in the U.S. These certificates, which cover information technology, data analytics, project management, and user experience design, are intended to support workforce development of highly in-demand digital skills.

The certificates have been recommended by the American Council on Education as equivalent to 12 credits or 4 full courses at the undergraduate level. The state of Connecticut will offer for-credit courses using Google’s IT Support Certification for the Spring 2022 semester.

Read more about the announcement in this article from CNBC.

A man in a dark room does coding on dual computer monitors.

Microsoft recently announced an initiative to support cybersecurity workforce training at community colleges across the country. The software company will reportedly provide scholarships or other financial assistance to 25,000 students over the next 4 years and support instructor professional development at 150 community colleges, in addition to free curriculum materials.

The efforts come in the wake of recent high profile cybersecurity breaches, such as the SolarWinds attack, that have alarmed policymakers and companies. 

Read more about the announcement in this article from Reuters.