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.

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.

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In This Issue

Featured Resources: Micro and Nano Technology

From Nanotechnology Applications and Career Knowledge Resource Center (NACK Center):

Like Driving a Car: Acquiring Quality SEM/FESEM Images in Different Situations

youtu.be/QBH5T6kdkps

This video presentation explores scanning electron microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM/FESEM) image best practices. In the video, Liu Bangzhi simplifies SEM/FESEM imaging by drawing analogies to ordinary things in everyday life, such as writing with a pencil and driving a car. Bangzhi also explores imaging parameters, such as working distance (WD), beam voltage, and detectors; provides examples of FESEMs; and highlights how professionals can achieve an ideal electron beam.

From ATE Collaborative Impact Project:

ATE Centers for Micro & Nano Technology

atecentral.net/downloads/5127/MNT_Overview_2016.pdf

This resource provides background information on many micro and nanotechnology projects and centers, such as this month's featured center. This 16-page paper includes information about the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program and NSF ATE Centers for Micro and Nano Technology. "The ATE program funds large, comprehensive Centers of Excellence, as well as smaller-scale, more focused projects." These centers usually involve collaborations among educational institutions and business, industry, and government partners. These collaborations work to improve education and build the workforce in a particular area of technology. These centers were focused on developing career pathways, competency-based modules, digital learning tools, degree programs, and more. This paper includes a description for each center and describes key activities.

From The Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC):

Introduction to the NanoHUB Simulation Environment

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zMO-hVJMzU

This webinar, provided by the Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC), is part of a series that explores micro nanotechnology education. In the webinar, Tanya Faltens discusses the nanoHUB simulation environment and demonstrates how educators can use and navigate nanoHUB. First, Faltens describes nanoHUB as an open-access cyber infrastructure that provides nanotechnology libraries, toolboxes, workspaces, a publishing platform, and a nanotechnology online community. Faltens then highlights software requirements; simulation examples for carbon nanostructures, molecular vibrations, and biological molecules; Jupyter notebooks and biopython; and the nanoHUB dashboard.

Community Connection

Three Videos Highlighting ATE Community

ATE Central serves as an information hub for the ATE grantee community alongside promoting the work of ATE grantees and sustaining their work through ATE Central's archiving services and resource collection. ATE Central also creates several tools, services, and resources that are freely available to those within and beyond ATE and are designed to support the work of educators. In this post, we wanted to share some of our work done collaboratively with others to create several different video series. These include the ATE Student Success Stories, the Achieving Sustainability series, and four new videos that showcase the impact of the ATE programs and are a companion to the ATE Impacts book.

The Student Success Stories highlight a diverse set of students' struggles and triumphs in community and technical college settings and showcase the impact of the ATE program on their lives, education, and career paths. The ATE Impacts videos reveal the impact of ATE on a variety of stakeholders--Principal Investigators, administrators, students, and industry partners.

Finally, the Achieving Sustainability series was created in collaboration with the American Association of Community Colleges to help support ATE grantees as they endeavor to sustain their activities and impacts beyond National Science Foundation (NSF) funding. Visit the Impacts Blog to read more about each video series.

ATE Success Tips: Social Media

Posting on Social Media

After networking with your colleagues in the ATE community at the recent PI Conference, it may be a good idea to evaluate your strategies for staying in touch with partners and colleagues - a good way to start is scheduling social media posts. Scheduling allows you to reach your target audience when they are online. Plus, it increases the relevance and timeliness of your posts, tweets, and networking. When is the best time to post on social media, and is it the same across all platforms? Below are some guidelines.

  • Twitter: Twitter users are most active between 8 am and 7 pm. Tweets posted during these hours will generate the most interaction. Still, several smaller time slots see a significantly higher engagement rate. To get the most out of your tweets, consider posting between 8 am and 10 am, 11 am and 1 pm, or 4 pm and 7 pm.
  • Facebook: Facebook usage tends to be a little more constant than Twitter, but some times are still better than others for reaching your audience. The best time to post is between 1-4 pm when click-through rates tend to be at their highest. There is also significant usage over the weekend, so consider scheduling posts to be released between 10 am and 1 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Instagram: Instagram was designed exclusively for mobile access, so users tend to use the network all the time, at any time. However, peak times for posting to Instagram have shown the most interactions in the evening between 8 pm-9 pm.
  • LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the largest business network and is excellent for connecting with industry partners, educators, administrators, and students. Users check their accounts twice daily, allowing two time slots to touch base with your network. The social rush hours on LinkedIn are between 8 am and 10 am and between 4 pm and 6 pm, with Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays being the most active days of the week.

