ATE is Advanced Technological Education. With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the National Science Foundation's ATE program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy.
Navigating Cyber Threats: Insights and Resources from CISA
Speaker
December 4 Online
Join CISA Cybersecurity Advisor (CSA) Donald Hester for a concise presentation covering the latest cyber threat landscape and an overview of CISA's key resources. This briefing will provide actionable insights to enhance your organization's cybersecurity posture and highlight tools and services available to support your resilience efforts.
(View More)
Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Educators
Workshop
December 5 Godfrey, IL
This workshop empowers university, community college, and high school faculty, staff, counselors, and academic advisors with the knowledge and tools to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices and curriculum development. Participants will explore practical applications of AI, including lesson planning, designing engaging and interactive content, creating dynamic assessments, and customizing individualized student learning experiences. Additionally, the workshop will highlight how to enable students to use AI in ethical and productive ways across various disciplines.
Through hands-on activities, collaborative projects, and real-world examples, faculty will gain a deeper understanding of AI’s transformative role in education. They will also explore new forms of student engagement, ensuring responsible AI use in both teaching and learning environments. This workshop prepares educators to harness AI to enhance classroom instruction, streamline administrative tasks, and equip students with the skills needed to navigate an AI-driven future.
(View More)
BioBuilder: Building Inclusive Pathways into the Bioeconomy
Speaker
December 5 Online
As the bioeconomy grows, so does the need for innovative and inclusive life science education. The BioBuilder Educational Foundation is a nonprofit founded at MIT that aims to meet this challenge by equipping high school students and teachers with engaging, project-based synthetic biology and biotechnology curricula. Since 2011, BioBuilder has reached over 87,000 students and teachers across 50 U.S. states and 80 countries.
This talk will explore how BioBuilder addresses key chokepoints in the education-to-workforce pipeline: increasing student engagement in science, supporting educators with high-quality resources, and building partnerships with industry and community colleges. Early data from longitudinal studies and program impact assessments will highlight BioBuilder’s scalable contributions to STEM learning and job readiness. Designed for educators, researchers, and students alike, this session offers a model for how biological engineering can be taught in ways that are both rigorous and inclusive—broadening participation in the workforce and empowering students to pursue meaningful, well-paying careers—with or without a traditional four-year degree.
Speakers:
Dr. Natalie Kuldell
Charlene (Char) Montgomery
(View More)
KidWind - Solar Energy 101
Workshop
December 6 Online
During this virtual workshop, educators will learn the foundations of solar power including the science and technology of solar PV and thermal energy. Organizers will also introduce activities for the classroom that engage students in dynamic, hands-on, energy-based learning.
All teachers who pre-register will receive a $150 kit before the 3 hour virtual training and we will go through how to use these materials in the classroom. This workshop has self-guided and in-person components.
Registration closes November 24th so you receive materials prior to the workshop.
(View More)
NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference
Conference
December 8 Nashville, TN
The NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference is the premier event for K-12th grade cybersecurity educators. In its 11th year, the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference has gathered the most dynamic and innovative cybersecurity education leaders and professionals from across the US for an intensive, highly collaborative exploration to promote the discovery of cybersecurity careers and multiple pathways, identify methods to transform learning and much more.
The NICE K12 Conference is known to cybersecurity-related educators and educational stakeholders as the best place to engage with the thought leaders and pioneers leading the charge in classrooms, schools, districts, and regional and statewide cybersecurity education programs. The NICE K12 Conference is the national hub for providing resources in innovative teaching and learning for K12 educators to inspire their students to be the future cybersecurity workforce.
(View More)
Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Educators
Workshop
December 8 Godfrey, IL
This workshop empowers university, community college, and high school faculty, staff, counselors, and academic advisors with the knowledge and tools to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices and curriculum development. Participants will explore practical applications of AI, including lesson planning, designing engaging and interactive content, creating dynamic assessments, and customizing individualized student learning experiences. Additionally, the workshop will highlight how to enable students to use AI in ethical and productive ways across various disciplines.
