ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION ·
JUNE 2011
Welcome to the ATE Central Connection! Published the first Monday of each month, the ATE Central Connection is meant to disseminate information to and about ATE centers and projects, providing you with up-to-date ATE news, events, reminders, as well as highlighting new centers, projects, and resources. In addition, we will also highlight an educational topic with complementary resources found within ATE Central to help illustrate how ATE resources can be used in the classroom.
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This project is creating a model alternative energy certificate program that leads to a new Associate of Applied Sciences degree in industrial technology and a new certificate program for wind energy technicians. The project is establishing career pathways to technical work in the renewable energy fields. The specific needs for a renewable energy certificate are being identified, and space in the planned Community Technology Center is to be devoted to the laboratory areas needed for the program. The A.A.S. degree in industrial technology is meeting the needs of students and incumbent workers by providing a clear career pathway from an industry-related certificate to an A.A.S. degree and then to a baccalaureate degree. The new A.A.S. degree is meeting the needs of industry by encouraging students and incumbent workers who earn a technical certificate to pursue the additional education/training that offers the most benefits to the worker and the employer. That additional education focuses on areas often referred to as "soft skills," for example, communication, teamwork, and critical thinking. The need for soft skills in the industry workplace is widely recognized and has been documented in a number of reports. On the site, visitors will find more information about the project, wind energy programs and careers, and resources for teachers.
Here is a sample of the valuable resources in ATE Central that focus on Wind Energy:
From NetWorks:
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) provides free wind energy information resources on this section of their site. Resources include: documents and reports, fact sheets, databases, audio/visual materials, archives, publications available from other groups, renewable energy blogs, and wind energy mailing lists.
This guide was developed by the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project. The guide consists of hands-on activities that provide a comprehensive understanding of the scientific, economic, environmental, technological, and societal aspects of wind energy to secondary students. The guide includes correlations to National Science Standards, Grading Rubrics, Activities, and an evaluation form. There is also a student guide available, and materials for the activities can be ordered through NEED.
From Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC):
The Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC) provides this document as a general overview for students learning about wind energy. The document may be used as a presentation or as an interactive resource for students to read independently. Along with other materials, a diagram of a photovoltaic/wind hybrid stand-alone energy system is provided. Users must complete a free registration with ATEEC to download this resource.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) recently released a report that addresses a fundamental question about community colleges: why are so many of them unable to successfully secure federal funding for computing programs? The report, Digitally Enhancing America's Community Colleges, offers recommendations designed to spur new grant proposals, inventive initiatives, and dynamic partnerships that infuse innovation into community college computing courses and programs. The full 24-page report is available online here: http://www.acmccecc.org/.... NSF's release about the summit, ACM, and the report is available here: http://www.nsf.gov/news/.... Printed copies of the report along with a strategic planning template are available for free via an online request form at http://www.acmccecc.org/contactus/.
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is pleased to announce a national grant competition for the MentorLinks: Advancing Technological Education program, developed with the support of the National Science Foundation. MentorLinks is designed for community colleges seeking to improve technician education programs in the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields. Colleges should be interested in working with an experienced community college mentor who has successfully planned and implemented a major change in a high-technology program. MentorLinks colleges will receive $20,000 for the two-year grant period with primary emphasis on opportunities for technical assistance and professional development as part of the mentoring relationship. The grant period runs from October 1, 2011 – October 31, 2013. The deadline to apply is June 23, 2011. For more information, please see http://www.aacc.nche.edu/mentorlinks
ATEEC is looking for environmental and energy specialists to vet (review) materials for the electronic Environmental and Energy Resources Library. If you are interested in participating please contact Lora at [email protected].
CWIS is open source software, created with NSF funding, that can help your project or center showcase resources online. It's free and very easy to use — click here to check out a few of the sites running CWIS. We'd be happy to provide you with more information about CWIS and give you a quick tour of its features — please e-mail [email protected] to get started!
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ATE Central Connection is published by Internet Scout via support from the National Science Foundation under grant number 0941067. |  |