FLATE Upcoming Events
FLATE Webinar Series 2022 - 2023
The 2022-23 FLATE Webinar Series is designed to provide educators around the state with training on the latest technology or enhance student success and the community. Enhance your ability to attract and retain students and/or understand new, complex technologies. The series includes 11 sessions ranging from cyber security, recruiting, diversity to work-based learning.

Register now for the first 6 sessions:

  • 12/7/2022 3:00 PM Cybersecurity for Manufacturing Technicians #1 
  • 1/19/2023 10:00 AM Developing local articulations to increase enrollments in college programs 
  • 2/1/2023 1:00 PM How to create work-based learning opportunities
  • 2/22/2023 2:00 PM Recruiting Strategies Best Practices 
  • 3/24/2023 10:00 AM Robots for AI and Industry 4.0 Training & Demo 
  • 4/18/2023 3:00 PM Creating Videos using Classroom projects and Student Success Stories 
FLATE News
FLATE Speed Networking:
Connecting Educators & Manufacturers
The Manufacturers Association of Central Florida (MACF) held their 1st annual Made in Central Florida Expo on October 25th in Orlando. Over 500 students, 50 guidance counselors, 100+ educators and 30+ manufacturers connected at the Expo. Over 40 student teams participated in the Student Design & Build Competition. The counselors and educators participated in FLATE Speed Networking at the Expo, making personal connections with local manufacturers in 5 central Florida counties.
Summer Work Program with USRA/AFRL
Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) has a summer work experience program where students in the Engineering Technology (ET) degree program do a 9-week internship with a local company in the summer. FLATE recently interviewed two students who participated in Summer 2022, Christopher Garza and Paul Greer Jr, for an inside look at their experience.

Both students did their internships with Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Eglin Air Force Base. Universities Space Research Association (USRA) administers their AFRL Scholars Program to strengthen the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce pipeline. Through the company’s Scholars Program, AFRL offers stipend-paid internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate-level university students pursuing STEM degrees, as well as upper-level high school students. The selected interns gain valuable hands-on experiences working with full-time AFRL scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research and technology and are able to contribute to unique, research-based projects. They also provide mentors to help guide students, including through the application process.

The Summer 2023 application window for USRA internships is open now until January 10th. Click here for more information and to apply.
FLATE Strengthens College Partnerships: Visits
Lake-Sumter State College & the College of Central Florida
FLATE continues to visit college partners and meet with faculty around the state. Dr. Marilyn Barger and Ernie Friend plan to visit all 23 colleges with Engineering Technology (ET) and ET-related programs. So far, they have visited fifteen colleges in north, central, and south Florida. Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) and College of Central Florida (CCF) are the latest schools visited this month. Special thanks to all the faculty and staff that collaborated with us during the visits!

Increasing enrollments, finding qualified faculty, and engaging industry partnerships are common challenges for many post-secondary education institutions in Florida and across the country. FLATE and FloridaMakes are committed to working on these challenges by finding creative ways to connect schools with potential students and using the FloridaMakes network to identify new companies to work with colleges. 
Lake-Sumter State College
College of Central Florida
ET Conversations at ETLI: What’s in a name: Engineer, Engineering Technologist, Technician
The Engineering Technology Leadership Institute (ETLI) meets annually to focus on national policy issues around engineering technology education including engineering technology professionals, issues surrounding accreditation, licensure, occupational codes (and definitions of those occupations), and other timely topics. Recently, research and conversation on these topics has become overlayed and somewhat complicated with the impact of smart factories, automated and connected “systems”, and Industry 4.0 technologies.

