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For the fourth year in a row, the National Science Foundation and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) are hosting the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC). The CCIC is a two-stage competition for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community college students and faculty to create innovative solutions to real-world problems. Teams compete for cash awards and finalists earn full travel support, for both students and faculty, to attend an Innovation Boot Camp in Washington, D.C. This competition is a great way to create a deeper level of engagement and interaction between students and faculty mentors and an effective route to establishing productive relationships with the NSF and the AACC. Entry details are as follows:

• Must include 3-5 students per team
• Teams must have a faculty mentor (from your college)
• Teams must have an industry partner (outside your college)
• Entries must include a written portion and a 90-second video
• Submit from Oct. 18, 2017, to Feb. 14, 2018, 11:59 p.m. EST
• Must attend Innovation Boot Camp, required for student finalists and their faculty mentor, in Alexandria, Virginia, June 11, 2018, to June 14,...

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• Partnerships that advance education
• Broadening participation & access to high quality STEM experiences
• Innovative practices transforming education
• Research informing STEM learning and teaching

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The newest version of the very popular ATE Impacts Book will be published in 2018 and will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ATE program, as well as highlighting the amazing work of the ATE community.  And, along with providing information about the ATE centers, this next version of the publication will also include information about 24 ATE projects and their impacts.

How will the featured projects be chosen?  We're glad you asked!

We are currently accepting nominations for projects from the community–this means that you can nominate yourself or another project that you think is doing innovative and exemplary work.  Please download a copy of the ATE Impacts Project Nomination Form that explains what we need in order to consider a project for inclusion in the 2018-19 book.  Please fill out the nomination form and return it to us (along with the required materials) by October 13th at ATEimpacts@scout.wisc.edu. Please keep in mind that in order to be included, nominated projects must be funded through at least part of 2018.

So put your thinking caps on and don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions – email us at ATEimpacts@scout.wisc.edu.

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Please sign up now and join ATE Central for a free webinar designed to help ATE grantees and others understand the importance of digital archiving for the ATE community. On September 19, 2017 at 2pm EDT, ATE Central's Kendra Bouda and Rachael Bower will discuss what digital archiving is, why archiving benefits ATE, and how ATE Central can help with your project or center’s archiving efforts. Whether you’re just getting started with ATE and want to learn how to meet the new NSF ATE archiving requirement or you've been part of the community for a while, join us to learn more about sustaining and sharing your project deliverables beyond the life of your ATE funding.

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In a recent press release by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), it was announced that eleven new colleges have been selected to participate in MentorLinks though ATE with funding from the National Science Foundation. A team of eleven community colleges and eleven individual mentors were selected through a competitive peer review process and represent innovative projects in advanced manufacturing, engineering technology, environmental technology, information technologies, agricultural technology and cybersecurity.

To learn more about the newly selected community college mentors, please visit the press release on AACC’s website.

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Just a reminder to those in the ATE Community that the 2017 ATE PI Conference is coming up in just a couple of months - October 23-25 in Washington DC.  If you are attending and would like to share the exciting impacts and deliverables of your project or center work, now is the time to submit your session proposal - the deadline is August 24th. And of course, don't forget to register for the conference and get your hotel room in place too.  We look forward to seeing you there in October!!

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Thinking about writing an ATE proposal?  Want to learn more about the new ATE solicitation?  If you're headed to HI-TEC next week it's a great opportunity to learn more about the program and the community.  Visit the exhibit hall to meet ATE project and center PIs and staff (ATE Central is at booth #104) or join ATE's lead program officer Celeste Carter (pictured here) at the one of several sessions to deepen your understanding of ATE and other NSF funding opportunities.  Check out the HI-TEC conference program to learn more!

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The 2017 High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC) will take place July 17-20th in Salt Lake City, Utah. This esteemed conference provides an opportunity for educators, technicians, industry professionals, and workforce development advocates to update their knowledge about new skills and emerging technologies. A variety of scientific disciplines will be discussed and attendees will have the option to customize their experience by choosing from a selection of pre-conference workshops and site tours.

Advance conference registration will be open until July 5th, with the possibility of onsite registration during the event. For more information or to register please visit: http://www.highimpact-tec.org

We hope to see you there – ATE Central will be at Booth #104!

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The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) recently announced a new Request for Proposals for MentorLinks Colleges and a Request for Applications for Mentors for the 2017-2019 cohort. The MentorLinks program, developed with the support of the National Science Foundation, is designed to help colleges develop or strengthen technician training programs in STEM fields through mentoring, professional development opportunities, and technical assistance. The deadline to apply is April 28, 2017.