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: Manufacturing Technologies

From National Center for Autonomous Technologies:

Connected By Drones

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yb5ga51_u4&ab_channel=NationalCenterforAutonomousTechnologies

This video from the National Center for Autonomous Technologies is a recording of the December 2022 Connected By Drones meeting. In the video, community based organizations (CBOs) are described, the difference between federally recognized identification areas (FRIAs) and fixed sites are highlighted, and a remote-ID update is provided. Jake Marshall and Tina Booton also present on their work with Weld County and the Aims Aviation UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) program. UAS project examples, committees, programs, and partnerships are explored. Updates on projects and partners, upcoming events, Drone Safety Day, and more are also discussed.

From Preparing Students for Technical Careers in Autonomous Technologies for Commercial Trucks and Off-Highway:

From National Center for Autonomous Technologies :

Teaching Using Social VR

atecentral.net/downloads/12243/Teaching+in+Social+VR.pptx

This PowerPoint presentation, provided by the National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT), covers teaching in social virtual reality (VR). During this presentation, senior personnel Mark Gill and Alan Srock from St. Cloud State University AHS discussed the immersive collaborative tool of social VR and how it can be used in an online classroom setting, as well as a virtual conference. This resource includes information about VR benefits, examples, common limitations, the differences between experiential and collaborative VR, and more.

Community Connection

Navigating Virtual, Hybrid, and In-Person Conferences, Part II

Our last Community Connection covered the challenges and benefits of virtual, hybrid, and in-person conferences from our Impacts blog post. ATE Central checked in with Larry Chang, from the ATE funded BEST Center, to get more information on creating, attending, and networking at virtual events. BEST co-hosted their very successful (and fully virtual) Annual Institute January 4-6, 2023 with the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - this year's theme was Advancing Building Decarbonization: Policies, Technologies, and Workforce Education.

ATE Central: What are the benefits of a virtual summit or conference?
Larry Chang: The benefits include being able to reach more people in a greater variety of locations while also reducing the need for lengthy travel and greenhouse gas emissions. Our in-person Institutes were usually limited to U.S. faculty only; the virtual format allowed industry professionals, nonprofits, public agencies, and students to participate. Some attended from other countries including Canada, Turkey, Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Nigeria, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates.

ATE Central: Are there any drawbacks to a virtual event and if so, what are they?
Larry Chang: Networking is difficult; it's very hard to make any significant human connection during a brief online event.

ATE Central: Where do you see the future of conferences going?
Larry Chang: People are eager to attend in-person unless they have a medical condition. Hybrid events might be the way forward if we're trying to get the best of both worlds. However, it takes more work.

ATE Central: Any advice for ATE Grantees planning a virtual event?
Larry Chang: They have their virtues but must be used judiciously. Think about who you really need to reach and why. If you're planning a faculty workshop, the lectures can be done online, but the hands-on/lab exercises will likely need to be done in person. It could be a way to reduce workshop costs.

ATE Success Tips: Websites

Microsite Review

Having a website for your project or center is crucial to expanding outreach efforts and connecting to a wider audience. However, developing a website is a time consuming (and sometimes expensive) process and, unless you have the support to do so, can be a difficult endeavor to get up and running.

ATE Central's Microsite Service helps address these issues through a tool that allows ATE projects and centers to create their own mini website and use that site to share documents, publish curriculum materials, announce events and publications, and disseminate the products and progress of their grant very quickly and easily.

Are you interested in talking with ATE Central about how to set up a free microsite for your project or center? Email us at microsites@atecentral.net! Also, check out the Microsite Service page on the ATE Central site for more information and to read our FAQs.

Did You Know?

Enrollment in Maine's community colleges is up 12% since the state created a free tuition program, which serves about 17,000 students over a system of seven colleges.

Select STEM Education Resources

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

Global Forest Watch

www.wri.org/initiatives/global-forest-watch

As part of the Forest Frontiers Initiative, the World Resources Institute (WRI) has launched Global Forest Watch, an ambitious, international effort to assemble and provide "objective, quality data" on the state of the world's forests. The site's main function is to introduce viewers to the project, calling attention to regional centers (Central Africa, North America, Southeast Asia, South America, and Russia), and providing "comprehensive information on logging, mining, and other development activities within and around frontier forests as, or before, it happens."

African Education Research Database

essa-africa.org/AERD

Launched in June 2018, the African Education Research Database (AERD) is "a curated collection of research undertaken in the past decade by scholars based in sub-Saharan Africa." This database, which seeks "to raise the visibility of African research" and lower barriers to accessing that research, is a collaborative initiative between the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge and Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA). Here, readers will find more than over 2,000 items of "social science research with implications for educational policy and practice," including peer-reviewed articles, doctoral dissertations, book chapters, and working papers, all produced since 2007, and the database is regularly updated with new material. Visitors can search and filter AERD by keyword, country, and research methods, and there is also an interactive map showing the number of studies available from each country.

Mid-America Earthquake Center

mae.cee.illinois.edu

Understanding earthquakes is a complex process, and the Mid-America Earthquake Center is one of three national earthquake engineering research centers set up to work on a variety of approaches to a broad set of related scientific concerns. Based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Center consists of a consortium of nine core institutions and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The Center's primary work is within four areas, including information technology and consequence-based risk management frameworks. Recognizing that they serve a broad range of visitors to their website, the Center has established a number of informative introductions on their homepage for the general public, potential industry partners, members of the press, and K-12 educators. While a number of visitors may be interested in their technical reports and software packages, most visitors will want to look over the graduate and undergraduate teaching modules, which will be of great use to educators in the engineering and geophysical sciences and their students.

