ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION · SEPTEMBER 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.

We want the ATE Central Connection to be a valuable tool; please e-mail [email protected] with any suggestions about how to make the ATE Central Connection more useful for you or to suggest any information you would like to see in an upcoming issue.

Upcoming Events

September 1 - October 31 National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN): Modeling and Simulation of Nano/Microsystems Contest Ann Arbor, MI
September 13 2011 September GTCM (Geospatial Technology Competency Model) Workshop Denver, CO
September 17 Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) 1 Day Workshop - 2YC3 Conference Melbourne, FL
September 19-22 Nanotechnology Course Resources I: Safety, Processing & Materials University Park, PA
September 21 EvaluATE Webinar: Ready, Set, Evaluate Online
September 23 CSSIA VMware VSphere Gainesville, FL
September 24 Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) 1 Day Public Workshop Evanston, IL
September 26 Michigan State University Enology Education Series Workshop Jackson, MI
September 27 CyberWatch: Counselor and STEM Coordinator Workshop Columbia, MD
September 27 Michigan State University Enology Education Series Workshop Paw Paw, MI
September 29 Michigan State University Enology Education Series Workshop Traverse City, MI
October 2-5 2011 STEMtech Indianapolis, IN
October 3 Bio-Link Learn and Earn Convening Austin, TX
October 3-6 Nanotechnology Course Resources II: Patterning, Characterization, and Applications University Park, PA
October 10-12 NBAA Annual Convention Las Vegas, NV
October 12-14 National Career Pathways Network Annual National Conference Orlando, FL
October 12-15 Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) 4 Day Public Presentation Anaheim, CA
October 15 2011 Fall Gold Coast CUE Event Camarillo, CA
October 16-18 National Educators Workshop Greensboro, NC
October 18 CyberWatch: Cool Careers in CyberSecurity Workshop Columbia, MD
October 21-27 CyberWatch: 2011 Hacker Halted Conference Miami, FL
October 26 ATE PI Meeting Pre Conference Workshop: 21st Century Learning Redux - Technology Washington D.C.
October 26 ATE PI Meeting Pre Conference Workshop: ATE Evaluation Challenges & Solutions: A Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Washington D.C
October 26 ATE PI Meeting Pre Conference Workshop: Concepts, Processes, and Tools for Successful Scaling Washington D.C.
October 26 ATE PI Meeting Pre Conference Workshop: Getting Started Washington D.C.
October 26 ATE PI Meeting Pre Conference Workshop: Shout It from the Rooftops! How to Design a Successful Dissemination and Marketing Plan Washington D.C.
October 26-28 ATE National Principal Investigators Conference Washington D.C.

For more events please visit the ATE Central Events page or if you have any upcoming events that you would like posted on ATE Central or in the ATE Central Connection please send them to [email protected].

Featured ATE Center

Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA)

http://www.vesta-usa.org/main/

The Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA) is a NSF (National Science Foundation)-ATE (Advanced Technological Education) funded partnership between the Missouri State University System, two year schools in Iowa, Illinois, Oklahoma, state agriculture agencies, vineyards and wineries with "a 21st century vision for education in grape growing and winemaking." The goal of VESTA is to establish programs of study in viticulture and enology through collaborations with educational institutions, government, and industry partners that are tailored specifically for the Mid-American region. In addition, VESTA provides opportunities for students to participate in hands-on field experiences through partnerships developed with area vineyards and wineries, thus providing students with laboratory experience in their location. VESTA's website provides information on the program for current and prospective students, curriculum, resources, workshops, industry partners, job listings, and a newsletter. The Resources section provides a link to VESTA's instructional video library, which presents overview and testimonial videos as well as an impressive archive of lectures from the various VESTA courses.

Featured ATE Resources

Here is a sample of the valuable resources in ATE Central that focus on Advanced Manufacturing:

From ATE Projects:

Aerospace Manufacturing Education (AME)

http://www.elcamino.edu/academics/indtech/nsf/

The NSF funded Aerospace Manufacturing Education Project's mission is to "develop and disseminate curricula modules to enhance manufacturing technician and engineering programs in higher education with relevant aerospace manufacturing examples." The project is developing curricula modules to prepare manufacturing technology practitioners for the aerospace industry and increase the number of interested candidates for aerospace manufacturing jobs. Curricula modules are being developed and used by two-year colleges for student education and by industry for in-house training of employees. Visitors will find the downloadable curriculum modules (after a quick and free registration form) on the left side of the homepage, as well as further info about the project, its partners, and advisors.

STEM Guitar Project

http://www.guitarbuilding.org/

The STEM Guitar Project provides innovative professional development to high school and community college faculty in collaborative design and rapid manufacturing. Faculty teams at the respective locations are working together to design, build, and analyze solid body electric guitars as a means of learning applied concepts of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and as a means of understanding product lifecycle management. This experience is providing teachers and students an accurate simulation of the collaborative design and rapid manufacturing processes routinely used in business and industry. On the site, visitors can find curriculum and resources including classroom tools and information on guitar fabrication. There are also details of upcoming workshops and professional development opportunities. In the Storefront section, visitors can learn about how to purchase a guitar kit.

From RapidTech:

SIDEL-Air Recovery Kit

http://www.rapidtech.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/SIDEL-AIR-RECOVERY.pdf

This resource, created by National Center for Rapid Technologies (RapidTech), provides information on air recovery kits. The document provides the principles and objectives of these systems and states the primary principle as the "recovery, during production, of part of the pressure lost during the air exhaust phase." The author provides a step-by-step guide and a system overview including information on the main components, pneumatic circuits and dead-volume factor. This resource is available in PDF format.

News & Reminders

Digitally Enhancing America's Community Colleges: Strategic Opportunities for Computing Education

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/.

ATEEC seeks reviewers for eERL resources

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].

Can CWIS Software Help Support Your Project Goals?

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!

Find Out More About ATE Central

For information about ATE Central and how your project or center can take part and benefit from ATE Central's portal and services you may want to download the ATE Central Handbook at http://atecentral.net/handbook.

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