The National Science Foundation (NSF) annually funds approximately 12,000 new awards, with an average funding duration of three years. Each year some of those new awards are supported by the ATE Program, which focuses on improving and expanding educational programs for skilled workers in high-tech STEM fields. ATE grantees concentrate on a range of fields, including advanced manufacturing, agriculture and environment, bio and chemical, information and security, and micro and nanotechnologies and are based primarily at two-year institutions across the nation. This year we celebrate our new grantees by highlighting four newly funded projects from the 2024 funding cycle. 

Southwestern College Micro-Nano Technology Technical Education Certificate Program

This project addresses the critical national need for a well-prepared workforce in micro- and nano-technology (MNT), a field with growing significance in sectors like electronics, energy security, and biotechnology. MNT involves engineering systems to manipulate matter at micro- and nano-scales, leading to novel technologies with special properties. Despite its importance, opportunities for two-year college students to prepare for MNT careers are limited. The project aims to provide structured educational opportunities for traditional and non-traditional students, particularly from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, to gain the skills necessary for entry-level technical careers in MNT. Key objectives include creating pathways to high-tech careers, developing a mentoring program, recruiting STEM students, refining the curriculum with industry input, and sharing the project's pedagogical model with other institutions. Partnerships with the University of California at San Diego and the Pennsylvania State University Microelectronics and Nanomanufacturing Consortium for Veterans will offer hands-on training and enhance the curriculum, ensuring graduates are ready to enter the MNT workforce.

The Cyber Fellows Advanced Technological Education (ATE) project at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is cracking the code for growing a corps of educators to teach cybersecurity.  

Cyber Fellows Principal Investigator Thomas “Tony” W. Brown III explained that the ATE grant awarded by the National Science Foundation in 2021 has been a catalyst for the college to increase its adjunct cybersecurity faculty from six in fall 2021 to 13 in fall 2023. Seven of the 13 instructors were women, and six of the 13 were individuals from racial and ethnic populations historically underrepresented in cybersecurity.

“We were very fortunate to get this grant, and they [the National Science Foundation] essentially gave us everything that we asked for,” Brown said. In addition to leading the Cyber Fellows project, Brown is department chair of Forsyth Tech’s Davis iTec Cybersecurity Center and program coordinator for network management at the North Carolina college.

The ATE grant covers the tuition and related costs for middle school and high school educators to take four cybersecurity courses at Forsyth Tech and a two-week boot camp to prepare for the CompTIA Security+ exam. The grant also covers the fee for the exam, which is the current industry standard for entry-level cybersecurity roles.

Educators who complete the four-course curriculum for Cyber Fellows earn Forsyth Tech’s Information Technology (IT)-Cybersecurity certificate and receive a $250 stipend; those who take the industry exam receive another $250 stipend. The Cyber Fellows also receive travel support to attend one professional conference.

Victoria Ferrell, who was in the first cohort of six Cyber Fellows in 2021, said she was “blown away” by the incentives when she heard Brown’s recruitment pitch to the staff at a GenCyber summer program where she was working. “It kept getting better and better,” she said of the list of benefits.

After more than two decades as a high school career and technical education teacher Ferrell zipped through the required cybersecurity courses at Forsyth Tech and became an adjunct instructor in fall 2022. When the program coordinator position for the department opened, she applied for it and was hired by the college. She is now a co-principal investigator of the Cyber Fellows grant.  

Brown and Ferrell were interviewed via Zoom for this ATE Impacts Blog post. Their article “K-12 Educational Cybersecurity Scaling Program Designed to Meet Industry Needs” in the Journal of Advanced Technological Education (J ATE)  explains the project’s effort to equip educators “to cultivate a future generation of cybersecurity professionals,” bridge the cybersecurity talent gap, and foster diversity.

Brown and Ferrell were among the 11 teams of community college educators who participated in J ATE Connect, which provided coaches to community college educators who had not previously written and submitted manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals. 

The  Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Community continues to thrive, marked by significant accomplishments and initiatives that are advancing technological education and fostering diverse talent in community college STEM fields. In this post, we highlight recent innovations and achievements from grantees and provide links to previous posts that provide more details. 

Expanding Horizons with GEOBRIDGES

The GEOBRIDGES program at Central Wyoming College (CWC) is making significant strides in its mission to diversify and strengthen the geospatial workforce. Now in its second summer, GEOBRIDGES utilizes ATE funding to offer stipends for students engaging in applied geospatial science and technology research in the Wind River Mountains. In 2023, 20 students participated, with 30% being Native Americans from local tribal communities. The program offers courses that contribute to CWC's Expedition Science certificate and associate degree, preparing students for entry-level technician roles. Students partake in fieldwork typically reserved for advanced undergraduates and graduates, including presenting at conferences and conducting scientific research.

