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: Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

From Weld-Ed:

Careers in Welding

www.aws.org/Career-Resources

Careers in Welding is a portal jointly produced by the American Welding Society and Weld-Ed, the National Center for Welding Education and Training. Visitors will find information for educators, students, and welding professionals, in addition to general information about exploring a career in welding. Educators can find teaching tips, curriculum, professional development information, resources and products, events, and networking opportunities. Students can find information about schools with welding programs, scholarships, jobs, and much more. For the welding professional, the site has tips for building a resume, finding a job, and AWS certification information.

From From Contextualize to Learn: Preparing Faculty Toward Math Contextualization for Student Success in Advanced Technological Education:

Welding Theory 1: Using a Tape Measure

c2l.wceruw.org/welding-theory-1

This lesson, provided by the Contextualize to Learn project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has students work in pairs to work through calculations about welding wire. Calculations include unit conversions (inch per amp convert to inch per minute), determining rates of inches per day, pounds per day, and cost per day of wire used by an average welder. Math in this lesson includes addition and subtraction with different denominators, converting to and from mixed decimals to fractions, adding measurements given in feet and inches, use basic geometry formulas to solve problems.

From ATE 2.0: Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work:

Episode 27: Welding is One Piece of the Puzzle

www.preparingtechnicians.org/episode-27-welding-is-one-piece-of-the-puzzle

This podcast episode, published by the Center for Occupational Research and Development, is part of a series that covers issues and topics on technician development. In this episode, Rich Little, Welding Engineer at the United Launch Alliance, discusses the skills that welding engineers require. These skills include "shield metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, [and] gas tungsten arc welding." Technological skills are also required, which include a knowledge of computers, systems, robotics, cycle times, manufacturing efficiency, and more. Little also details the solid-state welding process for aerospace engineering and describes personal experiences with education and work.

Community Connection

Four Newly Funded Projects

The National Science Foundation plays a crucial role in advancing education and innovation in high-tech STEM fields by funding approximately 12,000 new awards annually. Each year, the ATE Program supports a variety of projects across fields such as advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, information security, and more, with a particular focus on two-year institutions. This year, we are excited to celebrate our new grantees by highlighting four newly funded projects from the 2024 funding cycle, each designed to address critical needs in emerging technologies and workforce development.

  • Southwestern College Micro-Nano Technology Technical Education Certificate Program: Aims to equip students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, with the skills for careers in micro- and nano-technology.
  • Critical Environments for Data Center Operations: Develops educational pathways for students to gain technical skills for the rapidly growing data center industry.
  • Forging a Blockchain-ready Workforce: Prepares students to meet the rising demand for Blockchain technicians through a new academic program and industry-aligned curriculum.
  • An Equity-Focused Robotics and Automation Education Program: Middlesex Community College is creating an Associate Degree in Robotics and Automation to promote economic equity and broaden participation in the industry.

Learn more about each center and pursue other centers and projects in the latest ATE Impacts blog post. See all projects and centers on the ATE Central map.

ATE Success Tips: Websites

Using Clean URLs

Clean URLs are web addresses that are simple, readable, and free of extra characters. For example, a clean URL might look like example.com/about-us instead of something like example.com/index.php?page=about-us&id=123. Clean URLs are user-friendly, easy to remember, and often improve search engine optimization (SEO).

To use clean URLs on your website or social media, follow these tips:

  • Remove unnecessary parameters: Avoid using query strings like ?id=12345 or &ref=campaign unless absolutely necessary. Instead, create a URL structure that directly represents the content (e.g., example.com/products/shoes).
  • Use descriptive words: Replace technical details or numbers in your URLs with descriptive words that reflect the content of the page (e.g., example.com/about-us instead of example.com/page1).
  • Avoid file extensions: Omit unnecessary file extensions like .php, .html, or .asp to make your URLs cleaner (e.g., example.com/contact instead of example.com/contact.html).
  • Implement URL rewriting: Use server-side URL rewriting techniques to automatically convert complex URLs into clean ones. For instance, you can use .htaccess on an Apache server to rewrite example.com/index.php?page=about-us to example.com/about-us.

