ATE Community Webinars

Surveys are a valuable source of evaluation data. Obtaining quality data relies heavily on well-crafted survey items that align with the overall purpose of the evaluation. In this webinar, participants will learn fundamental principles of survey question construction to enhance the validity and utility of survey data. We will discuss the importance of considering data analysis during survey construction and ways to test your survey questions. Participants will receive an overview of survey do’s and don’ts to help apply fundamental principles of survey question development in their own work.

Intracortical neural interfaces (INI) have made impressive progress in recent years and are used to improve their understanding of the nervous system, understand function and disease models, and potentially develop new therapies and devices. A fundamental challenge rests with the implantable electrodes and their biocompatibility and questionable long-term reliability. Nanoscience and nanotechnology can play a key role in developing new approaches and new strategies for neural interfaces. This webinar will focus on studies of silicon carbide (SiC) micromachined semiconductor neural devices and the materials challenges that must be understood and overcome to bring this promising technology to clinical trial.

In this webinar, experienced STEM education evaluator Kirk Knestis will share strategies for effectively communicating with evaluation clients to avoid three common “evaluation fails.” (1) Project implementation delays; (2) evaluation scope creep (clients wanting something more or different from what was originally planned); and (3) substantial changes in the project over the course of the evaluation. These issues are typical causes for an evaluation to be derailed and fail to produce useful and valid results. Webinar participants will learn how clear documentation—specifically, an evaluation contract (legal commitment to the work), scope of work (detailed description of evaluation services and deliverables), and study protocol (technical details concerning data collection and analysis)—can make potentially difficult conversations go better for all involved, averting potential evaluation crises and failures. Getting these documents right and using them in project communications helps ensure a smoothly operating evaluation, happy client, and profitable project for the evaluator. For a sneak peek of some of what Kirk will address in this webinar, see his blog post, http://www.evalu-ate.org/blog/knestis-apr18/.

Presenter: Kirk Knestis
Moderator: Michael Lesiecki

The root of the word ‘communication’ is ‘communis’, meaning to make common. Unfortunately, many of us in the education and grant-funded sectors struggle with identifying the main messages we need to make common to our key stakeholders. And for many of us in the ATE community, we could use help in creating simple, memorable ways to speak and write consistently about our project and center’s work. Clearly defined and consistently implemented mission statements and messaging platforms are key to ensuring that all points of contact with your project or center will reinforce the right messages.

In this live webinar, we will be joined by Farra Trompeter, Vice President of Big Duck – a communications firm that works exclusively with nonprofits based in Brooklyn NY, and Rachael Bower, Director/PI of ATE Central, who will review how these messaging elements can be created to more effectively engage students, partners, funders, and other key external audiences. For those who attended the ATE PI pre-conference workshop, we’ll also revisit the relationship between brand strategy (positioning and personality) and messaging. Farra will provide some examples of how other organizations define and use these tools with examples you can learn from, as Rachael helps connect lessons from the wider nonprofit world to the ATE community.

Researchers Joshua Smith and Stacey Gifford from IBM's Nanobiotechnology Program cover the latest research on the relevant biology found in fluids from liquid biopsies and discuss opportunities in microfluidics for disruptive technology development to isolate and interrogate these biomarkers, aiding disease diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment-response monitoring.

This free webinar is produced by Mentor-Connect and hosted by Luka Partners and ATE Central. By participating in this free webinar, participants will learn more about NSF ATE Program benefits, learn what Mentor-Connect can offer, and learn how to apply and receive assistance via the 2018-19 Mentor-Connect Mentorship.

Mentor-Connect partners with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) to bring this free webinar which prepares new grantees to participate in their first ATE PI conference. Topics include an overview of the ATE PI conference, registration, hotel and travel arrangements, maximizing engagement, meeting ATE Program Officers, and ATE student participation. 

A strong evaluation plan will give your proposal a competitive edge. In this webinar, the essential elements of an effective evaluation plan will be explained and demonstrated how to incorporate them into a proposal for the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program. This webinar also provides guidance on how to budget for an evaluation, locate a qualified evaluator, and use evaluative evidence to describe the results from prior NSF support (required if you’ve had previous NSF funding). Participants will receive an updated Evaluation Planning Checklist for ATE Proposals and other resources to help prepare strong evaluation plans.

This webinar provides information on the Equity and Inclusion STEM Thought Leaders’ Summit request for applications. The presentation provides background on the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, the ATE Conference, and resources open to participants. AACC staff review the summit application process; and potential applicant colleges had the opportunity to ask questions of the Summit organizers.

Please join presenters Kendra Bouda and Rachael Bower on May 15, 2018 at 1pm EDT for this free webinar on archiving with ATE Central. The presenters will share tips on organizing your materials for archiving, using the archive submission form, and tracking your submissions online. See what happens with your submissions behind the scenes, as ATE Central staff process your materials, add metadata, and make your resources discoverable to the ATE community and beyond. You will also learn how to find curriculum and other content that ATE grantees have created and shared for you to adapt and use for your own purposes.

Mentor-Connect provides a cost-free webinar to provide specifics for correctly completing forms that are required in a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant proposal. Forms can make up 2/3 of a final proposal submission and impact the quality and accuracy of a proposal.

Webinar Participants will

• Know the purpose of various forms associated with NSF ATE proposals
• Know what data to enter into each form associated with NSF ATE proposals
• Learn the importance of providing consistent information on forms and other components of a proposal
• Be alerted to common errors that can be avoided
• Get answers to questions on completing required proposal forms