NSF ATE: Saint Paul College Science Instrumentation Collaborative

Saint Paul College's (SPC) Advanced Technological Education project provides students with cutting-edge scientific technician training in collaboration with the scientific community. Industry partners support development of curriculum, provide internship placements and have access to high-tech caollege facilities. SPC houses an instrumentation lab including a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), and class 1000 clean room. The project increases the number of highly trained technicians to support workforce demand and connects local businesses to high-tech facilities of the college. SPC demonstrates success through an established and growing for-credit stackable Science Instrumentation Technician program with at least 24 students enrolled each semester. The program offers for-credit problem-based internships with mentor guidance from industry professionals and at least five industry partners are using the high-tech instrumentation center and class 1000 clean room facilities on a regular basis. Intellectual merit is provided through collaboration of the principal investigator and industry partners led by a Technical Program Advisory Committee. The broader impact is realized as SPC produces graduates that meet the needs of the workforce in chemical technology and science instrumentation fields. SPC achieves regional impact as a high-tech provider of working instrumentation laboratory equipment and facilities. This work furthers the goal of the Minnesota Legislature to create a corridor of high-tech industry between the metropolitan areas of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.