Educating Students for Tomorrow's World Today | |
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SOUTHWESTERN PA NEW ECONOMY COLLABORATIVE
Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC)
The Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC) sponsors several women leadership events each year.
The 2025 EDGE Women’s Leadership Program is now accepting applications. “EDGE is the first women’s mentoring experience of its kind targeting mid-career professionals.” (Excerpted from the PTC website.)
The most requested targeted competencies for this program align with some of the current industry power skills and expectations of our future graduates: critical thinking, coaching skills, building strategic networks, personal branding, and inclusion.
The EDGE program is aimed at mid-career professionals and people-leaders but can accommodate any level of woman leader. Through the coaching experience during the program, leaders are guided to gain self-awareness and develop intentional behaviors as people managers that align and support their leadership brand and career direction.
Participants can walk away from this program with some real actionable skills: developing strategic networks, learning best practices from industry experts, and 1:1 coaching skilsl.
Consider enrolling for this leadership development program and bringing those awesome skills back into your classrooms.
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INDUSTRY
Actionable Mining Intelligence
Mine Vision Systems is focused on providing mining leaders with safe and efficient methods to meet the demands for critical minerals and precisions metals. Their technology is intended to deliver “actionable mining intelligence at the pace of production.”
Born out of Carnegie Mellon University and the National Robotics Engineering Center in 2015, the company’s technology has focused on: mining automation and self-driving vehicles; real-time positioning platforms for GPS-denied environments; and the FaceCapture Mapping System in 2025. With these systems, the company is now able to track real-time data such as how many trips into mines and the mine faces entering the mines. With these new and advanced technology systems, MVS is able to enhance safety through 3D face capture and optimize resources through their data capture and integration.
Careers in this advanced technology field include skills in working with automation, data analytics, and robotics software engineering.
Would your students be interested in this exceptional field of technology?
Help them understand that the long history of mining that ignited growth in our Pittsburgh Region is now more than just “digging” for precious minerals and metals. The industry is alive with innovation and high-end technologies! Maybe this is where their family history with the industry can take them.
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FACULTY
Human Conscious Citizenship: A Series of Understanding
Have you considered what each of the Faculty Academy future readiness values within the human-conscious citizenship model might really mean when translated into action and representation in today’s rapidly changing world?
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
- Global Competency
- Financial Literacy
- Sustainability
- Conscious Capitalism
- Conscious Consumerism
- Values and Ethics
Today’s topic: Conscious Consumerism.
So, what is ‘conscious consumerism’, and how does it impact our students? What is its importance to our future workforce?
Earlier this year, in their Voice of the Consumer Survey, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reported that consumers are “willing to pay 9.7% sustainability premiums, even as the cost of living and inflationary concerns weigh.” Given current economic stressors, this is pretty significant.
One of the primary driving forces for the desire to spend more on sustainably produced or sourced goods is because 85% report experiencing the disruptive effects of climate change on their daily lives. Our students are part of these families and experiences, and they are very vocal about climate change and sustainability.
The Millennial and Gen Z consumers support brands and businesses that prioritize sustainability, fair trade, and social responsibility as a top priority.
Have a conversation with your students today to explore how their consumer choices around sustainability will impact their engagement with business and industry in our region.
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Graphic Credit: Penn State New Kensington model of Human Conscious Citizenship | | |
OUR REGION'S HIGHER EDUCATION LANDSCAPE IS STRONG
Thanks to support from the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative for supporting higher education engagement opportunities across the region. Consider being part of the region’s amazing higher education faculty activities.
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Electronic AI Tongue. Research into the extensive capacity of AI continues. Penn State researchers have developed a new tool – an electronic tongue – capable of discerning subtle differences in liquids. This innovative device can distinguish between various types of milk (even with water content), sodas, and coffee blends. It can even detect signs of spoilage in fruit juices and could be used in quality control (Interesting Engineering, Oct 10, 2024). The researchers created a neural network that can learn and understand data like the human brain and that utilizes a sensor to detect chemical ions. The sensor is connected to an artificial neural network that has been trained on different data sets. In addition to liquid assessments, this technology could be used for medical diagnostic purposes. The opportunity for industry in our region to take advantage of this new tech is significant!
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Point Park University restarted an awesome community event in 2024 – the TEDx Point Park University event. The event in 2024 provided an engaging and inspiring journey of ideas and innovation into this year’s theme of “Renewal.” Point Park University, located in downtown Pittsburgh, has become a hub for transformative ideas where unique perspectives on technology, culture, environment and personal growth can be explored and discussed. Don’t miss out on a chance to be part of this very urban-cool and intellectually fascinating event in 2025!
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Did you know that Carnegie Mellon University has launched a Workforce Supply Chain Initiative? This fascinating project is “developing an end-to-end portfolio of data-driven tools, assessment, and public policy guidance to help workers, employers, and policy makers navigate challenges and opportunities related to meeting the United State’s workforce needs.” Explore their website and download the concept note. This is a fascinating initiative that involves all of us. The project is sponsored by Carnegie’s Block Center for Technology and Society with the support of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute (ARM), the Richard King Mellon Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.
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YOU'RE INVITED TO THESE UPCOMING EVENTS
Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day 2024
Join the fun and excitement at this year’s Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day 2024! This is a free and open event showcasing cutting-edge robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that are driving innovation across the region. Don’t miss this innovative display of high-tech in our region. November 20, 2024, David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
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Education Vanguard Conference
We are pleased to announce the keynote speakers for this year’s conference, which is November 14-16, 2024, learn more about the speakers below and be sure to register today! Registration is free, but required for meal planning.
Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for ongoing announcements.
To secure your attendance, early registration is available. To register to attend the conference for free, please complete and submit the form below. Registration for the conference will close at the end-of-day November 11, 2024.
Register here for the November Education Vanguard Conference!
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Meet some of the Education Vanguard Conference speakers! | |
THE BOOKSHELF
The Bookshelf is an opportunity to exchange information on important, timely, and relevant reads on current high-tech and future-fit explorations. We will list recommended reads that have been reviewed by faculty, administrative leadership, and industry partners.
Here are a few recommended selections:
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The New Industrialism: Lessons from the Lunar Society by David Mindell. “What does industry look like when it strives to optimize for the lowest carbon footprint as well as the greatest profit? When it values resilience as much as efficiency? When it upholds dignified, inclusive, sustainable work?”
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Slipstream by Nichol Bradford. “Provides a game-changing perspective: Be more human, not less. The key to thriving in this tumultuous era is aligning our true nature with technology.”
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The Human Race: How Humans Can Survive in the Robotic Age by Scott Amyx. “What is the role of humans in the world of hyper-automation? Explore the imminent net job loss from artificial intelligence, robotics and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its impact on income inequality and rise in populism and nationalism that are sweeping across the globe.”
If you have a good read to recommend that you believe fits the intent of the bookshelf, please send the title and author to gls5530@psu.edu.
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ARE YOUR STUDENTS FUTURE-READY?
Check out these upcoming events in the Pittsburgh region!
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Being future-ready in industry means developing three areas: technical skills, human-conscious citizenship, and leadership skills.
Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC)
2025 EDGE Women’s Leadership Program information sessions. Sign-up today!
Pittsburgh Earth Day: “What’s Tech Got to Do with It” Green Trends, Technology and Innovation
Monday, November 4, 2024. 6-8 PM. The Duquesne Club Pittsburgh PA. “From smart building systems and energy efficient technologies to design tools and data analytics, discover how technology is streamlining processes and drive sustainability forward.”
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Develop a shared understanding of what students need most during their journeys through the system.
Workforce Development Breakfast. Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 8:00 – 10:00 am. Fairmont Pittsburgh, Market Street
Interested in understanding how Pittsburgh is planning for the future workforce? Join the conversation on December 10, 2024, to discuss how the Biden Administration has designated Pittsburgh as a Federal Workforce Hub. Find out what this means for the region and what progress is being made. Discover how this will affect your graduating students. Register here.
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Join local associations and build relationships with area employers.
Have you considered what associations in the Pittsburgh area might be perfect for you or your students to partner or join? Here a few that might be helpful:
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IN REVIEW
ARE YOU DOING SOMETHING CREATIVE WITH TECHNOLOGY APPROACHES IN YOUR CLASSROOM OR RESEARCH?
Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field that combines the skill sets needed in advanced, automated manufacturing industries.
In 2023, the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) was awarded a Build Back Better grant to establish the Mechatronics program and integrate robotics and AI as well.
Today, CCBC’s mechatronics students integrate “mechanical, electrical and computer systems to learn skills in maintaining and optimizing equipment, troubleshooting complex setups, and analyzing data for process and quality improvement. They also integrate cyber-physical systems, work with collaborative robots, and embrace artificial intelligence (AI).” These graduates are on the way to becoming indispensable to transformative manufacturing companies of the future.
Congratulations, CCBC, in growing the workforce of the future!
What is your school or campus doing to support faculty and/or student research?
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"The human spirit must prevail over technology."
Albert Einstein
Scientist
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GET READY FOR EVEN MORE CONVERSATION AND COLLABORATION | |
SWPA Consortium of Higher Education Professionals
In Fall of 2024, we will host the first event and conversation about a possible SWPA Consortium of Higher Education Professionals to include faculty and administrative leadership. Keep an eye out for details to come!
For now, we want to know what you would want to address and discuss if we were a formalized consortium of
SWPA schools. Some questions we might approach could be:
- What is the benefit of having a SWPA Consortium of Higher Education Professionals?
- What goals might we set for a consortium to support the successful achievement of the collective work through the SWPA New Economy Collaborative?
- How do we adequately and strongly address high-tech industry workforce needs while protecting the integrity of higher education values?
What questions would you like to see a consortium discuss and address?
Send your thoughts and ideas to Ginger Shaw at gls5530@psu.edu for the fall kick-off conversation so that we can set common goals and objectives for our region through the Future Readiness Events and the work through the SWPA New Economy Collaborative.
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Industry Advisory Board
Penn State New Kensington is organizing an Industry Advisory Board to support the Future Readiness Academy. Representatives from different industry sectors, business technologists, as well as academy faculty from different disciplines will be invited to attend.
If you are interested in sitting on the board, please email Ginger Shaw at gls5530@psu.edu of your interest. The purpose of the board: to collaborate, offer advice and guidance to the Future Readiness Academy and assist in reaching our goals; and to equip the Build Back Better organizations with the necessary understanding of future fit skills and technologies needed for a qualified workforce that builds upon the collaborative understanding between higher education faculty, business and industry throughout our region.
The first organizational meeting will kick off in late Fall 2024.
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If this email was forwarded to you and you want to sign up for future newsletters and event registration emails, please sign up here.
This resource and the Future Ready Events for Faculty series are made possible thanks to support from the SWPA New Economy Collaborative, an 11-county coalition formed to apply for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The educational focus is part of a federal, multi-state investment initiative to help develop local technology workforce and diverse talent pools.
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