A geographic information systems (GIS) project has gained extraordinary momentum in the two years since its Advanced Technological Education grant funding ended.  

The project led by J. Scott Sires, a geospatial technology professor at Dallas College’s Brookhaven Campus, has had these recent achievements:    

• A service learning experience that involved students in mapping part of Brookhaven Campus led to Dallas College hiring students as interns to create three-dimensional floor plans of facilities on   seven campuses and at 15 centers.
• During the first 16 months of this floor-plan mapping project, 10 interns completed scans of 80% of the college’s 5.5 million square feet of property. College administrators are pleased with the high quality, multi-use data that the interns have gathered more quickly than anticipated.  
• In July the college hired one of the interns as a facility space analyst. Sorting the field data to make it useful to facility managers and first responders is one of the tasks of this newly created role. The college’s chief facilities officer reports he would like to hire more GIS program alumni in the future.  
• The sequence of stackable GIS credentials—including an 18-hour dual-credit, high school program—that Sires developed from his ATE grant work was approved recently by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for statewide use.
• Other Texas higher education institutions are evaluating the intern training materials and the GIS curriculum for potential adoption and adaptation.
• Sires received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the GeoTech Center this summer.

Sires said the Mentor-Connect mentoring he received in 2017 to prepare the ATE grant proposal, which won a $224,000 grant by the National Science Foundation in 2018, has “led to some opportunities that now are blooming ... And so that’s exciting.”

The 2024 ATE Principal Investigators’ Conference is coming up on October 23-25, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.!

More than 850 NSF ATE grantees and project partners from various educational sectors will convene to address critical issues in advanced technological education, spanning disciplines like advanced manufacturing technologies, agricultural and environmental technologies, biological and chemical technologies, engineering technologies, information and security technologies, micro and nanotechnologies, and more. The event brings together representatives from community colleges, business and industry, secondary school systems, and four-year colleges.

For projects and centers old and new, the annual PI Conference offers a chance to share experiences, collaborate, learn, and meet other members of the ATE community. Whether you are a first-time attendee or a seasoned participant, now is an excellent time to double-check and ensure your project or center is ready for the big event.

To support your preparation efforts, here is some information you may find helpful:

ATE Central Centers and Projects Map

The Centers and Projects map is a great way to learn about possible collaborators in your field or region and identify who may be at the PI conference. With the map, you can search through projects and centers by area of the country or by general subject area. Now is also a good time to ensure that your project or center's record is up to date. Let us know if you have new resources, a new project description, or other social media outlets. We can best support and amplify your efforts with up-to-date information about your project or center and related deliverables.

PI Meeting App

Plan which sessions to attend and track your PI meeting experiences with the annual PI meeting app. This year's app will be available in October, so watch for it on the Conference page.

Getting Started for New Grantees

This pre-conference workshop is recommended for all principal investigators, co-principal investigators, and other team members involved in newly awarded projects and centers. Held in-person on Wednesday, October 23, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, the workshops will cover the reporting and financial requirements of the ATE grant while connecting new members with other projects and centers that can help them successfully manage, evaluate, and report on their projects. ATE Central and others from the ATE community and NSF will be presenting at the session, so it’s a great place to connect and ask any questions. Sign up when registering for the conference.

ATE Community Resources

Many free tools and resources are available throughout the ATE community to help prepare your project or center for the PI conference. Be sure to check out EvaluATE, MentorConnect, and AACC, among others.

Navigating the DC Area

The conference provides breakfast and lunch on the 24th, and breakfast on the 25th. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the surrounding area for other meals.

Right across the street from the Omni Shoreham is Open City, a cafe offering brunch, coffee, and pizza all day. If you have time between sessions, the Smithsonian National Zoo is steps away from the conference hotel! For more about what’s happening in and around the DC area, check out Destination DC.

Information about how to register can be found on the conference registration page. The registration deadline is September 26th.

Check out the PI Conference's website and FAQ for more information about the conference. Don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] and let us know how we can support your ongoing efforts. We look forward to seeing you in DC!