Through hands-on activities, collaborative projects, and real-world examples, faculty will gain a deeper understanding of AI’s transformative role in education. They will also explore new forms of student engagement, ensuring responsible AI use in both teaching and learning environments. This workshop prepares educators to harness AI to enhance classroom instruction, streamline administrative tasks, and equip students with the skills needed to navigate an AI-driven future.
This workshop also includes a 4-hour virtual session on December 12.
(View More)
ACTE CareerTech VISION
Conference
December 9 Nashville, TN
ACTE's CareerTech VISION is the must-attend event for career and technical education (CTE) professionals. Happening Dec. 9-12 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, VISION offers comprehensive programming covering high-quality CTE in secondary and postsecondary environments and emerging trends in the field to help career and technical educators thrive in their careers. VISION provides attendees with a rich array of networking opportunities, an Expo, hundreds of concurrent program sessions, and numerous networking opportunities.
(View More)
Keeping Your PEACE: Women in Manufacturing Education Foundation's Virtual Learning Series
Webinar
December 9
December doesn’t have to mean burnout. Join for a refreshing 60-minute virtual session to reflect, recharge, and learn how to keep your PEACE through the busiest season of the year.
These webinars are FREE for Women in Manufacturing members and only $35 for nonmembers, making them accessible and valuable for all professionals.
(View More)
Community Capabilities Webinar | AVN: Supporting Bio-Based Chemical Process Technology Development
Webinar
December 9
Hear from Jack Dever, Chief Technology Officer at AVN, who will introduce AVN’s capabilities for process development and talk through their process, including work they have done to develop a technology package for converting glucose to a commodity chemical.
(View More)
Community Conversations: Reflecting on 2025 – Lessons Learned
Meeting
December 16 Online
In this community conversation, ATE PIs, project evaluators, and staff will reflect on the lessons learned throughout 2025 and discuss how these insights can be applied to enhance evaluation practices moving forward.
(View More)
Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
Conference
January 6 Lahaina, HI
Since 1968, the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) has been known worldwide as the longest-standing working scientific conferences in Information Technology Management. HICSS provides a highly interactive working environment for top scholars from academia and the industry from over 60 countries to exchange ideas in various areas of information, computer, and system sciences. According to Microsoft Academic, HICSS ranks the 36th in terms of citations among 4,444 conferences in all fields worldwide.
(View More)
Scouting America Badging Day
Student Event
January 10 Thief River Falls, MN
Scouting America Merit Badge Day will be held at Northland Community & Technical College. Scouts will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of engaging classes, including Aviation, First Aid, Welding, Law Enforcement, and Citizenship in the Nation. This event is designed to give Scouts hands-on learning experiences while working toward their merit badges.
(View More)
KidWind - Wind Energy 101
Workshop
January 10 Online
Join for this wind-focused, three-hour virtual workshop to explore the science of wind power!
During this virtual workshop, educators will learn the foundations of wind power including the science and technology of wind turbines and blade design. Presenters will also introduce activities for the classroom that engage students in dynamic, hands-on energy-based learning.
Registration closes December 27th so you receive materials prior to the workshop.
(View More)
ATE Projects and Centers
Advanced Manufacturing Technologies topics include:
- Additive manufacturing
- Automotive manufacturing
- General manufacturing
Agricultural and Environmental Technologies topics include:
- Agriculture and aquaculture
- Environmental technologies
- Natural resources
- Nuclear power
- Solar energy
- Wind power
Bio and Chemical Technologies topics include:
- Biotechnology
- Chemical and process technologies
Engineering Technologies topics include:
- Electronics and controls
- General engineering
- Marine technologies
- Materials technologies
- Optics
- Space technologies
General Advanced Technological Education topics include:
- Evaluation
- Learning research
- Recruitment
- Teacher preparation
Information and Security Technologies topics include:
- Geospatial technologies
- Information and communications technologies
- Logistics
- Security, information assurance, and forensics
Micro and Nanotechnologies topics include:
- MEMS
- Microsystems
- Semiconductors
This web site, provided by Texas Instruments Incorporated, describes the DLP projection system, an optical semiconductor known as the DLP chip. The web site is divided into the following sections: Advanced light control, Display and projection, Automotive solutions, and Technical resources.
