Maximize Your 2024 ATE PI Conference Experience

ATE PI Conference 2024 Project Center Map including Hawaii and American Samoa.
NSF ATE Centers and Projects (listed on ATE Central). Map not captured to scale, clearly, but adjusted to visually capture the teams in Hawaii and American Samoa!

As many within MNT-EC prepare for the 31st National ATE PI (Principal Investigators) Conference (October 23-25, 2024 in Washington, D.C.), here is some guidance to help you make the most of this invaluable event. With plenty of incredible sessions, speakers, and networking opportunities, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.

First, if you haven’t already done so, make sure you register this week — Registration deadline is September 26, 2024.

Second, ATE PI hosts its Conference Orientation Webinar on October 10th to officially help you get oriented and prepared. Also, check out this ATE Central post, for a solid overview: 2024 ATE PI Conference: ATE for the Future (that cool map of projects and centers is linked from their post).

Community-Based Blog Post

As you attend various sessions, participate in workshops, and network, write down (or record a voice memo into your smartphone) some of your insights and ideas to share with us. We’re planning a community-based blog post after the conference, and your contributions will help build a shared pool of knowledge that benefits everyone in our ATE community. Save your key takeaways and get them to us during or after the event. You can catch Billie Copley at the event and share your thoughts with her, or email directly to: TJ at MicroNanoEducation dot Org. We plan to publish this post about two weeks after the ATE PI Conference.

Here are a few key areas we are interested to hear about:

1. Innovative Approaches: Look for sessions where speakers share new teaching techniques, creative uses of technology, or innovative approaches to workforce training. These insights could spark fresh ideas for your own programs.

2. Real-world Applications: Listen for stories that connect ATE projects to real-world impact—whether it’s helping local industries thrive or boosting student success. For sure, these are stories and case study types of ideas we want to hear about, from you and colleagues.

3. Collaborative Success Stories: Many ATE initiatives succeed because of partnerships between educational institutions and industry. Look for examples of how collaboration has led to meaningful outcomes, and consider how your (and our) partnerships can benefit from similar strategies.

4. Emerging Trends: What new technologies or skills are gaining momentum in your field? Be sure to take note of any emerging trends that could shape the future of workforce development in your industry.

5. Lessons in Adaptability: Change is ever-present, and that means we have to adapt. If you hear any stories about overcoming challenges, especially in our fast-moving world, jot them down—they can offer inspiration and solutions for others in our MNT-EC / LinkedIn community.

Share with Us Post-Conference! 

No matter what sessions, panels, or informal conversations you are part of, capture those ideas, insights, and inspiration we can use in the 2024-2025 school year. Please reach out to share what you’ve learned. Let’s work toward an authentic, more connected network of professionals advancing technological education. In plain language, let’s lift one another up!

Who Is Presenting from MNT-EC?

ATE PI 2024 Conference from MNT-EC Team and Partners

Here are a few shout-outs to our team and partners for sessions they are giving at ATE PI 2024. Keep us posted if you are also presenting and we’ll list you here. 

Columbus State Community College will have a spotlight session on “Aligning Strategies to Support Advanced Technological Education Talent Demand” by Shane Kirby and Michell Ward from CSCC. 

Date: Thursday, October 24 at 1:30 – 2:15 p.m. (Eastern). Room: Diplomat

Shout out to Scot McLemore ǀ Executive in Residence at CSCC for sharing. Advanced Manufacturing Pathways at Columbus State Community College.

MNT-EC Co-PI, Dr. Peter Kazarinoff, Faculty, Engineering and Engineering Technology
at Portland Community College will present a Spotlight session on “J ATE URE: Getting Community College Students & Faculty Published.”

Date: Thursday, October 24 at 1:30 – 2:15 p.m. (Eastern). Room: Empire

You can read a bit more about how this presentation came about by reading Peter’s Letter from the Editor in Volume 3, Issue 2 of the Journal of Advanced Technological Education.

