Key Moments
Day 2, Keynote with V. Celeste Carter | Bridging the Education/Workforce Gap
MIT OpenCourseWareKey Moments
NSF's ATE program bridges education/workforce gap via partnerships, funding skilled technical roles.
Key Insights
NSF's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program funds innovative strategies for educating skilled technical workers, typically outside of baccalaureate degree requirements.
The ATE program emphasizes strong partnerships between two-year institutions (community and technical colleges), K-12, four-year institutions, and industry.
Industry involvement is critical; every ATE project must have committed industry partners to ensure responsiveness to workforce needs.
The program supports a broad range of advanced technology fields, including manufacturing, biotech, cybersecurity, and autonomous technologies.
Resource hubs like ATE Central and initiatives like Mentor Connect and Mentor Up provide valuable information and support for developing and managing ATE proposals.
Emerging priorities for ATE include autonomous technologies and environmental education, driven by industry demand and societal needs.
THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION (ATE) PROGRAM
Dr. Celeste Carter introduces the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, established by a 1992 congressional mandate. The program's core mission is to foster innovative strategies for educating a skilled technical workforce – individuals who utilize science and engineering skills but typically do not pursue a bachelor's degree. This initiative is a direct response to the growing demand for highly skilled workers, particularly highlighted by recent global challenges that revealed disparities in educational and economic outcomes.
PARTNERSHIPS AS A CORNERSTONE OF ATE
A fundamental aspect of the ATE program is its reliance on strong, committed partnerships. Two-year institutions, such as community and technical colleges, are positioned as leaders within this framework. However, the program's reach extends beyond these institutions to include K-12 schools and four-year universities, creating comprehensive career pathways. Crucially, industry partnerships are mandatory for all ATE projects, ensuring that educational offerings align directly with the evolving needs and demands of the modern workforce.
SCOPE AND FUNDING OF THE ATE PROGRAM
The ATE program boasts a significant budget, with approximately $75 million allocated in fiscal year 2021. The program has recently been reauthorized with bipartisan support, including an authorized doubling of its budget to $150 million annually, although actual appropriations remain to be seen. This robust funding supports a wide network of active projects and centers, typically numbering between 350 to 400 at any given time, demonstrating the program's broad impact and reach across the United States and its territories.
DIVERSE TECHNOLOGICAL FOCUS AREAS
The ATE program supports a wide array of advanced technology fields essential for today's economy. While advanced manufacturing is a key focus area, the program encompasses numerous related disciplines. These include biotechnology, biomanufacturing, micro and nanotechnologies, and cybersecurity, illustrating the interconnected nature of these advanced fields. The program's flexibility allows for the integration of cross-cutting areas like cybersecurity into various industry sectors, reflecting its adaptability to emerging technological trends.
RESOURCES AND SUPPORT FOR APPLICANTS
To facilitate engagement and proposal development, the ATE program offers numerous resources. ATE Central serves as a central hub, providing access to a map of active projects and centers, research findings, and a resource library. Publications like the National Academies' 'Building America's Skill Technical Workforce' and reports from the National Science Board offer valuable insights. Additionally, initiatives like Mentor Connect and Mentor Up provide guidance and mentorship for institutions, especially those new to federal grant applications, helping them navigate the proposal process.
EMERGING PRIORITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Current priorities within the ATE program reflect industry-driven demands, such as autonomous technologies (including vehicles, drones, and underwater systems) and environmental education focused on climate change and water technologies. New centers are being established in these areas. Furthermore, innovative opportunities, like the 'START Dear Colleague Letter,' encourage collaboration between two-year institutions and NSF's Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRCs), offering research internships for students and faculty and fostering industry-academic synergy.
SUCCESS STORIES AND STUDENT IMPACT
The program's success is evident in the numerous stories of students whose lives and careers are transformed. Dr. Carter shares examples of students who transition into high-skilled roles in research labs and industry, such as a biotechnology student who identified and managed a novel microorganism infection in an animal research facility. The Community College Innovation Challenge highlights student ingenuity, as seen in a project developing a prototype for targeting breast cancer cells with nanoparticles, underscoring the program's role in fostering curiosity, persistence, and innovation among students.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Software & Apps
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●Books
●Studies Cited
●People Referenced
Key Takeaways for Engaging with NSF ATE
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Common Questions
The main goal of the NSF ATE program is to support innovative strategies for educating the skilled technical workforce, enabling individuals to use science and engineering skills without necessarily needing a baccalaureate degree. It emphasizes partnerships between educational institutions and industry to meet workforce demands.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
Lead Program Officer for the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program.
A person who asked a question about community college students.
The PI of the new national advanced manufacturing center at Tungsten Community College.
Center director and PI of one of the ATE centers, mentioned as the next speaker.
An NSF program focused on innovative strategies to educate the skilled technical workforce, particularly in science and engineering fields, often involving two-year institutions.
A mentoring program run through the American Association of Community Colleges to help faculty craft proposals for programs like ATE.
A mentoring program providing resources for crafting proposals, especially for those new to federal funding.
A program focused on involving institutional administration, particularly new presidents and boards of trustees, in understanding and supporting ATE grant opportunities.
Another mentoring program focused on institutions that have not received an ATE award in the past seven years.
A resource hub for the ATE program, housed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, providing maps of projects and centers, impact data, and a resource library.
The institution that houses the ATE Central resource hub.
Research centers within the NSF that conduct industry-driven research projects, which ATE awardees can partner with.
The governing board of the National Science Foundation, which became interested in the skill technical workforce and convened a task force.
An organization that partners with NSF to host the Community College Innovation Challenge and runs the Mentor Links program.
The community college whose team won the Community College Innovation Challenge with a bio-nano project.
A research institute where a former biotechnology student found employment.
Now part of the National Center on Autonomous Technologies, focusing on marine technology education.
The location of a newly funded center for environmental education focused on water technologies.
A US government agency that supports fundamental research and education in non-medical fields.
A university where students from biomanufacturing programs were able to move into research labs.
An organization that published a report titled 'Building America's Skill Technical Workforce'.
A university where students from biomanufacturing programs were able to move into research labs.
A newer center funded by NSF ATE focusing on autonomous technologies across various domains, including vehicles, drones, and marine technology.
The location of a new national advanced manufacturing center led by Dr. Karen Lucina Burch.
A recent opportunity to support students, faculty, and teams from two-year institutions working with NSF IURC sites for research internships.
A special project related to the NSF ATE program that provides a framework for cross-disciplinary STEM core thinking for the future of work.
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