(View More)
This lab, presented by the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure, covers the concept of wave properties. During this lab, students will learn how light waves interact with matter. The activity is "analogous to light traveling through optical media having different indices of refraction (densities)." Teacher Preparation Guides, Student Guides, and Next Generation Science Standards applicable to the lesson are included.
(View More)
The ATE Impacts book, published every two years by Internet Scout Research Group, showcases all of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) centers and selected nominated projects. The NSF ATE program focuses on the education of highly-qualified science and engineering technicians for advanced technology fields. Through the program's grant process, the NSF promotes the improvement of STEM education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels, and in the workforce.
This 2024-2025 Impacts book provides data on the NSF ATE program, a foreword by NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, an introduction, and summaries of the activities and accomplishments of 24 ATE centers and 36 projects. Website addresses are included for all of the centers and projects. A map is also included that provides geographic location information that is intended to help connect educators, employers, and students with the ATE...
(View More)
This course, published by InnovATEBIO, provides "an introduction to the field of biotechnology, including applications of biotechnology in molecular biology, biochemistry, research, bioethics, and laboratory safe practices in a regulated environment." The course features four units with various sub-modules, covering basic biotechnology lab skills such as "solution preparation, safe handling of hazardous material, nucleic acid isolation, recombinant DNA cloning, PCR [polymerase chain reaction], and ELISA [enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay]." Included are exams, self-study quizzes, a course syllabus, lecture slides, lab manuals, student worksheets, instructional videos, and more.
(View More)
This video from the Internet Scout Research Group is part of a series that highlights student success stories related to advanced technological education (ATE) programs. In this video, Elias Marcet discusses his experiences with the Bachelor's program in cybersecurity at Miami Dade College. Elias describes his journey to fully enrolling in Miami Dade, joining the cybersecurity programming, and eventually being employed by Amazon. Funding for the program from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is also explored.
The video runs 5:44 minutes in length.
(View More)
| Active ATE Centers | 15 |
| Active ATE Projects | 291 |
| ATE Resources | 6,957 |
| New Projects/Centers | 62 |
| New Resources | 62 |
ATE Resources by Subject Area
ATE Events by Subject Area
New Research: Increasing Cost of Community College Education
A new College Board report shows that the average published tuition and fees for in-district, full-time students at public two-year colleges in 2025–2026 reached $4,150, an increase of $110 from last year. State-level prices varied widely, from $1,440 in California to $8,900 in Vermont, and only nine states saw no change or increases of less than 1%.
To learn more about trends in college tuition and financial aid, read the full report from College Board.
(View More)
Upcoming Virtual Event: Google's Generative AI Leader Training and Certification
Supported by Google Cloud's Career Launchpad in collaboration with the National Applied AI Consortium (NAAIC), the free virtual event, "Google's Generative AI Leader Training and Certification," will be held on January 16 and 23, 2026. Sessions will cover the fundamental principles of artificial intelligence (AI), current AI offerings, strategies to improve the output of generative models, and relevant AI-informed business strategies. Completion of the training program will prepare community college faculty for the Google Cloud Generative AI Leader Certification.
Virtual Training Sessions
- Session 1: January 16, 2026, 10:00AM to 4:30 PM EST
- Session 2: January 23, 2026, 10:00AM to 4:30 PM EST
- Office hours (optional): January 30, 2026, 2:30PM to 4 PM EST
To learn more or to apply for the training program, visit the NAAIC website.
(View More)
New Issue: Community College Journal
The October/November issue of the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Community College Journal is now available online and in print through subscription. A featured publication by AACC, this journal provides contemporary information, insights, strategies, and connections for those in academia, industry, government, and workforce development.
The latest issue highlights:
- Trends surrounding community college-awarded bachelor's degrees.
- Succession strategies for future community college leaders.
- Impact of the 2012 "Reclaiming the American Dream" report from the 21-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges.
AACC's October/November publication of the Community College Journal can be accessed online here, and archived issues can be viewed in AACC’s library.
(View More)