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 AACC Annual Conference Aurora, CO
Ag/Env Space Ag Conference Grand Forks, ND
Bio/Chem ATE Project Talks: Dual Credit HS DNA Sequencing and Internships in Protein Biomanufacturing Online
– Gen Skills USA Florida Conference Jacksonville, FL
Gen FLATE Webinar Series: Creating Videos using Classroom Projects and Student Success Stories Online
– Info Geodesign Summit Redlands, CA
– Eng ITEEA Conference 2023 Minneapolis, MN
– Mfg EPRI Supply Chain Workshop for Structural Components in Advanced Energy Systems Dallas, TX
Eng Optics & Photonics Symposium and Festival Fort Pierce, FL
– Info Symposium on Computing at Minority Institutions : Computing for Social Good Virginia Beach, VA
Gen 2023 CUNY Neurodiversity Conference Online
– Ag/Env STEM Educator Virtual Solar Institute Online
– Info National Security Institute's 36th Annual IMPACT Conference Chantilly, VA
Mfg Creating Videos using Classroom Projects and Student Success Stories Online
– Gen 2023 ATE Future of Work Leadership Caucus Alexandria, VA
– Info IT Skill Standards Summit Frisco, TX
Gen Community College and Industry Partnerships: A Strategic Workforce Collaboration Online
Bio/Chem CCSF Workplace Navigation Workshop: Utilizing an Interview to determine a Good Fit Online
– Eng ITS America Conference and Expo Grapvine, TX
Mfg How to Increase Student Diversity in ET Programs Online
– Eng ACTE’s National Work-based Learning Conference 2023 Atlanta, GA
– Eng T-Town: Play. Explore. Learn. Tacoma, WA
Eng Drones For Good - UAS Supporting Research and Education College Park, MD
– Eng SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing Kissimmee, FL
– Bio/Chem Inclusive Research Mentor-Manager Training Workshops Online
– Info 21st Century Learning Design & Microsoft Classroom Tools Online
– Bio/Chem ABRF 2023 Boston, MA
– Eng XPONENTIAL 2023 Denver, CO
– Eng Robotics Summit & Expo 2023 Boston, MA
Gen CCPI-STEM Fellows Program: A Unique Opportunity Online
– Eng Education and Training in Optics and Photonics 2023 Cocoa Beach, FL
– Mfg SME EASTEC 2023 West Springfield, MA
– Info GEOINT 2023 Symposium St. Louis, MO
– Info CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor Online
– Gen NISOD’s International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence Austin, TX
– Info 2023 NICE Conference Seattle, WA
– Bio/Chem BIO International Convention Boston, MA
– Mfg Weld-Ed Summer Training: NDT Chattanooga, TN
– Nano University of Minnesota: Micro Nanotechnology Health and Safety Course 2023 Minneapolis, MN
– Eng BEST Center BAS Workshop XII Omaha, NE
– Eng Auto Tech: Detroit Novi, MI
– Eng 7th Annual Energy Drone & Robotics Summit The Woodlands, Houston
– Info GenCyber Student Academy Prestonsburg, KY
– Info (ISC)2 CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional Online
– Mfg Weld-Ed Summer Training: Joining and Cutting Processes East Peoria, IL
– Gen Mentor Up Workshop Online
– Mfg Weld-Ed Summer Training: Joining and Cutting Processes Wahpeton, ND
– Info GIS Workshop: Visualizing and Analyzing Health Data Online
– Eng Teaching Rough Vacuum Technology Bloomington, MN
– Eng ASEE Annual Conference Baltimore, MD
– Bio/Chem The Future of the Bioscience Workforce Washington, DC
– Bio/Chem Envisioning the Next Bioscience Workforce: A Summit of Industry, Academic, and Government Leaders Washtington, DC
– Ag/Env Cultivate Conference 2023 Fargo, ND

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

HI-TEC 2023 Registration Now Open

HI-TEC is a national conference on advanced technological education where secondary and postsecondary educators, counselors, industry professionals, trade organizations, and technicians can update their knowledge and skills. Charged with preparing America's skilled technical workforce, the event focuses on the preparation needed by the existing and future workforce for companies in the high-tech sectors that drive our nation's economy.

The annual conference is perfect for:

  • Community College and University Educators
  • High School Educators
  • Workforce Development Advocates
  • Trade Organizations
  • Industry Professionals
  • Technicians

This year's conference will be held at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center, July 24-27. Pre-conference events will be held July 24-25. Read more and register on the HI-TEC 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 More information on the book can be found on the ATE Impacts website.

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.

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.

Resources from the 2022 CAAT Conference

The Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT) held their 2022 Conference in late September with a conference theme focused on "Preparing Technicians for Electric Vehicle Technology." Happily, presenters agreed to allow the conference to make their presentations available through CAAT's resource library. Recordings of each speaker's presentation are also available.

Presentations from the 2022 CAAT Conference

Recordings from the 2022 CAAT Conference

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