Advanced Technological Education ·

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.

In This Issue

Events

Ongoing Events
– iGETT - Remote Sensing Varies
– DHS Cyber Student Initiative Varies
– PV Site Assessment Instruction Online Online
– Photovoltaic Technology Instructor Institute Online & Central Wisconsin
Upcoming Events
– Robo Storm Camp Thief River Falls, MN
– Deaf Initiative in Technology (DiiT) - Digital Sketchbooking Workshop Rochester, NY
– Oceans '13 San Diego, CA
– DiiT Microsoft Office Specialist Exam Preparation Workshop Rochester, NY
– 15th Annual Bio-Link National Summer Fellows Forum Berkeley, CA
– Advanced Android Application Development for Teachers Madison, WI
– Bio-Link Summer Fellows Forum Berkeley, CA
– DiiT Grammar Review for Workplace Correspondence Workshop Rochester, NY
– Fab Lab Boot Camp Elyria, OH
– Firewall/VPN Technologies for Teachers Madison, WI
– Five-day Experiential Learning Institute Media, PA
– Information Storage Management Online
– MPICT Faculty Development Week Garden Grove, CA
– Summer Working Connections North Lansing, MI
– Western Manufacturing Technology Show (WMTS) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
– CNF: Technology & Characterization at the Nanoscale Ithaca, NY
– High School STEM Educator Bioenergy Workshop [DUPLICATE] Columbus, OH
– Virtual Enterprise Faculty Development Seminar New York, NY
– Innovations in Technical Education to Advance Sustainability: Student Leadership Alfred, NY
– Sustainable Facilities Operations Workshop Milwaukee, WI
– VMware vSphere: Install, Configure & Manage Gainesville, FL
– 2013 National Career Clusters Institute Fort Worth, TX
– CLEO 2013 San Jose, CA
– 2013 EDTA Conference and Annual Meeting Washington, D.C.
– Manufacturing Fellows Institute Academy Eden Prairie, MN
– GeoEd 2013: GeoTech Summer Workshop Series Louisville, KY
– RAPID Conference and Expo Pittsburgh, PA
– Robotics Summer Camp for Boys Duluth, MN
– AIM Faculty Academy Council Bluffs, IA
– Aquaculture 101 Workshop Gadsden, AL
– ASME Conference Madison, WI
– Computer Hardware Essentials with Security Fundamentals for Teachers Elkhorn, WI
– DiiT Introduction to Network+ Certification Workshop Rochester, NY
– Five-day Experiential Learning Institute Culver City, CA
– S.T.A.R. Camp St. Cloud, MN
– Summer Nanotechnology Workshop San Antonio, TX
– VMware vSphere: Install, Configure & Manage Online
– Weld-Ed Educator's Training Chattanooga, TN
– Weld-Ed Educator's Training East Peoria, IL
– Robocamp 2013 Denton, TX
– WomenTech Educators Online Recruitment and Retention Training Online
– Girl Tech Mentoring Workshop Springfield, IL
Budgeting for ATE Proposals Online
Introduction to Viticulture for the High School Instructor Springfield, MO
– Robo Storm Camp East Grand Forks, MN
– NCATC 2013 Summer Conference Terra Haute, IN
NetWorks Webinar: Online Learning Strategies: Theory Overview Online
– Girl Tech Camp Springfield, IL
– WomenTech Educators: More Female Students in Just One Year Training and System Emeryville, CA
– Spatial Analysis and Modeling Santa Cruz, CA
Firefighter Safety and Renewable Energy Systems Custer, WI
Water Pumping with Solar and Wind Custer, WI
– 2013 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo Dearborn, MI
– Building Smart Educators Workshop Lansing, MI
– High School STEM Educator Bioenergy Workshop Columbus, OH
– U.S. News STEM Solutions 2013 Austin, TX
– Robotics Summer Camp for Girls Duluth, MN
– Computer Hardware Essentials with Security Fundamentals for Teachers Green Bay, WI
– Five-day Experiential Learning Institute Aptos, CA
– Five-day Experiential Learning Institute Bellevue, WA
– Genomic Approaches in Biosciences Madison, WI
– STEM Guitar Workshop Butler, PA
– Weld-Ed Educator's Training Waco, TX
– Lego Mindstorms Robotics Camps Tampa, FL
– 2013 Southeast Regional 3-day Workshop St. Petersburg, FL
– 2013 Summer Institute on High-Performance Design, Build and Operations Overview Boise, ID
– Building Education and Technology Conference Lansing, MI
NetWorks Webinar: Online Learning Strategies: Practical Applications Online
– 2013 Northeast Regional 3-Day Workshop Lancaster, PA
– Laboratory Tools for Introductory Physics Walnut, CA
Recruiting Girls for STEM Pathways Tampa, FL
– 120th American Society of Engineering Educators (ASEE) Conference and Expo Atlanta, GA
– ISTE Conference San Antonio, TX
– AACC John E. Roueche Future Leaders Institute Baltimore, MD
– Dream !t Do !t Robotics Camp Bemidji, MN
– Solid State Materials for Alternative Energy Needs State College, PA
– Mapping the Path: Best Practices to Recruit & Retain Women in Your STEM Program Corpus Christi, TX
– Computer Hardware Essentials with Security Fundamentals for Teachers Madison, WI
– Five-day Experiential Learning Institute Bremerton, WA
– Introduction to Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 Madison, WI
– SkillsUSA: National Leadership and Skills Conference Kansas City, MO
– Universal Design Environments: Best Practices in Sustainability Portland, OR
– Weld-Ed Educator's Training Wahpeton, ND
– 2013 Northwest Regional 3-Day Workshop McMinnville, OR
PBL in STEM Education Upton, MA
– TEA Biotechnology Meeting Austin, TX
Biotechnology Summer Workshop Tampa, FL

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].

