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1. Keeping Data Science Broad: Negotiating the Digital and Data Divide Among Higher-Education Institutions

   Rawlings-Goss, Renata ; Cassel, Lillian ; Cragin, Melissa ; Cramer, Catherine ; Dingle, Angela ; Friday-Stroud, Shawnta ; Herron, Al ; Horton, Nicholas ; Inniss, Tasha R ; Jordan, Kari ; et al ( January 2018 , Workshop: Bridging the Digital and Data Divide)

   A report summarizing the “Keeping Data Science Broad” series including data science challenges, visions for the future, and community asks. The goal of the Keeping Data Science Broad series was to garner community input into pathways for keeping data science education broadly inclusive across sectors, institutions, and populations. Input was collected from a community input survey, three webinars (Data Science in the Traditional Context, Alternative Avenues for Development of Data Science Education Capacity, and Big Picture for a Big Data Science Education Network available to view through the South Big Data Hub YouTube channel) and an interactive workshop (Negotiating the Digital and Data Divide). Through these venues, we explore the future of data science education and workforce at institutions of higher learning that are primarily teaching-focused. The workshop included representatives from sixty data science programs across the nation, either traditional or alternative, and from a range of institution types including community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI’s), other minority-led and minority-serving institutions, liberal arts colleges, tribal colleges, universities, and industry partners. 

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2. National Science Foundation ATE Grant Funding and Mentoring Opportunities

   Greg Kepner ( June 2022 , America Association of Engineering Education)

   The National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program has grant funding opportunities available to support CTE and STEM technician program development. NSF-ATE grant funding opportunities are intended to help educators develop or improve their 2-year technician programs. Proposals may focus on program, curriculum, and educational materials development, program improvement, faculty professional development, teacher preparation, career pathways, outreach activities, undergraduate research experiences, internships, apprenticeships, and more. Partnerships with universities, colleges, and 7-12 institutions in support of workforce development are encouraged. Industry partnerships are essential for NSF-ATE projects. NSF-ATE supports Emerging Technologies and technologies such as Biotechnology, Engineering, Energy, Environmental, Agricultural, Advanced Manufacturing, Micro/Nano Technologies, Information, Security, and Geospatial. Multiple categories of NSF-ATE grant funding are available including Projects, Small Projects for Institutions New to ATE, Applied Research on Technician Education, National Centers, and Resource Centers. The new NSF-ATE solicitation (NSF 21-598) was released in 2021 and includes higher funding levels and multiple categories of grant funding opportunities, including a new Consortia for Innovations in Technician Education. NSF-ATE has some helpful resources for educators planning to develop or improve their courses or programs. Mentoring opportunities for grant proposal development are available through multiple projects such as Mentor-Connect, MNT-EC (Micro Nano Technology Education Center), Mentor Up, Project Vision, Pathways to Innovation, CCPISTEM, and FORCCE-ATE. Each of these projects has a unique approach and a different focus to help their mentees successfully submit NSF-ATE grant proposals. 

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3. National Science Foundation ATE Grant Funding and Mentoring Opportunities

   Greg Kepner ( June 2022 , Proceedings ASEE annual conference)

   The National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program has grant funding opportunities available to support CTE and STEM technician program development. NSF-ATE grant funding opportunities are intended to help educators develop or improve their 2-year technician programs. Proposals may focus on program, curriculum, and educational materials development, program improvement, faculty professional development, teacher preparation, career pathways, outreach activities, undergraduate research experiences, internships, apprenticeships, and more. Partnerships with universities, colleges, and 7-12 institutions in support of workforce development are encouraged. Industry partnerships are essential for NSF-ATE projects. NSF-ATE supports Emerging Technologies and technologies such as Biotechnology, Engineering, Energy, Environmental, Agricultural, Advanced Manufacturing, Micro/Nano Technologies, Information, Security, and Geospatial. Multiple categories of NSF-ATE grant funding are available including Projects, Small Projects for Institutions New to ATE, Applied Research on Technician Education, National Centers, and Resource Centers. The new NSF-ATE solicitation (NSF 21-598) was released in 2021 and includes higher funding levels and multiple categories of grant funding opportunities, including a new Consortia for Innovations in Technician Education. NSF-ATE has some helpful resources for educators planning to develop or improve their courses or programs. Mentoring opportunities for grant proposal development are available through multiple projects such as Mentor-Connect, MNT-EC (Micro Nano Technology Education Center), Mentor Up, Project Vision, Pathways to Innovation, CCPISTEM, and FORCCE-ATE. Each of these projects has a unique approach and a different focus to help their mentees successfully submit NSF-ATE grant proposals. 

