Advanced Technological Education .

Welcome to the ATE Central Connection! Published the first Tuesday 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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In This Issue

Featured Resources: Bio and Chemical Technologies

From Support Center for Microsystems Education (SCME) :

Chemical Labels - NPFA Learning Module

scme-support.org/index.php/educational-materials/safety-for-microsystems-fabrications/chemical-labels

This module, from Support Center for Microsystems Education (SCME), provides students "with the information needed to interpret chemical labels and information about specific chemicals provided on NFPA [National Fire Protection Association] diamonds and to demonstrate an understanding of this information." This module is divided into the following six units: Interpreting Chemical Labels Primary Knowledge (PK), NFPA Ratings/NFPA Diamond PK, NFPA Diamond Interpretation Activity, NFPA in the Workplace Activity, Interpreting Chemical Labels Activity, and Final Assessment.

From Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (MATEC) :

Molecular Workbench

mw.concord.org/modeler/

Molecular Workbench (MW) is free, open-source software that improves all students' ability to understand fundamental biological phenomena in terms of the interactions of atoms and molecules by enhancing biology courses with guided explorations of powerful atomic and molecular computational models. These models are embedded in an easily implemented database linked to typical textbooks and standards. Topics include fluid mechanics, chemical bonding, light-matter interactions, quantum phenomena, and more.

From The Corrosion Technology Expansion Project :

Internal Corrosion

atecentral.net/downloads/24353/CT2103-Internal+Corrosion.pdf

This 3-page syllabus provides information about the Internal Corrosion course taught at Seward County Community College (SCCC). This course is "an in-depth study of internal corrosion found in oil and gas wells, pipelines, refineries, process plants, and other industrial installations including the common forms of nondestructive testing, internal corrosion monitoring techniques, and chemical corrosion treatment methods." This syllabus includes a course description, SCCC outcomes, textbooks, course outcomes, and more. Additional corrosion technology syllabi are available to view separately from the Corrosion Technology Expansion Project.

Community Connection

ATE Principal Investigators Conference: Reconnecting & Advancing the Skilled Technical Workforce

Fall is here, and so is the 2022 ATE Principal Investigators Conference, from October 26th to October 28th, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. This year, the conference is back in-person with a virtual participation component. For projects and centers old and new, the annual PI Conference offers a chance to share experiences, collaborate, learn, and meet other members of the ATE community. While you have probably been preparing already, now is an excellent time to double-check and ensure your project or center is ready for the big event.

This year's theme is Reconnecting & Advancing the Skilled Technical Workforce. The conference will focus on critical issues related to advanced technological education across the United States. There will be two virtual ATE Connects kick-off events for different discipline areas on Thursday, October 20th, and Friday, October 21st. Additionally, there will be post-conference virtual events in November.

The complete program is available on the conference schedule page. For those looking for more information about the conference, there will be a conference orientation webinar on Friday October 7th, which will provide an overview of the in-person event and virtual components. Please register here for the webinar.

To view more information about the conference, check out the ATE PI conference website and FAQ. Also check out ATE Impacts latest blog post on preparing the PI Conference and keep an eye out for the PI Meeting app, available in October.

ATE Success Tips: Outreach

Knowing Your Audience

When developing an outreach strategy, focusing on a target audience is essential to success, according to research evaluating the effectiveness of outreach programs and campaigns. Once you have identified the goals and objectives central to your outreach efforts, brainstorm who, specifically, could benefit from making these goals happen. For ATE projects and centers, primary and secondary audiences vary and may include students, faculty, industry partners, campus administrators, and select policy/decision makers on and off campus. The key thing to remember is that there is no such thing as the "general public." In other words, outreach materials aimed at the "general public" are usually considered too broad to be effective. And don't forget your funders - the National Science Foundation and other philanthropic and federal agencies are important secondary audiences for all grantees to consider.

Here are four questions to help identify your audience for outreach:

  • Who are you targeting presently (if any)?
  • Why are you targeting those audiences (be specific)?
  • What is your goal in targeting these audiences?
  • Who are some other possible audiences that you aren’t currently targeting?

Did You Know?