Spotlight Session organized by Erika Sturgis: Panel with Marci Gale, Mason Lefler, and Tiffany Calfant

Abstract:  Explore strategies for streamlining data collection and management of student data within ATE projects in this panel discussion with representatives from three ATE projects. We’ll discuss how different projects prepare for multiple report types, including project annual reports, evaluation reports, and responding to the ATE Survey. Panelists will share methods they use to build and maintain their data collection infrastructure. Whether your project receives student data from an institutional research office or you track it yourself, everyone will find practical strategies to make reporting on students more effective.

***

ATE Connects Countdown session (new format)

Rick Vaughn presents Top 5 Strategies to Stay Nimble Amidst the Semiconductor Renaissance

Date: Thursday, October 24 at 4:15 – 4:25 p.m. (Eastern)

Room: Exhibit Hall

Rick Vaughn, Ph.D., Rio Salado College. Faculty Chair – STEM Initiatives

www.riosalado.edu/nanoknows

Spotlight Session: Strategies for Effective Nanotechnology and Microelectronics Education

Presenter(s)

  • Vishal Saravade (he/him/his) (Role: Presenter;Session Organizer)
  • Zachary R. Gray (Role: Presenter)
  • Billie Copley (Role: Presenter)
  • Nancy Louwagie (Role: Presenter)

Key Area of Session Focus: Curriculum & Educational Materials Development; Student Recruitment/Retention

Program Abstract: This session will include discussions and will answer thought-provoking questions in nanotechnology and microelectronics education. Proven and innovative strategies of outreach, student recruitment, hands-on education, remote education, content-delivery, professional development, and industry involvement will be discussed. PIs and Project Members from leading national nanotechnology, microelectronics, and remote-education centers will be the facilitators/panelists and presenters. Actions and ideas that have successfully enabled continuously improving education and workforce development in nanotechnology will be explained by the panelists.

Session: Building Global Partnerships: Advancing Quantum Workforce Education

Presenters: Mo Hasanovic, Jared Ashcroft, Grant Emmel

Date: Thursday, October 24; 3:10 – 3:40 p.m. (Eastern). Room: Cabinet

Spotlight session: How AI Is Predicted To Affect Multiple Disciplines

Presenters: Jared Ashcroft, Larry McWherter, Michele Robinson, and Antonio Delgado as panelists. Ann Beheler as facilitator. 

Date: Thursday, October 24; 930 to 10:15 AM (Eastern). Room: Palladian.

Session: Undergraduate Research as a Recruitment and Retention Strategy Within ATE

Facilitators: Jared Ashcroft, PI, MNT-EC; Ani Hakobyan, Student, MNT-CURN; Jason Spyres, CEO and Founder, Training All People (TAP)

Program Abstract
Undergraduate research is a high impact practice in recruitment and retention of students in STEM. MNT-EC has been using undergraduate research through ATE-URE and START supplement proposals to increase the participation in MNT technician training. This session will share lessons learned from the past three years of the MNT-CURN and START programs and lead a discussion on the future of MNT-EC’s undergraduate research program. Attendees will be provided strategies in developing supplement proposals that focus on training technician through research and in developing student recruitment and evaluation strategies to increase industry support, effectiveness, and sustainability of the program.

Inspiring students with nanotechnology

One of our partners, Dr. Matthias W. Pleil, Principal Investigator – SCME, Research Professor and Lecturer, University of New Mexico was recently interviewed for the National Nanotechnology Initiative podcast. 

Listen to the full episode here: Inspiring curiosity, creativity, and action in students with nanotechnology

Unleashing the Potential of Community Colleges: A Collaborative Path Forward

>>Article by Dr. Jared Ashcroft<<

Update: ASEE TV video at end with Dr. Ashcroft and students exploring fields of micro, nano, and science.

We find ourselves at a unique crossroads in the realm of higher education. A labor shortage stares us in the face, opening up a dangerous chasm between education and workforce requirements. We need to rewrite the training rules for manufacturing technicians and beyond to stop this shortage.

Jared Ashcroft

The Looming Labor Gap and the Unsung Heroes

The CHIPS and Science Act predicts a 100,000-worker shortage soon. With this labor challenge in front of us, community colleges, long the unsung heroes of higher education, stand poised to play a pivotal role in molding the future workforce. I suggest a path based on the current work the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the Department of Commerce is doing nationally.

