Summer conference season is upon us, including our own HI-TEC Conference which is just around the corner. Presenters play a crucial role in ensuring that these events are accessible and informative for all attendees. With the goal of making every presentation as inclusive as possible, ATE Impacts has compiled some essential tips and resources to help you prepare your materials.

Accessible Presentation Planning

Getting Organized
Start by outlining your presentation and organizing your thoughts. Consider your audience and their diverse needs. Collect supporting documents and ensure your goals are clear. As you create your presentation, keep accessibility at the forefront. Remember, successful sessions are those that are relevant across different fields, industries, and professional roles.

Timing Your Presentation
Practice makes perfect. Fine-tune your presentation to fit within the 45-minute session length, including time for questions and answers. Keep in mind that real-time at the conference may move faster, so add a buffer of a few extra minutes.

Preparing for Questions
Anticipate potential questions from your audience. Have someone review your presentation and pose questions to you. Think through your responses and have additional resources ready to share.

Delivering an Accessible Presentation

Arriving Early
Be considerate of the presenters before you and use the 15-minute break between sessions to set up. Ensure all HI-TEC-provided cables and equipment remain for the next presenter.

Tracking Your Time
If you have co-presenters, designate someone to keep track of time. If you're presenting solo, set reminders or cues in your slides to stay on schedule. Be courteous by ending on time and allowing the next presenter to set up.

Ensuring Accessibility

• Caption Videos: Ensure all embedded videos are captioned.
• Clear Audio: Make sure audio is clear and descriptive.
• Describe Visuals: Describe any images or photos and explain their relevance.
• Read Slides Aloud: Verbally share all information on your slides.
• Use Microphones: Speak clearly and use the microphone if available.
• Simple Slides: Avoid overcrowding slides with too much information.

Sharing Contact Information
Many attendees may want to connect with you post-session. Share your contact information verbally and include it on your slides. Providing an email address or other contact methods can facilitate further discussions.

Sharing Your Slides
Sharing your slides is optional but recommended. Use services like Apple iCloud, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive to create a shareable link. A QR code can also be a convenient way to share this link.

Accessibility Resources
To further enhance your presentation’s accessibility, consider the following resources:

• W3C WAI: Making Events Accessible: A comprehensive checklist for making your materials and presentations accessible.
• AccessATE.net: Creating Accessible Presentations: Tips for creating accessible presentations before, during, and after your session.
• Microsoft, Adobe, Apple, Google, and Prezi: Each offers guides on making documents and presentations accessible on their platforms.

If you have other resources you’d like to share out related to making conferences and presentations more accessible we’re happy to help - send them along to us at impacts@ateimpacts.net.  By working together we can ensure that our educational conferences are  accessible and impactful for everyone. Learn more about HI-TEC 2024 at the conference site and visit AccessATE and CAST for more information about accessibility

GEOBRIDGES at Central Wyoming College is gaining momentum in its second summer of using Advanced Technological Education grant funds to provide stipends for students to assist with applied geospatial science and technology (GIST) research and monitoring in the Wind River Mountains.

In 2023, 20 students participated; 30% were Native Americans. There are Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribal communities in the service area of the college, which is a Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institution.

This summer there is a waiting list for GEOBRIDGES, which teaches geospatial information science (GIS) and other skills ranging from first aid to data analysis in credit courses that apply toward CWC's Expedition Science certificate and associate degree. This credential qualifies students for entry-level technician roles with the U.S. Forest Service, local tribes, and private employers. The condensed format also accelerates associate degree completion.

“We're putting the capstone first in a sense. They're getting these amazing opportunities that are usually for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. And as they're doing these projects, they're going to conferences and presenting. They're writing hypotheses. They're doing scientific research projects,” Jacki Klancher said during a recent interview. Klancher is the director of Research and Innovation at CWC’s Alpine Science Institute, an environmental health and science professor, and principal investigator of GEOBRIDGES.

Aside from the significant knowledge boost, the GEOBRIDGES project (National Science Foundation Award 2202230) provides students with comprehensive access to expensive wilderness learning experiences that are usually out of reach for individuals who have to work summer jobs or who have expended their financial aid during fall and spring semesters. CWC and other funders (listed at the end of the article) cover participants’ tuition for their summer courses and expedition-related expenses.

In the ATE Impacts Video featuring GEOBRIDGES, Klancher says, “I’m really proud to be able to offer something that’s so practical that you can apply it with a two-year degree or you can build on it and take it where you want to. I feel great satisfaction that when they leave at the end of the summer, their pockets won’t be empty and their minds will be full.”

The ATE Impacts Video series at https://ateimpacts.net/impacts/videos added four videos in May in conjunction with the release of the book ATE Impacts 2024-2025: 30 Years of Advancing Technician Education. The cinematic videos were created by Vox Television in partnership with the Internet Scout Research Group, part of the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Both the book and the videos feature ATE community members—students, industry partners, instructors, and administrators—explaining the ATE program’s positive impact on their lives and the people served by the NSF grant-funded programs across the United States. The book and video series were prepared with NSF support under grant 2033738.

Who said teaching complex STEM concepts couldn't be as easy as pie—or perhaps as crumbly as a cookie?  Within the ATE community, some inventive educators have transformed everyday snack foods into meaningful learning opportunities. By utilizing everyday pantry treats, they present scientific and mathematical principles in ways that are not only more approachable for students but also delightfully delicious.

In this month's From the Archive blog post, we highlight three ATE projects and centers that have creatively used common confections as educational tools. First, a marshmallow becomes the focal point of a lesson on measurement and calculations. Next, chocolate chip cookies serve as a model for understanding the process and impact of surface mining and land reclamation. Finally, we delve into the practical and experimental aspects of candy making, discovering melting point, temperature, and emulsions. Each resource is crafted to engage, educate, and, of course, entertain.