ATE is Advanced Technological Education. With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the National Science Foundation's ATE program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy.
The International Manufacturing Technology Show
Conference
September 14 Chicago, IL
IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show is where the creators, builders, sellers, and drivers of manufacturing technology come to connect and achieve the impossible. Attendees discover advanced manufacturing solutions that include innovations in CNC machining, automation, robotics, additive manufacturing, software, AI, and transformative digital technologies that are driving the industry forward. Owned and produced by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, IMTS is the largest and most defining trade event for manufacturing technology in the Western Hemisphere. With more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space, the show attracts visitors from more than 110 countries. IMTS 2024 had 89,020 registrants, featured 1,609 exhibiting companies, and included a Student Summit that attracted 14,713 visitors.
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Fall Farm Business Management Conference
Conference
September 14 Waite Park, MN
The 2026 Fall Farm Business Management Conference will bring Minnesota Farm Business Management instructors together for professional development, program updates, collaboration, and conversations with colleagues from across the state.
The conference begins at noon on Monday, September 14, and concludes at noon on Tuesday, September 15. An agenda and additional conference information will be shared with registered attendees closer to the event.
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ACTE Postsecondary CTE Summit 2026
Summit
September 16 Arlington, VA
The ACTE Post-secondary CTE Summit is a national convening focused on post-secondary career and technical education (CTE) policy, practice, and workforce alignment. The summit brings together educators, administrators, researchers, and professionals from community colleges, technical schools, universities, and industry to share strategies, explore emerging trends, and engage in collaborative solutions for advancing CTE programs.
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IT Trends Talk with Community College Alumni
Webinar
September 16
Join NITIC’s first Industry Engagement Series webinar featuring community college alumni who are now working in a variety of IT roles. Alumni panelists will share firsthand perspectives on how entry-level IT careers are evolving, the impact of AI on day-to-day work, and the technical and professional skills they use most often in the workplace. Faculty will also hear what alumni wish they had learned more about in college, their advice for preparing today’s students, and how colleges can strengthen ongoing connections with alumni as valuable employer voices.
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Info Session: Zero-Cost AI & Data Science Resources with NSF Cloudbank Classroom
Webinar
September 16
Looking to incorporate zero-cost, open-source instructional tools into your courses this fall? Join for an exclusive info session featuring faculty from UC Berkeley to explore NSF Cloudbank Classroom. Discover how educators are utilizing this lightweight, no-cost JupyterHub platform to deliver interactive AI and Data Science modules helping to eliminating financial and infrastructure barriers for students.
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Autonomous Nation 2026
Conference
September 17 Wheatland, ND
The event serves as a platform to showcase new technologies, foster collaboration between public and private sectors, explore the latest advances in autonomous systems, with a special focus on agricultural applications, and support the transition from research to real-world use.
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Connecting Researchers and Educators to National Computing and AI Resources
Meeting
September 18 Online
Advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and research networking resources are transforming research and education across disciplines, yet many researchers, educators, and students remain unaware of the national infrastructure available to support their work. This presentation introduces the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) program, the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot, and the National Research Platform (NRP), highlighting opportunities to obtain computing allocations, AI resources, research networking capabilities, training, and educational support. Participants will learn how to access nationally supported cyberinfrastructure resources, leverage advanced computational and data-intensive platforms, and take advantage of training and user support services designed to accelerate discovery and innovation. The session will provide practical guidance for educators seeking classroom resources and researchers looking to expand the scale, impact, and accessibility of their computational and data-driven projects through nationally coordinated infrastructure and services.
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IBM SkillsBuild: Decoding Responsible AI
Webinar
September 18
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Analyze AI Ethics Dilemmas: Identify and evaluate ethical challenges present in common AI tools and daily applications.
- Assess Fairness & Transparency: Examine algorithmic transparency, bias, and fairness in everyday technology tools.
- Evaluate AI-Generated Outputs: Critically judge the ethical implications and reliability of content created by AI systems.
- Make Informed & Responsible Decisions: Apply practical frameworks to choose and utilize AI tools that earn trust and respect human rights.
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2026 EARTh Center Virtual Fellows Institute
Workshop
September 18 Online
EARTh Center is excited to partner with Nahant Marsh Education Center for the next EARTh Center Virtual Fellows Institute in the fall of 2026! This virtual institute will take place over three different days, for two to three hours each session.