NIST recently laid out a 30-page Vision and Strategy for regional National Semiconductor Technology Centers to support and extend U.S. leadership in semiconductor research, which includes guidance on technician opportunities. Thanks to numerous experts from industry, higher education, and others, this vision document presents the framework we need.

As government agencies, industry leaders, and educational institutions unite, we must build a genuine working alliance that includes community colleges and schools that historically have specialized in training technician-oriented specialties, such as semiconductor technicians.

Community colleges offer an early range of technical education, from associate degrees to shorter-term certificate programs. We want to seriously consider the educational foundation that will most benefit the student and the companies that hire them so that they are able and ready to continue developing skills, durable skills also known as “soft skills,” if and when they continue additional degree programs. By the way, most companies have cited on-the-job training and short-term certificates as essentials. At the same time, executives lament that students need those durable soft skills crucial to collaboration and leadership growth.

My suggestion is this: As part of creating the National Semiconductor Technology Center and its regional locations, we also build a national community college consortium to handle the incentives and funding to get more students into technician education. Various semiconductor and advanced manufacturing programs can often exist across state or regional lines, limiting the necessary training a future technician might need.

For example, a student may need to intern in a clean room outside of their state or region, which would jeopardize their scholarship/internship funding rather than having community colleges under eight areas. Just put the incentives program at a national scope level, enabling them to get student funding for technician education. Community colleges can still work with the regional NSTC. Still, they have access to a national group helping to direct and guide a national CC Incentives Consortium (and not have to go to each Regional to get incentives funding).

A National Approach: Bridging Education with Industry

To that end, a paradigm shift is necessary. The status quo of XYZ-generic programs often leans towards producing a labor pool, sometimes ignoring the importance of a holistic educational experience. We need student-focused programs that blend general education with industry-specific boot camps – a balanced education that ensures a firm grounding while nurturing specialized skills. Mind you, we are not suggesting super-short training programs that leave the student in a precarious position, although some of these have successfully built an educational foundation they can depend upon and build out.

A student-focused, national perspective is of the essence. Regional programs have their merits, no doubt. However, it is time to move past geographical constraints and provide opportunities to students from varied backgrounds. Equal access to top-tier education and career opportunities can only happen if we widen our lens – and with a new approach of providing direct funding via scholarships and grants to thousands of students who can become the future semiconductor workforce.

There’s only one path to adding 100,000 workers, funding those potential workers to get adequately trained and options for a brighter future through educational opportunities.

Revolutionizing Community College Education: Collaboration is Key

Organizations like the Micro- Nanotechnology Education Center (MNT-EC) can provide invaluable support in these efforts, serving as connection points to facilitate collaboration between community colleges, research universities, government bodies, and industry heavyweights. By pooling our wisdom and resources, we can revolutionize community college education.

This national approach will also require comprehensive internship programs seamlessly integrated with community college curricula. Sufficient and secure funding from a centralized source will guarantee the effectiveness and accessibility of these programs while also subjecting them to rigorous evaluation. To be blunt, interns need enough income to make an opportunity less of a stepping stone out of a company and more of a launching pad within a company that has granted the internships in the first place. It is in the best interest of industry leaders to provide financial support and actively engage with potential future employees from an early stage.

Honest data collection and evaluation for better tracking/measurement, carried out by independent educational research entities, are non-negotiable. Transparency in outcomes is crucial, as is using data to make informed decisions and refine our community college, training, and internship programs.

Challenges abound regarding collaboration between government agencies, industry leaders, and educational institutions. Competing interests and lack of coordination often obstruct progress. It’s time we identify our strengths, share resources and expertise, and strive to collaborate effectively rather than duplicate efforts.

Community colleges need support systems from a central source that can remove administrative support and infrastructure obstacles when running grants and partnerships. By bolstering these support systems, we can enable community colleges to emerge as powerhouses of educational transformation.

Community colleges should also morph into targeted recruitment sources, linking students with industry opportunities. Again, a central repository and match-making type source could be essential to this recruiting component. By forging strong partnerships with industry, we can ensure students gain relevant hands-on experience, aligning their education with their career goals.