Two and four-year institutions played a pivotal role in vaccinating students over the last two years, with over 82 percent of college students fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The American College Health Association released a survey that showed a strong college student vaccination rate, compared to 65 percent of people aged 18 to 24 nationally. The survey also found 80 percent of students felt safer at institutions with vaccine mandates.

Select STEM Education Resources

A few online STEM resources from outside of ATE, that you may find of interest:

The Center for Teaching Excellence: Lansing Community College

www.lcc.edu/cte/

Based at the Lansing Community College, the Center for Teaching Excellence helps to support instructors committed to expanding their own teaching capabilities. The Teaching & Learning Resources area shows resources like "Classroom Strategies for Fostering Student Retention," "Dealing with Classroom Incivilities," and additional links on Internet copyright issues and academic journals. The Teaching Tips area contains 14 different categories of tips, including "Active Learning Strategies," "Assessment, Evaluation and Testing," and "Creating an Inclusive Classroom." All told, there are over 40 different activities and fact sheets here. Some of the overall highlights include "Tips for Teaching to a Diverse Student Body" and "Developing a Good Syllabus." The site is rounded out by the Self-Paced Online Workshops area which features directed workshops on course planning, development, and other topics that are available for all.

NASA Women of STEM

www.nasa.gov/stem/womenstem.html

NASA Women of STEM is a wonderful site dedicated to celebrating women who have made contributions to NASA in the related fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Readers will find a number of fascinating profiles, interviews, and articles about women at NASA who are engaged in a wide range of STEM fields, from teaching children about science to engineering rockets. For instance, the interview with Nancy Roman, retired Chief of NASA's Astronomy and Relativity Programs, offers insight into when she became interested in outer space, her career at NASA, and who inspired her. In addition to the numerous inspirations for girls that populate the site, educators may like to take advantage of NASA Educational Professional Development, in which NASA Educator Ota Lutz teaches fun ways to bring STEM into the classroom.

Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Opening Doors

nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25585/promising-practices-for-addressing-the-underrepresentation-of-women-in-science-engineering-and-medicine

Women are underrepresented and undervalued in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) fields - less likely to pursue careers or advance within these fields due to bias, harassment, pay gaps, unequal access and workloads, and fewer opportunities. The consequences of this manifest in labor shortages in STEMM, a lack of diversity, and lost talent and creativity. Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Opening Doors, a policy report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, seeks to address these issues by synthesizing and reviewing existing research on policies, practices, and programs for improving the recruitment, retention, and sustained advancement into leadership roles of women in STEMM fields. On the page linked above, visitors can read the report in full online or download a free PDF version, or navigate to the "Contents' ' tab for a detailed table of contents. The "Resources'' tab includes highlighted content specifically for medical institutions and policy makers, as well as commissioned papers. The report's editors are Rita Colwell, Ashley Bear, and Alex Helman, with additional contributions from Policy and Global Affairs, the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and the Committee on Increasing the Number of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine.

Do you have some great STEM resources you'd like to share with ATE Central? Email us with your ideas at [email protected].

ATE Events

Upcoming Events
– Mfg 2022 Fall ET Forum Orange Park, FL
– Bio/Chem Wine Chemistry Workshop Wamego, KS
– Eng UAS Summit and Expo Grand Forks, ND
Info Microsoft Cybersecurity Scholarship Program Virtual Brown Bag Lunch Online
Eng Building a Safe Electrified Powertrain using MBSE Online
– Gen Introduction to UDL: Addressing the Variability of All Learners Online
Eng Physical Layer Testing Challenges of High-speed In-vehicle Networks Online
Gen The Big Event - Believe in Girls East Grand Forks, MN
– Info MN GIS/LIS Conference Bemidji, MN
Eng Robotics Competition Insider Webinar Online
– Eng Charged Virtual Conference - EV Engineering Online
– Eng Automotive USA Detroit, MI
– Ag/Env FIRA Ag Robotics & Technology Forum Fresno, CA
– Gen NISOD’s Annual Fall Virtual Conference Online
Eng Achieving First Time Right in Electric Powertrain Systems using Model-Based System Engineering Online
Eng Underwater Robotics 101 Chicago, IL
Eng EV Battery Testing – How to Improve the Design and Operation of Your Lab Online
Mfg The Economic Impacts of International Automakers in America Online
– Eng Underwater Robotics Educator Workshop Albany, GA
Nano High Throughput Automation of Synthetic DNA and RNA on Nanostructured Ceramic Films Online
– Gen 2022 Annual ATE PI Conference (Virtual) Online
– Eng Autonomous Vehicle Technology EXPO 2022 Novi, MI
– Eng Unmanned Tactical Application Conference (UTAC) Perry, GA
– Gen 2022 Annual ATE PI Conference (In-Person) Washington, DC
– Ag/Env American Wine Society National Conference Bellevue, WA
Gen CTE Works! Summit Alexandria, MN
Gen Disability Cultural Centers: Embracing Disability Culture and Identity within Higher Education Online
– Gen Supercharge Your Professional Learning Online
– Ag/Env TWGGA Grape Camp Dripping Springs, TX
Eng Dronetech Aerial Drone Competition Thief River Falls, MN
– Ag/Env Sustainable Ag Expo San Luis Obispo, CA
– Gen Accessing Higher Ground Online
– Info CMMC 2.0 Workshop Online