To add a continuously-updated list of ATE and STEM education events to your website, use the ATE Event Widget.

Resources in Fuel Cell Technologies

From CERET:

Introduction to Hydrogen Fuel Cells

http://www.ceret.us/HydrogenFuelcells/HeartOfFC.shtml

This is an interactive page using flash software that gives a brief overview on how a hydrogen fuel cell works and some of its functions. The website has an introductory animation which is followed by more in-depth description of the hydrogen fuel cell. Students can use the website to learn about issues with the cost, performance, and durability of hydrogen fuel cells, and check their learning with a quiz at the end of each section.

From ATEEC:

Building a Fuel Cell: An Electrifying Experience

http://ateec.org/ateec-downloads/building-a-fuel-cell-an-electrifying-experience

This learning activity from the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC) explores the differences between batteries and fuel cells, and includes fuel cell schematics and further detail about the technology. The procedure of assembling a fuel cell is also outlined.

Users must download this resource for viewing, which requires a free log-in. There is no cost to download the item.

From the Great Lakes Fuel Cell Education Partnership:

ATE@20

ATE@20

Welcome to the ATE@20 Blog

We are very pleased to announce the inaugural post of the ATE@20 blog, which celebrates the 20 years of innovations and other accomplishments that the ATE program has generated at community colleges, secondary schools, and universities around the nation. The blog is a collaborate effort between the whole ATE community, the blog's author, Madeline Patton, and ATE Central. In upcoming posts, the blog will share stories from around the ATE community, historical perspectives, successes, and other important information. This project accompanies a book that will be available at the October PI meeting.

As stated in the first entry, the blog has two main purposes:

  • By telling ATE's success stories we hope to inform educators, students, parents, and industry partners about the ATE program and expand the ATE community's robust partnerships. The blog is available for ATE centers and projects to use on their websites and in their newsletters.
  • By utilizing the blog's interactivity, ATE Central hopes to gather information for the ATE@20 book it is publishing this fall. We hope this interactivity enhances the collaborations that have been a hallmark of the ATE program since it began.

Read more to find out about the history of the ATE program, as told by some of its early proponents.

If you have a story to share — about your project, a student success, a partnership, or another ATE-related subject — please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. We invite you to read, share, comment, and celebrate with us in this twentieth year of ATE.

Community Connection

Bridging the Higher Education Divide

Bridging the Higher Education Divide: A Report from The Century Foundation Task Force on Preventing Community Colleges from Becoming Separate and Unequal

Who attends community colleges? What are the outcomes for students who attend community colleges? What is the role of the community college sector in helping reach President Obama's goal of making U.S. post-secondary graduation rates first in the world? On May 23, 2013, The Century Foundation Task Force on Preventing Community Colleges from Becoming Separate and Unequal released a report that addresses these questions and more. Titled Bridging the Higher Education Divide: Strengthening Community Colleges and Restoring the American Dream, the report begins by describing the "confluence of four mighty rivers" that American community colleges span:

At a time of growing economic globalization, community colleges are a critical element in the strategy to address the skills and education gap to meet the emerging needs of industries in the new knowledge economy. At a time of stagnant social mobility, two-year open-access institutions are pivotal in efforts to restore the American Dream. At a time when rising college costs are making some four-year institutions seem beyond reach for many students, community colleges remain a relatively affordable option for millions of Americans. And, at a time of deep demographic change that is making obsolete the very term minority, community colleges educate nearly half of America's undergraduates of color.

In addition, the Obama administration expects that about 5 million of the 8 million degrees it wants granted by 2020 come from community colleges. However, the report's authors continue, community colleges are tasked with educating students with the greatest needs using the least funds. In addition, higher education is increasingly stratified: while community colleges have seen an increase in disadvantaged and minority student enrollment, four-year college student demographics have remained relatively stable. If community colleges are to grant 5 million degrees in the next seven years, we as a nation will need to commit to innovative, substantive change.

The authors discuss two avenues for change. First, they suggest changes in accountability and funding for community colleges that would result in increased funding and transparency. Second, they recommend changes in governance "to reduce economic and racial stratification in higher education and strengthen the connections between two- and four-year institutions." These innovations include facilitating community college transfer, expanding socioeconomically inclusive honors programs, and providing incentives for four-year colleges to engage in affirmative action for low-income students of all races.

Bridging the Higher Education Divide presents a bold view of the future of community college education. Visit The Century Foundation's website to access the report in its entirety, learn about key findings, read the insightful background papers that accompany it, or purchase print copies.

Did you know?

According to the American Association of Community Colleges' report Community College Contributions, In 2009-10, community colleges awarded more than 425,000 certificates, constituting 40% of all credentials they awarded.

News & Reminders

Is your project/center on Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site?

If so, please make sure we've found that site and added it to the ATE Social Media Directory. Having your social media presence linked through the directory will help ensure that interested parties can find you online. In addition, if you currently publish a newsletter, please let us know, as we will be adding links to newsletters to the information available on ATE Central.

Follow ATE Central on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all things new at ATE Central and in the ATE Community as well as in the world of STEM Education

Want to know which ATE Projects and Centers and ATE partners and collaborators are using Social Media? Check out our ATE Social Media Directory and follow them too!

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. 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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