By using clean URLs, you enhance the user experience, improve your site's navigability, and increase the likelihood that your pages will rank better in search engine results.

Did You Know?

According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, the percentage of public community colleges with more than 3% of students reporting a disability slightly decreased from 41.3% in the 2020-21 academic year to 39.2% in 2021-22. Depression and attention deficit disorder were the most frequently reported disabilities among public community college students in 2019-20, with depression being the most common at 26.6%. These patterns were consistent across other higher education sectors, although rates for mental health-related conditions were slightly higher at public four-year institutions.

Select STEM Education Resources

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

University of Southampton: Surface Science and Materials

www.southampton.ac.uk/research/groups/engineering-materials-surface-engineering-group

At this website, the University of Southampton's Surface Science and Materials Group features extensive materials on its research of surface dynamics, metal oxides, surface electrochemistry, mass spectrometry, and more. Researchers can view its many facilities including the electrochemical UHV transfer system and the reflection absorption IR spectroscopy UHV system. Users can find biographies of the many researchers associated with the group and a lengthy list of publications.

SteelMATTER: An Interactive Website for Ferrous Metallurgy

www.matter.org.uk/steelmatter

SteelMATTER is a "series of interactive educational software resources aimed at helping students understand the key concepts and relationships in ferrous metallurgy." Guided Study is the main section of the site, which describes the six stages of steel production. Starting the guided study can be slightly confusing because of poor site organization; instead of taking users directly to the first stage, an interactive quiz is presented before any material is covered. However, this can easily be bypassed by clicking the Raw Materials link at the bottom of the page. From this point, the site provides a good, step-by-step overview of the processes involved in making steel. There are also numerous Java applets accessible from the main page that simulate many metallurgy processes.

Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining

www.iom3.org

The Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining's website provides information about the institute's efforts to become a "leading international professional body for the advancement of materials, minerals, and mining to governments, industry, academia, the public and the professions." Researchers can learn about the Institute's main event of 2004, the Materials Congress, along with many other seminars and conferences. Students can discover scholarship opportunities, career opportunities, and more. Everyone can take advantage of the technical enquiry and the library-style assistance provided by the Materials Information Services.

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 Journal Writing Workshop Online
Mfg Autonomous Nation Conference West Fargo, ND
– Gen 2024 Annual National HBCU Week Conference Philadelphia, PA
Eng Girls In Aviation Eden Prairie, MN
– Bio/Chem Bio Innovations Midwest Omaha, NE
– Eng NCATC Conference Racine, WI
Gen District Leadership for Inclusion and Equity Online
Info National Cybersecurity Virtual Career Fair Online
Eng Girls in Aviation Day 2024 Fargo, ND
Mfg Connecticut Manufacturing Summit Hartford, CT
– Gen AISES Conference San Antonio, TX
– Mfg WiM Summit 2024 Boston, MA
– Eng UAS Summit Grand Forks, ND
– Info Kentucky GIS Conference Louisville, KY
– Info United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cybersecurity Expo Online
– Gen Best Practices and Innovations in CTE Conference 2024 Portland, OR
Gen Orientation to the ATE Conference Webinar Online
Eng The BIG Event: Believe in Girls East Grand Forks, MN
Eng Inducing High Angular Momentum Spin Dynamics in a Microwave Oscillator Online
Eng Maker Faire NoVa Alexandria, VA
– Gen 2024 ATE Principal Investigators’ Conference Washington, DC
Ag/Env Space Ag Conference @ Grand Farm Fargo, ND
– Gen NRSC and DeafTEC Math and Science Conference Rochester, NY