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4. Workshop development for New frontier of mechatronics for mobility, energy, and production engineering

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--35709  

   Chen, J. C. ; Liao, G. Y. ; Lo, R. C. ; Shankar, P. ( June 2020 , ASEE Annual Conference proceedings)

   The emerging convergence research emphasizes integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and forming novel frameworks to catalyze scientific discovery and innovation, not only multidisciplinary, but interdisciplinary and further transdisciplinary. Mechatronics matches this new trend of convergence engineering research for deep integration across disciplines such as mechanics, electronics, control theory, robotics, and production manufacturing, and is also inspired by its active means of addressing a specific challenge or opportunity for societal needs. The most current applications of mechatronics in automotive are e-mobility (electric vehicles, EV) and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV); in manufacturing are robotics and smart-factory; and in aerospace are drones, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and advanced avionics. The growing mechatronics industries demand high quality workforces with multidiscipline knowledge and training. These workforces can come from the graduates of colleges and universities with updated curricula, or from labors returning to schools or taking new training programs. Graduate schools can prepare higher level workforces that can carry out fundamental research and explore new technologies in mechatronics. K-12 schools will also play an important role in fostering the next-decade workforces for all the STEM area. On the other hand, the development of mechatronics technologies improves the tools for teaching mechatronics as well. These new teaching tools include affordable microcontrollers and the peripherals such as Arduinos, and Raspberry Pi, desktop 3D printers, and virtual reality (VR). In this paper we present the working processes and activities of a current one-year ECR project funded by NSF organizing two workshops held by two institutes for improving workforce development environments specified in mechatronics. Each workshop is planned to be two days, where the first day will be dedicated to the topics of the current workforce situation in industry, the current pathways for workforces, conventional college and university workforce training, and K-12 STEM education preparation in mechatronics. The topics in the second day will be slightly different based on the expertise and locations of the two institutes. One will focus on the mechatronics technologies in production engineering for alternative energy and ground mobility, and the other will concentrate on aerospace, alternative energy, and the corresponding applications. Both workshops will also address the current technical development of teaching methods and tools for mechatronics. VR will be specially emphasized and demonstrated in the workshops if the facilities allow. Social impacts of mechatronics technology, expansion of diversity and participation of underrepresented groups will be discussed in the workshops. We expect to have the results of the workshops to present in the annual ASEE conference in June. 

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5. Virtual International Collaboration for Community College STEM Programs

   Wosczyna-Birch, K. ( January 2021 , ASEE Peer)

   International collaborations for community colleges are important for students who will be competing for employment yet are often overlooked due to the perception that international means expensive. The International Education Initiative (IEI) provides opportunities for international collaboration among community college faculty and students. The IEI is a multi-tiered program that allows different levels of participation and cost for faculty and students through funding from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Program and the French Embassy in the United States. While the main focus is engineering and technology courses, partners have also included business and communications classes, creating a truly interdisciplinary program. Students participating in these programs can expect to have greater cross-cultural maturity and awareness of the wider world, increased confidence in finding future success in the global workforce, and increased ability to deploy 21st Century skills such as technology and teamwork. Faculty participating in the program can expect to have increased confidence and skills in faculty to support students in achieving 21st century skills; increased ability to co-teach and work effectively with and overseas partner, and more motivation and readiness to sustain overseas partnerships and help grow the international program. The Connecticut Collaborative Learning for International Capabilities and Knowledge (CT CLICKs) provides the opportunity for students to receive a global experience as part of a course they are already taking. During the first year of the program, Faculty from Connecticut community colleges partnered with faculty from French Insitituts universitaires de technologie (IUTs), French equivalent of community colleges, to co-teach curriculum modules to their participating classes. The second year added the option of co-facilitating a project between the two classes. All teaching, assignments, and projects were completed through virtual platforms. Several travel opportunities have been provided for student and faculty participants. These have either been through the attendance of international technology bootcamps that were organized by the French Embassy or a partner IUT or through a travel program organized by the IEI. Both travel options include experiences that provide an overview of French engineering and technology education, industry, history, and culture. A faculty recruitment and preparation model has been created to continuously onboard new faculty for the IEI program. The model includes a program overview workshop, partner matching, and curriculum design workshop that all take place virtually. The CT CLICKs program has built steadily and quickly. The number of teachers participating grew from 6 to 29 in the first three years with more than 6 teachers repeating or developing new modules. A total of 334 students have participated in the CT CLICKs program since fall 2017. The number of Connecticut campuses grew from 1 to 8 and overseas partner campuses grew from 2 to 5. Participant survey data shows that the program is continuously improving in helping students gain a better worldview and how to collaborate cross-culturally and helping faculty incorporate international collaboration into their courses. 

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