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Disparities in undergraduate STEM degree completions across the United States are a national concern. Undergraduate-level research opportunities are vital for developing future researchers and building their scientific identity. These experiences can help students in community colleges acquire 21st-century skills and build confidence in their ability to do science [1-3]. The development and implementation of guided research experiences provide users with a topic they are familiar with but not necessarily experts in, like SARS-CoV2 infections. In this particular study, the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) was used to identify amino acid residues located on the immunogenic regions of the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 variants: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. IEDB is a web-based bioinformatics tool that contains published epitope information and prediction aids that can be used as a research platform for studying infectious diseases. The objective of this study aimed to map the immunogenic regions on the spike glycoproteins of the SARS-CoV-2 variants and predict the immune evasion of these variants [4-6]. Identifying the antigenic determinations that bind to the antibodies is essential for designing future candidates for peptide-based vaccines. This study aims to map the immunogenic regions on the spike glycoproteins of the SARS-CoV-2 variants and predict the immune evasion of these variants [4-6]. Identifying the antigenic determinations that bind to the antibodies is essential for designing future candidates for peptide-based vaccines. This research identifies regions where mutations have occurred in the virus, which are important to study as they can affect the virus’s immune evasion and impact available vaccines. Targeting multiple immunogenic regions unaffected by mutations can serve as potential targets for new vaccines, providing better protection against different variants. 

STEM technician education programs face a world in which cutting-edge technologies are transforming existing industries and creating new ones at an unprecedented pace. In light of this, the NSF ATE project Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work conducted industry site interviews and regional convenings of academic partners and industry leaders representing a wide range of technical fields to learn how technology impacts technician job tasks and roles. Through these activities, the project identified three skill areas common across multiple technologies and deemed essential for future STEM technicians: data knowledge/analysis, advanced digital literacy, and business knowledge/processes. These “cross-disciplinary STEM core” skill sets and recommendations for integrating them into technical programs are described in A Framework for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core. To facilitate adoption of the Framework at a systemic level, the project is sharing an adoption toolkit with concrete steps a college can take, tools it can use with employers to prioritize STEM Core skill sets and faculty activities for identifying where prioritized skills are taught within existing program curriculum and instructional gaps where new cross-disciplinary skill sets could be easily integrated. 

Different perspectives on the “Future of Work” can cause disconnections between the technician skills needed by industry and those taught by the educational programs preparing technicians to participate in Industry 4.0 (I4.0) manufacturing environments. Variations in the methodology of identifying, grouping, and describing technical skills and skill areas are driven by variations in sources of information and the industries and locales they represent. This paper summarizes for the ATE audience a FLATE (Florida Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence) project [1]—Technician Future of Work Issues Caucus for Florida Community Colleges and Manufacturers (DUE 1939173)—that compared the skills needed by Florida manufacturers to the skills taught at two-year Florida colleges, and then mapped those skills to the I4.0 skills identified by a national sampling of technology-focused industries carried out by the CORD project Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work (DUE 1839567) [2]. Specifically, the paper (i) reviews the I4.0 technology skills identified by the Boston Consulting Group; (ii) presents I4.0 skill interactions with the results from the CORD and FLATE projects; and (iii) maps Florida-identified technician skill needs to the Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core skills identified at the national level by the CORD project. The paper also summarizes the process for integration of the I4.0 technology-related skills into the AS engineering technology program offered by twenty-two colleges in the Florida State College System [3,4,5]. 

Podcasts are a cohesive instructional tool for professional development. When podcasts include enhancements such as resource links, transcripts, and learning resources, they can be described as content acquisition podcasts (CAP) grounded in the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. The author presents a logic model for podcast design that identifies the outcomes and impact of CAPs. As a method for professional development, podcasts are shown to be further enhanced by guidance documents that help learners identify and align content to their needs. A complete profile of a podcast is presented as a scenario to illustrate the design and methodology of the approach. As an extension, learner-created podcasts are highlighted as a method of promoting active engagement and collaborative learning. 

Life science organizations are increasingly using hackathons to bring communities together to tackle shared problems, teach skills, and develop new resources. In this study, we explored the potential benefits of hackathons for the biotechnology workforce education community by organizing two hackathons centered around developing research projects in antibody engineering—a practice widely employed in the biotechnology industry but uncommon in biotechnology education. To integrate antibody engineering into courses, instructors need protocols for both computational and laboratory methods. Developing and testing these protocols provides rich opportunities for undergraduate research, allowing students to learn industry-relevant skills and contribute to creating materials for the community. During the hackathons, teams of faculty, students, and industry partners collaborated to generate several new research projects. Each hackathon was only a few days, yet student participants reported benefits similar to those attributed to traditional undergraduate research experiences. We share lessons learned from these hackathons and provide insights for the workforce education community for hosting similar events.