The theme of the institute is Emerging Trends in Conservation and Natural Resource Management. Topics covered include, but are not limited to: new ways that AI is being utilized in the field, GIS and drone applications, and exploring nature-based solutions. Attendance for each session is mandatory to receive the full stipend amount for participation in the institute. The full participation stipend will be awarded based on attendance, engagement during the sessions, and completion of the evaluations for the institute from the EARTh Center external evaluation team.
Each session will happen noon-3pm CST.
Session dates are:
September 18
October 16
November 13
Applications will close August 17, 2026. Participants will be contacted regarding selection by August 21.
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Girls In Aviation Day (Glyndon, MN)
Student Event
September 19 Glyndon, MN
Join Girls in Aviation Day 2026 at the Moorhead Municipal Airport! This free, family-friendly event is open to all ages, with hands-on activities designed especially for youth ages 5–18. Discover the exciting world of aviation through interactive experiments, creative crafts, and inspiring conversations with local aviation professionals. Enjoy food trucks on-site and explore a variety of aviation careers from companies making a difference in our area. Whether you're dreaming of flying planes, designing them, or fixing them—there’s something for everyone to explore!
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Girls In Aviation Day at Flying Cloud Airport
Student Event
September 19 Eden Prairie, MN
This is a free, limited-space event for the community to learn more about the aviation industry. The content of GIAD is geared toward girls ages 8 to 17, but everyone is welcome to attend! Bring your family, friends, troop, and group to learn more about STEM and aviation careers, including pilots, mechanics, and MORE!
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International Whey Conference
Conference
September 20 Chicago, IL
The Whey Ahead will feature a distinguished list of global experts sharing current research and trends, health and nutrition benefits, new product applications and critical processing techniques.
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Commercializing Industrial Biotechnology (CIB)
Conference
September 22 Chicago, IL
The Commercializing Industrial Biotechnology (CIB) conference spotlights best practices, lessons learned, and technology innovations for accelerating commercial production of bio-based products and building the circular bioeconomy. This is the premier conference focused on scale-up and commercialization of new products in the synthetic biology, fermentation, and industrial biotechnology spaces.
You’ll engage with industrial biotech leaders and practitioners as you explore the latest in the field — including developments that are driving a new wave of products. At CIB, you'll hear hard-won lessons from industry veterans — and draw inspiration for your own technology development efforts while learning and networking about new enabling technologies, products, market needs, and companies.
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ATE Projects and Centers
Advanced Manufacturing Technologies topics include:
- Additive manufacturing
- Automotive manufacturing
- General manufacturing
Agricultural and Environmental Technologies topics include:
- Agriculture and aquaculture
- Environmental technologies
- Natural resources
- Nuclear power
- Solar energy
- Wind power
Bio and Chemical Technologies topics include:
- Biotechnology
- Chemical and process technologies
Engineering Technologies topics include:
- Electronics and controls
- General engineering
- Marine technologies
- Materials technologies
- Optics
- Space technologies
General Advanced Technological Education topics include:
- Evaluation
- Learning research
- Recruitment
- Teacher preparation
Information and Security Technologies topics include:
- Geospatial technologies
- Information and communications technologies
- Logistics
- Security, information assurance, and forensics
Micro and Nanotechnologies topics include:
- MEMS
- Microsystems
- Semiconductors
This video from Internet Scout Research Group is intended to accompany the 2026-2027 Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Impacts book, which showcases the role two-year community and technical colleges play in building the skilled technical workforce. The accompanying videos share the experiences of ATE students and perspectives from the ATE community, highlighting the impact these initiatives have on lives and careers.
Using an ATE grant, Bridgerland Technical College (BTC) has built an automation and manufacturing program that meets the need for skilled technicians in northern Utah. In this video, Mat Fuller, Automation Program Head at BTC, and Besim Hojhalli, Controls Engineer at industry partner SAE, share how BTC’s ATE grant has allowed them to scale the curriculum, support more students, and develop a network of industry partners. Fuller and Hojhalli discuss how the program’s industry advisory committee supports curriculum development and hands-on learning opportunities for...
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This resource, published by Portland Community College, is the first issue of the third volume of J ATE. J ATE is a peer-reviewed technical journal focused on community college faculty and staff who work with technician education. This journal is cross-disciplinary and encompasses all technologies under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program. Some of these technologies include: Micro Nano, Biotechnology, Autonomous Technology, Cyber Security, Advanced Manufacturing, Earth Sciences, Agriculture Technology, Energy, and Welding. Some topics that cross cut across all disciplines of technician education are also covered. Those topics include: Evaluation, Mentoring, Undergraduate Research, and Applied Technician Research.