Keeping track of student outcomes for ongoing improvement is paramount. Better data collection and analysis systems are needed. We can harness platforms like LinkedIn to track results and highlight areas that need enhancement.

As we stand at an exciting new frontier of a new era in community college education, we must embrace a collaborative approach that puts students at the center. We can revolutionize community college education by fostering industry-driven, student-focused programs, leveraging collaboration for practical impact, ensuring sustainable funding and stipend support, and prioritizing transparency, evaluation, and research.

This transformation will equip students with the skills they need for the workforce and empower them to thrive in an ever-changing economic landscape. It is a call to action for government agencies, industry leaders, and educational institutions to come together and shape a brighter future for community college students, unlocking their full potential and driving societal progress.

We have a chance to build a future where every student, regardless of background, can access high-quality education and set off on a successful career path. We can tap into the immense transformative power of community colleges and prepare our students for the future’s industries.

Let’s seize this opportunity together.

Many different disciplines are needed in nanotechnology specialties — optics (laser), materials science, semiconductor manufacturing, nanobiology (vaccines), to name a few. This video explores various industry opportunities for students to consider. This video was produced during the ASEE 2022 conference for the Micro Nanotechnology Education Center (MNT-EC) at Pasadena City College.

We shared this video on LinkedIn (more than once) today and if you are interested you can follow our latest news and updates on jobs, internships, scholarships, and other useful info from the #nano and #micro community.

MNT-EC Evaluators Recognized Nationally

The Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC) recently celebrated a significant achievement, with three of its evaluators being recognized nationally for their exceptional work. Terryll Bailey, Dr. Jalil Bishop, and Dr. Antar Tichavakunda have been instrumental in shaping the MNT-EC program, providing invaluable insights and recommendations that have helped the center excel in its mission.

Terryll Bailey, the founder and president of The Allison Group, brings over 20 years of experience in workforce development research and evaluation. Her firm specializes in external evaluation for numerous National Science Foundation projects and centers, including the MNT-EC. Bailey’s collaborative approach to evaluation has been crucial in integrating evaluative thinking into the project, focusing on evidence of impact on individuals and organizations.

Dr. Jalil Bishop, a critical qualitative scholar, has expertise in college affordability, student debt, anti-racist policymaking, and the racialized geography of life opportunity. His work on developmental evaluations has been instrumental in shaping the MNT-EC’s approach to equity and inclusion. As the principal investigator of the first national study on Black student debt, Dr. Bishop brings a unique perspective to the evaluation team.

Dr. Antar Tichavakunda, an Assistant Professor of Race and Higher Education at the University of California Santa Barbara, brings a wealth of knowledge in urban education policy. His research on college readiness, Black students’ experiences at predominantly White institutions, and the sociology of race and higher education has been invaluable in shaping the MNT-EC’s approach to diversity and inclusion.

The evaluators’ work has been lauded for its clarity, readability, effective use of visuals, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Their conclusions and actionable recommendations, well-supported by evidence, have been “essential in informing this program and determining best practices to provide internships that most benefit underrepresented students,” Jared Ashcroft, Principal Investigator, said. 

Jared Ashcroft, PI of MNT-EC, acknowledged the value of the evaluation data, stating, “The MNT-EC evaluation data was essential in informing this program and determining best practices to provide internships that most benefit underrepresented students.” 

The evaluators worked closely with the project team, meeting regularly to discuss evaluation matters. This collaboration likely contributed to the thoroughness and accuracy of the report. They adhered to standards developed by the Joint Committee on Educational Standards and Evaluation, ensuring the ethical collection and analysis of data.

“The external evaluators have collected quantitative and qualitative data to bring numbers, context, and color to our Center’s dissemination efforts.” 

⸺ Peter Kazarinoff, Co-PI of MNT-EC

The value of this comprehensive evaluation to a national center like MNT-EC cannot be overstated. It provides a roadmap for the center, highlighting areas of success and identifying opportunities for improvement. “The way the MNT-EC evaluation report was approached, aligned all activities and results within the framework of the evaluation and its design” according to Mel Cossette, Co-PI of MNT-EC. This feedback is crucial for the center to continue evolving and improving its programs. At a foundational level, this means that the center can better serve its students and the community, ensuring that its programs are effective, inclusive, and impactful.