Santa Barbara City College’s (SBCC) development of a micro- and nanotechnology training boot camp, has benefited from  

• the National Science Foundation’s decades of investment in curriculum and faculty professional development, particularly at the Support Center for Microsystems Education ( SCME);
• expansion of its longstanding partnerships with the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) to access cleanroom facilities; and
• new affiliations with companies that are seeking technicians with cleanroom experiences.

“The building of the relationships—of the connections with industry—that would not have happened if we didn't have that existing connection to UCSB ... having worked with them for a long time and then getting that connection to the NanoFab, which is the location where the industry partners come,” Jens-Uwe Kuhn explained in an interview. He noted that many of the 45 high-tech companies in SBCC’s service area with employees working at the micro- and nanoscale  rent space at times in UCSB’s facilities, which were built with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other entities.

Kuhn is the dean of Math and Sciences at SBCC and principal investigator of the Central Coast Partnership for Regional Industry Focused Micro/Nanotechnology Education (CC-PRIME),  an Advanced Technological Education (ATE) project funded by NSF.

In the Journal of Advanced Technological Education article “Building a Micro/Nanotechnology Cleanroom Training,” Kuhn and Demis D. John, process scientist manager at UCSB, report on SBCC’s development of training for semiconductor manufacturing technicians without the community college having its own cleanroom. It is a challenge other colleges face because of the cost of building and running such facilities. CC-PRIME is also featured in ATE Impacts 2024-2025.

Summer conference season is upon us, including our own HI-TEC Conference which is just around the corner. Presenters play a crucial role in ensuring that these events are accessible and informative for all attendees. With the goal of making every presentation as inclusive as possible, ATE Impacts has compiled some essential tips and resources to help you prepare your materials.

Accessible Presentation Planning

Getting Organized
Start by outlining your presentation and organizing your thoughts. Consider your audience and their diverse needs. Collect supporting documents and ensure your goals are clear. As you create your presentation, keep accessibility at the forefront. Remember, successful sessions are those that are relevant across different fields, industries, and professional roles.

Timing Your Presentation
Practice makes perfect. Fine-tune your presentation to fit within the 45-minute session length, including time for questions and answers. Keep in mind that real-time at the conference may move faster, so add a buffer of a few extra minutes.

Preparing for Questions
Anticipate potential questions from your audience. Have someone review your presentation and pose questions to you. Think through your responses and have additional resources ready to share.

GEOBRIDGES at Central Wyoming College is gaining momentum in its second summer of using Advanced Technological Education grant funds to provide stipends for students to assist with applied geospatial science and technology (GIST) research and monitoring in the Wind River Mountains.

In 2023, 20 students participated; 30% were Native Americans. There are Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribal communities in the service area of the college, which is a Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institution.

This summer there is a waiting list for GEOBRIDGES, which teaches geospatial information science (GIS) and other skills ranging from first aid to data analysis in credit courses that apply toward CWC's Expedition Science certificate and associate degree. This credential qualifies students for entry-level technician roles with the U.S. Forest Service, local tribes, and private employers. The condensed format also accelerates associate degree completion.

“We're putting the capstone first in a sense. They're getting these amazing opportunities that are usually for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. And as they're doing these projects, they're going to conferences and presenting. They're writing hypotheses. They're doing scientific research projects,” Jacki Klancher said during a recent interview. Klancher is the director of Research and Innovation at CWC’s Alpine Science Institute, an environmental health and science professor, and principal investigator of GEOBRIDGES.

Aside from the significant knowledge boost, the GEOBRIDGES project (National Science Foundation Award 2202230) provides students with comprehensive access to expensive wilderness learning experiences that are usually out of reach for individuals who have to work summer jobs or who have expended their financial aid during fall and spring semesters. CWC and other funders (listed at the end of the article) cover participants’ tuition for their summer courses and expedition-related expenses.

In the ATE Impacts Video featuring GEOBRIDGES, Klancher says, “I’m really proud to be able to offer something that’s so practical that you can apply it with a two-year degree or you can build on it and take it where you want to. I feel great satisfaction that when they leave at the end of the summer, their pockets won’t be empty and their minds will be full.”

The ATE Impacts Video series at https://ateimpacts.net/impacts/videos added four videos in May in conjunction with the release of the book ATE Impacts 2024-2025: 30 Years of Advancing Technician Education. The cinematic videos were created by Vox Television in partnership with the Internet Scout Research Group, part of the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Both the book and the videos feature ATE community members—students, industry partners, instructors, and administrators—explaining the ATE program’s positive impact on their lives and the people served by the NSF grant-funded programs across the United States. The book and video series were prepared with NSF support under grant 2033738.