With the emergence of manufacturing integrated systems, many new industrial positions and job titles have been created in attempts to better define various collections of skills needed to perform current industry tasks. It takes time to get these technical personnel re-aligned to effectively and efficiently with the new technologies simplifying or eliminating some tasks while making others more complex, raising questions about the strict traditional definitions of “engineer” and the working definitions of engineers, engineering technologists, and engineering technicians.
The "Needed Math" Project: Working Technician Skills
The “Needed Math” project at Hofstra University aims to discover what math skills working technicians’ really need as they start their career. The project is focused on Advanced Manufacturing including Bio-manufacturing and brings together researchers, employers, and technical and mathematics educators with exceptional credentials, including Dr. Marilyn Barger from FLATE as a site visit and interview coordinator. After identifying the math skills that are expected to be applied by technicians in selected manufacturing sectors, the team will work to develop a method for industry to communicate with college faculty about the mathematics needed.

Educators & Technicians: please assist us by taking the pilot survey by November 22nd. It should take between 20-30 minutes.

If you are a mathematics instructor, click here: https://tinyurl.com/matheducators

If you are an industrialist or a technician working in manufacturing, click here:

If you are a technical subject instructor, click here: https://tinyurl.com/technicaleducators

For more information, check out their website: www.neededmath.org. Contact Lois Micell@hofstra.edu to subscribe to the Needed Math newsletter (also posted on their website under the “dissemination” link). Contact Michael.hacker@hoftstra.edu to join or start a collaborative working group.
Other Upcoming Events
Cybersecurity Across Disciplines
Faculty Development for Manufacturing/Automation
January 5-6, 2023 | 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
College of Central Florida - Ocala
Cybersecurity knowledge and abilities are needed in many of today’s industries. The focus of this academy is to cross-train non-cybersecurity faculty to incorporate cybersecurity concepts and practices into their community/technical college program disciplines.

This 2-day in-person faculty development academy is targeted for community college faculty in automation, manufacturing, logistics, process control, automotive technologies, business, information technologies, and others. The workshops provide faculty with curriculum, content, and assessment instruments. Eligible participants will receive a $500 stipend upon successfully completing the academy.
November 14-20 NAW Week
Share Apprenticeship Information with Your Students!

This toolkit is available for free Nov-Dec 2022.
 
Every 3 months, Edge Factor provides a new FREE toolkit that delivers high impact videos and interactive activities to engage students and job-seekers. Anyone can sign up to register for these toolkits here: edgefactor.com/free-experiences
Apprenticeship Accelerator
December 8 - 11 AM - 1PM
Pensacola State College
Dual-Credit, Web-Based Mechatronics for High Schools: A workshop for Secondary & Post-Secondary Educators
March 9, 2023 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Hillsborough Community College - Tampa
This hands-on workshop will introduce faculty to an entry level Mechatronics course (Concepts of Electronics) taught to high school students at a distance in Nebraska and Minnesota. It is the first of 4 courses being designed to deliver to high school students.

Attendees will learn best practices for delivering technical course work online, assemble a trainer and perform lab exercises designed for high school students. All participants will take their finished trainer (valued over $300) home and be asked to create a lab with the trainer to share with other workshop attendees and the iMEC community. A bill of materials and curriculum will also be made available. 

Teams of a high school instructor and State/community college faculty are encouraged to attend as a team. The workshop is FREE, lunch will be provided, and attendees will take their trainer home to use in their own classrooms.
To be notified when registration opens and or ask for more information, contact: Marilyn Barger (Marilyn.barger@flate.org).
Student & Educator Opportunities
Students Wanted: 2nd Annual Challenge Coin Design Competition
Deadline for Submissions: December 15
The Florida Legislature’s Manufacturing and Supply Chain Caucus announced the opening of the 2nd Annual Commemorative Challenge Coin Design Competition. “This competition helps to inform young people of the importance of manufacturing to a stable economy and to reveal the many high paying career opportunities available to them in the manufacturing industry,” added Representative Tommy Gregory. 

The prestigious limited-edition commemorative challenge coin is given to an individual or manufacturing company in Florida who has demonstrated outstanding performance in the industry and are positive contributors to championing the benefits of this high-wage, high-value sector.