The MNT-EC is deeply grateful for the evaluators’ contributions, which have not only helped shape the center’s program but also enhanced its ongoing work. Their collaborative efforts across different disciplines and outreach programs have been pivotal in increasing the effectiveness of the program. The MNT-EC is proud to acknowledge the exceptional work of these three evaluators and looks forward to continuing its mission of improving technical education at community colleges.

Specific Highlights from the 2022 Annual Evaluation Report 

  1. Website and Social Media Impact: The MNT-EC’s website and social media platforms have been successful in reaching a broad audience. The website’s traffic compares favorably to two mature national centers, averaging 3,738 users and 15,937 page views in its first year. The LinkedIn posts have also improved significantly, leading to increased impressions and interactions (Page 34).
  2. Center Team and Management: The MNT-EC Center Team, including the PI, Co-PIs, working group leads, and experts from partner institutions, meets monthly to establish their annual goals aligned with the center goal. The Executive Team meets weekly, and the center has made significant progress toward its goals this year, identifying gaps and improving productivity (Page 19).
  3. Advocacy for Systemic Change: PI Ashcroft advocates for systemic changes in technical education, emphasizing the need for more impactful start for students, more funded apprenticeships and internships, and long-term coordinated actions toward solutions. The MNT-EC Center is engaging in this advocacy and inviting other organizations to join in this endeavor (Page 36-37).
  4. Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The MNT-EC has made a transformational approach to recruiting underrepresented minorities by working with existing student organizations that support underrepresented minorities and bringing the program into their existing framework. Over 90% of the students in the URE program are from underrepresented groups, representing eight community college campuses in five states (Page 37-38). The Talking Technician podcast receives special mention in here on Page 38.

Additional Evaluation Technical Details, from the report narrative, for those who want to know:

Their investigative approaches included objective orientation, teaching/learning process orientation, customer orientation, faculty and institutional support, business and industry support, and management. These approaches provided a complete review of the project, ensuring a comprehensive analysis of the project’s implementation, audience reach, user perceptions, resource usage, and systemic change.

The evaluators used evidence-based data to measure outcomes, employing both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods. This approach allowed for a more nuanced understanding of the project’s performance. Their commitment to continuous improvement was evident in their plans to evolve assessment practices and understand the effectiveness of the program better.

Download: MNT-EC Evaluation Report 2021-2022

Special thanks to EvaluATE, ATE Evaluation Resource Hub, for its work in educating evaluators, and others, about evaluation best practices. Their Resource Library is filled with webinars, newsletters, blogs, and information about the ATE annual survey. These materials are open-access. EvaluATE is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 1841783. This blog post builds partly from their post, linked above on their evaluation award page. 

2023 Barry Goldwater Scholarship Awarded to Two Micro Nano Technology Collaborative Undergraduate Research Network (MNT-CURN) Students 

The Goldwater Scholarship is one of the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships awarded to students who excel in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering. This year, two MNT-CURN students have been awarded the scholarship: Rachael Orkin from Los Angeles Pierce College and Celina Yu from Pasadena City College (PCC).

Gold Nanoparticle illustration/image. Credit: Shikuan Yang, Birgitt Boschitsch Stogin and Tak-Sing Wong, The Pennsylvania State University

Rachael Orkin, a biochemistry major at Pierce (as it is often called), was inspired to pursue the Goldwater Scholarship after learning about it through guest speakers in her MNT-CURN meetings. She decided to apply for the scholarship after Dr. Jared Ashcroft included her in an email about Goldwater mentors who could help her through the process. With a support system that big, Rachael felt it was worth a shot applying for the scholarship.

Rachael has been involved in undergraduate research at Pierce with many opportunities that have validated her choice to pursue pathology and structural biology. She is currently doing research with electronic noses, biomechanic software, and leprosy, with plans to engage in other areas. Rachael is interested in researching how micro- nanotechnologies intersect with medicinal chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry. She hopes to be a pathologist or clinical geneticist via an MD/PhD path.

