2011 Clean Energy Workforce Education Conference
March 8-10, 2011

A strong and well-trained workforce is essential for the rapidly growing clean energy markets. This fourth national conference for educators and trainers will offer the most current information on instructional strategies, curricula development, career pathways, and best practices for training in the renewable energy and energy efficiency fields.

The conference will be held at the Saratoga Hilton in Saratoga Springs, New York, a 30- minute drive north of the Albany International Airport. Technical workshops will be held on March 8 and conference sessions will be on March 9 and 10.

You can participate in the 2011 Clean Energy Workforce Education Conference by submitting a short presentation proposal for consideration.

Presentations will be grouped into 90-minute sessions organized around a common topic. Four to six speakers will be part of each session.

This is the one national event that brings training leaders together. Don’t miss out on the chance to network with other instructors, educational leaders, and industry experts training the green workforce.

Click here for Call for Presentation information.

Critical Issues and Best Practices Forum
Today it is increasingly important to keep current with technological advances and to be able to quickly, and skillfully, respond to those changes. The CIBP Forum is a unique opportunity that will enable us to share dynamic responses to education and industry trends.

On July 26, 2010 at the Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate , Florida, over 100 educators and workforce development advocates including Elizabeth Herkenham, Workforce Consortium, were invited to participate in the discussion to:

* Identify critical technology and workforce related issues,
* Recognize, and rank by importance the most critical challenges faced by technology educators and
* Feature best known methods to respond to challenges.

Log on to: http://www.matecnetworks.org/cibp/ to learn more about the outcomes.

Seven STEM camps offered — Scholarships available!

2010 STEM Camps for High School Students were supported by the Tech Valley Career Pathways Consortium and the New York State Education Department with funding provided through the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006.

The Tech Valley Career Pathways Consortium is a partnership between Hudson Valley Community College, Capital Region BOCES, Columbia-Greene Community College, Questar III BOCES, Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES, Schenectady County Community College, and SUNY Cobleskill. The Consortium is developing career pathways in green technologies, 21st century manufacturing systems, nanotechnology and biotechnology that will provide students with a seamless transition from high school into technical degree programs offered at local two-year colleges.

This collaboration resulted in seven Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) themed summer camps available to high students with a scholarship. The hope was that students would learn how much fun it is to be engaged in high tech careers and how to get there.

They were located all over the Tech Valley / Capital Region.

Information about one of the camps, SEMI Hi-Tech U – Student Program, can be found here.

Free professional development

August 23 and 24, 2010

Thanks to the major support of NYSUT, over 100 teachers have participated in the SEMI High Tech U Teacher Edition Program during the summers of 2008 and 2009. We are pleased to inform you that funding has been secured to be able to offer another SEMI High Tech U – Teacher Program in the summer 2010.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES is building the semiconductor chip foundry therefore this professional development opportunity has become even more relevant for our region. It has been predicted by GLOBALFOUNDRIES that they will be looking to fill 800 technician level positions by 2012. Come learn more about the high technology industry of semiconductors, cleanroom work environment, skills required and the importance of STEM related field of study.

A brochure will be mailed directly to all teachers and administrators within the Capital Region School Districts. Please click here for more information. If you are interested in receiving this brochure as a direct mailing please contact info@wcet.us.

August 17 -20, 2010

Summer Camp for High School Students – Scholarships Available!

SEMI High U is an industry driven program that engaged 40 high school students in STEM related projects that are relevant lessons for the semiconductor industry and other high tech careers. The Student program was offered August 17 – 20, 2010 and was fully sponsored by Global Foundries, the Greater Capital Region Career Pathways Consortium, Capital Region BOCES, TEC-SMART, Schenectady County Community College, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at SUNY Albany, the Center for Economic Growth, the Workforce Consortium, the SEMI foundation and NYSUT; a true collaborative partnership.

Check out the online video here for more information.

Including Nanotechnology Concepts

on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Campus

July 19-23, 2010

Attend a one-week training in Summer 2010 – FREE!

WHO: High school general science, chemistry, physics, math and technology teachers; middle school science teachers.

WHAT: A one-week workshop to show you how to use low cost / no cost, simple labs and experiments using everyday materials that can be integrated into your existing lesson plans.

WHERE: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

WHEN: Week long program from July 19-23. Daily from 8AM to 5PM

WHY: To engage and excite young people in science and math!

PROGRAM FEES: Program is free. Program includes lunch and supplies; transportation and other costs are your expense.

SCHEDULE: This is a full day (8:00 to 5:00 PM) 5-day long workshop. (Note: Possibility of late afternoon/evening in the event of fieldtrips scheduled.)

FACULTY: Primary faculty are two experienced high school “Master Teachers” who have taught materials science courses for many years and helped develop this innovative approach to hands-on learning of applied science principles.

Sponsored by: Rensselaer and ASM

For more information: Contact: Elizabeth Herkenham, 518 882-8281, or e-mail her here,  Please put Rensselaer ASM / Nano Professional Development in subject line and include name(s), contact information (e-mail address). Someone will reply within one business day. Thank you.

Space is limited, so apply NOW.

July 19 – 23, 2010

This summer (July 19-23) Rensselaer hosted 20 secondary level teachers from regional school districts for a professional development program on Nanotechnology. Rensselaer’s National Science Foundation funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) sponsors the summer program as part of a multi-year commitment to educate teachers on the science of nanotechnology and to support the development of curricula for technology, physics, chemistry, biology and math classrooms.

The week-long program incorporated a multitude of lectures and hands-on activities. Faculty members shared their expertise within the areas of Materials Science, Nano-electronics, Biotechnology and energy efficient Smart Lighting. Graduate students demonstrated nano-related chemistry experiments that can be easily replicated in a high school classroom. The participants learned about key concepts, tools of the trade and cutting edge nanotechnology research. They also visited several state-of-the art labs including the 10,000 sq foot Class 100 Micro – Nano Fabrication Cleanroom.

Nano-savvy high school teachers from around the region were invited to share curriculum modules and strategies they are currently using in their classrooms. This proved to be a valuable component of the program, as often teachers need guidance on how to implement nanotechnology concepts into their classrooms.

On the final afternoon of the program, the participants traveled to the Rensselaer Technology Park to tour GE Healthcare, a real world application of nanotechnology manufacturing. GE Healthcare utilizes flat panel detector technology for building digital radiography devices. The visit to GE was an excellent culminating event that tied together all lessons learned throughout the week as well as showcased great careers within the high technology world.

The Rensselaer Nanotechnology Curriculum Development 2010 Summer Institute was very well received. As a high school technology teacher commented, “You have opened my eyes to the world of nanotechnology, it’s applications, importance and the impact on our society and future.”

Click here for agenda including presentations.

July 7, 2010

Twenty-three Tech Valley Summer Camp ninth-grade students spent one day working with Rensselaer’s Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center undergraduates and graduate students to learn about the intricacies of SMART Lighting and the electronic circuitry required to make it all work. This program was truly a fun hands-on experience that fully engaged the students to learn complex lessons. One student was quoted as saying, “I thought is was so cool to learn how simple materials can be used in sync with other simple materials to power a LED bulb. This gave me a chance to realize that engineering is a lot simpler once it is broken down into pieces.”

This program was sponsored by the NSF funded – Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center.