Who said teaching complex STEM concepts couldn't be as easy as pie—or perhaps as crumbly as a cookie?  Within the ATE community, some inventive educators have transformed everyday snack foods into meaningful learning opportunities. By utilizing everyday pantry treats, they present scientific and mathematical principles in ways that are not only more approachable for students but also delightfully delicious.

In this month's From the Archive blog post, we highlight three ATE projects and centers that have creatively used common confections as educational tools. First, a marshmallow becomes the focal point of a lesson on measurement and calculations. Next, chocolate chip cookies serve as a model for understanding the process and impact of surface mining and land reclamation. Finally, we delve into the practical and experimental aspects of candy making, discovering melting point, temperature, and emulsions. Each resource is crafted to engage, educate, and, of course, entertain.

Eric N. Wooldridge, principal investigator (PI) of four Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grants at Somerset Community College in Kentucky, received  the Science and Society Award from the National Science Board (NSB) on May 1 with Sheri McGuffin, the STEM coordinator at AdvanceKentucky, an initiative of the Kentucky Science Technology Corporation.

Wooldridge and McGuffin were honored for their work since 2020 spreading high impact and accessible additive manufacturing education to community colleges and high schools across Kentucky. The award recognizes “their successful effort to support and encourage people in Kentucky to join the STEM workforce.”

During a panel discussion with NSB members and other award winners on May 2, McGuffin reported that their AdvanceKentucky Influencer Model had trained 201 community college, secondary, and elementary school educators and introduced 3D printing concepts to 5,000 students. Their collaboration has also resulted in the first state-endorsed career and technical education pathway for additive manufacturing.  

In response to follow-up questions from NSB members, Wooldridge suggested the model could be replicated to help the nation grow its semiconductor fabrication workforce, especially given the advancements in low-cost virtual reality technologies. This is the focus of one of his current ATE grants.

“Community colleges are truly nexus points that have the power to directly affect K-12 educators, students, and even the economic profile of a region,” Wooldridge said. (See his comments and McGuffin’s to the NSB at 1:08 of this recording of the board's meeting on May 2.)

The National Science Board advises the president and Congress and sets the policies of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the independent science agency. NSF’s largest investment in two-year colleges is the ATE program, which focuses on improving technician education.  

Having a strong presence at conferences can make a big impact on your project and center work – helping support your outreach efforts, connecting you with colleagues, and creating partnership opportunities. In this blog post, Greg Kepner, PI of the ATE Collaborative Outreach and Engagement Project (ACOE), shares his insights for creating a memorable conference booth.

As part of the ACOE during 2022-23, Greg hosted the ATE Community Exhibit Booth at 28 national, regional, or state conferences and gave presentations, hosted roundtable discussions, or poster sessions at 17 conferences. As a follow up to the ACOE project, the NavigATE project was recently awarded to continue hosting the ATE Community exhibit to increase awareness and visibility of the ATE program, the ATE centers and projects, mentoring initiatives, and educational materials and resources developed through the program. Greg is also the Co-PI of the ATE-funded Micro Nano Technology Education Center(MNT-EC) with over 30 years of experience as a faculty member and administrator at Indian Hills Community College. His expertise spans Robotics, Automation, Control Systems, Electronics, CAD, and more.

Crafting an Attention-Grabbing Booth Setup

Greg emphasizes the importance of visually appealing booth setups. "The key elements for an attention-grabbing booth setup include interesting images and text on banner stands or backdrops," he says. Offering practical items like pens, USB flash drives, and even candy can also enhance the booth's draw.

From its identification of 40 important math skills for manufacturing technicians to know, the Needed Math Project has developed a framework for instructional scenarios. The team hopes that technical educators will use the framework with their local industry advisors to create scenarios that teach math skills in the contexts of the advanced technology workplaces where their students are likely to work.

The project website (https://www.neededmath.org) also has nine sample scenarios. However, at conferences and in journal articles this year the team is directing attention to the open-ended framework.

During a lively Zoom interview for the ATE Impacts Blog, Principal Investigator Dr. Michael Hacker and the project’s four co-principal investigators shared their hope that community college educators will use the framework for conversations with industry advisors in order to inform lessons.

This emphasis on the framework is also because the team members have found during their collective decades of professional experience that educators are more likely to adjust what and how they teach if they are involved in developing the instructional materials.

Hacker put it this way in comments that referenced the work of Dr. Gerhard Salinger, co-principal of the Needed Math project and former co-lead program director of the Advanced Technological Education program at the National Science Foundation (NSF):

“Gerhard led for years the instructional materials development program at NSF, and so much good stuff came out of that. But, you know, some turned into shelf ware ... without a lot of sustained promotion, a lot of professional development work, much of this good curriculum,  much of this great stuff that really is well-conceived, pedagogically brilliant, sits on shelves. It just does not get translated. And what teachers want to do is they want to develop their own stuff for their own students—that fits their own interests, in their own communities.