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.

The NEW ATE Program Solicitation (NSF 18-571) is now available!

In This Issue

Featured Resources in Information and Security Technologies

From National Convergence Technology Center (CTC):

BILT Essentials Webinar Presentation

atecentral.net/downloads/3728/BILT+Essentials+Apr+13+2018.pdf

This slide deck, provided by the National Convergence Technology Center (CTC), was part of a special webinar presentation by CTC PI Ann Beheler. These slides cover best practices and key strategies behind the National CTC's Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model that encourages school business councils to take an active role in guiding a program. The presentation also includes details on implementing an annual job skills validation discussion to make sure curriculum aligns with what employers need in new hires. This approach was developed for IT infrastructure programs, but can work in any technical discipline.

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

Information Assurance Security and Lab Series

www.cssia.org/pdf/10000299-Security_Plus_All_Lab_1-4.pdf

The Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA) provides this 122-page PDF as part of a series of lab exercises intended to support courseware for CompTIA Security certification. After completing this lab, "students will learn the process of capturing network traffic using three different methods, the tcpdump command, Wireshark, and Network Minor." Users are encouraged to visit the center's site and create a free login to view these and other learning resources.

From ATE Central:

ATE Student Success Stories: Kristen's Story

atecentral.net/downloads/3843/Kristen.mp4

Kristin Edwards thought she wanted to be a math education major until a computer science class changed the course of her career. After more coursework, and an ATE-sponsored internship with a local business, she's discovered a new passion and a new path. This video is part of a series of ATE Student Success Story Videos created by ATE Central, which highlight the struggles and triumphs of a diverse set of students in community college settings.

Community Connection

ATE Impacts: Showcasing the Work of ATE Projects and Centers and Celebrating 25 Years of Improving Technician Education

For 25 years, the NSF's Advanced Technological Education program has improved educators' teaching, broadened students' knowledge, and enhanced technicians' skills. Through the ATE program, NSF has influenced the career paths of individuals from populations historically underrepresented in STEM fields and added diversity—of thought, perspective, and experience—to the technical workforce.

This programmatic milestone is in part being celebrated by the publication of ATE Impacts 2018-2019: Twenty-Five Years of Advancing Technician Education, available for free as a print copy or for download. In addition to highlighting ATE centers as past publications have done, this new edition also features twenty-eight outstanding ATE projects nominated for inclusion by the ATE grantee community.

One of the many highlights of the new book is a descriptive history of the ATE program, which illustrates how much the ATE community has accomplished over its tenure, and how much it has impacted the lives of students. Featured in this section, and in the most recent ATE Impacts blog post, Hilda Arguelles discusses the impact of her time as a student in the ATE program and the fact that ATE PI Karen Wosczyna-Birch inspired Arguelles to pursue a career in engineering. Since completing her bachelor's degree in engineering, Arguelles now works for aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. With 17 years of experience in commercial and military engine overhaul and repairs, Arguelles leads a team of engineers who evaluate the effects of repair processes on airfoils and hardware in commercial and military aircraft engines.

Want more information about the impacts of the ATE program on students, faculty, institutions and industry? You can download a copy of ATE Impacts 2018-2019: Twenty-Five Years of Advancing Technician Education or order copies of the freely available print publication here!

ATE Success Tips: Social Media

How many social media channels does your project or center manage? Different platforms require different strategies. If you haven't done so already, make a plan for each social media channel to really hone in on a strategy. Some useful tips for getting started are:

  • Don't jump in blindly. When creating a social media strategy, try to stay on target with what you want your overall message to be and stick to it.
  • Your social media plan should consist of smaller mini plans for each social media channel you want to be active on.
  • Stick to just a few social media sites if you're just getting started.

For more on social media strategies, check out the ATE Central Outreach Kit. The social media guide may be especially helpful for those beginning a social media strategy. Sprout Social's step-by-step guide for creating a social media marketing strategy may also be helpful.

Did You Know?

Median completion and persistence rates for colleges participating in the American Association of Community College's Voluntary Framework of Accountability was 55 percent after six years and 59 percent for students who started full-time. AACC's Voluntary Framework of Accountability is a national system of metrics designed by community colleges for community colleges to better describe the outcomes of their students.

Select STEM Education Resources

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

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy

www.cgll.org

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy is produced collaboratively by Sea Grant educators throughout the Great Lakes basin. It aims to develop a community well-versed in Great Lakes stewardship and addresses the lakes' economic and social facets, as well as their scientific aspects. The center's website provides valuable resources for educators, such as an archive of recorded webinars and over one hundred thorough curriculum plans for students ranging from kindergarten through college. These curriculum plans are searchable by topic, grade level, and subject area, and they are available as downloadable PDFs that contain fully developed lesson modules with classroom activities, quizzes, and links to relevant web resources. While these curricula were largely created with the Great Lakes in mind, educators from other regions may also find them useful as many of the lessons address concepts and scientific principles that can be applied to other bodies of water.

