| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 15, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 15, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1700564 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Virginia Carter
vccarter@nsf.gov (703)292-4651 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | June 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $199,926.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $199,926.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
75 GRASSLANDS RD VALHALLA NY US 10595-1550 (914)285-6800 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
75 Grasslands Road Valhalla NY US 10595-1693 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Photonics and optics are globally significant technologies used in national defense, computing, and the medical field. Because industry partners in the region are research-driven firms that depend on highly-skilled technicians to remain competitive, Westchester Community College (WCC), a Minority and Hispanic Serving Institution in Valhalla, New York, has designed the Photonics and Laser Project (PAL-TEC) in response to increased regional demand for skilled technicians. Area employers anticipate a 35% increase in the number of technicians needed with knowledge and skills in photonics and optics and have made long-term commitments to the program. PAL-TEC will increase the number and quality of technicians by developing (1) a new educational pathway aligned with industry standards, (2) new teaching methods; and (3) an evidence-based, gender-inclusive recruitment and retention program. It has strong support from area industry partners that include IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bern Optics and Kent Optronics. PAL-TEC is a scalable model designed with evidence-based best practices from the NSF ATE community that can easily be adopted by other two-year colleges. The project will involve course development; professional development of faculty; development of gender-inclusive recruitment and retention plans and activities; and dissemination at national conferences and meetings of high school and college faculty and counselors. This project will establish a regional pathway to photonics careers and address the recruitment and retention of women and minorities, a long-standing challenge for the field of mechanical technology, and a growing demand for highly-skilled photonics technicians. It has the potential to significantly impact traditional enrollment patterns in mechanical technology programs at the college by introducing a new paradigm for increasing participation among women and minorities by focusing on the nature of these careers today. This project represents a strong partnership between industry, academia and high schools, addresses an unmet need in the Northeast region, and contributes to understanding how NSF ATE technical education resources can be readily adapted to meet emerging industry needs. A comprehensive evaluation will determine project effectiveness and impact.
This project will improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and educator development by improving curriculum, teaching methods, and faculty capacity in optics and photonics. The technologies to be taught are in use in manufacturing, data transmission, medical testing, and imaging industries. PAL-TEC will convene industry, high school, four-year, and internal partners in order to assess, design, and implement timely modifications to existing programs and to improve the diversity of the STEM technician labor force. Professional development in photonics, problem-based learning, and gender-inclusive strategies will be utilized. It will leverage expertise from the Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College (AB-Tech) ATE project, the National Center for Optics and Photonics (OP-TEC), other model institutions, and expert resources to scale quickly and effectively. WCC will work to expand use of NSF ATE resources to improve its technician education programs and share best practices with others to meet changing regional needs. NSF resources to be used include OP- TEC, A-B Tech, South Carolina ATE Center of Excellence, ATE Central, ATE-TV, and TeachingTechnicians.org.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The purpose of Westchester Community College's (WCC) Photonics and Laser Technical Education Center (PAL-TEC) was to respond to increased industry demand for photonics technicians in our region and to increase the gender diversity of students pursing mechanical technology degrees. The intellectual merit of this project involved leveraging and adapting existing National Science Foundation (NSF) investments in the Advanced Technician Education (ATE) program in photonics education, problem-based learning, and gender-inclusive recruitment and retention strategies to quickly formulate our response to growing industry demand. The broader impact of the project was to address the lack of gender diversity in mechanical technology, a longstanding challenge, and to increase the support, engagement and success of historically underrepresented students, who represent 57% of students enrolled in WCC's Mechanical Technology AAS degree.
The outcomes, accomplished over the grant period, were to: 1) establish a new educational pathway in photonics within the Mechanical Technology AAS degree by modifying three existing courses and adding two new courses in photonics; 2) implement more inclusive, engaging, problem-based teaching methods that enhance the ability of students to solve real world industry problems; 3) implement evidence-based, gender-inclusive recruitment and retention strategies to foster a learning environment more welcoming to female students and students from diverse backgrounds; and 4) sustain the project after the grant period as a result of professional development in the new and modified courses and methods for recruiting, retaining and engaging students.
PAL-TEC benefited from: a) industry input in refining the curriculum and instructional methods to better prepare students for employment; b) strengthening our partnerships with high schools with a focus on applied engineering programs; and c) leveraging NSF investments in other Advanced Technology Education (ATE) projects and centers to bring WCC's project to scale relatively quickly. The overall goals and objectives of the grant were successfully achieved by the end of the grant period and the pathway, methods, and student engagement strategies are being successfully sustained. It is nonetheless important to note that the last year and a half of the grant coincided with the global COVID-19 pandemic, which had a significant impact on the college, the Mechanical Technology AAS program, and our students.
Last Modified: 09/24/2021
Modified by: Kyriakos Ioannou
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PALTEC LogoKyriakos IoannouPublic DomainKyriakos IoannouPALTEC Logo
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