News and Updates

On Dec. 11, 2020, FLATE held an online strategic planning and implementation session and collected input from the attendees about “could be done” and “how” to support our 3 goal areas of strong, relevant curriculum: outreach and student recruitment and supporting educators.  

It is important to us to secure as much feedback as possible. To this end, will you or a designee please provide feedback?

Click here for more info.
The Hidden Innovation Infrastructure: Understanding the Economic Development Role of Technician Education in the Changing Future of Work
FLATE will be involved with this 2 million 4-year project funded by the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) by coordinating the participating 2-year manufacturing technician programs. This project will entail in-depth case studies, with one of them being in Florida. The case studies of manufacturing-sector technician education programs in colleges located in four regions of the country will be based on interviews with college faculty, staff, community partners, local industry and comprehensive surveys of local employers. 
FLATE Appointed to the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at USF


Congratulations to Dr. Marilyn Barger, Director of FLATE!

Dr. Barger has been appointed to the Advocacy Board of the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida. This Center advances the effective teaching and integration of free enterprise, financial literacy and economic education into the K-20 curriculum. It also provides teacher training programs, curricula development initiatives and other strategies to ensure that free enterprise and consumer economics concepts reach all students.

The Stavros Center Advocacy Board consists of over fifty representatives of business, education and communities and its members support the Stavros mission by contributing their time, talent and treasure in support of the K-20 professional development programs offered by the Stavros Center. 
NSF ATE SMARTT Project: Update and Resources
To answer the need for awareness of Smart Manufacturing in the United States and trained workforce, the project “Smart Manufacturing for America’s Revolutionizing Technological Transformation (SMART2 or SMARTT)” was launched with Motlow State Community College (Tennessee) taking the lead in collaboration with Tunxis Community College (Connecticut) and Tennessee Technological University. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation (Award number 1801120).
About the project and its workshops
The project achieves its goals by offering free 2-day workshops with sessions addressing Smart Manufacturing. Workshop sessions include:
· Scientific Research Speakers on advances in smart manufacturing technology and policies
· Industrial speakers on novel technologies in the manufacturing industry
· Factory tour
· Hands-on training for Arduino or Python coding of drones

Free project resources posted on the project website
· Six Smart Manufacturing educational modules
· Scientific Publications
· Short talks on applications of Smart Manufacturing
· “Do-it-yourself” resources for faculty from the hands-on drone workshop sessions
· Workshop content

Results and Challenges
Since the start of the SMARTT project in 2018, three workshops have taken place. A total of 75 participants from STEM faculty in 20 states across the U.S. have successfully completed the workshop. Participants had a wide range of academic backgrounds and levels as well as a variety of disciplines. Due to CoVid-19, the workshop moved to virtual with a “do-it-yourself” second day. That resulted in more diverse participants from more geographic locations.
Workshop evaluation results showed a majority of participants strongly indicating that they gained more understanding of Smart Manufacturing policies and technologies. Check the project website for more information and for the workshops scheduled for summer 2021.
Join us in showcasing manufacturing in Florida by nominating your favorite manufacturing education hero today!

Nominations for all three of the 2021 FLATE Awards are now open:
·   Secondary Educator of the Year
·   Post-Secondary Educator of the Year
·   Distinguished Manufacturing Partner Service Award

Awardees will be announced and recognized at the MakeMore Talent Development Summit later this year. Meet last year’s winners here.
Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation (CATTI) NOW OPEN!
State College of Florida (SCF) hosted a ribbon-cutting for the long-awaited Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation (CATI) on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. The state-of-the-art technology center houses an I.T. and Coding Academy, as well as an on-campus incubator and accelerator for tech start-ups and entrepreneurs. This tech hub will also feature a studio space for creative video and augmented reality projects and an office of Academic Partnerships that will focus on various pathways to baccalaureate and graduate degrees at Florida Universities. Read more about this new site here.
Upcoming Events
USF Stavros Center Educator Workshops
FLATE has partnered with the Stavros Center for over 5 years developing and providing educator workshops focused on the business side of manufacturing including sustainability; manufacturing’s role in our economy; and how to access great STEM careers in manufacturing.  FLATE and the Stavros Center have partnered to provide a series of workshops focused on employability skills later this month on Mondays at 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Each session from the “The Classroom to the Workplace” series will feature an industry representative from the Stavros Advocacy Board sharing what these skills mean from an employer’s point of view.
 
  • 1/25/21 - Diversity and Social Emotional Learning
  • 2/01/21 - Problem Solving and Decision-making Strategies
  • 2/08/21 - Using Entrepreneurial Thinking

Learn more about the Stavros Center at USF here.
Learn about emerging technologies that should be included in 2-year manufacturing technician programs. Industry experts will present the technical side of emerging Industry 4.0 technologies and provide techniques and tools for technician educators to use in their classrooms.
Session 1: The Ins and Outs of Coordinate Measurement Machines
Friday, January 22, 9:00 – 10:00 AM EST
  
Key takeaways:
  • Online resources for emerging Industry 4.0 technologies 
  • Available techniques and tools  
  • Ins and Outs of CMM 
Session 2: Practical Tools to Better Implement Root Cause Analyses
Friday, February 26, 9:00 – 10:00 AM EST
  
Key Takeaways: 
  • Online resources for emerging Industry 4.0 technologies  
  • Available techniques and tools 
  • Define and select the appropriate root cause analysis tools 
  • Implement root causes analyses 
Session 3: Exploring Occupational Safety and Health Administration for Manufacturing 
Friday, April 22, 9:00 – 10:00 AM EST
  
Key Takeaways: 
  • Online resources for emerging Industry 4.0 technologies  
  • Basics of occupational safety and health 
  • Available training and tools  
  • Improve safety, compliance and risk management initiatives
Educator Webinar Series
Tools and Tips for Funding Technology Summer Programs
Thursday, February 18, 4:00 – 4:30 PM EST  

This webinar will provide tools and tips to help educators search for funding options for technology summer camps.

Key takeaways: 
  • Learn about available resources  
  • Funding options 
  • Tools and Tips for a fun summer camp free of charge
Session 2
Friday, March 5
11 a.m - 1 p.m.
Last October, FLATE convened Florida manufacturers and 2-year college technical educators at a virtual caucus to review and discuss the data from a survey about the near-future skills needed for manufacturing technicians in the next three to five years in their facilities. The data from that meeting, in conjunction with the summer survey data, looked at next steps and real opportunities to address gaps that have been identified between manufacturers and educators about their expectations for recent 2-year technician grads. You can learn more about this project here.
The ET Forum is an important vehicle to bring together the diverse and geographically dispersed colleges in Florida with common issues and challenges. The Forum is a semiannual 2-day meeting of Florida community college engineering technologies faculty, administrators and any ET stakeholders.

 You must register for each session separately through the link below.
Session 1: Friday, March 19, 9:00 – 11:00 AM EST

Session 2: Friday, March 26, 9:00 – 10:00 AM EST