Celina Yu, a first-generation college student, was motivated to pursue the Goldwater Scholarship not only for financial reasons but also to push her academic limits. She has been involved in undergraduate research at PCC and wanted to explore what’s out there. Applying for the Goldwater Scholarship was a way for Celina to stay involved and active during her sophomore year of higher education.

Celina recently received her Associates of Arts degree in Natural Sciences at PCC and has decided to concentrate in Biology upon her transfer to a 4-year institution this fall. 

Her love for science is what inspired her to pursue her degree. She wants to create or discover new ways to develop medications or push the limits with novel methods to help others thrive. After her first research experience, Celina realized that she much prefers supporting those fighting on the front lines to help patients rather than going into battle herself. She wants to be part of the development team and supply the needed materials to continue to help people.

For the scholarship, Celina focused on her research involving gold nanoparticles and their use in traditional photothermal therapy. 

She collaborated with the California State University of Northridge and used a custom-built Femtosecond laser to characterize the experimental samples. The subsequent data was analyzed to study the nanoparticle’s electronic transitions, and the concept of a hybrid particle was introduced to bring forth the idea of an alternative route for cancer treatment.

Both Rachael and Celina had mentors who helped them throughout the application process and research experience. 

Rachael would like to thank her campus representative, Dr. Aron Kamajaya, and her application mentors Justice Charnae Robinson and Sophia Barber, as well as her research mentors Dr. Jared Ashcroft, Dr. David Armstrong, and Dr. Brian Pierson. 

Celina would like to acknowledge her mentors Dr. Jared Ashcroft, Dr. Jillian Blatti, Dr. Abdelaziz Boulesbaa, Dr. Yadong Yin, and Kristin M. McPeak for being an amazing campus representative and helping with the official paperwork.

The Goldwater Scholarship is a significant achievement for both Rachael and Celina, and it demonstrates their dedication and passion for their fields of study. Their research has the potential to make a significant impact on society, and we wish them all the best as they continue to pursue their academic and research goals.

You can also read more about Pasadena City College Student Janet Teng Awarded Barry Goldwater Scholarship in 2022.

More details on the Barry Goldwater Scholarship here.

Image Detail and Credit:

Credit: Shikuan Yang, Birgitt Boschitsch Stogin and Tak-Sing Wong, The Pennsylvania State University

The featured image is from the NSF multimedia image gallery with research involving gold nanoparticles. 

An artistic illustration showing an ultrasensitive detection platform called SLIPSERS — slippery liquid infused porous surface-enhanced Raman scattering. An aqueous or oil droplet containing gold nanoparticles and captured analytes is allowed to evaporate on a slippery substrate, leading to the formation of a highly compact nanoparticle aggregate for surface enhanced Raman scattering detection.

Researchers at Penn State have developed a new technique that combines the ultrasensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with a slippery surface. The technique will make it feasible to detect single molecules from a number of chemical and biological species, whether gaseous, liquid or solid. This combination of slippery surface and laser-based spectroscopy will open new applications in analytical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, environmental monitoring and national security.

The research was funded by a U.S. National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program award (grant CMMI 1351462).

Random Small _2023 Year Ahead

Thanks to those of you who have supported and lifted up the MNT-EC site and this news section, for sharing on social media and telling your peers about us. Lots of you are spending more time on our MNT-EC LinkedIn page and that’s, well, incredibly awesome. See a couple of images from the page just below.

We’d like to tell you about our favorite email newsletters and celebrate two of our partners this month:

Greentown Labs in Massachusetts is the nation’s leading incubator/accelerator for startups solving the climate crisis through entrepreneurship and collaboration. Their newsletter is a powerful curation of what’s happening in climate tech, materials, nanotechnology, and way more. The most recent newsletter profiles that the Prince and Princess of Wales paid them a visit.

Kavli Nanoscience Institute knows how to put together a nano-packed newsletter each quarter. You definitely want to subscribe to this one. It is their cool image just below that also served as a LinkedIn post with links to a photo gallery here on Think Small. You should check out the 2022 news roundup from Kavli here.

