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The National Science Foundation will be running a social media campaign - #MySTEMspark - until Dec. 7, which seeks to energize the STEM community around the importance of STEM education and is asking its partners, stakeholders and anyone who has a passion in science to share the moment that sparked their curiosity about or interest in science, technology, engineering or math.

#MySTEMspark stories can be shared on Twitter and Instagram; for those who don't use either of those social media platforms, you can email your story to tellus@nsf.gov. Don't forget to tag NSF! @NSF

If you're needing some ideas or inspiration for what to share, check out the #MySTEMspark Toolkit, which contains graphics and templates. 

Check out NSF Director Dr. France Cordova's #MySTEMspark story here!

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An exciting partnership has formed between the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) and the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). Through this collaboration, community and technical college faculty will have the opportunity to earn credit toward ACUE’s Certificate in Effective College Instruction through new online and face-to-face “seminars” offered jointly by NISOD and ACUE. 

Seminars are credit-bearing and those who participate in the courses will be recognized at the annual NISOD conference. Those who are interested in taking seminars through this collaboration can expect to see more information in the coming weeks. 

“We formed this collaboration given our mutual strengths and complementary work, as we’re always looking for additional ways to support faculty,” Dr. Penny MacCormack, ACUE’s chief academic officer, said. “Both NISOD and ACUE aim to ensure every faculty member is supported and every college student receives the best education possible.”

To learn more about this announcement, visit the official press release. 

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If you haven't done so already, now is a great time to order copies of the new ATE Impacts book, which highlights the impact of ATE centers and projects and also celebrates the 25th anniversary of the ATE program. Copies of the book are freely available and are a great resource to use for a variety of outreach activities.  The publication can be useful in engaging many stakeholders - helping industry partners understand the breadth of ATE activities, helping potential students and their parents get excited about STEM and ATE, or finding potential partners and collaborators. 

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Once again, ATE Central and the American Association of Community Colleges are pleased to announce the release of this year’s ATE PI Conference mobile app! The 2018 app and companion website are designed to help attendees make the most of their conference experience. Conference participants can use their phone, tablet, or internet browser to create a personal schedule, stay up-to-date with the agenda and speaker lineup, search the attendee directory, and more! The PI Meeting app is designed to work on iOS and Android devices. To download the app, search the app store for "ATE PI 2018” or simply follow the appropriate link from a mobile device. Also, check out the app video for help with navigation or features!

There’s a lot you can do with the app but we always look for ways to make it better. We’d love to get your feedback and we’re happy to answer any questions or help out if you’re having any problems logging in or using the app. Please don’t hesitate to contact staff at ATE Central at info@atecentral.net or stop by our booth (#002) at either of the showcase sessions!

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Tuesday, October 30, 2018

3:30-4:45 pm EST

Hosted by the American Association of Community Colleges, this webinar is designed to provide an introduction to the topic of unconscious bias to community college administrators and educators. Unconscious bias is defined as the automatic, implicit, and instantaneous association of stereotypes or attitudes towards a particular group of people. 

The presenter is Dr. J. Luke Wood, Co-Director of the Community College Equity Assessment Lab at San Diego State University. The webinar will be moderated by Kevin Christian, Senior Program Associate for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity at the AACC. Registration for the webinar is free.

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The American Association of Community Colleges with the support of the National Science Foundation will hold the 25th National ATE Principal Investigators’ Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. from Oct. 24-26. The annual PI Conference is a great place to network with others in the ATE community and brings together approximately 850 people to focus on the critical issues related to advanced technological education.

Visit the AACC website to register for the conference if you haven't done so already (deadline Sept. 28). 

Stop by booth #2 and say Hi to ATE Central! 

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Do you have a great "big idea" the National Science Foundation (NSF) can explore for future research opportunities? If so, considering entering the NSF 2026 Idea Machine Competition!

The NSF 2026 Idea Machine is a competition to help set the U.S. agenda for fundamental research in science and engineering. Participants can earn prizes and receive public recognition by suggesting the pressing research questions that need to be answered in the coming decade, the next set of “Big Ideas” for future investment by the NSF.

Read about the competition by visiting the NSF's Idea Machine page. Entries are accepted from Aug. 31 - Oct. 26, 2018.  

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Mentor-Connect is offering Mentor Fellow internships to individuals involved in the Advanced Technological Education program who want to assist two-year college educators while they write their first ATE grant proposals.

Mentor Fellows must have at least three years of experience working with an ATE center or project. In addition they must have implemented at least two ATE projects and have experience with the processes involved in designing projects and writing ATE grant proposals so that they have sufficient background to serve as Mentor-Connect mentors after the one-year internship.

The internship is a part-time commitment for which Mentor Fellows receive a stipend and $1,750 in travel support to attend two Mentor-Connect workshops during 2019.

Mentor Fellow applicants must complete the application form and submit their resumes and at least two letters of recommendation from ATE principal investigators or co-principal investigators who are familiar with their work.

These materials must be emailed to Mentor-Connect@fdtc.edu by 11:59 p.m. EST, September 28, 2018.

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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 (http://nsf.gov/ate) for an overview of the program, links to recent awards, and access to the solicitation, or click here (http://atecentral.net/rfp) to go straight to the solicitation on NSF’s site.

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The High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC) is right around the corner - July 23-26, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami! HI-TEC is highly attended by the ATE community and focuses on the preparation needed by the existing workforce for companies in the high-tech sectors that drive our nation's economy. 

HI-TEC provides an opportunity to explore many fields at the intersection of science and technology, including: 

• Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
• Bio and Agricultural Technologies
• Energy and Environmental Technologies
• Engineering Technologies
• Information, Communications and Geospatial Technologies
• Learning, Evaluation, and Research
• Micro and Nanotechnologies
• Security Technologies
• Workforce Diversity

Download this year's conference program here. Stop by and say "hi" to ATE Central at booth 29!