First timer at ATE PI

Connect, collaborate, innovate.  Those are the three words on the website for the Advanced Technological Education--Principal Investigator meeting (ATE-PI) I just had the privilege of attending. The weather was amazingly hot in Washington DC from October 23-25th but the amazing accomplishments could be found inside the Omni Hotel. The meeting is held by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is an opportunity for ATE grantees and their partners to come together and discuss ideas and approaches in advanced technological education.

I have been working with Sandy Porter at InnovATEBIO for about 9 years, and started working with Peter Kazarinoff and Janet Pinhorn with the Journal of Advanced Technological Education (J ATE) last year.  So I knew quite a few people on the biotech side from zoom calls or emails over the years--however this was the first chance I had to meet them in person.

 What a community! More than one person told me that a large part of what sustained them over their career, and the almost inevitable ups and downs of professional life, was the warmth and support they receive from the ATE community. And I felt that too--I went to sessions about biotech programs for the most part, and heard people talk about ways to grow their programs, support their students, and build a stronger community.  A number of times the idea of building more of an alumni network came up--an idea I strongly agree with (read my blogs on Alumni involvement as a way to strengthen your program!). It seems like LinkedIn is the platform programs are thinking about, or already using to keep in touch with alumni--and these connections can both help track alumni to see how the students fare after graduation [metrics are important for funding!], as well as bring the alumni back to their respective colleges as mentors, or even potential employers!  The questions of "what is in it for the alumni?" came up, and there are thoughts about that too.  Continuing education, in particular for people who need to strengthen their leadership skills as they move up in the company, as well as network opportunities for broader employment information, were brought up as benefits of deeper alumni engagement.

I got the chance to sit in on the Speed Networking event and found out just how meaningful a 12 minute connection can be. Ideas about community, connection, and information dissemination flew fast and furious between myself and the experts I was paired with--the event was a masterful way to connect. Read more about Speed Networking implementation at InnovATEBIO's webpage and the Project's webpage. 

One of the main reasons I was attending was my involvement with J ATE. Last year I sat in on their workshop for writers, readers, and reviewers. The journal encompasses my three main interests--a trifecta of writing, science, and education. I am thrilled to be part of the team that helps share the hard work the authors put into their projects and manuscripts. As many now know, almost any time I talk with someone I ask if they are going to publish their work, and remind them that J ATE is especially supportive of the first time author!  I also slipped in a little plug for reviewers--the Journal has had such success that we really need more people to volunteer their time to help peer review the manuscripts that are submitted. We offer training so if you have never done it before, you can learn how, and if you have done it before, you can learn the ways in which J ATE may be different than other journals. Either way, reviewing is both a way to give back to your community as well as get an up-close view of what publishing a paper is all about, a view that can come in handy when you or your students want to publish! If you are interested in signing up for the Reveiwer's group at J ATE, email Janet Pinhorn at janet@micronanoeducation.org and she will get you on the list. 

The poster session for students showed me an incredible array of projects that went deep into incredible science. I purposely went to some students whose work was not in biotech just to see how they would explain their projects to someone outside their field, and they all nailed it with enthusiasm and clarity. And, of course, in each case I asked if they were thinking of publishing and suggested J ATE as an avenue! The students with biotech posters were equally enthusiastic and their stories about how they found the time and support to make research happen were remarkable.

Something I had not anticipated, but was very valuable, was the multiple opportunities I had to see the other, non-biotech ATE concentrations. I wandered through the morning session of Nanaotech, Engineering, Cyber security projects and learned a little bit about the challenges those fields face--many similar to the biotech challenges I was familiar with. I also had the chance to hear about a cross-over opportunity as a engineering-focused program explored the idea of training their students to repair biotech/biomanufacturing instrumentation. The question of technology support for the biotech/biomanufacturing sector is one that I think ATE is perfectly positioned to answer.

It was truly a privilege to see so many people who support each other and who connect, collaborate and innovate for their students, and this blog could not cover everything I saw and heard or it would be even longer! I am sure even more exciting developments will come to light as ideas that started during a chance meeting in the halls grow and blossom over the next months. More than ever, the word ecosystem comes to my mind--the concept that indeed we are greater than the sum of our parts--and that the students as well as the workforce and by extension the American economy, will be best served by the work we do together with education, industry, and government agencies working toward a common goal.