Based at Arizona State University, NCI Southwest serves as the Southwest hub of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) and encompasses six collaborative research facilities. Their newsletter is loaded with info from the ASU NanoFab, the Eyring Materials Center, Advanced Electronics and Photonics (AEP) Core Facility, the Center for the Life Cycle of Nanomaterials (LCNano), the ¡MIRA! Center at NAU, and the User Facility for the Social and Ethical Implications of Nanotechnology.

This image from Kavli Nanoscience Institute (1,200+ views and 31 visits) and below that, one from a Hong Kong 3D printing startup captivated your attention (1,700+ views and 36 visits — glad to know we have some ocean lovers in our midst).

And here’s the Hong Kong 3D Printed Coral Reef startup image on CBS News.

Again, both of these posts are on our LinkedIn Page.

Do you have some images you would like to share?? Drop me a note: TJ@MicroNanoEducation.org

Random Small _NASA Astronaut Tech, Scholarships, Vacuum Workshop

Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, wearing a ground prototype of NASA’s new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is seen during a demonstration of the suit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The xEMU suit improves on the suits previous worn on the Moon during the Apollo era and those currently in use for spacewalks outside the International Space Station and will be worn by first woman and next man as they explore the Moon as part of the agency’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Thanks for reading our monthly email update, if that’s how you found this post. If you found us by digging into our website and the Think Small news and blog section, we are so glad you found us. “Random Small” is a monthly catch-all post for the latest happenings here at the Micro Nano Technology Education Center and in our wider, bigger community of scientists of all types. 

You probably noticed two distinct images — one of an astronaut (just above), and another of a website logo for Skype a Scientist. 

First, in the monthly MNT Update, I mentioned how NASA technology often gets transferred outside of NASA into commercial enterprises that license it for new products. This article, Feeling Hot, Staying Cool, is a powerful example of how that works. It highlights the work of a new company, London-based Fifty One Ltd, which is “using a temperature-controlling material developed in part under an SBIR from Johnson Space Center for spacesuit gloves, Fifty One of London is making clothes to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.”

Screenshot of the Fifty One company and project with menopause clothing that is based on the NASA phase change material technology. Image is from the NASA Spinoff website.

Since women make up half the world’s population, there is a lot of need and opportunity (as in billions of people) for materials scientists to work on these phase change materials to find solutions. 

In fact, NASA has an entire microsite dedicated to technology transfer called Spinoff and it includes an annual report, of sorts, that highlights the many advances that power our world. 

By the way, if you are not yet subscribed to our email community, please visit this signup page. We would love to have you join us, contribute to our efforts, and connect.

Let’s jump to Skype A Scientist because it is so fun and energetic and something you can use in your classrooms or perhaps sign up to help out. From their website: “The mission of Skype a Scientist is simple, yet impactful: to make science accessible and fun through personal connections with scientists. We are an educational entity with a focus on connecting the general public with scientific disciplines in fun and meaningful ways, making science education available and engaging for everyone…” 

The Skype A Scientist Instagram page is worth a follow, too. Here’s a sample YouTube videos of a wonderful talk with a brain scientist at the University of Washington. Love Sydney’s enthusiasm. Plus, we’re hoping to interview Dr. Sarah McAnulty, Squid Biologist​, and Executive Director of Skype A Scientist.

Sydney Floryanzia is a first-year Ph.D. student in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Washington (UW). Her research involves investigating the blood-brain barrier, drug delivery to the brain, and therapies for degenerative brain diseases.

There are two new scholarship opportunities for STEM-oriented students. These will be added to our Micro Nano Scholarship page later this week, but to give you the absolute latest, cutting edge, head start information we’re putting them here and on our MNT LinkedIn Page (which you seriously might want to follow, but no pressure, of course. Not much pressure…).

  • The DOD Historically Black Colleges and Universities & Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) Summer Research Internship Program is an annual summer research program offered to current students and recent graduates who studied STEM disciplines at HBCU/MI.

The last item, but certainly a great opportunity and worth sharing with your networks (not so subtle hint..): Check out the High Vacuum System Operation Basics Workshop at Normandale Community College coming up next week on two separate days, Monday Dec 12 and again on Wednesday, Dec 14.