The issue spans 167 pages and focuses on community college faculty work and research. Included are 17 full articles and a guest letter from Kalyn Owens, ATE program director. Listed below is each article and corresponding DOI...
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This instructor resource from Portland Community College provides information on designing a course on three-dimensional (3D) digital laser scanning fundamentals. Students will learn to operate a 3D digital laser scanner and output data for CAD (computer-aided design) software. This 1.5 credit course is designed for technical college classrooms. This packet includes a course outline, syllabus draft, a sample course proposal form, and contact information for the author.
Below is a list of the files contained within the ZIP attachment. The size of each file is included in parenthesis.
3 Dimensional Digital Laser Scanning Fundamentals - 1.5 credits (4 files, 45 KB)
- 3 Dimensional Digital Laser Scanner Course Outline (3 Dimensional Digital Laser Scanner Course Outline.doc 57 KB)
- 3 Dimensional Digital Laser Scanner Syllabus Content Draft (3 Dimensional Digital Laser Scanner Syllabus Content Draft.doc 35 KB)
- Contact information for the author - 3 Dimensional Digital L.doc (25 KB)
- MCH...
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This lesson, presented by the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure, introduces elementary students to the concept of using tools to gather information about the world around them. This provides a useful skill foundation for students as they continue into middle and high school and encounter more complex tools. Especially for nanotechnology, the use of tools is extremely important because our knowledge of nanoscale objects relies entirely on the data collected from those tools. Included in this lesson are: Student Worksheet #1, Student Worksheet #2, Student Worksheet #3, Optional Tool Matching set k-2, Optional Tool Matching set 3-5, Center Directions - Matching, Center Directions - Seeing, Word Match Sheet, and Tool Cards.
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Biofab Explorer, provided by CAST, is a "free career guidance resource created to attract and inspire students to the emerging field of biofabrication." On the front page of Biofab Explorer, learners can read about the biofabrication process, watch biofab case study videos, and explore the biofab careers page, which includes video testimonials and information on several careers in biotechnology. Also featured are biofab challenges, which make up a "series of work-based learning simulations that will model what it is like to work in the biofabrication industry." Throughout the challenges, students will practice real-world skills, such as data analysis, communication, and observation. Included are student worksheets and presentation slides. Additionally, Biofab Explorer includes information for teachers regarding using resources on the website for in-class activities.
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| Active ATE Centers | 14 |
| Active ATE Projects | 257 |
| ATE Resources | 7,141 |
| New Projects/Centers | 92 |
| New Resources | 120 |
ATE Resources by Subject Area
ATE Events by Subject Area
Upcoming Event: ATE PI Conference
The annual ATE Principal Investigators (PI) conference is taking place this year from October 21-23 in Washington, D.C. This conference is hosted by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF), with more than 800 NSF ATE grantees and partners in attendance. Registration is primarily limited to the principal investigator, co-principal investigators, and team members of ATE-funded grants. Additional attendees may register through association with an ATE grant team. This year's theme is “ATE in Action,” reflecting the work of the projects and centers that make the ATE community strong.
The ATE conference is an opportunity for the national ATE community to convene, advancing STEM technician education through the leadership of community and technical colleges working in partnership with business and industry, secondary and postsecondary education, and other key stakeholders. The deadline to register for the conference is September 24th.
To learn more about the conference or to register, visit the ATE in Action website.
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New Issue: Community College Journal
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has released the August/September edition of the Community College Journal! This journal offers contemporary information, insights, strategies, and connections for those in academia, industry, government, and workforce development.
This edition, entitled “Beyond the Classroom,” includes information on student housing solutions, community colleges refining their library experiences for students, and the role community colleges play in civic engagement. The August/September publication is available online, and archived issues can be viewed in the AACC library.
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More Ways to Use the ATE-funded Evaluate-UR Method for Fall 2026
There is still time to request to use one of the Evaluate-UR method variants during the fall semester or quarter. This successful method, funded by NSF’s ATE program, is designed to help students in your programs reflect and adjust their approach to problem-solving in different settings, including courses with projects (CUREs), internships, and competitions.
If you are unable to add E-UR directly into your course or program, encourage your students to use the newest addition of the method. New for Fall 2026 is the freely available 'Student Open Access' variant that students set up and implement themselves. Weekly messages are sent automatically to students that encourage them to identify what knowledge and workplace skills they are using. Prompts encourage them to record their thoughts and ideas so they can strengthen their applications as they seek employment and other opportunities.
See all the no-cost Evaluate-UR variants and options here. Interested in learning more? Email Jill Singer at [email protected]
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