Check out this blog by HubSpot to learn more about optimizing social media engagement.

Did You Know?

More than one-third of Latino postsecondary students in 2020 were enrolled at a public two-year college, according to the American Association of Community Colleges' DataPoints. Latino student college enrollment has accelerated for over 20 years but dropped significantly in 2020 despite previous projections of continued growth. While Latino student enrollment is projected to grow later this decade, this growth is not at the accelerated pace seen in the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Excelencia in Education, 2022)

Select STEM Education Resources

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

Ohio Journal of Science

kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/686

The Ohio Journal of Science has been published since 1900. The Ohio State University's Knowledge Bank offers interested parties access to the wealth of information provided by the scientists who have contributed to this learned journal for well over a century. Visitors to the site have access to all of the back issues of the journal, and they are encouraged to browse by issue, author, title, or subject. Visitors will find items like Research Overview: Holocene Development of Lake Erie in the Recent Submissions area. Visitors should also check out the FAQs for information on submitting their work for possible inclusion in a future edition of the journal.

Teaching with Historic Places

www.nps.gov/subjects/teachingwithhistoricplaces/index.htm

Using properties listed on the National Park Service's (NPS) National Register of Historic Places, this site crafts unique lesson plans suited for various subjects, including history, civics, geography, and social studies. Users can browse lessons in the index by theme, time period, or location. Plans include directions for use, maps, historical readings, images, and activities. Sample lessons include The M'Clintock House: A Home to the Women's Rights Movement, When Rice Was King, and Thaw in the Cold War: Eisenhower and Khrushchev at Gettysburg. Additional resources at the TwHP site include a curriculum kit, a guide to creating TwHP materials based on users' local historic sites, and professional development information.

Giant Pandas

nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giant-panda

The Smithsonian Institution National Zoological Park presents this extensive curriculum guide focused on the giant panda, one of the zoo's most famous residents. Three sets of multidisciplinary lesson plans "contain all necessary background information and explore giant panda biology, habitat, zoo science, and conservation efforts." For example, one curriculum guide includes lesson plans addressing animal behavior and interdependence, the biomes of China, land-use planning, creative writing, and more. Students may also take advantage of the zoo's many other online panda-related resources.

Do you have some great STEM resources you'd like to share with ATE Central? Email us with your ideas at info@atecentral.net.

ATE Events

Upcoming Events
Gen CTE Works! Summit Alexandria, MN
Gen Transform Your Teaching with UDL Online
Mfg Florida HTEC Machining Educators Conference Sarasota, FL
Gen Disability Cultural Centers: Embracing Disability Culture and Identity within Higher Education Online
– Gen Supercharge Your Professional Learning Online
Ag/Env Solar Energy Fundamentals Online
– Ag/Env TWGGA Grape Camp Dripping Springs, TX
Eng Dronetech Aerial Drone Competition Thief River Falls, MN
– Eng The Florida Forum on Engineering Technology Online
– Ag/Env Sustainable Ag Expo San Luis Obispo, CA
– Gen Accessing Higher Ground Online
Nano Standalone Stretchable Device Platform for Human Health Monitoring Online
Gen Website Overlays – The Rise of Accessibility Automation Online
Bio/Chem A Toolkit to Implement Supply Chain Biomanufacturing Projects Online
Eng Underwater Robotics 101 Chicago, IL
– Info CMMC 2.0 Workshop Online
– Info 2022 NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference St. Louis, MO
Eng Dronetech Aerial Drone Competition Thief River Falls, MN

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

Upcoming Online Events

Some noteworthy online events coming up in November and December - check out ATE Central's Office Hours and EvaluATE's webchats. Both are a great way to learn more about the work of ATE grantees and get a chance to interact with others in the community!

Funding Opportunity from NSF

Keep an eye out for opportunities from the National Science foundation - including this recent Dear Colleague Letter! This DCL encourages proposals to two programs (ATE and S-STEM) supporting workforce development efforts at institutions of higher education. Proposals must build on or leverage strong industry-academic partnerships to strengthen the semiconductor manufacturing workforce.

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.

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.


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