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.

News & Reminders

Mentor-Connect Opens to All STEM Faculty Involved in Technician Education

All two-year college STEM faculty involved in technician education are now eligible for Mentor-Connect mentoring to prepare applications for Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grants from the National Science Foundation. For the past decade, Mentor-Connect's cohort mentoring was available only to faculty at two-year colleges that had not had ATE grants in the past seven years.

Mentor-Connect selects 20 to 22 college teams to receive mentoring during the nine months that they are developing ATE grant proposals for improving some aspect of technician education. Mentor-Connect mentors are community college educators who have had successful ATE grants.

Applications for Mentor-Connect mentoring are due October 7.

For questions, email Emery DeWitt at [email protected] or call 843-676-8541.

Upcoming Event: 2022 ATE Annual PI Conference

The 2022 ATE Conference: Reconnecting & Advancing the Skilled Technical Workforce will be held as an in-person event with a virtual track participation option. ATE grantees may elect to fulfill their NSF grant requirement through participation in the in-person event and/or the virtual components of this conference.

The conference will bring together more than 850 NSF ATE grantees and their project partners to focus on the critical issues related to advanced technological education. Key people working on ATE projects across the country will participate in the hybrid event. Conference participants represent community colleges, business and industry, secondary school systems, and four-year colleges covering projects in a wide variety of areas, such as information technology, engineering technology, micro- and nanotechnologies, chemical technology, biotechnology, and others.

The conference will kick-off virtually with ATE Connects on Thursday, October 20 and Friday, October 21 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. EDT and be followed by an in-person event taking place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. on October 26-28, 2022. A post-conference virtual track featuring a few key sessions will be held on Friday, November 4 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. EDT.

More information can be found on the ATE PI Conference website.

ATE Impacts 2022-2023 Book Showcases Work of ATE Community

The ATE Impacts 2022-2023 book showcases the work of the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education Community. This edition includes a foreword from United States President Joseph Biden. It features the work of 33 projects and 28 centers across the seven ATE areas, as well as applied research. By highlighting the ATE community's successful and innovative work, the book encourages broader participation in the ATE program by academic institutions, educators, and industry partners. Dissemination of the ATE Impacts book advances understanding of the importance of technician education and its role in supporting the high-tech industries that drive the United States' economy.

Copies of ATE Impacts book are available upon request or at the upcoming ATE PI meeting in Washington, DC. More information on the book can be found on the ATE Impacts website.

EvaluateUR-CURE Accepting Applications

EvaluateUR-CURE is now accepting applications to participate in the final round of pilot testing during the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. This opportunity is available through an award from the NSF ATE program to the State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo State.

EvaluateUR-CURE is a method for evaluating course-based undergraduate research experiences -- CUREs. Combining research into undergraduate courses provides research opportunities for students.

Pilot testing of E-CURE is open to all faculty. Faculty teaching courses with research experiences (CUREs) at community colleges are especially encouraged to apply. A modest stipend is provided for participating in the pilot and providing feedback.

The application can be completed on EvaluateUR-CURE's website.

More information about the project can be found on the main E-CURE page.

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