AWS Academy is providing faculty and students from its member institutions with a free subscription to AWS Skill Builder, empowering them to learn foundational and specialized AI content. AWS Skill Builder offers hundreds of free digital courses tailored to roles across the technology spectrum, including immersive experiences such as AWS Cloud Quest and AWS SimuLearn, as well as test prep and vouchers for AWS Certifications like AWS AI Practitioner.

This info session, led by AWS Academy, will provide community colleges with an overview of Skill Builder and how to leverage the free 1-year subscription. Participants will receive a step-by-step guide on how to provide access to their students to over 600 digital courses, exam prep resources, and certification vouchers. The session will end with a Q&A.

Education, Certifications, and Experience: How Does the Modern Workforce Survive 

This presentation explores the zero-sum dynamic between formal education, industry certifications, and real-world experience. The presentation highlights how competing demands create falsified talent shortages and misaligned hiring practices while proposing a balanced approach to harmonize these pillars. Attendees will gain insights into the challenges of this conflict and learn strategies to foster collaboration and standardization, addressing the need for a more effective and inclusive approach to hiring.

Presenter

Paul Ruffalo is a dedicated son, uncle, husband, father, and community advocate whose professional journey reflects the same commitment he brings to his personal life. With over 25 years of experience spanning technology, cybersecurity, compliance, and auditing, Paul currently serves as the Head of Internal Audit at Collins Community Credit Union and teaches Cybersecurity and Compliance at Kirkwood Community College. His diverse background includes vCISO advisory work, podcasting, nonprofit leadership, and recognition as an award-winning Agentic AI designer.

Please register to attend.

Bring your family, friends, troop, and group to learn more about STEM and aviation careers, including pilots, mechanics, and more. Pilots, aircraft, local companies, aviation schools, and many professionals will be on hand to discuss careers in aviation and STEM to help inspire future generations to follow their own dreams into a future in aviation. Representatives from commercial aviation, the US Military, corporate/business aviation, general aviation, Collegiate, UAV, and MORE will attend this event to meet with you.

Hands-on educational activities will be demonstrated in The Discovery Hangar to help attendees learn about the principles of aviation and STEM.

CREATE Faculty Coffee Hours are a time to get together (virtually) and discuss topics of interest for Energy Faculty each month. Please come to these sessions prepared to share your experiences and ideas on the specified topic (what has worked or maybe what hasn’t worked). If you don’t have experiences or ideas on the specific topic, please come and learn from your colleagues.  This will be an opportunity to share and brainstorm ideas together.

AVEKA Group was founded in 1994 as a spin off from 3M as a particle processing company. The company has focused on developing and manufacturing particulate materials with novel and value-added attributes for the personal care, food, automotive, and industrial chemical markets. An overview of AVEKA and its approach to collaborative contract development and manufacturing will be presented by AVEKA’s CEO, Willie Hendrickson. This close co-development of new processes and novel materials with customers will focus on the use of down stream drying processing for biological materials and be discussed with respect to the potential to fast-track economic pathways to production. This will include examples where scale-up development time (transition through the development valley of death) was dramatically shortened, and production costs were minimized. Fundamental explanation of both spray drying and fluid bed drying will also be presented. Examples will include spray drying of fermented materials, neutralized short chain fatty acids, and cellulose fibers; extraction and spray drying of biological value-added components; and fluid bed drying and agglomeration of enzymes, yeasts, and proteins.

Shape the Future with Vision and AI. Discover the latest in machine vision, AI-driven automation, and transformative tech reshaping industries — connect, learn, and innovate with the best in the field.

Join industry leaders and tech innovators to explore the latest in machine vision, computer vision, and AI-driven automation. See real-world AI applications, cutting-edge technologies, and expert insights shaping industries like manufacturing, aerospace, medical devices, and logistics.

Join Mentor-Connect Principal Investigator Pamela Silvers and National Science Foundation program officers to learn valuable information about NSF’s Advanced Technological Education program funding and Mentor-Connect’s mentoring for teams developing ATE proposals from 3 to 4:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, September 24. The webinar on Zoom is free.

The session will begin with an overview of the ATE program, including available grant funding tracks, deadlines, key funding variables, and expert tips for developing a competitive proposal. In the second half, explore Mentor-Connect’s system of support designed specifically for two-year college faculty and institutions new to ATE funding. Learn about eligibility criteria, how to get started, and the next steps to connect with experienced mentors and resources that can guide you through the proposal process.