Look inside the NEW National Science Foundation (NSF) ATE IMPACTS Book for 2022-2023!

Did you know – that the NSF ATE community publishes an IMPACT book every two years to highlight the activities and impacts of the projects and centers funded by the program? The “info book” layout and design is an easy read and full of great information and graphics.

Click here for the 2022-2023 ATE Impacts Book.

It’s a big effort led by the team at ATE Central (www.atecentral.net) to showcase the important work done in 2-year degree-granting institutions: preparing highly skilled and educated technicians for the continuously changing advanced technologies workforce. The book highlights the amazing innovations in these technical education programs implemented by the grantees of this program in the following technology categories:

• Advanced manufacturing
• Agricultural and environmental
• Biological and chemical
• Engineering
• Information and security
• Micro and nanotechnologies

To be 100% inclusive, NSF ATE funds projects that focus on applied research in technician education in addition to general advanced technologies. Several universities in Florida are engaged in research on technician education funded by NSF ATE. The 2022-2023 Book opens with a message from President Joe Biden and a quick overview of the program focusing in this issue on the resilience of these technical education programs during the pandemic. There are also quick quotes from a number of ATE stakeholders.

FLATE - Page 16

In the Advanced Manufacturing section, there are five 'centers' and five 'projects' highlighted. FLATE, now part of the FloridaMakes Network, is proud to be included as a “sustained” center now that it is no longer funded by NSF ATE as a center. FLATE is now supported by FloridaMakes, project grants from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), and project grants from NSF. FLATE’s 20 years of impact in Florida can be found on pages 16-17 and it highlights an “ATE” Alumni of Pasco-Hernando State College, now working at Southern Manufacturing Technology in Tampa (see FLATE - Page 17).

FLATE - Page 17

FLATE is also involved with many NSF projects and centers across the country. With the recently funded NSF ATE National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing (NCNGM), FLATE will be working to connect the 2-year advanced manufacturing programs with MEPs across the country. NGNGM is highlighted on pages 20-21 and serves on the Center’s Leadership team. At The Hidden Innovation Infrastructure is an ATE research project

At the Hidden Infrastructure-119

housed at Rutgers University Economic and Employment Research Center (EERC). It is focused on unraveling the economic impacts that ATE grant funding can have on local and regional economies and innovations. FLATE serves as a co-principal investigator on this project that can be found at the very end of the ATE Impact book on page 119.

There are two other NSF ATE Centers housed in Florida State colleges in the Impact Book. Both RCNET and LASER-TEC resource centers are housed at Indian River State College and offers many resources that support advanced manufacturing programs. FLATE partners often with these centers. (See RCNET on pages 36-37 and LASER-TEC on pages 60-61). One NSF ATE project, GRRATE, is highlighted in the General Advanced Technological Education section (see page 85). The Guitars, Rocketry, Robotics Advanced Technological Education project is focused on providing STEM project-based learning workshops for students in the rural communities surrounding Santa Fe College. Finally, FLATE serves as an advisor to the Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work project highlighted in a call-out box on page 7.

Remember that this book showcases some of the most impactful and innovative funded projects. There are so many more across the country with 14 scattered in Florida’s state colleges and universities, working quietly on their own technician education innovations. You can learn more about the NSF ATE programs, read the request for proposals, and see brief overviews of the funded projects in Florida at www.nsf.gov/ate. You can download a pdf copy of the ATE Impact Book at the first link above or contact Dr. Barger (marilyn.barger@flate.org) to request a hard copy... or about how to turn your own innovative idea into a funded project.