Neuroscience is... Cool

www.aan.com/education-and-research/neuroscience-is/neuroscience-is-cool

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) offers this resource collection for K-12 educators interested in incorporating neuroscience into their classrooms. Educators will find a number of links to materials that may be of interest in the Resources for Teachers and Parent Educators section. These materials are organized by grade level and include articles, classroom activities, diagrams, worksheets, and more. These resources come from a variety of sources, including National Geographic and Eric H. Chudler's website Neuroscience for Kids.

HHMI BioInteractive: Chemistry of Life

www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/chemistry-life

For instructors of chemistry and biology, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's BioInteractive collection offers this compilation of resources "related to chemistry, biochemistry, and biological macromolecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids." In total, Chemistry of Life includes 78 resources, including animated videos, hands-on classroom activities, interactive videos, three-dimensional models, and more. Visitors can best browse these items by selecting the View All Chemistry of Life Resources link at the bottom of this page. From here, visitors can filter resources by topic (e.g., biochemistry; nutrition, mechanism), by resource type (e.g., animation, 3D model, instructor resource), or by curriculum (including AP Biology, Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards-Life Science). Each resource is accompanied by a short description. Many of the more extensive educational resources in this collection also are also accompanied by a list of relevant NGSS, AP Biology, and IB Biology standards.

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
– Info Getting Started with UAVs and FAA Part 107 Certification Salt Lake City, UT
– Gen Community College Cyber Summit (3CS) Gresham, Oregon,
– Eng Laser Material Processing Workshop Ottumwa, IA
Nano Introduction to Statistical Process Control (SPC) - For College Faculty Albany, NY
– Info GeoTech Center Regional Workshop Gettysburg, PA
Ag/Env Webinar: Building Markets: Energy Storage in Massachusetts and Offshore Wind in Rhode Island Online
Gen 2018 Orientation To ATE PI Conference For New Grantees Webinar Online
– Bio/Chem ComGen's CURE Conference 2018 Bellevue, WA
Gen 2018 NSF ATE Program Funding Opportunities and Mentor-Connect Orientation Webinar Online
Gen Promoting Student Success in Math at FSCJ Jacksonville, FL
Gen Project Access Workshop at FSCJ Jacksonville, FL
Gen Writing in the Disciplines Jacksonville, FL

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

NEW ATE Program Solicitation
NSF 18-571 (Replaces NSF 17-568)

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):
    October 15, 2018
    October 03, 2019
    October 01, 2020

Some key revisions to take note of as you read this new solicitation include a later submission date this year - giving applicants a bit of extra time to craft their proposal. Changes have been made to the ATE Centers track, including an increase in the maximum budget for a center proposal which has been raised to $7.5 million over five years, with the possibility of one renewal. Centers may then choose to transition to a resource center. Budget numbers for resource centers have also been raised - with the maximum being $1.65 million over three years, also with the possibility of one renewal.

Another shift is a change to the Small Projects New to ATE track – this is now a fourth track within the ATE program with a maximum budget of $300,000 over three years.

Visit NSF's ATE page for an overview of the program, links to recent awards, and access to the solicitation, or atecentral.net/rfp to go straight to the solicitation on NSF's site.

Professional Development Workshops hosted by the Regional Center for Nuclear Education & Training (RCNET)

Embedding Emerging Technologies into Your Energy Program

Description: This workshop is designed to help college energy programs embed emerging technology into their energy programs. Topics such as cyber security, robotics, sensor technology, and deep learning will be addressed. Best practices in matching emerging technologies to existing LOs and affordably adding contextual examples will be covered in this two-day workshop.

Please contact RCNET PI Kevin Cooper at the below contact information with questions and to register.

Date: Aug. 2-3, 2018
Location: Ashville, NC

Contact Information: Kevin Cooper, PI RCNET; kcooper@irsc.edu; 772-462-7546

Eliminating Math as a Barrier to Entry and Success

Description: Math is not only a barrier to completion in community colleges; it is also a barrier to entry for selective enrollment programs across the nation specifically for minority and low socio-economic groups. This workshop describes a successful novel approach to overcome the math barrier for a cohort of underserved student and how that pilot led to a complete redesign of math across an entire department and can be replicated at your school.

This workshop has two dates and two different locations – please contact RCNET PI Kevin Cooper at the below contact information with questions and to register.

Date: September 13-15, 2018
Location: Orlando, FL

Date: October 11-12, 2018
Location: Fort Pierce, FL

Contact Information: Kevin Cooper, PI RCNET; kcooper@irsc.edu; 772-462-7546

Would you like copies of the ATE Impacts book?

Book orders and general inquiries about ATE Impacts 2018-2019: Twenty-Five Years of Advancing Technician Education can be emailed to info@ateimpacts.net.

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.

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 4.1.1) 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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