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 info@atecentral.net 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

Girl Students

Featured Resources for Girls in Technology

From CyberWatch West:

CyberWatch West: Girls Go Tech

www.cyberwatchwest.org/index.php/curriculum-development/cyber-sec-courses/girls-go-tech

This one-day workshop is designed to help middle school girls explore careers in technology fields. The page displays an outline of the course topics covered in the workshop and links to download a course booklet, certificate of completion, and activity instructions to set up a Raspberry Pi Computer. The course booklet includes additional linked resources and templates for registration and course evaluation forms.

From Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA):

Girls Tech Camp Toolkit

www.cssia.org/pdf/10000218-GirlTechCampToolkit.pdf

The Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA) provides this toolkit that will help administrators and educators in developing their own version of the Girls Tech Camp. The document includes sample graphics, an example of a flyer, application materials and all of the other assorted forms and paperwork a school would need to launch a program like this. The document may be downloaded in PDF file format.

From National CyberWatch Center:

Outreach-in-a-Box: Discovering IT

www.ncwit.org/resources/outreach-box-discovering-it

This page, from the National Center for Women and Information Technology, offers materials to aid information technology professionals in delivering an age-appropriate presentation to interest middle school students in computing. The downloadable .zip file on the page includes sample correspondence with educators, activities for the classroom, presentation tips and a PowerPoint presentation template, and further resources for interested students. This outreach kit is intended to help "strengthen and diversify the IT pipeline" by reaching out and engaging students early on in their education.

Medical Robot

Community Connection

What’s Going on in Nanorobotics?

Over the past few months, there have been a number of developments in the already fascinating world of robotics.

On October 6th, three European scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work developing nanoscale machines – the world’s smallest robots. These molecule-sized robots are manipulated through the conversion of chemical energy into mechanical energy. Many believe that nano-machines may have important implications in a variety of fields, including medicine.

In fact, as Hannah Devlin of The Guardian points out, “the technology is already being used to create medical micro-robots and self-healing materials that can repair themselves without human intervention.” Paul Rincon, science editor at BBC News, similarly discusses the potential of these tiny machines, noting, for example, that nano-machines could be essential for the development of more effective and localized cancer treatments.

Meanwhile, a team of Harvard scientists, headed by Kevin Kit Parker, recently developed an extraordinary “artificial creature” by combining heart muscle cells with silicone and metal. As Elizabeth Pennisi at Science magazine explains, by using biological material, the stingray-like robot is responsive to light and is more energy efficient.

Many are also hopeful that this development, along with a similar project at Case Western Reserve University utilizing sea slug cells to build a robot, could potentially lead to the development of an artificial human heart.

There are many exciting developments taking place, which means a number of helpful resources for students, teachers, and the generally curious.

For anyone interested in learning more about nanoscale machines, this January 2016 Royal Institution lecture from Neil Champness, Professor of Chemical Nanoscience, is a helpful and informative resource.

Additionally, these two videos from Discovery News and How Stuff Works break down the science necessary to combine biological and robotic material, along with the potential uses of this research.

Blog Keys

ATE Success Tips: Outreach

4 Timesaving Strategies for Blogging Success

Many ATE projects and centers use blogging as a way to engage and inform readers about project successes while also building rapport with institutional and industry partners. Yet, finding time to draft and publish posts can often feel daunting when faced with hefty workloads and busy schedules.

So what are some timesaving strategies for using this accessible and effective outreach tool?

Start by inviting staff, students, or community members to tell their stories, share their opinions, or write about something within their expertise. This will help distribute the writing work while also building a wider range of perspectives.

Once you’ve selected a few topics, make a scheduling calendar to map out when each blog will be posted, what topic it will cover, and who will write it. It may also help to have a designated editor to make sure posts are consistently reviewed and posted in a timely manner.

If there is existing text about your project or center’s work, such as outreach materials, deliverables, or media mentions, consider repurposing this content into a new post. Smaller points may also be expanded into individual entries.

Finally, get in touch with other members of the ATE community who already have a blog presence. They may have tips and trick, best practices, or ATE-related material to share with you. For instance, content on the ATE@20 blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. This means any blog post you see may be shared, copied, or adapted for your purposes, provided you attribute it to the Internet Scout Research Group.

Graduation Hands

Did You Know?

According to a new study from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, community college students take many different pathways to complete their degrees, which often means attending more than one institution. In fact, 27% of students attend two or more institutions to complete their associate degree.

ATE Events

Upcoming Events
Eng The Military as a Pathway to Skilled Technical Jobs Washington, D.C.
Gen Human Rights Day 2016: Science, Technology and Human Rights Washinton, District of Columbia
Gen Advancing Together: Cooperation and Creativity in Human Evolution Washington, D.C.
Gen K5 Steam Conference Austin, TX
– Gen Winter Working Connections Online
Ag/Env ELISS Forum on Drinking Water Safety Washington, D.C.
Eng Robotics and AI Workshop Washington, D.C.
Eng Measuring the Impact of Federal Investments in Research and Development Washington, D.C.
Gen AAAS Marion Milligan Mason Award Ceremony and Reception Washington, D.C.
– Mfg Spindle Probing Teacher Workshop Auburn, Maine
– Mfg 4-Axis CNC Milling Workshop Online
– Gen WASTC Winter ICT Educator Conference San Jose, CA
– Info Winter 2017 ICT Educators Conference San Jose, CA
– Mfg Automotive News World Congress Detroit, MI
Gen What Can We Know About Our Graduates As They Enter the Workforce? Online
Mfg Advanced Materials for Automotive Summit Detroit, MI
– Info AACC Workforce Development Institute Newport Beach, CA
– Info AACC Workforce Development Institute Newport Beach, CA
Ag/Env Mapping the Susquehanna Workshop at the Rockwell Museum Corning, NY
Info Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Webinar Online
Gen Project Access Workshop in CA Riverside, CA
– Eng SPIE Photonics West San Francisco, CA
– Eng SPIE Photonics West 2017 San Francisco, California
– Info FutureView 2017 Nashville, TN
Gen Drones Flying Free Online
Gen Drones Flying Free Online
Gen Drones Flying Free Online
– Gen Family Science Days Boston, MA

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 submit them online.

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

News & Reminders

Get involved with NSF’s Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC).

The National Science Foundation invites teams of community college students to participate in the third annual Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC). Teams will submit innovative STEM-based solutions for real-world problems across three themes: Maker to Manufacturer, Energy and Environment, and Security Technologies. All entries must be received during the competition submission window, from October 17, 2016 to February 15, 2017. More information can be found on the challenge website.

Archiving your deliverables with ATE Central is now easier than ever!

Upload your curriculum, professional development materials, or other deliverables created with ATE funding directly to the ATE Central resource portal via the new archive submission form.

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.

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. The latest version (CWIS 3.9.1 beta) was released on and is available for download on the Scout site. Please email cwis@scout.wisc.edu if you have any questions or would like a quick tour of its features!

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