DUE 9751990
FY1997, $1,000,000
FY1998, $1,000,000
FY1999, $1,000,000
Telecommunications

With the unprecedented technological advances experienced in the telecommunications industry over the past decade, the challenge to provide that industry with adequately trained workers is crucial if American industry is to maintain its competitive edge in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. The ultimate goals of the Northeast Center for Telecommunications Technology are aimed at increasing the number of trained persons equipped to ensure such a competitive posture. This will be done by monitoring trends, developing and disseminating relevant curricula and materials, exploring and promoting the best educational methods, ensuring the continuing competence of faculty who teach in telecommunications programs, and recruiting and educating a diverse student population (including nontraditional workers). By developing model curricula in conjunction with partners from the telecommunications industry, the project will serve as a national model.
          The center’s curricula will target the faculty and students at secondary schools, two-year colleges, and universities and will employ both traditional and newly emerging teaching methods (such as virtual classrooms and laboratories). The curricula will also articulate with Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology degree programs at four regional universities, as well as the Bell Atlantic "Next Step" Program. Following evaluation of the project, its outcomes will be disseminated nationally.
          In the center's activities, Springfield Technical Community College and Hudson Valley Community College (Troy, NY) will lead a consortium of a dozen community and technical colleges, six senior institutions, numerous secondary schools, several partners from business and industry, several government agencies, and the New England Board of Higher Education.

DUE 9752028
FY1997, $999,194
FY1998, $998,079
FY1999, $999,973
Marine Technology

This center will coordinate the development of a modern, national program for marine technology education involving high schools, community colleges, technical schools, and four-year colleges. Focusing on program development at community colleges, the center will emphasize intensive interaction between educational institutions and industrial, military, government, and labor organizations.
          Goals of the center include (1) development of a national consortium of institutions and organizations having a major interest in marine technology education; (2) assessment of skill requirements and development of national standards for specific marine technician job categories, which will lead to standardized certificates and degree programs; (3) creation and distribution of new curricula; (4) development of an accreditation mechanism for educational programs in marine technology; (5) creation of a directory covering existing marine technology education programs and their strategies for articulation with programs at other educational levels; (6) development of models for student recruitment and retention; (7) provision of summer institutes and internships in marine technology for students, faculty, and technicians; (8) publication of newsletters and creation of a clearinghouse to disseminate curricula and information on certificate and degree programs, faculty development opportunities, and technician job placement; and (9) development of ongoing funding and in-kind support to sustain the center beyond the period of NSF funding.

The three ATE centers listed below were established in 1994 and are now being funded for a second three-year term. In addition to these centers and the two new ones established in 1997, five centers that were established in 1995 and 1996 have awards that continue in 1997: the Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (Tempe, AZ); the New Jersey Center for Advanced Technological Education (Edison, NJ); the NorthWest Center for Emerging Technologies (Bellevue, WA); the Northwest Center for Sustainable Resources (Salem, OR); and the South Carolina Advanced Technological Education Center (Columbia, SC). (See the map on page 35.)

DUE 9714424
FY1997, $813,608
FY1998, $691,100
FY1999, $495,292
Manufacturing

This award to Sinclair Community College provides renewed funding for the National Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing Education (NCE/AME), which was originally established under DUE 9454571.
          NCE/AME is operated by the Advanced Integrated Manufacturing Center, a partnership between Sinclair Community College and the University of Dayton. NCE/AME’s partners include educational institutions throughout the United States, the Miami Valley Tech Prep Consortium, other secondary school systems, manufacturing companies of all sizes, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and other professional associations, and local, state, and federal government agencies.
          The center encourages strong customer–supplier relationships between manufacturers and educators. It is developing interdisciplinary curriculum materials leading to an associate’s degree in manufacturing engineering technology and is providing substantial opportunities for faculty development to educators involved in manufacturing-related fields.
          The center employs a competency-based, occupationally verified approach to curriculum development, which ensures that students can acquire the knowledge and ability to become quick contributors to the companies that employ them. The curriculum materials emphasize hands-on problem-solving, enabling students to build a strong foundation of analytical skills required for lifelong learning and technical growth.
          The center’s faculty development workshops expose high school, community college, and university educators to the technical, analytical, and interpersonal skills that are required in manufacturing environments today and give those educators tools for integrating those skills into the classroom.

DUE 9714425
FY1997, $840,743
FY1998, $673,676
FY1999, $485,581
Environmental Technology

This award to the Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (Cedar Rapids, IA) provides renewed funding for the Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center (ATEEC), which was originally established under DUE 9454638.
          Environmental technology has been defined as "a career field that utilizes the principles of science, engineering, communication, and economics to protect and enhance safety, health, and natural resources." This field encompasses an array of professions—including pollution prevention, water and wastewater treatment, and energy and conservation—and an array of disciplines—including mathematics, science, sociology, political science, technology, and economics—as well.
          ATEEC’s mission is to advance environmental technology education through curriculum development, professional development, and program improvement in the nation’s community colleges and secondary schools. The center’s vision is to create a national network of community colleges, supported through public and private partnerships, that prepares and maintains an environmental technology workforce to address industry’s needs and to promote the transfer of secondary students to higher education.
          To build an environmental technology education infrastructure, ATEEC has utilized the strengths of its partners, the Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute, the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education, and the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Environmental and Energy Education. To date, more than 40 activities have been completed successfully and have substantiated ATEEC as a national focal point to lead efforts in program development and improvement in environmental technology education.