Temple Grandin Podcast -How Did You Think Of That- Interviews Jared Ashcroft

Screenshot of Utah STEM Action Center Podcast Page called How'd You Think of That hosted by Temple Grandin

Heading into the weekend which for some is going to turn into vacation for the holiday week — here is a great podcast for you in those quiet days pre-post holiday meals. Our MNT Center Director, Dr. Jared Ashcroft, was rather quiet/humble about being interviewed by the well-known Temple Grandin for the first season of a new podcast out of the STEM Action Center in Utah.  

Listen to How’d You Think of That? Temple Grandin interviews Jared Ashcroft entitled: All the Good Teachers.

Temple and Jared discussed the role community colleges can play in supplying a steady STEM workforce, where the education system falls short, and how it can improve outcomes for students. Definitely worth a listen! Way to go, Dr. Ashcroft.

Experience STEAM Event a Huge Success

In early August, MNT-EC was a proud sponsor and supporter of the Experience STEAM event at the Mall of America. It is a powerful testimony of what happens when NSF Centers collaborate, partner, and lift up the work of national centers across the USA.

Organized by the National Center for Autonomous Technology (NCAT) and the individual contributions of over 40 organizations. The STEAM Carnival provided broad public engagement in addition to the 18 educator workshops, 14 STEAM camps and it fostered enormous potential for future collaborations. 

We originally posted here on Think Small: NCAT Organizes Mall of America ‘Experience STEAM’ Event. Check out this photo gallery with wonderful images from MNT-EC Executive Team Member, Greg Kepner, from his experience and perspective.

Micro Nano Education Technology Center booth at Experience STEAM 2022
ATE Booth at Experience STEAM 2022
Participant in Photonics Workshop at Experience STEAM 2022

Participant in Photonics Workshop at Experience STEAM 2022
Testing Photonics equipment at Experience STEAM Event
Participant in Arduino Workshop at Experience STEAM 2022
Arduino Workshop at Experience STEAM Event
Participant in Arduino workshop at Experience STEAM 2022
Participant in Arduino workshop at Experience STEAM 2022

Check out the massive list of Educational Partners and Corporate partners who made the event possible.

Visual List of Educational Partners for Experience STEAM event, including MNT-EC and many others.
Experience STEAM Educational Partners

Pasadena City College Student Janet Teng Awarded Barry Goldwater Scholarship

The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify and support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this Nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields.

According to the 2022 Scholars Press Release, from an estimated pool of over 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, 1,242 natural science, engineering and mathematics students were nominated by 433 academic institutions to compete for the 2022 Goldwater scholarships. Of students who reported, 175 of the Scholars are men, 234 are women, and virtually all intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their highest degree objective. Forty-five Scholars are mathematics and computer science majors, 308 are majoring in the natural sciences, and 64 are majoring in engineering. Many of the Scholars have published their research in leading professional journals and have presented their work at professional society conferences.

2022 Goldwater Scholars Announced

Janet Teng, Pasadena City College Student, is one of 417 college students from across the United States to be selected for this highly respected scholarship. 

“My research project is based on work performed at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The project specifically probes surface chemical reactivity between iron metal and oxygen gas using the novel Operando Atom Probe Tomography analytical technique. This new approach to correlating the spatial signal with reaction time reveals the surface reaction kinetics and the crystal structure relationship of a material. Thus, mapping the progression of reactive gas penetration into metal surfaces to form metal oxides (i.e. corrosion) is made possible.”

— Janet Teng, PCC Student and Undergraduate Researcher

Ms. Teng also expressed appreciation for all the support and guidance she received from her research mentors Dr. Jared Ashcroft, Dr. Tanya Faltens, Dr. Daniel Perea, Dr. Chiara Daraio, Dr. Sten Lambeets, Mr. Mark Wirth, and Dr. Yu-Chung Chang-Hou. Ms. Teng’s research and presentation is highlighted also in last fall’s Think Small post: 

STEM Competitions And Internships Encourage Deeper Learning For Students

You can also learn more about the Micro Nano Technology Collaborative Undergraduate Research Network (MNT-CURN) which offers a unique undergraduate research program for community college students.