  • Coin designs should be submitted by K-12 or college students from a Florida school
  • Students who enter the competition will get real-life exposure to the manufacturing process and an opportunity to meet their local legislator.
  • Winner gets an all-expenses paid trip to Tallahassee in 2023 to be recognized during a meeting of the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Caucus and receive private tour of our state capitol building.
Student Internship Spring 2023: CNST at NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
Application Deadline: November 18
The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) NanoFab, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and NEATEC are sponsoring internships two students (community college and/or four-year technical college) during the Spring 2023 term at CNST in Gaithersburg, MD. Internship starts January 9, 2023 for 16 weeks.

Students selected for the program must attend the full period as well as a three-day fully paid preparation workshop at SUNY Poly in Albany, New York.  Each student will receive a stipend of $650 per week for the duration of the internship and a one-time payment of $500 to cover travel expenses.  The program is designed for students enrolled in engineering or technical fields.
18th Annual FEEC at the UCF Student Union (March 3rd)
Call for Presenters Deadline: December 19
The Florida Engineering Education Conference (FEEC) strives to bridge the engineering workforce and the academic sector through a series of workshops, hands-on activities, and networking sessions. Those interested in presenting an interactive workshop are encouraged to submit a proposal at the "Call for Presenters" link on our website. Proposals will be accepted through December 19, 2022. (Direct link: http://stem.ucf.edu/feec/call-for-presenters/)
 
Registration for the conference will open in the coming weeks on the same site. The cost to attend the 2023 FEEC is $15, however, presenters will be invited to attend free of charge. Please do not register for the conference prior to receiving notification regarding proposal acceptance. A separate registration form for presenters will be sent after proposals have been accepted.
FANUC 2D iRVision Operation and Programming course March 13-15, Ocala
The College of Central Florida’s Corporate College is offering the FANUC 2D iRVision Operation and Programming course March 13-15 in-person on the Ocala Campus of the College of Central Florida.
 
The College of Central Florida is approved by FANUC America Corporation as a FANUC Authorized Satellite Training Academic Institution. The FAST designation from FANUC will allow machine operators, programmers, maintenance professionals and machine tool builders to receive a certificate of completion from the only FANUC Authorized Satellite Training Center in Florida.
Women in Manufacturing Management Development Program (MDP) - Scholarship Application
CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), six individuals will receive a scholarship to participate in MDP! The Management Development Program (MDP) is an interactive series of virtual workshops designed to help you grow your business and leadership acumen to prepare you for success in your current and future roles. This program is for Female, entry-level management professionals in manufacturing and/or individuals interested in becoming a manager or supervisor. The 2023 Cohort kicks off in January 2023.
News & Resources
Congratulations to Kevin Finan, Broward County Machining Teacher & Winner of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching
Congratulations to Kevin Finan, a machining teacher at Atlantic Technical College and Technical High School, for being named a winner of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. He was awarded $50,000 for his program. Finan is one of 20 prize winners across the country.

In 2016, Kevin received the FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Post-Secondary Educator-of-the-Year AwardThe valuable input Finan has provided to Atlantic Technical has led to the advancement of technology within the industry and raised the level of quality of its employees entering the manufacturing field. While Finan serves as the teacher for the machining technologies program, he also continues to provide direct support to the machining apprenticeship program that he helped develop in alliance with the South Florida Manufacturers Association. 

Finan has also proven invaluable with his skills for securing the necessary funding needed to maintain a quality machining program that rivals anywhere in the state of Florida. He has been instrumental in earning grant awards from various sources for both equipment and supplies. This has included an apprenticeship grant from the Florida Department of Education that awarded the school with more than $500,000 used to purchase state-of-the-art machining equipment.  
Engineers discover new process for synthetic material growth, enabling soft robots that grow like plants
Soft robots can navigate hard-to-reach places like pipes or the inside of the human body. A team of University of Minnesota Twin Cities scientists and engineers has developed a first-of-its-kind, plant-inspired process that enables synthetic material growth. The new approach will allow researchers to build better soft robots that can navigate hard-to-reach places, complicated terrain and, potentially, areas within the human body. The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This new process also has applications in manufacturing and biomedicine.
xSTEM Virtual Series for Middle & High Schoolers
Q&A with NASA Space Engineer - November 30, 2022
FLATE Resources