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

Online Grant Proposal Preparation Workshop

The Online Grant Proposal Preparation Workshop for Two-Year Colleges, led by former NSF program officers, is designed to assist participants in developing and submitting proposals to the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM). The NSF S-STEM program provides grants to institutions of higher education to fund scholarships for academically talented, low-income students, while also supporting their recruitment, retention, and graduation in STEM fields. It is ideal for STEM faculty, deans, department chairs, grant officials, and student support services directors. The workshop is live, online, and free for two-year college faculty and staff accepted into the program, running Fridays at 3:30 pm Eastern from October 11, 2024, to February 28, 2025. To see more information, visit the Community College S-STEM Network website

Mentor-Connect Opportunities Webinar on Sept 25

Interested in grant funding from the NSF ATE program? Join the Mentor-Connect Opportunities webinar to learn all about the newly-published NSF ATE solicitation and no-cost mentoring support that is available!

To learn about the new NSF ATE solicitation and discover how mentoring can help you navigate the proposal process, join the Lead Program Officer from the NSF ATE Program for the upcoming webinar that is packed with valuable information to set you on the path to success.

Date: Wednesday, September 25
Time: 2:00 pm ET
Register at: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SvkTS2sNQpammMdnoRtHOw

Take advantage of this opportunity to gain ATE Program insights and access to expert mentoring—all at no cost! Register now and spread the word to others who could benefit.

AT3 Launches Training Program

The Advanced Technology Technician Training program, offered by CareersInTech.us, is an 8-month intensive designed for students in technical education who aspire to excel in the micro and nano technology industries. Running from October 18, 2024, to May 9, 2025, the program offers participants hands-on learning opportunities, insights from industry partners, and potential earnings of up to $3,000 in stipends. Additionally, students will receive application support for securing summer internships in relevant tech fields.

To apply, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a valid Social Security or Tax ID number and must be enrolled in a technical education program at a U.S. community college or technical school. High school students in dual enrollment programs are also eligible to apply. Applications are due September 30th. For more information or questions, interested individuals can reach out to Internships@micronanoeducation.org. More information is also on the Careers in Tech website.

New UDL Case Studies from CAST

In partnership with equitable learning leader CAST, AccessATE has published four new case studies that utilized CAST's Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework for inclusive and accessible education. Each case study documents and examines strategies for the implementation of UDL in community and technical colleges. The new case studies include:

The complete list of UDL case studies can be found on AccessATE's Case Studies page.

ATE Impacts 2024-2025 Book Promotes Technical Education and Celebrates 30 Years

The ATE Impacts 2024-2025 book showcases the work of the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education Community. This edition includes a foreword from National Science Foundation Director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, and features the work of 24 centers and 35 projects 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.

ATE Central Outreach Kit

The ATE Central Outreach Kit was developed as a tool to assist ATE Principal Investigators (PIs) and staff in effectively planning, monitoring, and executing outreach activities.

ATE Central has given the Outreach Kit a refresh with a new design and content, accompanied by a downloadable Template. The new kit is designed to guide you through a step-by-step process and helps you explore how to identify your primary audiences and stakeholders, determine the partners and resources that can support your efforts, and start considering aspects such as branding and messaging.

By utilizing the kit and template, you will make significant progress towards developing a comprehensive plan that enables you to achieve the objectives of your grant, effectively communicate your outcomes and impacts, and showcase the valuable work of your project or center to a diverse range of stakeholders.

The Outreach Kit can be found on ATE Central's website, under the Resources tab.

New Tool - Calendar Feed

The ATE Central Calendar Feed is an easy to customize tool that enables calendar feeds from the ATE Central Events Calendar to quickly be added to either the Outlook or the Mac Calendar app, and will then automatically display upcoming events of interest based on the keywords you include. You can use the feed to populate your personal calendar or to add lists of upcoming events to your ATE center or project website. For WordPress-based sites, free plugins like ICS Calendar will allow you to use a calendar feed to display a list of upcoming events on your WordPress site. You'll need to sign in to your ATE Central account to create a feed - and it's easy to change your selection of keywords to add or subtract areas of interest over time. We look forward to hearing from you as you utilize this new service and as always, we'd love to get your feedback or comments. Don't hesitate to reach out to the team with any questions at info@atecentral.net.

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